
Flowers and chocolate are sweet, sure, but if you’re constantly finding your Valentine with their nose in a new book, gift them something they can enjoy way past the petals falling off or the box left empty. This Valentine’s Day, you can tell your love just how much you care without having to say a single thing, thanks to these books. From dramatic and serious to cute and whimsical, we’ve got a title for every kind reader, at every stage of their relationship!
1. Until I Find You by John Irving ($14): Here’s a sweeping, wandering novel that takes you on actor Jack Burns’s adventurous life story. His various relationships with women — from his mother and Catholic school girls to his great love — propel the funny and sweet saga of Burns’s life in an evocative and charming way.
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<em>A Moveable Feast</em>
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5. Me, You, Us by Lisa Currie ($15): If you’d rather fill out something sweet together, this love-centric workbook from Lisa Currie is just the thing. There’s a place to draw matching tattoos, lists to fill out (“reasons why we’d stay up late together”) and places to recount precious memories. If you’re planning on staying in this Valentine’s Day, this cute book is a perfect way to cozy up!
6. I Love You! Around the World by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar ($20): If saying it in English just doesn’t fully express how much you love your boo, go ahead and gift them this book from Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar for Valentine’s Day.
7. What I Love About Us ($10): With quick, cute prompts on each page: “We’re awesome at…”, “We do….best” and “I love it when we …,” you get to personalize your Valentine to be as sweet or silly as you want. It’s a fun swap for a traditional card that you’ll both want to revisit for years to come.
8. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed ($10): This book of advice will no doubt inspire and captivate your Valentine. It’s full of funny, insightful and useful advice on how to love and live authentically and whole-heartedly.
9. My Life in France by Julia Child ($10): Once you gift Julia Child’s memoir of her time learning to cook in Paris to your love, be prepared to board a plane to France ASAP. Child makes both cooking and Paris seem like magical pursuits, and her deep love and commitment to her husband Paul will melt even the most cynical of hearts.
<em>Fates and Furies</em>
<em>Modern Romance</em>
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.