February Reads – The Fitnessista

Sharing the books I read in February and if I’d recommend adding them to your list. 

Hi hi! How are you doing? I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We spent a lot of it ripping out baseboards and moving furniture downstairs, but I caught a yoga class at Session and we had a lovely family dinner. Today, I have a couple of calls and am going to sneak away to work since the house is under construction.

For today’s post, I wanted to share the books I read in February! I made it through four books last month, and there was a mix of finance-related fare, in addition to SPICINESS. Here are the details if you’re looking for some new options to add to your TBR (to be read) list.

February Reads

Rich AF

I definitely recommend listening to the audio version of this, especially if you don’t mind a little sass and crass language. Vivian Tu, aka Your Rich BFF, has such a fun way of explaining basic finance priciples (investment types, budgeting, tips for saving) and is extremely motivating and encouraging along the way. It included a lot of necessary nudges to focus more on our investment and saving strategy; it’s one of my goals for the next year, especially as the Pilot transitions back to the airlines. One of my favorite quotes is that you can buy anything, but you don’t need to buy everything. It’s about making your purchases worth your while. 9/10 recommend.

From Amazon:

When Vivian Tu started working on Wall Street fresh from undergrad, all she knew was that she was making more money than she had ever seen in her life. But it wasn’t until she found a mentor of her own on the trading floor that she began to understand what wealthy people knew intuitively—the secrets to beating the proverbial financial game that has, for too long, been male, pale, and stale.

Building on the lessons she learned on Wall Street about money and the markets, Vivian now offers her best personal finance tips and tricks to readers of all ages and demographics, so that anyone can get rich, whether you grew up knowing the rules to the game or not. Vivian will be your mentor, dispensing fresh, no-BS advice on how to think like a rich person and create smart money habits. Throughout the pages of Rich AF, Vivian will break down her best recommendations to help you:

Maximize your earnings to get more out of your 9-to-5

Understand the differences between savings accounts, and where you should keep your money

Identify the tax strategies and (legal) loopholes you need to retire in style

Overcome investing fears to secure wealth for generations

and much more!

Rich AF will equip readers with the tools and knowledge to not only understand the financial landscape, but to build a financial strategy of their own. And with Your Rich BFF at your side, you’ll be able to start your financial journey already in an affluent mindset, making the most of your money and growing your wealth for years to come.

She’s Up to No Good

I read and adored Sara Goodman Confino’s last novel, Don’t Forget to Write, so of course, I need to read all of her books now. (Apparently she has a new one on the way!) It was just as charming, witty, and enoyable as the last book, also with a bit of a surprise ending. I didn’t want it to end. 10/10

From Amazon:

Four years into her marriage, Jenna is blindsided when her husband asks for a divorce. With time on her hands and her life in flux, she agrees to accompany her eccentric grandmother Evelyn on a road trip to the seaside Massachusetts town where much of their family history was shaped.

When they hit the road, Evelyn spins the tale of the star-crossed teenage romance that captured her heart more than seventy years ago and changed the course of her life. She insists the return to her hometown isn’t about that at all—no matter how much she talks about Tony, her unforgettable and forbidden first love.

Upon arrival, Jenna meets Tony’s attentive great-nephew Joe. The new friendship and fresh ocean air give her the confidence and distance she needs to begin putting the pain of a broken marriage behind her.

As the secrets and truths of Evelyn’s past unfold, Jenna discovers a new side of her grandmother, and of herself, that she never knew existed—and learns that the possibilities for healing can come at the most unexpected times in a woman’s life.

The Psychology of Money

This book includes real-world examples of budgeting, investing, risk, and mindset. I love that each chapter can stand on its own, so it was easy for me to listen and pick up during chores, walks, or drives to and from school drop-off. It was another good nudge to maintain our spending habits as our earnings change over time so we can focos on our bigger goals. We have a huge investment goal in the next few years, so listening to some more finance-related material has been inspiraing and motivating. Link to read is here. 9/10

From Amazon:

Doing well with money isn’t necessarily about what you know. It’s about how you behave. And behavior is hard to teach, even to really smart people.

Money—investing, personal finance, and business decisions—is typically taught as a math-based field, where data and formulas tell us exactly what to do. But in the real world people don’t make financial decisions on a spreadsheet. They make them at the dinner table, or in a meeting room, where personal history, your own unique view of the world, ego, pride, marketing, and odd incentives are scrambled together.

In The Psychology of Money, award-winning author Morgan Housel shares 19 short stories exploring the strange ways people think about money and teaches you how to make better sense of one of life’s most important topics.

The Thought of You

This book was highly recommend in the Peloton reading-related Facebook group, so I downloaded it onto my Kindle. I had no clue what it was about, started it, and was suddently dropped into a full-time SPICE FESTIVAL. Whew!! Don’t mind me blushing and fanning myself while I type. While this is outside my usual genre of choice, I have to admit that I was 100% invested in the lackluster plotline with over-the-top erotic details lol. If you’re just looking for a page turner with lots of spicy details, this is a 10/10. If that’s not your cup of tea, it would probably be a 1/10 haha.

From Amazon:

Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles, is reluctant to take her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band. But since her divorce, she’s more eager than ever to be close to Isabelle. The last thing Solène expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.

What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate and genuine relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways in Paris and Miami. For Solène, it is a reclaiming of self, as well as a rediscovery of happiness and love. When Solène and Hayes’ romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her romantic life has impacted the lives of those she cares about most.

So, tell me, friends: what’s the best thing you’ve read lately? Any top books for 2024 so far??

xo

Gina