#10 [2026/CBR18] The Look by Michelle Obama

I am a big fan of Michelle Obama, and I find news about either Obama kind of nostalgic and reassuring these days. So, I picked up The Look (2025) by Michelle Obama from my library as soon as I heard about it. It is probably relevant that I do not have a strong interest in fashion. Although I like to sometimes browse through movie stars' dresses from award shows or look at wedding dresses, I personally dress only for comfort. My job and my lifestyle do not require anything special, so I live most of my life in workout clothes. 

The Look is a coffee-table-sized book that dives into Michelle Obama's style from before, during, and after her time in the White House. The primary focus of this book is her time as First Lady, and there are many beautiful pictures throughout. Looking back at their time in the White House, I always thought Michelle Obama looked nice, but I never thought much about all the work that went into it.

You might think that an entire book filled with pictures of outfits is just a fluffy lifestyle read, but I found it to be a very interesting book. In a country and a world where women are judged more directly for their appearance, Michelle Obama was the first Black First Lady in the United States--ramping up the pressure she felt exponentially. There were political rivals ready to pounce on her if she did anything that did not "live up to" the high office that she and her husband held. 

Under all of this pressure, Michelle Obama used her sway as first lady to highlight new designers that might otherwise be overlooked. She also chose to wear clothes that were comfortable and practical, looking professional and appropriate, but also approachable. Obama's stylist, Meredith Koop wrote a section of the book, describing how she became Obama's stylist, how she picked clothes out for Michelle, and how much work went into every outfit. In addition, Obama had someone who did her makeup and someone else who did her hair. They all worked together to create a seamless image.

Probably the most eye-opening part of this book was how much work went into all of this. Multiple, specially designed outfits, were chosen for each part of every day. They took into account the location, the time of day, the nature of the event, the weather, and other cultural aspects. Meredith would often find an American designer with ties to whatever country Michelle was visiting to show respect to that country. I am impressed by what Michelle Obama was able to do, and how much time and effort went into it. 

The State Dinners were a huge affair, and for every one Michelle had the perfect dress, hair, and makeup. All of it was incredibly thoughtful, strategic, and flattering. The pictures in the book do a great job showing these dresses off. But what really hit me was that Barack Obama wore the same black tuxedo for every state dinner. I'm not sure what, if anything, he did as far as hair and makeup, but it's safe to say that Michelle Obama's look took a lot more effort. Now, I don't want to get rid of style and dressing up; the world would certainly be less interesting. However, think of what else women could get done if they didn't have to spend such a disparate amount of time, money, and energy worrying about all of this. Or if there were an acceptable equivalent of a black tuxedo for women, something they could throw on for a special occasion, pulling out of their closet over and over again for any fancy occasion without judgment or expectation.

Michelle Obama also talks about her hair in this book. Being a white girl who grew up in a pretty white neighborhood, my first experience learning about Black hair was through Chris Rock's documentary Good Hair. Michelle Obama talks about how the first time she got braids when she was young, she felt freedom. However, she knew the country expected a certain look from its first lady, and she did not want the political conversation to turn into a discussion about her hair. So, she kept it straight and more conservative. Now that Barack is out of politics, Michelle is able to be more free with her hair, and she has been showing the myriad hairstyles she can have with braids.

Although it is true that I cannot even imagine putting that much effort into my appearance, I found myself wondering what it would be like to have such talented people finding my clothes, and doing my hair and makeup. Would I feel like a different person, or would I still feel like myself? How much of a difference would it make? I wouldn't want the pressure Michelle Obama was under for even one second, but it would be such a fun experience to have a styling team like hers for a day. Or two. 

#9 [2026/CBR18] An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

I've watched most of the Bridgerton series, and I generally find it entertaining. So, when the latest season became available on Netflix, I watched the first half of the season--everything that was available at the time. It is a Cinderella story, involving the second-oldest Bridgerton brother, Benedict (the spare). And I really liked it. I thought the chemistry between the two lead actors was great, and I found Benedict to be a charming, charismatic, and funny leading man.

I decided to read An Offer From a Gentleman (2001) by Julia Quinn while I waited for the rest of the show to come out. My enthusiasm for the show rolled over into the book, and I enjoyed listening to it. I finished the book before finally watching the last half of the show. Although there were a number of changes made for the adaptation, the basics of the two stories are the same.

Sophie Becket (Baek on the show) is an illegitimate child of the Earl of Penwood and a housemaid. After Sophie's mother died when she was young, she was brought to the Earl's estate. The Earl never paid much attention to her, but he saw that she was well-cared for and educated. When Sophie was still young, the Earl remarried and brought his new wife and two new step-daughters home. The new wife detested that she had to accept and deal with a bastard child from another relationship and treated Sophie horribly. Still things weren't too bad until the Earl unexpectedly died. At that point, the Earl's wife basically turned Sophie into an unpaid, overworked maid.

One day Sophie borrows an old dress and some shoes from Lady Penwood and sneaks into a costume party at Bridgerton House. While there, she meets and enchants/is enchanted by Benedict Bridgerton. However, at midnight, when the masks are supposed to come off, Sophie flees back to Penwood House. The story continues with Benedict trying to find the mystery woman in silver, and Sophie kicked out of  Penwood house when Lady Penwood discovers that she had been at the costume party.

Now that I've both read and seen this Bridgerton story, my favorite part is the first half of the television version. The book was fine, but you could tell that it was written a while ago because television Benedict was often more appealing. In the book, Benedict was enraged that Sophie refused to be his mistress. He also told her he would have her put in jail for stealing if she didn't accompany him to London. He threatened her "for her own good" of course, but it made me dislike him. In contrast, the television Benedict was much more understanding.

And I enjoyed the first half because it included the two meeting at the dance, which was very sweet. It also included their time at "My Cottage," which felt something like a fairy tale. The second half of the show had some good parts, but it felt a little more drawn out.

On the whole, this was a fun read and I enjoyed comparing the book to the television show. I generally prefer to read the book before seeing the adaptation, but I don't think it mattered much in this case.

#8 [2026/CBR18] The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler

I guess I've been on something of a self-help kick lately. My therapist recommended that I read a couple of books, and now Amazon has decided to offer up some more. The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control: A Path to Peace and Power (2023) by Katherine Morgan Schafler was one of those books. I've always had perfectionist tendencies, so when I saw The Perfectionist's Guide, I thought it might be illuminating. So I picked it up from my library.

I was really excited when I started reading this book because right away Schafler splits perfectionists into five different "types" and gives the reader a little quiz to figure out which they are. The types are: Classic, Intense, Parisian, Messy, and Procrastinator. Turns out, I'm pretty much all of them except for intense, but Procrastinator was leading the race. I've procrastinated (especially on certain things) for as long as I can remember. I'm responsible enough to get important things done by a deadline. However, if there is no deadline, and it's something I don't particularly want to do, it's probably not going to happen.

Schafler describes perfectionists as "people who consistently notice the difference between an ideal and a reality, and strive to maintain a high degree of personal accountability." She then goes on to say that there are "adaptive" and "maladaptive" perfectionists. The adaptive perfectionist uses their perfectionism as motivation, but don't require all things to go perfectly or beat themselves up over failure. The maladaptive perfectionists torture themselves trying to make everything perfect, but are ultimately disappointed because perfection is not possible.

Schafler also wrote that the reason procrastinator perfectionists procrastinate is that they wait for conditions to be perfect before starting--and conditions are never perfect. "The problem for these perfectionists is that starting a process taints it--now that it's real, it can no longer be perfect." Thus, every time a procrastinator perfectionist starts something new, it involves a real loss from what was perfect in their mind. Schafler argues that not acting also involves loss, but a much bigger loss. I found this argument interesting and compelling, and I think it will help me. However, to me it doesn't feel like loss, but a related feel of failure.

Once we were done figuring out what kind of perfectionist we were, I struggled a little bit while reading this book. Schafler talks a lot about being compassionate with yourself, but I'd already read a whole book on that. I was more interested in a more concrete understanding of why my brain would torture me in such a way. I almost stopped reading the book, but my perfectionism and FOMO kept me going. 

In the end, I found this a helpful book, although I was a little frustrated and unsure what I was learning in the middle. I really liked seeing where my procrastination was coming from, and realizing that fear of things not turning out perfectly is not a valid excuse for inaction. And I know that I'm happier when I'm busy and actually accomplishing things rather than going over and over all of the things I need to do but am not doing in my head.

#7 [2026/CBR18] Awake by Jen Hatmaker

I think I may have first seen Awake (2025) by Jen Hatmaker on NYT's Best Books of the Year List. I'm a fan of memoirs, and the blurb caught my attention. So, I borrowed the Audiobook from my library and gave it a listen.

Jen Hatmaker woke up in the middle of the night in July 2020. Her husband was in bed next to her, declaring into his phone that he loved another woman. At this point, they had five children and had been married for twenty-six years. They got married when she was only nineteen years old. I cannot begin to imagine how she felt in this moment as well as the ensuing days, weeks, and months.

So, Jen Hatmaker is a bestselling author of fourteen books, a podcaster, and has her own book club. However, I had not heard of her until picking up this book. Hatmaker grew up very religious, and it seems that more of her earlier work was done in the religious field. I am very far from religious and generally do not have much to do with those circles.

Hatmaker jumps around a little in telling her story. She starts with a story about how the religious dress codes of her church made her feel as a young girl growing up--and even as an adult woman. She also recounted such a sad but relatable story from her tweens. Her friends ditched her and ran away from her when the boys didn't like her. And she described how she and her husband got married so young. Spoiler alert: they were very religious and they wanted to have sex.

Hatmaker describes how her husband left their family home immediately after she found out about his affair, and how difficult this was for her. She really leaned on her friends and family, and also used therapy and anti-depressants. I think for the sake of her kids (and probably even her husband), Hatmaker is pretty discreet when talking about her children as well as her relationship with her husband. She mentions that there were problems that she ignored or tried to cover up and they had been in an unhealthy, codependent relationship. She also mentions that after her husband left their home, she was virtually a single parent. I am not sure why he was MIA or how much interaction he has with his kids now. 

Because Hatmaker started out in religious circles, she got quite a bit of flak when she used her own mind to come to conclusions that the religious right doesn't approve of. There were shame-y articles written when her divorce became public. And there was a lot more censure when she stopped going to church and denounced Trump. Hatmaker also discussed how she became aware of Black Lives Matter and was disappointed that her white congregants could so easily turn away from the struggles and injustices she was trying to show them.

This book captured my attention and was easy to listen to. I found Hatmaker to be a good, persuasive writer and an engaging, if very animated, reader. 

#6 [2026/CBR18] Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Shortly after I finished Bride by Ali Hazelwood, the second book in this world: Mate (2025), became available. So, I quickly read that one as well. In many ways, Mate is very similar to Bride in that it is a love story involving weres, humans, and vampyres.

We meet Serena at the end of Bride. She is best friends with Bride's protagonist, and she'd been kidnapped because she was half-were and half human--something heretofore unheard of in this world. At the very end of Bride, Koen Alexander, the Alpha wolf of the Northwest pack runs into Serena, and it is immediately clear that she is his mate.

We discover Serena at the beginning of Mate as she runs for her life from a vampyre. It turns out that Serena had been feeling very ill, and after talking to some Were doctors, she thought she was dying. Instead of telling anyone (like her best friend), Serena decides her best course of action is to hide up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere and suffer through the night sweats on her own. Koen shows up just in the nick of time to save her, and he takes her back to his home. 

But now that Serena is back among the living with Koen, it is harder for her to hide her symptoms. The two primary things keeping Serena and Koen apart are Serena's belief that she's dying and the pack law that the Alpha remain celibate. Koen cannot be with Serena, even though they are mates. And if he steps down as Alpha, there will be a power vacuum that may destroy the pack.

I enjoyed Bride much more than Mate for a number of reasons. First, Koen acted disinterested in Serena for a big portion of the book. It didn't feel very romantic to me. Second, I couldn't understand why Serena was so secretive about her sickness. She didn't want her friend to worry about her, but her friend is going to suffer a lot more if Serena showed up dead with no warning.

I was pretty certain early on that Serena was in heat (or something like that). Although it's pretty funny that all the male doctors had no idea what was going on, how did everyone around her not understand what was happening? Once it was figured out, Koen seemed to know all about it and exactly what to do. Also, how often does this happen? Is Serena effectively incapacitated for months at a time every year? Twice a year?

I was also frustrated with the, "Koen can't have a romantic partner storyline". We already know this isn't necessary because the Alpha in Bride has a mate with no issues. And people can be used as bait whether you're officially sleeping with them or not. It felt like an artificial block in order to keep the story going.

This was still a quick read, and generally kept my attention. However, I preferred Bride, and I do hope that Hazelwood takes a break from paranormal and goes back to my favorite type of her books.

#5 [2026/CBR18] A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

I saw A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping (2025) by Sangu Mandanna on NPR's Favorite Books List. Books with witches and whatnot are not usually my thing, but I've found some good books on NPR and I didn't want to be too close-minded. So, I got the audiobook from my library for a low commitment read while commuting.

If I had to describe this book in four words, I would say it is quiet, sweet, uplifting, and funny. At the beginning of the book, Sera Swan is a teenager with a promising amount of magical powers. She helps her great-aunt Jasmine run an enchanted Inn in Lancashire. But when Jasmine dies unexpectedly out in the garden, Sera desperately resurrects her with a forbidden spell--accidentally bringing back the skeletal remains of a long-dead rooster at the same time.

The resurrection spell Sera used sapped her of most of her magical powers. To make matters worse, Sera was kicked out of the witch's guild for breaking their magic rules. Fast-forward fifteen years, and Sera is now thirty years old. She and her aunt are struggling to keep the Inn from falling apart with the little dribble of magic Sera has left. She is desperate to find a way to get her magic back, but she can get no help from the Guild.

The Inn and its inhabitants gave me a strong Gilmore Girls vibe. The Inn is full of quirky characters who have found a home and support each other. These include a young man who dresses as a knight and Sera's young cousin--whose parents don't have much interest in him. In addition to the undead rooster, there is a sly fox--an old witch who was turned into a fox when one of her spells backfired.  Sera has an old spell that protects the Inn from people with bad intentions, but lets those in need come straight to her.

One day, Luke Larsen and his young sister, Posy, show up at the Inn. Posy has proven a challenge to their parents because she is both magical and autistic. She doesn't care to hide her magic, and her parents have sloughed her off onto Luke. Luke is a magical witch and historian, and he has some of the knowledge Sera needs to get her magic back. Luke is also good looking and so relieved to find a place that values Posy for who she is.

The antagonist in this book is a power-hungry older witch (wizard?) who has great influence in the Guild. He is the one who was behind Sera getting kicked out of the Guild, and he truly becomes evil as the story continues. He also comes from an old, established witch family and is very snobby about Sera's Indian heritage and her lack of connections.

Sera and Luke begin a quiet romance as they help each other. The book ends with the strong message that being yourself and caring about the people you love is more important than anything else. I found this book sweet and memorable. My only complaint, if any, was that I listened to this book on Audiobook, and I found it easy for my attention to drift off as I listened. However, on the whole, I enjoyed this book, and I loved what it stood for.

#4 [2026/CBR18] Bride by Ali Hazelwood

I realize that Ali Hazelwood does not write perfect books, but I find them highly entertaining and I usually go out of my way to read them. However, I've never had much interest in paranormal romance novels with vampires, werewolves, and the like. So, when I first heard that Hazelwood was branching out of her normal STEM romance novels, I figured I would skip them. But then I ran out of things to read, and I decided they were worth a try after all.

I started with Bride (2024) by Hazelwood because that's the one that became available at my library first. Fortunately, it also turned out to be the first book in this world, and I accidentally read them in the right order.

Misery Lark is a vampyre and a crack computer programmer who is living incognito in the human world. She had a pretty rough childhood. When she was only 10 years old, her father sent her off to be used as collateral to keep the peace between humans and vampyres. Having grown up with humans, and used by her father, she doesn't feel much connection to vampyres.

The one person Misery cares about more than anyone is her best friend, a human woman named Sabrina. Sabrina was thrown in with Misery when they were young girls--as someone who could ease her loneliness and perhaps help her behave. The two became incredibly close, but a couple weeks ago, Sabrina went missing without a word. Misery is desperate to find her friend, when she finds a scribbled note in Sabrina's place that says: "L. Moreland". It just so happens that her father asks Misery to marry Lowe Moreland, the Alpha of the nearby Were clan, as part of a peace deal. He obviously cares nothing for his daughter's happiness or safety, and only cares what he can get from her. But Misery thinks the L. Moreland must relate to Lowe, and he must have something to do with Sabrina's disappearance. She agrees to marry him in a desperate attempt to find her friend.

Weres and vampyres are lifelong enemies, and Misery doesn't have an easy time of it in the beginning. Fortunately, she's used to insults and being a loner, and Lowe is fair--even if he avoids her like the plague. As her time continues there, Misery makes herself useful, and she and Lowe start working together. Misery also grows closer with Lowe's young, half-sister, Ana.

There's a lot going on in this book. First, Misery and Lowe are falling for each other. Sabrina needs to be found. Killers are coming after both Misery and little Ana. And there is a lot of politics between vampyes, weres, and humans.

I know I am not big on fantastical creatures, but on the whole I liked this book. Did I sometimes wish we could just have normal people? Yes. But it wasn't too distracting. And humans don't have "mates" like Weres, which certainly helps push the romance forward. There was good chemistry between Lowe and Misery; I liked them together. However, my favorite part of the book was the humor, including Misery's sarcastic sense of humor. I found myself laughing a lot.

Was this a gateway book into more paranormal romance for me? Probably not, but it was a fun diversion.