The last book I read was heavy. So heavy that I craved an antidote. These 2 books are light and fun. First up, Air Plants: The Curious World of Tillandsias by Zenaida Sengo. I love air plants. They are whimsical yet elegant and remind me of Dr. Seuss! It turns out that Sengo works at the amazing Flora Grubb Garden Nursery in San Francisco AND that the forward is by none other than Flora herself. I had to go to Portland to run into this book from my very own backyard.

I have 3 of these hanging out in my home now. Sengo teaches you everything you need to know to keep these bromeliad cousins alive and thriving. She also shares many ways to incorporate air plants into your decor from pot selection to wall placement.

Next up, Michelle Phan on Makeup: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style and Success, Online and Off. Phan started out creating makeup tutorials on YouTube and became an award winning content creator and amazing platform marketer. She’s platform agnostic because she says, “Platforms—they come and go, but storytelling is forever.”

In addition to skin and makeup tips and tricks, Michelle shares the fascinating story of how she went from teen to CEO of EM – Michelle Phan cosmetics, Ipsy – a beauty sample subscription service, developing her own channel for Google called FAWN (For All Women Network) and creating and shooting videos for Lancome. It’s a fascinating look inside the beauty industry and an inspiring story of how your passion can take you anywhere.