It’s National Reading Month, which is a good thing for me! Winter storms from New York to
Los Angeles have us all bundled up. And what better way than to catch up on your bedside
reading. A few of these books below have been recommended by friends, others I could read
again! Enjoy!
Bedside Reading Recommends…
The Cobbler by Steve Madden, Jodi Lipper
Everyone knows Steve Madden’s name and his shoes, but few are familiar with his story. Over
the past thirty years Steve Madden has taken his eponymous shoe company from the fledgling
startup he founded with a mere $1,100.00 to a global, multi-billion-dollar brand. But Madden’s
mistakes, from his battle with addiction to the financial shortcuts that landed him in prison, are as
important to his story as his most iconic shoes. In this raw, intimate, and inspiring book, Madden
holds nothing back as he shares what it took to get here and the lessons he’s learned along the
way. Readers are treated to the wild ride though his rise, fall, and comeback. But they will also
walk away uplifted by a man who has owned up to his mistakes, determined to give back.
Karma Under Fire by Love Hudson Maggio
In Karma Under Fire, two societies collide: the trendy, upscale ultra-hip universe of Atlanta and
the alluring, bound-by-tradition world of old India. Pressured by her “challenging”mother,
Harlow Kennedy, an ambitious and unattached woman, agrees to marry politically ambitious
pretty boy Addison Whitmore. The match will elevate Harlow’s non-existent social standing and
guarantee financial security for life. The wedding will take place as soon as Harlow returns from
her BFF’s wedding in India. On the other side of the world, the parents of Tej Mayur, the hottest
restauranteur in the hottest city in the South, are fretting about their son’s unmarried status. They
summon him home. When Harlow and Tej find themselves seated together on the long flight to
New Delhi, sparks fly. Then they touch down at Indira Gandhi International and flee one
another’s company – or so they think. Karma Under Fire is the first novel by promising new
writer Love Hudson-Maggio.
In The Time of our History by Susanne Pari
Inspired by her own family’s experiences following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Susanne Pari
explores the entangled lives within an Iranian American family grappling with generational
culture clashes, the roles imposed on women, and a tragic accident that forces them to reconcile
their guilt or forfeit their already tenuous bonds. Set between San Francisco and New Jersey in
the late-1990’s, this is a story about the universal longing to create a home in this world – and
what happens when we let go of how we’ve always been told it should look.
The Third State by Mark B. Follis
When doctoral student Elliot Very comes home from South America, he’s dismayed when his
committee tells him he has to go back if he wants to complete his degree. He doesn’t know why,
but the very idea of returning fills him with dread, even panic. What happened in Ecuador, and
why can’t Elliot remember? This is a riveting psychological novel with a classic feel.
Death in the Cloud by E.J. Simon
A commercial airliner departing Moscow is missing over France. Two days later, with world
tensions at an all-time high, that same plane is headed for the White House. Soon after, following
a mysterious breach of the launch codes, US nuclear missiles aimed at Russia are poised for
attack. A reciprocal attack is readied by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. The world is on the
edge of a nuclear apocalypse. Since his murder in a Queens restaurant, Alex Nicholas has been
living a virtual life in cyberspace. Suddenly he finds himself on the big screen in the White
House’s underground bunker, facing the President of the United States. He may be the only one
who can save the world from mutual mass destruction. But to do so, he will have to allow
himself to be “deleted” – this time permanently.
This latest addition to the Michael Nicholas Series – which also includes Death Never
Sleeps, Death Logs In, and Death Logs Out.
Truth Matters, Love Wins by Alexandra J. Kuisis
Alex Kuisis was a happily married early-childhood-educator-turned-event-planner-turned-health
coach, living what she considered to be a beautiful and fulfilling life in Denver, Colorado when
the doorbell rang on September 1, 2016. It was the police there to arrest her for seven felony
crimes that she did not commit. She quickly realized that when someone we deeply love turns
around and causes us heart-shattering pain and suffering, it can traumatize us to the very core of
our soul. Fortunately, she also learned that our hardships do not define us. The way we choose to
rise in their aftermath does.
911 From Your Soul by Jeannine Thompson
When life speaks … will you listen? Despite outward success, many of us are still filled with
restlessness and a yearning for something more in our lives. Jeanine Thompson shows us this
longing isn’t a drive toward more achievement, but rather a desire to return home to ourselves.
Leveraging her own powerful story and those of her clients, Thompson introduces us to seven key spiritual principles—The Soul Solution—that empower us to answer the call from our Soul
and unleash our highest potentiality in all areas of life. More, she shows us how to harness “the
beauty of the and” to fully enliven what life is offering to, and through, us, even in our most
challenging moments.
With Intention: A Proven Path to Uncommon Results, Unleashed Influence, and
Ultimate Fulfillment by Jon Giganti
USA Today Best Seller
The world is distracting. Are you paying intention? Our fast-paced lives don’t allow much time
for reflection. In our relentless pursuit of more, most of us end up with far less. Peace eludes us.
Frustration finds us and unfulfillment permeates our souls. In 2013 author Jon Giganti nearly
became another statistic. His job hung in the balance, and the condition of his marriage was even
worse. When he looked in the mirror, he didn’t like the person looking back at him. As a father
of two, he knew something needed to change. Thankfully, he received a second chance.
Working harder wasn’t the answer. Focusing more wasn’t going to fix it this time. Jon needed
something drastic. He started paying intention, and when he did, the solution emerged slowly but
steadily. Jon discovered a process that changed everything—but firstly him. This is where true
transformation always begins, with ourselves.
The Truth about Adira by Anna Paulsen
Kaitlyn Stone is the name on my birth certificate, but I couldn’t tell you who I really am. I’ve
never had a family tree, or a house you’d call a home. And the small, fragile identity I somehow
scraped together was taken in a moment that still steals my breath and leaves me shaking. When
a box arrives on my doorstep, its contents hold the keys to my past. But that’s not all. A quaint
little town beckons with new opportunities and perhaps even a home, if I want it. Waiting there
is a man who walks through fire to save lives and protect his town. Kendrew Batten is a bona
fide superhero—he’s even featured in the local fireman’s calendar as February, the month of lust.
But behind his handsome façade are scars that can’t be seen, and a heart that beats for duty, not
love. He might have been the hero to save me, too, if he didn’t destroy me first.
Facing the Music by David Loud
Musical Director and arranger David Loud, a legendary Broadway talent, recounts his wildly
entertaining and deeply poignant trek through the wilderness of his childhood and the edge-of-
your-seat drama of a career on, in, under, and around Broadway for decades. He reveals his
struggle against the ravages of Parkinson’s and triumphs repeatedly. This memoir is also
a remarkable love letter to music. Loud is the “Ted Lasso” of the theater business, ever the
optimist.
Jane Ubell-Meyer is the founder of Bedside Reading a program that places books in hotels around the world.
