pirate fan must read.

I am not a huge Pirates fan by any stretch of the imagination, Yankees all the way. But I have always had a special place in my heart for the Pirates ever since my older brother was on their little league team and in his baseball photo he looked exactly like Napoleon Dynamite. It doesn't get much better than that.

I know many of you ARE Pirates fans, which is why I wanted to spice up my life a bit and read Steve Ziants' 100 Things Pirates Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die so that I could review it for you. You're welcome. 100 Things opens with a favorite memory of many who were alive in 1960 and a history lesson for fans who weren't, Game 7 in the 1960 World Series vs. the Yankees. My grandpa was probably super pissed about it, but what a game for Pirates fans. Sunday sports editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ziants takes many a walk down memory lane in this book, his stories are short and sweet and absolutely worth the read for any Pirates fan or baseball buff in general.

all the single ladies, all the single ladies.

Otherhood has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. You know, the opposite of motherhood. Doing anything OTHER than having children. Yeah, those were the days. And then I fell in love. I still appreciate the whole childless by choice woman, and if it's something you are considering, living, or don't understand, check out Melanie Notkin's Otherhood: Modern Women Finding A New Kind of Happiness.

Otherhood is a collection of stories about modern women. It's very Carrie Bradshaw and friends as much of the book talks about the Manhattan dating scene and women deciding that they are not going to settle for a lesser love just to make babies. Some may call living life for yourself and no one else shallow and selfish. I think of it as a dream come true. This collection will absolutely resonate with those of you who are in your thirties and unattached. Notkin is happy to give you all a look into her life and all that goes into being the coolest aunt instead of the mom who is honestly never cool.

the power of friendship.

Shari Shattuck has created a novel that is both uplifting and funny in Invisible Ellen, about a twenty-four year old woman named Ellen Homes who grew up in the foster care system and perfected the art of being invisible to others, until fate brought her a friend in a twenty-three year old blind violinist named Temerity. The two develop an unlikely friendship, Temerity giving Ellen the human connection she always needed, but always shied away from because of her abusive childhood. This is a novel about personal transformation. Through Temerity and her brother, Ellen's walls come crumbling down and she finally decides to take control of her life. Readers get to sit back and cheer as Ellen develops into the woman she was always meant to be.

what aren't we capable of?

The "runner's high," or "flow," the term for our optimal state of consciousness, is real. And this "high" isn't something that can only be achieved by running or physical activity, it can happen in the workplace, you can get a "creative high". Whatever makes you feel invincible, and capable of doing more than you ever thought possible. That's flow. And that's what bestselling author Steven Kotler's The Rise of Superman is all about. How to achieve this flow in normal activities (not just the Olympics).

Flow happens when you're in a state of intense creativity and high mental energy. Kotler explains the science behind how flow happens, and provides some tips for activating flow (he has more on his blog as well). So that you can get the most out of whatever you throw yourself into. The Rise of Superman is very athletic oriented with a ton of research, which will interest many of you. I do hope that Kotler comes out with another book emphasizing more on how to activate flow in business and everyday life.

try to find one page in this book that doesn't describe you.

I love a good parody, and making (good natured) fun of parents who are a bit over the top is just a bonus. Authors Jen Nessel, Lizzy Ratner, and illustrator Sara Pinto have created a hilarious satire titled Goodnight Nanny-Cam based on the beloved children's book (that was never read to me, by the way) Goodnight Moon.

Each page depicts the lives of many modern parents. With their environmentally friendly homes, French flashcards and baby Mozart playing on their iHome docs. Their baby gates taking over their entire house making it look like a prison. A quick jab at the weird names that are so common today. It's super funny, especially if you are one of those parents who are obsessed with Baby Einstein and are determined to make sure that your child is a genius. Okay, maybe it won't be that funny to you, but it will be funny to your parents who undoubtedly think you're insane.

row, row, row your boat.

Daniel Brown's The Boys in the Boat is the account of the nine man University of Washington rowing crew that won gold in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Through loads of research Brown managed to create a narrative story told mostly from the perspective of one of the rowers, Joe Rantz, who had the type of childhood that would of lead most people to an early grave. This is a tale about young men from different backgrounds learning to work as a team and overcome tremendous obstacles, and that in and of itself makes it a must read. However, Brown's description of the current world events of this time period, the Great Depression and the rise of Nazi Germany, makes this a story about much more than rowing.



mad men era manhattan.

I loved Beatriz Williams' novel A Hundred Summers so I was super pumped when I received The Secret Life of Violet Grant to read and review, especially since Lily and Nick had a bit of a cameo in this new novel. Williams writes about 1960's Manhattan as if it still exists (I mean, it kind of does through Don Draper), and her heroine's family secrets always shock readers as much as the characters themselves. Her latest novel is packed full of dark family secrets as Vivian Schuler of the Park Avenue Schuler's learns about her great aunt Violet Schuler Grant who must have does something terrible to be excommunicated from the family tree. Williams travels between 1964 New York and 1914 Europe telling the story of these two women, living cocktail-filled heartbreaking lives decades apart.