My September Reads
Dopamine boosting favorites from last month
One of the core changes that has helped me to thrive in motherhood with ADHD is to fully embrace my need for stimulation.
Part of this is making space in my life for meaningful mental challenge. I talk about this in detail in my book but for me that looks like pursuing one big challenge at a time. One big challenge at a time helps me to get the mental stimulation that I need without overdoing it. I’m just coming off of launching my book and am now fully moving in to the new challenge of growing my substack.
In addition to the mental challenge, I’ve fully embraced my need for novelty and fun as part of my everyday life. This definitely wasn’t always the case and I spent many years feeling like I needed to be productive all of the time. But this expectation led me to ADHD burnout.
The more I learned about the ADHD brain, the more I realized that in order to stay on top of the boring tasks of daily life (laundry, dishes, meals, organization, cleaning), I need to make time for things that are interesting and fun. I’ve found that these fun things are what give me the energy to do the boring things. And the better I got at making time for fun, the more productive and efficient I’ve gotten. Counterintuitive maybe but it’s definitely true for me.
As a busy mom of three young kids and an entrepreneur with big goals, I get that it’s tricky to find time for hobbies. But I’ve found that the mental shift was the most important. Once I started allowing myself to make time for down time without guilt, it got really easy to find pockets of time for my interests.
When I tell you that I read 15 books last month in the midst of the craziness of launching my book that might seem illogical. But for me, I’ve come to find that in the busiest seasons of life, I need down time even more. I probably read more books in December than any other month because when life gets busy and demanding, I’ve learned to lean in to down time.
Books are my thing and because I’m asked so much about what I read, I wanted to carve out a little space here on the internet where I take a few minutes to catalogue what I’ve read for the month.
Since this is my first post on this, I want to share a little background.
My personal style is to listen to one non-fiction book a month while I walk in the morning. This is usually related to ADHD, motherhood or personal growth in some way.
I then read a ton of fun non-fiction books. Over the last year or so I’ve gotten really into romance books though in years past I’ve read more historical fiction. My favorite books are the ones with messy people and some deeper personal growth but then with a happy ending. My absolute favorite author is Marian Keyes followed closely by Abby Jimenez, Beth O’Leary and Emily Henry.
I prefer reading real books and I game the library system like it’s my job. My local library delivers books which I find incredibly magical. I keep my hold list full and have a steady stream of new books arriving each week. I’ve become quasi-obsessed with adding new books to my holds list and every time a new book arrives it’s a little dopamine hit.
My favorite thing is researching new books and then being the first one to receive it. It makes me feel like I won the lottery. Am I the only weirdo who does this?
Many with ADHD struggle to read physical books. For me, I struggle with auditory directions and my handwriting is terrible. Reading books works for me and is really the only way that I can sit still. It keeps my brain busy enough to get the rest that I need.
I pretty much bring a book with me everywhere that I go. Having a book handy keeps me from doom scrolling or adding junk that I don’t need to my amazon cart.
Because I devour books, I’m always on the search for new recommendations so, in case you too have the ongoing challenge of keeping new books on hand here is what I read this last month.
For September, I had already finished most of the new summer releases and was bidding some time until the Fall and Christmas books come out.
Side note: my obsession with books goes next level when it comes to Christmas fiction. My first two Christmas new releases arrived today and I’m stupid excited.
If I add a 🌶️ that means that there are explicit intimate scenes depicted. I don’t read anything too spicy for the public library.
Something Borrowed, Something You by Vi Kelland. This is an older book but I read one of hers over the summer and liked it. I don’t know what it is about her writing but she can build some heat. Geesh. Her stories tend to have a wealthy/successful guy with a career minded women trying to balance relationships with big personal goals. 🌶️
Jilted by Vi Keeland Again with the same author. This was one is also older but it’s a fun story with a NYC/London travel element. It’s kind of got a the Devil Wears Prada vibe. She works for a bridal magazine and he’s a wealthy rugby player. 🌶️
Where You’re Planted by Melanie Sweeney. This was on the sweeter side. A story of a single mom and quiet burly guy. Kind of Gilmore Girl vibes. It was a little slow at first but I was glad I stuck with it. 🌶️
Battle of the Bookstore by Ali Brady. This was a fun kind of flip on stereotypes. The guy was more the ADHD/academically challenged. A cute love story with lots of diverse characters. If you love books, it’s a fun read about book store culture.
People Watching by Hannah Bonham Young. I love this author. Her stories are very diverse and she always addresses some kind of trauma or challenge while also layering in lots of spice. This is a fun Fall-ish read. 🌶️
Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey. She’s kind of the queen of spicy books. There is never a ton of depth but they are fun mindless reads with lots of spice. This one is about a female athlete who has never been in relationship and a professional hockey player. 🌶️
We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes. She’s kind of a big deal. She writes female characters so well and this one is no exception. It’s about a recently divorced women navigating motherhood and dating and career and aging parents. Probably my favorite read of the month.
Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb. This was really cute. Probably my second favorite of the month. Very Gilmore Girls vibe with a strong, fiesty female character who spends most of her life feeling like she’s “too much.” Shes finds her perfect match after a failed marriage. 🌶️
What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Another favorite author. It’s a really creative storyline and well crafted complex characters. Felt like going on a fun trip.
For the Record by Emma Lord. This is a totally fun escape. It’s about two singers in rival bands that find their way back to each other. Lots of music industry and song writing jargon.
If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair. This was a really sweet romance with a grumpy-sunshine troupe. It’s a summer read for sure but was fun escape. It’s set on the Virginia coast so there’s a bunch of fun southern stops as they sail to Savannah and back.
Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings. This is a fun second chance romance about an aspiring journalist with a podcast and social media influencer set in NYC. There’s lots of fun references if you are a creator of some kind.🌶️
Awake by Jen Hatmaker. I’m an OG Jen Hatmaker fan. I’ve listened to her podcast for years and read many of her books. I’ve been incredibly impressed by her marketing teams push of this book and was curious to read it myself. It’s her memoir about the implosion of her marriage, the rebuilding of her life, and the reflections on how she got there. She handles the topics with grace, humility and authenticity. I read it on Monday during my flight to Philadelphia and then finished it that night before I went to bed. I couldn’t put it down and found it beautifully written. It would make a great book club book and there are some really interesting topics to discuss. She talks a lot about purity culture in the Christian church and as a 90s youth group kid, it gave me a lot to think about.
Game On by Ki Stephens. I picked this up on Tuesday at the airport on my way back from Philadelphia because I didn’t have anything to read. Finished it that night before I went to bead. A super easy read about a college cheerleader studying abroad who falls in love with a football player. Nothing deep here folks. If you like Tessa Bailey, you’ll love this one. On the back cover, it says that the author likes to write neurodivergent characters so I’m curious about that but this book didn’t have any of those themes.
Women with Attention-Deficit Disorder by Sari Solden. I think I read this years ago but I honestly can’t remember. I’ve been recommending the workbook that goes with this book for years but wanted to work through this book again. I’ve been listening to the audible version and Sari Solden is the narrator which is great. She has a slight bent towards the inattentive type (I’m combined type) but there is so much great information. If you are newly diagnosed and trying to unpack how ADHD impacts your life, I highly recommend it. I also definitely encourage you to get the workbook, A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD (also by Sari Solden in partnership with Dr. Michelle Frank) to help you process your experiences.
That’s all for now. There are a ton of new books coming out in October and I’m excited to work through them. Let me know if there is anything I should put top of my my list.
