The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter--And How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay

I wish I had this book when I turned 20.

Jay discusses how the 20s are an important development period of everyone's life and how 30 is not the new 20. She discusses how in your 20s, you make some of life's most important decisions: what you will do, who you will marry, and whether or not you will start a family. She explores each of these topics in turn and uses vignettes from her clients (she is a counselor) to highlight certain aspects of work, love, and biology (what happens to your mind and body in your 20s). Jay emphasizes that the 20s are meant to be a building block of the rest of your life: where your career begins, who you will love, and how your body changes during these years. I think I will be talking this book up to all of my friends.

MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche

I love love loved this book. It really resounded with me, especially because all of my high school friends had moved away from home, and then I did, too, two weeks ago. So I find myself in a new city with like two friends besides my boyfriend, which lends itself to a pretty lonely existence, especially now since I am all graduated with my MLS from UNT and don't have homework to keep me busy. ALSO, my job just moved, and I was one of the last to come into this new coworker group, and everyone seems to have their own friends already and aren't interested in me, or making more, or something. ANYWAY, about the book and not ME, the author chronicles her year-long mission to go on 52 girl-dates, as she calls them. She goes through all the different methods and ways she used to meet people and make friends, and it is really comprehensive, going from friends of friends to rent-a-friend (which is crazy, IMO, and super sketchy). Also interspersed are factoids on the science of meeting and making friends, which was really interesting. I definitely recommend this!

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change It by Charles Duhigg

I love love loved this book! It was like Imagine on crack (and much more applicable to real life). I feel like I learned so much and it could be applied to any area of life. It begins with the basis of habit and what happens in your brain when you are learning something new vs after you have been doing the same thing for a while and know what to expect (a "reward"). My mind was quite frankly blown learning that brain activity levels spike before a reward is earned when an activity is done out of habit. Duhigg used the examples of monkeys and juice, and rats/mice and cheese. It also explains why I, at least, have a tendancy to "space out" when doing extremely repetitious things (like my job)...it is a habit. Then Duhigg moved into specific people/situations where habit occurs and why addictions (habits!) are hard to break. I definitely recommend...!

Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married by Gary Chapman

Gary Chapman has done it again. The author of The Five Love Languages provides insight on how to start a marriage a little less rocky than his. He refers to his previous work, and even gives synoposes of them. Each chapter ends with questions to discussion with your significant other, and they would certainly open the door to great dialogue and hopefully a meeting of the minds. His Bible/God/Christianity references are minimal (aside from a chapter on church and spirituality), in case anyone is concerned about that. Also included is an appendix for the serious dating couple and a list of questions devoted strictly to them. It is obvious that this book can be utilized at any stage of a marriage, but is especially meant to enable pre-marital chats about things that are too often glossed over or just "assumed," like who cleans the toilet and other chores. The money management chapter is extensive, and rightfully so, since a majority of couples' arguments are over money. This book goes over many aspects in a very straightforward manner, and has questions I will certainly discuss with my S.O.