Happy Friday, friends! I thought we’d switch things up around here and chat about what we’ve been reading and loving these days. This year, I’m making self-care more of a priority and part of that entails reading more for pleasure! Although I love some well-minded business books, I’ve been gravitating more towards content that speaks to who we are as creatives, as well as books that are just plain fun to read. I mean, leave it to Mindy Kaling to have me sitting on my couch and laughing all by myself! Curious about what my biggest takeaways were from each of the books on my January and February reading list? Then scroll on down, friend!

Rising Strong, Brene Brown

My sweet friend Kat gave me this book for Christmas, but I didn’t actually dive into it until I was on the plane headed to the Creative at Heart Birthday Bash. I started the book that morning on the plane from Dallas, and by the time we touched down in Virginia, I was more than halfway through. Yes, I am a quick reader but y’all, this book is truly that good! If you’re not familiar with Brene’s work, you must check her out. I’ve recommended this read to almost everyone I know this year alone, and am considering buying more copies so I can loan them out! As a social worker, researcher and professor at the University of Houston School of Social Work, Brene is no stranger to topics like shame, guilt, and failure.

In Rising Strong, she shares that it’s not how we fall after a failure or struggle, but how we rise from them that help shape our values, our beliefs and how we view the world. From some serious truth bombs on shame and failure, to the encouragement to dare greatly in all things work doing, I took more life lessons away from this book than I can count. At the beginning of her book, Brene states that, “…when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both.” When I read those words, I was in the thick of prepping for the April Illume Retreat registration launch and struggling hard with feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. These words washed over me and brought so much validation, inspiration and comfort. My biggest takeaway from this read? All worthwhile things we take on expose us to failure. But in the midst of failure, there is so much to learn about who we are and just how strong we truly can be.

Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling

We all need a little more humor in our lives, right? In her sequel to her best-selling book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy offers a bright, yet self-deprecating take on life in show biz. Ever since her stint in The Office, I’ve been slightly obsessed with Mindy, and this book allows you to imagine that you and Mindy are hanging out over cocktails trading scandalous stories about your disasters in dating! Hey, I can pretend, right? Bottom line: this series of short essays is easy to devour and will have you hardcore wishing you were besties with this sassy gal in no time.

My biggest takeaway from Mindy’s second book is that no matter how famous you are, there’s a 99.9% chance that you still don’t have it together. As a decidedly unfamous and normal person, I found this endearing. From body image to dating to the general struggles of being a 20-something, she dissects everyday issues with humor and surprisingly poignant clarity. If Mindy Kaling can sit in her car scarfing down McDonald’s and taking tequila shots to calm her nerves before a big meeting, then I can give myself a little more grace about my not-so-subtle awkwardness in social situations. Thanks, girl!

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert

In all honesty, I’ve just started diving into this read after my darling friend Laura recommended it heartily time and time again. Less than a quarter of the way in, and we’ve already peeled back the layers of insecurity surrounding fear and self-doubt in the creative process, and Elizabeth’s no-nonsense-yet-light-hearted tone has put me at ease almost instantly. Almost four years into my creative journey, and I still wrestle with self-doubt, insecurity, and fear. Elizabeth speaks powerful truth in a disarming way that puts my anxious heart at ease. Even though I still have a ways to go in this book, I can tell it’s going to be a worthwhile read.

What books are you reading lately that you just can’t put down? Sound off in the comments below with your top picks! I’m always up for new suggestions.