Maria Babe Bookclub: Anne's recommendations

There are so many book recommendations on the internet space and sometimes it gets intimidating which book to pick up. Our dear friend, Anne Medina (@medinanne) narrowed down 3 book recommendations that will keep you entertained, off screen, and sane~ during this panorama.

1. Circe by Madeline Miller

If you’re looking for a great read that merges women empowerment and Greek mythology, Circe is the perfect book for you. It’s not your usual Greek mythology book that praises gods and goddesses in Olympus. In fact, it shows how heartless these Greek characters can be with all their power and glory. Circe is the daughter of Helios that was not considered “pretty enough” and was therefore less worthy. She had to fight through so much because of this and I was cheering her on all throughout this book! Circe made me laugh, angry, and cry. Just about everything you would want to feel when reading a novel.

2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Where do I even begin? Yaa Gyasi is now officially one of my favorite authors. The way she writes is so simple yet magical. Effia and Esi are two sisters from Ghana who were born into two different families and destinies. Even with different paths, both women and their families dealt with the struggles of racism that has always been rooted in history. Each chapter is a story about a different generation, from the 18th century up to the 20th century. Some parts were painful to read, but it was so well-written that I couldn’t put it down. I felt like I owed it to the characters to keep reading and understand their stories better. This book made me realize how there is still so much that we must learn and to teach the future generations.

3. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

I’m probably a little late in joining the Malcolm Gladwell train, but I would 100% still recommend this to anyone looking for a great self-help book. None of those “you’re not successful because you’re lazy” shit, but rather “seize the opportunities that are presented to you and keep practicing.” Gladwell acknowledges the fact that where a person comes from plays a huge role in their successes. Not everyone was as lucky and rich as Bill Gates to be one of the very first few to buy a personal computer, but he did spend more than ten thousand hours working on what has evolved to be the empire that is Microsoft today. Your attitude towards your goals and how you plan to achieve them is so much more important than your ability.

We will be definitely adding these on our reading list!

You can find Anne on Instagram at @medinanne. She also takes amazing film photos! You can view her photos on Instagram at @panneorama.