I'd Rather Be Reading

This week Rachel would rather be reading Style Therapy.

Style Therapy: 30 Days to Your Signature Style by Lauren Messiah

Producer's note: I need style. Rachel has great style.

This week Rachel would rather be reading Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be A-holes!

This is relatable and poignant. Make sure you listen to the whole thing because every second of this interview is good.

Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be A-holes: Unfiltered Advice on How to Raise Awesome Kids by Karen Alpert

This week Rachel would rather be reading This Beautiful Mess.

Shelly Bartholomew is a former Miss Teen USA and a fantastic writer. 

This Beautiful Mess: Let Go of Perfection, Embrace Your Mess and Find Beauty In Your Story by Shelly Bartholomew

This week Rachel would rather be reading Fierce Self-Compassion.

Dr. Kristin Neff has a great website!

Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive by Dr. Kristin Neff

Rachel also suggests:

You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience by Tarana Burke and Dr. Brene Brown

This week Rachel would rather be reading something to help her be great, and it sounds like she found it! Rachel welcomes Ron Friedman to talk about his fantastic book.

Rachel has some companion books that she think would be good reads, too:

Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad Stone

CenterStage: My Most Fascinating Interviews―from A-Rod to Jay-Z by Michael Kay

Will you accept this rose? 

Rachel would rather be reading this book on the beach this week.

The Road to Roses: Heartbreak, Hope, and Finding Strength When Life Doesn't Go as Planned by Autumn Krauss and Desiree Hartsock Siegfried

In true Thursday Three fashion, though, Rachel doesn't want to leave you without a companion pick:

Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer by Doree Shafrir

If you're an American who survived the start of the pandemic thanks to Netflix, these guests need no introduction. This week, Rachel would rather be reading Leap of Faith by Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed.

Leap of Faith: Finding Love the Modern Way by Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed

Nothing Personal: My Secret Life in the Dating App Inferno by Nancy Jo Sales

Mergers and Acquisitions: Or, Everything I Know About Love I Learned on the Wedding Pages by Cate Doty

This week's Thursday Three has a special guest -- C.J. Wade.

You can find C.J. Wade's musings and a link to all of her most important writings on her site thewritewade.com. You may also enjoy her podcast Queens be Like.

C.J. Wade's Picks:

I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith by Lecrae

Rita Moreno: A Memoir by Rita Moreno

Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

Rachel's Picks (actually three this week!):

Dream First, Details Later: How to Quit Overthinking & Make It Happen! by Ellen Marie Bennett

Growing Boldly: Dare to Build a Life You Love by Emily Ley

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Check out the book mentioned in the show:

Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present, Grounded, and Thriving by Scott O'Neil

Calling this a Thursday Three would just be lying to you. It is 38 minutes of pure book loving bliss. If you can't find a book you enjoy reading from this list of picks from these two, well, you shouldn't be listening to a podcast about books. So, for this week's "Thursday 33" we have the incomparable Sparky Reardon, a legend from the Ole Miss family and as voracious a reader as our inimitable host.

Without further ado, here are the picks listed for your convenience:

Rachel's Picks:

Seeing Serena by Gerald Marzorati

Brat: An '80s Story by Andrew McCarthy

Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success by Rebecca Minkoff

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel by Rebecca Wells

Sparky's Picks:

All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel by Anthony Doerr

When Evil Lived in Laurel: The "White Knights" and the Murder of Vernon Dahmer by Curtis Wilkie

The Inspector Montalbano Series by Andrea Camilleri (Producer's note: There are 28 books in the series and a BBC television series.)

Seeds Of Greatness by Denis Waitley

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Watership Down: A Novel by Richard Adams

Beach Music: A Novel by Pat Conroy

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America by Nicholas Lemann

Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America by John Barry

Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta by Richard Grant

Also, we would be remiss if we didn't share with our readers a bookstore that both host and guest recommend if you are visiting Oxford, Mississippi: Square Books

Enjoy!