Ikigai is a book based on the Japanese principles of living a purposeful life.  This episode is a  review of the book Ikigai.  Click here for the blog version of this episode.

SPOILER ALERT:  We continue our conversation about the book With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo.  Discussing all aspects of the book may reveal aspects you may not want to know about if you haven't read it yet, hence the spoiler alert.

SPOILER ALERT:  Recording of our first book club meeting (with minimal edits).  We discuss the book With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo.  We discuss all aspects of this YA novel.  Members present were myself, Erin, Lindsay, and Deborah.

I chat with Erin Burrell, the author of That's Why You're Here.  It’s a memoir of transformation from abused girl to grieving wife to empowered, intuitive Tarot reader. Quite a journey, really!  Erin was born and raised in Sacramento and as an adult, she worked in banking, elementary education, and eventually had a 25 year career with the State of California.

Today we talk about her journey and of course, books!

You can reach Erin on Instagram (egbtarot) or her website at egbtarot.com.  

This is my review of the book China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan.  The only spoiler alert is for book 1 which is Crazy Rich Asians, but if you have already read that book, no spoilers here.

Read the blog version of this episode here:  https://shahnazahmed.com/china-rich-girlfriend-by-kevin-kwan/

A bookstagrammer in Canada, Monique Lahaie (Instagram @monique_reads) discusses the strategies for getting ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy) from publishers.  We talk a bit about Net Galley and just books in general.  A fun and informative conversation you do not want to miss while you are working out your New Year's ARC and reading goals.

In this episode, I suggest some book goals that you can have for 2020 even if you are just getting back to the habit of reading or are a seasoned reader and consumer of books.

I go over my favorite books for December and then I go through all the books I've read for 2019 broken down by genre and I've picked/suggested my favorites from the different genres I've read.  Of course, at the end I mention my favorite book for 2019!

In this episode, I give 15 suggestions to increase your book numbers for 2020.  Good luck.

Why read?  This is the question I tackle and through personal experience and some minimal Google searches I have come up with some reasons to read.  I hope you are able to empathize with me.