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1001 Before You Die

 

1001 Before You Die

The ultimate to-do list, the 1001 series covers 1001 things not to miss, from golf holes and gardens to books and buildings. Each of the 13 books is compiled by experts in the field and has pictures, essays and other tasty tidbits. We can't resist a list!

Price: $23.07–$24.39

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The Comeback, Emma Gilbey Keller

If you love to poke your nose into other people's lives—and learn something useful in the process—pick up The Comeback: Seven Stories of Women Who Went from Career to Family and Back Again. Read about seven different women—from a furniture designer to an occupational therapist—and their decisions to give up work and how they went back. Keller peppers the stories with insight, advice and inspiration. After retiring from writing for seven years following the birth of her first daughter, this book was Keller’s comeback!

Price: $10.20

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Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success, Claire Shipman and Katty Kay

Need to read your way back to work? Womenomics offers a blueprint for women on how to redefine success, be productive and build satisfying careers that don't require an all-or-nothing lifestyle. According to the authors, many companies are offering flexible schedules, shorter workweeks and extended vacations as a way to avoid layoffs, save costs and reward employees. It may just be time to get back in the game.

Price: $18.47

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Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Read the original version before checking out Seth Grahame-Smith's zombie-filled best seller. Lizzy Bennet was way ahead of her time. Whether trying to keep her eccentric family in check, or defying the social conventions of 19th-century England, her spirit and determination prove an inspiration to women of any era. You'll finish the book as captivated with her as Mr. Darcy.

Price: $4.89

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Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

Another classic that every woman should read. Jane evolves from impoverished relative to erudite governess to beloved wife in this gothic romance. The style and language are beautifully poetic, and we can all relate to Jane's struggle for respect.

Price: $7.95

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The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan

Called "the book that pulled the trigger on history," Friedan's work is often credited with starting the feminist movement. This activist treatise challenges the idealized image of femininity and calls upon women to develop their own identities, encouraging them to educate themselves; develop their intellects; and aspire to occupations other than housewife. Calling it groundbreaking seems entirely insufficient.

Price: $10.85

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Escape, Carolyn Jessop

In the 1980s, when she was 18 years old, Carolyn Jessop was married, the fourth wife of a man 32 years her senior. For the next fifteen years she endured all manner of psychological and physical abuse inside the cult-like Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Through her moving memoir, you'll gain an inside glimpse of what life is like for women in the FLDS. I was particularly disturbed to learn that "women were expected to be perfectly silent during childbirth." Despite threats and legal battles following her escape from the polygamous compound with all eight of her children, the book concludes on a note of optimism.

Price: $9.89

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Sick Girl, Amy Silverstein

Amy Silverstein was a 25-year-old law student when a virus entered her heart. At first, she wrote off alarming symptoms as the result of a busy schedule and pressure. Doctors were not initially concerned, advising her to eat more salt and relax. However, after a near fatal episode, it became clear the she needed a heart transplant. The rest of this memoir traces the difficulties of being an organ recipient attempting to lead a normal life. While Silverstein candidly admits, "I'm not just an infinite heap of courage. I'm a woman," you will still be in awe of her incredible resilience.

Price: $8.54

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A Midwife's Tale, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Using passages from midwife and herbalist Martha Ballard's diary, written between 1785 and 1812, Ulrich explains the life of women in 18th-century New England. These fascinating diary entries and subsequent well-researched essays provide insight into the (surprisingly) widespread crime and violence of the time; premarital sex during the period; and the limits of medical practices.

Price: $10.85

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The Color Purple, Alice Walker

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel traces the lives of two uneducated black women—one an African missionary and the other living in the American Deep South and trapped in an abusive marriage. As the women correspond with each other over the course of thirty years, readers watch each struggle for empowerment as the world changes around them.

Price: $8.95

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Poker Woman: How to Win in Love, Life, and Business using the Principles of Poker

Forget shopping. Forget spinning. Forget book group. The next big thing in girl bonding? Poker. Not that sullen, scotch-and-cigar stuff you see on TV. This is poker our way—chatting, eating, drinking and laughing, followed by plans for a field trip to Vegas! POKERprimaDIVAS, taught by Ellen Leikind—a former marketer for L'Oréal and Pfizer—offers poker classes for women. Whether it's the beginner series or a refresher course, you'll learn strategy, how to read the competition and how to take risks with no-limit Texas hold 'em.

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Men May Come and Men May Go but I've Still Got My Little Pink Raincoat: Life and Love in and out of My Wardrobe by Gigi Anders

These engaging essays are each dedicated to a different glamorous and hard-to-find piece of clothing owned by the narrator. The work begins with the hunt for a pink raincoat that she is convinced will make her increasingly distant boyfriend see her in an entirely new light. She finds it. He turns out to be colorblind. For anyone who ever believed that the right piece of clothing would provide a whole new lease on life.

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Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

There is no more iconic fashion novel than Breakfast at Tiffany's, and there is no more perfect fashion icon than the inimitable Holly Golightly. You will want to don a little black dress of your own, perhaps paired with a Tiffany's bauble, as soon as you finish this classic.

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The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris by Alicia Drake

Do you think the world of fashion today is decadent? It will seem tame after reading this nonfiction work, which chronicles the adventures of a young Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent as they triumphantly take the reins of Chanel and Dior in the 1970s.

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The Meaning of Sunglasses: And a Guide to Almost All Things Fashionable by Hadley Freeman

This hilarious guide, written by the deputy fashion editor of the Guardian, explains the meaning (hidden and otherwise) behind every chic item in a wardrobe. The dry humor and clever quips will have you looking anew at everything from florals to footwear. And pay particular attention to the short chapters, "Logos: the bleating of the insecure" and "Hair Extensions, and when you realize you no longer understand the young."

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Front Row: Anna Wintour: What Lies Beneath the Chic Exterior of Vogue's Editor in Chief by Jerry Oppenheimer

There are magazine editors, and there is Anna Wintour. This (unauthorized) biography of the famous—and infamous—editrix contains everything that Lauren Weisberger didn't tell you. You'll learn about Wintour's schoolgirl years; her rarely discussed time at Viva (a competitor of Playgirl); and precisely how long she's been sporting her trademark bob and sunglasses.

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A Model Summer by Paulina Porizkova

This debut novel, by the 1980s supermodel and wife of rocker Ric Ocasek, provides a first-hand glimpse into the sometimes shocking world of modeling. You will gasp as the heroine, at age 15, learns to sleep with photographers to secure jobs; wince when the tungsten lights turn her eyes bright red and bloody; and mourn as she loses the few people she trusts. The book is clearly written by someone who knows the industry well. It is also, for all its juicy subject matter, a surprisingly poetic tale.

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D.V. by Diana Vreeland

The autobiography of the grand dame of American fashion—think Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute—is filled with her obsessions in high and low fashion (she loved pink poodles); personal eccentricities (she had her maid iron her money every morning); and classic quotes like, "Blue jeans are the most beautiful things since the gondola," and "pink is the navy blue of India."

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If You Give a Mom a Martini: 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself

Call the title unfortunate timing in light of recent events—this book still has 99 other great tips to recharge your batteries in only 10 minutes. Some of our favorites? Belting out a favorite show tune (we're partial to Rent) or hitting the batting cages and pretending the ball is an in-law. Some celebrity advice sprinkled throughout—Kelly Ripa unwinds to her idol, Judge Judy, while Christie Brinkley recommends hiding in the closet if it's the only way to steal some alone time. Take 10.

Price: $11.53

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Umpire Book

 

As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires

For dads who love baseball, this book is a home run. Written by New York Times reporter, Bruce Weber, As They See 'Em provides an inside look, filled with entertaining anecdotes, into the private world of umpires.

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Planetary Apothecary

 

Planetary Apothecary - An Astrological Approach to Health and Wellness

Planetary Apothecary offers an astrological sign-specific health and wellness program designed for each planetary constitution, with specific nutritional tips, natural remedies, spa therapies, relaxation practices, yoga asanas, flower essences, and aromatherapy recommendations to soothe and balance excesses while nurturing harmony and well-being.

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simple stunning PARTIES at home by Karen Bussen

 

simple stunning PARTIES at home by Karen Bussen

As entertaining at home is quite popular these days, this great book written by event expert, Karen Bussen, offers easy, chic and affordable ideas on how to entertain in style. It's filled with recipes which are great for cocktails, dinner parties or casual get-togethers.

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Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home Book

 

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home Book

For "Greening Your Home," I recommend the new Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home Book. It's filled with "practical green" tips from removing wine stains to recycling old cell phones.

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Kindle

 

The Kindle

Readers in your family will delight in the fact that this wireless reading device can upload over 180,000 books directly to the screen.

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