so many piggy banks.

America's Fiscal Constitution: Its Triumph and Collapse by Bill White is a must read for anyone  invested in the U.S. government. I'm talking voters, politicians, tax-payers...so pretty much everybody. We didn't just become a nation of severe debt overnight. There is a history behind it, and White tells about our past in foreign policy and political agendas in such an engaging way, even I wasn't bored, and that says a lot as I have the attention span of a small child. White begins at the beginning. Once his introduction is complete, he jumps into the narrative, starting with the Founding Fathers being unable to pay the bill for George Washington's retirement party for four months because the pre-Constitutional Convention federal government was so broke. Hmm, it's all starting to make sense now. We were never good at this.

White also shared his own theories on the subject. One theory being that raising taxes will not reduce deficits, so if the government were to cut taxes, it will fuel economic growth and energize the nation's economy. I choose that one.

less is more.

There are not enough hours in a day to do everything that needs to be done, period, but Ari Meisel can help. Productivity systems are his specialty and he shares alllll of his secrets in his tiny but mighty book titled, Less Doing, More Living.

This book is a technology centric approach to becoming more efficient and Meisel shares with readers the tools he uses to help him on a daily basis. He focuses on Optimizing, Automating, and Outsourcing tasks, and keeping things simple. Implement Meisel's advice and watch your stress disappear.

Small book, small review, what can I say?

all in one resource for grief.

Not to be the barer of bad news. But nothing lasts forever, people included. Many of you have dealt with the loss of loved ones. My grandpa died over two years ago and my grandma still cries when she walks into her empty house. When the person who you love most in this life dies, you die too. Author Melissa Dalton-Bradford writes honestly about the loss of her son, Parker in On Loss and Living Onward: Collected Voices for the Grieving and Those Who Would Mourn with Them. She doesn't get into the right or wrong way to mourn, or really try to give you much advice on how you should be handling your loss. This book includes her personal essays about HER loss. In a way, it feels like she is mourning with you. If that makes any sense. As you read you will feel her pain from the loss of her child, and it's as if you're moving through the grieving process with Melissa. Included are quotes and scripture that you will be able to relate to regardless of the relationship between you and your lost loved one. This resource is sure to comfort you in times of sorrow, and I sure hope it helps the ache in your heart lessen and eventually disappear.

our worth.

Spoken For: Embracing Who You Are and Whose You Are is the newest book by Robin Jones Gunn, author of the Christy Miller Series that I absolutely adored growing up and read cover to cover. Gunn does have a co-author this time around in popular blogger, Alyssa Joy Bethke, and what a team they make. The basic premise of this book is to help you discover your true identity in Christ, and every chapter represents God's feelings about his children and our worth to Him (specific scripture included). Gunn and Bethke share their own stories, yet still manage to invite you to embrace your own relationship with God. It's super encouraging and will make you feel all warm inside.

lessons from yo mama.

Growing up, how my mother didn't sell me to the highest bidder is beyond me. I was totally the child who said "I HATE YOU" when things stopped going my way, and tried to run away multiple times, and as a teenager, I lied through my teeth about EVERYTHING. How I didn't end up in a ditch is beyond me as well.

I was actually able to get inside my mom's head and see her perspective when I read through Deliberate Motherhood: 12 Key Powers of Peace, Purpose, Order & Joy by The Power of Moms, because honestly, you have to be someone special to love me sometimes, and that's what this book is (sort of) about. Finding joy in motherhood, especially when your children do really dumb things, loving them when they are unlovable, and all that. This is a mindset that you will need to survive motherhood.

The authors have included 12 "Powers" (Power of Fun, Power of Optimism, Power of Priorities, you get the picture) to help you in your motherhood journey. Throughout these pages you will find encouragement from other women who have BEEN there when it comes to motherhood drama. You will laugh at their stories, relate to their ups and downs, and be reminded that you are not alone.

light, shallow, and mildly inappropriate.

After reading The Book Thief, I needed a recovery novel. Something light, shallow, and mildly inappropriate. I absolutely found what I was looking for in Great-Aunt Sophia's Lessons for Bombshells by Lisa Cach, which is a story about a twenty-six year old woman named Grace who is currently working on her dissertation for her PhD in Women's Studies. Grace has been invited to visit/look after her great-aunt Sophia for the summer while she undergoes a hip replacement. She doesn't know much about this aunt, and hasn't seen her since she was ten, and it wasn't a great first impression. However, she is looking for a quiet place to work on her thesis, and thinks great-aunt Sophia's home in Pebble Beach California will be just right. Silly girl. The former B-list actress, Sophia has much more up her sleeve, and it has nothing to do with a hip replacement. Sophia introduces Grace to two very different men, and changes Grace's very jaded view of beautiful people by turning Grace into the beautiful, confident woman she was always supposed to be. This easy breezy chic lit is exactly the kind of book you read in the sun while sipping a cocktail. I wouldn't recommend bringing it to school and reading it during a study hall you advise. My mistake.

turn your suffering around.

Feeling discouraged? Overwhelmed? Hopeless? Just slip You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times by Max Lucado into your car's CD player and exhale. There's nothing like a solid motivational audiobook to pick you up when you're feeling down, let me tell you. Lucado gives readers hope straight out of the Word of God, inspirational hope that will encourage you during any difficulty you may be having. Lucado pulls heavily from the story of Joseph, which is perfect because what better story shows the full capacity of God's ultimate plan for our lives? Lucado makes Joseph's story relatable to readers who have also experienced awful situations and uses other scripture to help readers work through whatever unfairness life throws at them.