On Our Bookshelf | March |

At the end of last year, and from time to time over the years, we’ve shared our best reads and favorite picks when it comes to our bookshelf. I love these posts, largely because it helps me get amazing book recommendations from you all, but more importantly because truly, isn’t a good book just one of the best things in life? Whether you’re curled up on the couch during winter, or soaking up the hot sun in summer, a good read kind of always feels like a little vacation… don’t you think? We do! So in light of that I decided to make ‘On Our Bookshelf’ a monthly series, which features not just mine, but the entire team’s current favorite reads. Just preparing this post has already given me so many must make purchases on my Kindle. Check out our six picks below and be sure to provide your recommendations in the comments!

Clara
The Fault in Our Stars This book possesses one of the most touching love stories I’ve ever read. The fact that the love is between two teens with terminal cancer, makes it that much more incredible. Yes, it’s a bit of a heartbreaker in the end, but the author’s overall take on being alive and in love is nothing short of heart warming. I promise, this one won’t disappoint.

Summerland Do you have a guilty pleasure when it comes to reading? Elin Hildenbrand’s books are totally mine. They’re all set at the beach, they all involve beautiful people, and there’s always a happy ending. I believe they fall into the not so glamorous “chic-let” genre, but I’m still addicted to them. I’ve decided to kick off my summer reads a little early this year in order to combat this annoyingly long winter we’ve, and am starting with one of Elin’s more recent pieces- Summerland. No judging!

Sarah
Me Before You: This book captured me in a way that I wasn’t expecting- and I loved every minute of it. I honestly had to pace myself so I wouldn’t read too much at once! I’d describe it as an unexpected love story that will leave you with a new outlook on life. It definitely proves that you don’t need a happy ending to make a great story.

One Day: This certainly isn’t a new book, but it’s one that I recently got around to reading. I never saw the movie, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I think the character development is what makes this book so special. You get to see many facets of each character over a long period. At times you may not even know if you love or hate them, but in the end you just want them to end up together!

Lauren
Daring Greatly: If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I’m not [good, perfect, successful, thin, etc.] enough,” this book is for you. In Daring Greatly, Dr. Brené Brown encourages us to embrace our vulnerability and imperfection, to cultivate our worthiness, and to courageously engage in the world. One of my favorite excerpts that really resonated with me: “When we spend our lives waiting until we’re perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable, we squander our precious time, and we turn our backs on our gifts, those unique contributions that only we can make. Perfect and bulletproof are seductive, but they don’t exist in the human experience.”

It’s All Good: I’m a BIG fan of Gwyneth’s previous cookbook, My Father’s Daughter, so naturally I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of her second book next week. After seeing this preview in the latest issue of SELF, I was even more sold. The recipes are not too far off from how we normally eat in our house anyway, and I’m excited to find some new go-to dishes to lean on when we’re feeling we need to “clean up” our diet a bit.

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