A New Year, A New You... Books to start the Year right

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! It's a sunny but cold day in South Carolina. It's the first weekend of the new year and I happen to be spring cleaning. Yup, spring cleaning, which I should probably call Winter cleaning because that's what season we are really in. But it doesn't really feel like Winter here. It has been cold a few days, and all this week it has rained a LOT, but it's not like Connecticut with a foot of snow, so I think I'm confused. And those cold days did trap me inside, which lead to the spring cleaning. BUT, when January rolls around, don't we all make resolutions and new starts? And isn't spring cleaning like a new start? Which leads me to the books I've been seeing on these "start the year right" lists. Making positive changes, starting over, new opportunities. We've read all the books on mindfullness and the joys of uncluttering your life. Now here are some books that have piqued my interest and promise to make your year a good one... A New Year and a New You!

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis... As the founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com

and CEO of her own media company, Rachel Hollis developed an immense online community by sharing tips for better living while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own life. Now, in this challenging and inspiring new book, Rachel exposes the twenty lies and misconceptions that too often hold us back from living joyfully and productively, lies we’ve told ourselves so often we don’t even hear them anymore.

With painful honesty and fearless humor, Rachel unpacks and examines the falsehoods that once left her feeling overwhelmed and unworthy, and reveals the specific practical strategies that helped her move past them. In the process, she encourages, entertains, and even kicks a little butt, all to convince you to do whatever it takes to get real and become the joyous, confident woman you were meant to be.

With unflinching faith and rock-hard tenacity, Girl, Wash Your Face shows you how to live with passion and hustle--and how to give yourself grace without giving up.

Rachel Hollis is like the new "it" girl. I see her everywhere. Before her "Girl, " series (Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing) it seems Rachel wrote women's fiction. But her "Girl" books are suppose to be like a little kick in the butt for anyone who just needs to realize they've got the right stuff, they just don't know it.

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The Joy of Less by Francine Jay... Having less stuff is the key to happiness: Do you ever feel

overwhelmed, instead of overjoyed, by all your possessions? Do you secretly wish a gale force wind would blow the clutter from your home? If so, it's time to simplify your life! The Joy of Less is a fun, lighthearted guide to minimalist living:
Part One provides an inspirational pep talk on the joys and rewards of paring down.
Part Two presents the STREAMLINE method: ten easy steps to rid your house of clutter.
Part Three goes room by room, outlining specific ways to tackle each one.
Part Four helps you get your family on board and live more lightly and gracefully on the earth.
Ready to sweep away the clutter? Just open this book, and you'll be on your way to a simpler, more streamlined, and more serene life. 

Francine has helped hundreds of thousands of people declutter their homes and simplify their lives with her bestselling book, The Joy of Less.

We've all read Marie Condo's book, The life changing magic of tidying up, but here's a different take on decluttering, and by the reviews I have read, for the most part Francine Jay's way is working.

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The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wikimg... Embrace Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) and become happier with this definitive guide to the Danish philosophy of comfort, togetherness, and well-being.

Why are Danes the happiest people in the world? The answer, says Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, is Hygge. Loosely translated, Hygge―pronounced Hoo-ga―is a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. "Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience," Wiking explains. "It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe."

Hygge is the sensation you get when you’re cuddled up on a sofa, in cozy socks under a soft throw, during a storm. It’s that feeling when you’re sharing comfort food and easy conversation with loved ones at a candlelit table. It is the warmth of morning light shining just right on a crisp blue-sky day. The Little Book of Hygge introduces you to this cornerstone of Danish life, and offers advice and ideas on incorporating it into your own life, such as:

Get comfy. Take a break.
Be here now. Turn off the phones.
Turn down the lights. Bring out the candles.
Build relationships. Spend time with your tribe.
Give yourself a break from the demands of healthy living. Cake is most definitely Hygge.
Live life today, like there is no coffee tomorrow.
From picking the right lighting to organizing a Hygge get-together to dressing hygge, Wiking shows you how to experience more joy and contentment the Danish way.

Can I say any more about this book? Seems to me we can always use a little more comfy in our lives!

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So you make New Year's Resolutions? 

Do you treat January as a time to refresh yourself?

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Week in Review... The start of the year did bring some refreshing reading to Chick with Books! In looking for my First Book of the Year, I came across a pile of books I just had to start my year of reading. You can find those books in last Sundays' Sunday Salon. But I didn't reveal what my First Book of the Year was going to be until January 1st, and that choice was Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. The story had me from the get go, but it was so much more that what the start of the story alluded to. I read that book in a day and really enjoyed it. The characters were great and there were enough surprises along the way and the ending that made the book hold my interest. There were a few little things that held me back from a 5 star rating, but I would definitely recommend it, especially to book clubs because I really think there is a lot to discuss. Here's my full review. I wish my book club read it because I am dying to talk about it with someone! But I joined the FB discussion group for Reese Witherspoons Book Club, Reese's Book Club (Hello Sunshine) and Such a Fun Age is actually what Reese picked for her January selection, so I am saved a little. 

This week was also the start of my Memoir Monday meme. For some reason I just have a unusual number of Memoirs and Biographies that I want to read and here's where I share the ones I have found that get put on my TBR list. This week's Memoir Monday was about Educated by Tara Westover. The first 17 years of her life she had no formal education, but her desire to learn brought her full circle to Harvard and Cambridge University. On My TBR list!

I also started back posting my First Lines Friday meme, which I always love sharing. I always read a little of a book I'm thinking of buying to see if the writing grabs me. And what can be more telling than the first lines that start the book. This past weeks First Lines Friday was about a book called,  10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak and this book is also on my nightstand to be read ASAP. 

So, how was your week? What great books have you started reading for the new year? Please share them because I'd love to know!

Stop by next week to find out what interesting books I found for Memoir Monday and First Lines Friday, and another book I review for the new year on Saturday! Until then...

Happy reading... Suzanne