Charlotte's Reviews

Read by Kathe Mazur

Numbers can be intimidating, overwhelming, and contextless. Billions? Millions? Same difference, right? Making Numbers Count is an essential read for designing simple, clear, and practical data. Click play, close your eyes, listen, and learn to weave your numbers into vivid examples, like depicting the percentage of freshwater on Earth using ice cubes or Jeff Bezos’s net worth using flights of stairs. Celebrate your nerdy side with this insightful audiobook. —Charlotte

Noodle the Pug, the TikTok viral sensation, is here to tell you to wear your comfy pants, order extra guac, and be kind to yourself. Teaching emotional intelligence and self-care to young readers, Noodle faces his first “No Bones Day”—flopping into bed instead of feeling ready for the day. Noodle shows us that it’s okay to practice self-care and that feelings aren’t that scary! Join Noodle on his adventure of self-compassion, motivation, and embracing the day.  —Charlotte

Have astronauts biked in space? What do bikes have to do with feminist rebels breaching barricades? Whose curiosity sparked traveling on two-wheeled machines? An uncommon blend of memoir, history, spiritual practice, and trivia, Two Wheels Good is a must-read for avid cyclists and readers of quirky nonfiction.  —Charlotte

A stunning and touching debut novel of inescapable young love, political upheaval, immigration, and resiliency, Swimming Back to Trout River is a trans-Pacific love letter set amidst China’s Cultural Revolution. Generational narratives and stories of upheaval underscore the timeless importance of everyday moments—music drifting from a window, giving away flowers, stopping to say hello. It’s a crescendo of unexpected wonders and a reminder of human kindness that transcends culture, borders, and distance.  —Charlotte

Chloé Cooper Jones is witty and unapologetic as she crushes society’s fragile definitions of traditional beauty and disability. Navigating marginalizing spaces, international pity, chronic pain, and motherhood, Easy Beauty is an intimate portrait of reclamation and self-acceptance—hers is a life worth living. From the classical beauty of Roman sculpture gardens to radical self-acceptance in hometown bars, Easy Beauty is the bold intersection of Eat, Pray, Love and The Body is Not an Apology. —Charlotte

Through disconnection and destruction, modern life and technology have uprooted us from nature. Wilderness guide and essayist Sicelo Mbata’s melodic and intimate tales of Zulu culture and South Africa’s Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park deepen our fleeting connections with nature. For Mbata, wilderness is medicine, teacher, and spiritual guide. Black Lion is an emotional and humble reminder of the deep intersectionality of spiritual well-being and natural spaces. —Charlotte

Need a healthy, delicious, and fast meal prep? This is the perfect go-to for any hangry athlete, busy parent, or new meal-prepper. Shalene's vibrant, easy Lemon Miso Dressing and Thai Quinoa Salad quickly became my lunchtime staples. Each recipe is designed to last in the fridge and keep you satisfied throughout the day. A must-have for tasty and nutritious plates, quick crowd pleasers, and mid-week meals. - Charlotte

Music is Momo's refuge, a gift that he hopes will shelter Junie through her childhood and an ocean of separation. It's a trans-Pacific love letter set amidst China's cultural revolution. Love exists in the unexpected everyday moments: music drifting from windows, flower bulbs, and hushed hellos. These small moments alter lives in profoundly meaningful ways. - Charlotte

This is my quarter life crisis book. The Defining Decade is the book twenty something readers have been waiting for! When I first heard of this book from my college roommate, I was skeptical of the whole “self-help” buzz—what was this word of mouth book that would “change my life” and how I look at my twenties? But, this is it! Stop dating the wrong people, work hard to find your chosen family, stop defining yourself by friends’ social media, and think hard before moving in with someone. It's the not-so-secret book that will stick. It will shock you, inspire you, make you rave about this book to all of your friends, and redefine how you view your twenties. - Charlotte

We’re stuck on a desert island with minimal pantry ingredients, basic cooking skills, little time, and one cookbook. What cookbook do we bring? 

Obviously, Smitten Kitchen Every Day—I can’t live without the “bake-sale winning-est gooey oat bars” on page 235. Smitten Kitchen Every Day has a recipe for any cooking level, picky eaters, “throw it together” dinner nights, and dessert connoisseurs. This is my go-to “I need to make something that looks presentable but I forgot to go to get groceries and I’m exhausted” cookbook. My copy is dog-earred, annotated, and stained—a testament that I’m smitten with Deb Perelman’s unparalleled every day recipes. - Charlotte