Wether you grew up on Judy Blume or the Bronte sisters, you know how important and essential books were to your youth. They helped shape your perspectives not only of your own life, but of the lives of others, through the characters in the stories. The Therafit Team compiled some brand new best-sellers as well as some older classics for a nice mix. Memoirs and literary novels make up the bulk of the list - reality, fantasy, with a pinch of humor.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Strayed's memoir about hiking alone from the Mojave Desert to Oregon in the aftermath of her mother's death is one of the most riveting books of the last five years. Soon to be a film starring Reese Witherspoon, this inspiring story will make you feel brave just by reading it: Soon you'll be ready to tackle any challenge, heavy backpack or not.
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Jennifer Egan is a literary crush for many, as is clear by the way this book took off. The book is both epic and intimate, moving back and forth in time and changing narrators, with each section giving a close, personal glimpse into the lives of its characters. From a high-end safari in Africa to the streets of Naples, Italy, this is a true adventure you don't want to miss.
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Tina Fey is responsible for creating one of the funniest sitcoms in television history, and she remains a role model to legions of smart (and dorky) women everywhere. Her memoir, which covers everything from her her first kiss, to her rise to fame, to makeup tips, is by turns funny, charming and inspiring. Liz Lemons of the world, unite!
How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
One glance at the cover and you know this is not your prim-and-proper advice book on being a good girl, a good mother, and a good wife. British writer Moran has been called "a feminist heroine for our times," but don't let the f word scare you away. Moran is irreverent, self-deprecating and hilarious. In one chapter, she writes how she and her siblings used the term navel for a woman's private parts for years. "One corollary of this was finding the phrase 'naval officer' almost unbearably amusing," writes Moran.
Half autobiography, half feminist-manifesto, How To Be A Woman tackles the issues that face women in the 21st century with a wit, accessibility and lightness of touch that smashes the stigma and stereotypes surrounding feminism in one fell swoop, and brings it into the mainstream.
No longer the preserve of activists and academics, feminism is for every woman, according to Moran. Believe in gender equality? Then you’re a feminist.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
A story of Afro-American maids working in white households in Mississippi in the 1960s, The Helpis told from the point of view of three unforgettable women – maids, Abileen and Minny, and Skeeter, the daughter of a wealthy, white family, who has been raised by maids.
When Skeeter is given the opportunity to become a published author by writing a book about the lives of ‘the help’, the three women get together, risking everything to tell the story of a group of women who have never before been given a voice.
Taking you through the full gamut of emotions, this harrowing tale of female oppression and racism becomes ultimately an uplifting story of empowerment.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Why should you read this book? To remember to believe in your dreams. A charming fable that teaches us to have faith and to not give up, it is an instant favorite for most of its readers. It is a perfect book to give to family and friends to remind them that if we want something, the whole universe conspires for us to achieve it...
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Made up of a story and novel, Salinger introduces us to the two youngest members of the Glass family, however it is Franny that truly draws us in. A student at an elite New England college, she expresses to her Ivy League boyfriend her reasons for leaving the Theatre department. She is tired of the egotism and false intellectualism, and thus begins her spiritual and existential crisis that leaves her paralyzed on her parent's couch. Endlessly recitating the Pilgrim's Prayer, she hopes to reach some sort of nirvanic state where she can be part of the world without necessarily being a part of it entirely.
Make Your Whole Body Happy and read more books!! Which is your favorite?
