Get Red or Read, both are beautiful

I believe every woman should be well red/read.

Love this Anthropologie wallpaper, need it for my dream reading nook!

Seriously. You should.

As in, finding that perfect shade of red lipstick to suit her, and as in well read literary-ily. I am frequently impressed by people who have skills I could never dream of, whether that means being a brain surgeon, or just always being on time or maybe keeping your facial expressions neutral when people are talking to you - why oh why can't I do this???!?!?! I have talent envy. But I am never more impressed than when a woman opens her mouth and alludes to a great book, or seamlessly drops quotes or information from a great read into conversation, or gets a smile on her face and tells of how a book changed her view, day, life, perspective etc. Reading has been a life long love of mine and I am impressed with a woman who has cultivated her mind through literature - not the drivel that is Twilight people, standards.

In fact, I am kind of a book slut. I will read pretty much anything. And I always finish books. It is a weird OCD thing I have, if I start you, no matter how awful, gruesome, tedious etc you may be (AHEM, cough cough, I am talking about you "One Day" and "The Road") I will read you to the very last page. I tend to find myself drawn to history, historical fiction, autobiographies, memoirs (see a trend?), chick lit, popular fiction and nothing that has vampires in it. Yes, I've read the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, and I LOVED both the  Harry Potter and the Shopoholic series with all my heart, but I also like heavy reading. I want to read about struggle, change, humor and things/places I have never experienced.

I am frequently asked, and can never answer what my favorite book, or even books are. I have a few I read every year, but certain books have spoken to me at very different places in my life thus far. A few in my collection that are pretty beat up are:

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man

The Great Gatsby

The Secret Garden

The Girl with a Pearl Earring

The BFG (yes, this book has been read more than once, in my adulthood - if we can call me an adult)

The Catcher in the Rye

To Kill a Mockingbird

Pale Fire

Great Expectations

The Little Prince

anything by Chelsea Handler (see, I really read everything)

Imperfect Birds

Les Miserables (yes, I have read the unabridged multiple times)

This year I have also finally gotten around to reading some older books, and found a few new favorites, I suggest you try the following:

Wild 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime

The Help

Prosperous Friends

Bossy Pants

Narcopolis

Gone Girl

Unfortunately this year I did not like:

Team of Rivals

Unbroken

Casual Vacancy

I just finished reading a book called The Power of Habit and absolutely loved it. In fact, that was what started this whole book blog writing postyness in the first place. I thought to myself (not that I am a resolution setter) what an apropos time to read a book about how habits are formed, changed and maintained than at the new year? I highly recommend it. It details the science behind memory, habits and life structure as well as talks about amazing stories of whole professional football teams, researchers, sick people, over weight people, and people with addictions and their triumph and failures with habit forming. It was so interesting and really made me look at the thousands of things I mindlessly do all day without being conscious. 

So, here I had been all week thinking about writing up The Power of Habit and then in an interesting turn, being too lazy to overcome my habit of procrastinating (the book really does change lives people) and actually write the blog post and I came across this article of Facebook this morning.

http://www.flavorwire.com/360251/20-books-every-woman-should-read-in-her-20s

 I was shocked, and ok, a bit appalled that I had never read any of the books this list says every woman should read in her twenties. And here people, here, is where we really get to the title namesake of this post. Apparently, I have to get cracking! I put great stock in being well read, and there is this list that says as a woman in my twenties I am not! Soooo, I haven't read these yet, but you can bet I am going to start at the top and make me way down the list... maybe you should too - unless you're a man (do men read this silly blog?) or you know, not in your twenties, then I think you're off the hook!