The Producer:  LA Reid Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who’s Next  Recently released in paperback, LA Reid shares the intimate story of 30 years at the center of what and who is next in music.  Letting us into the lives of artists like Justin Bieber and Usher as they begin ascending the stairs of fame, he is an expert at giving us insight into the procreation and marketing of top-class talent.           The Star Maker:  Clive Davis The Soundtrack of my Life  If you want music to be your business, you must know and understand the history of Clive Davis.  The voices he brought to fame (Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Aretha Franklin) reads like a Grammy ledger Hall of Fame.  From his hard luck beginnings to the top echelons of music history, his life story is the songbook of American music and pop culture.           The Genius:  Timbaland The Emperor of Sound  We all know his sounds, but we don’t know the man.  Timbaland is the musician’s musician that rarely gives interviews and doesn’t attend launch parties.  The private man lets us into the his creative process and the genius within that makes beats and music both revolutionary and classic.  One of the true geniuses of an era, his book is a masterclass in the creative process and produces the earworms we can’t stop loving and listening to.       The Mega Star:  Beyoncé Becoming Beyoncé:  The Untold Story Queen Elizabeth may be the longest reigning monarch, but I bow to only one queen and her name is QueenBey.  One of my favorite biographers J. Randy Taraborrelli continued his streak of well-researched and multi-dimensional exposes of pop’s...

Michelle Obama is leaving the White House with the highest favorability rating of any previous first lady.  It’s not surprising as she is the perfect combination of aspiration and relatability.  In many ways she seems just like us: managing children, teasing her husband as she works as his loudest cheerleader and closest advisor. She shops where we shop (WHBM, J. Crew) and manages the family calendar,  but also has access to designers we dream of owning with a staff to help make it look as effortless as possible.  I know there will be many books within the next year dedicated to this history-making family, but below are the well-worn titles that I love the most. The Meaning of Michelle This compilation of essays is a moving tribute to the way Michelle made us feel, sometimes about ourselves and often about our country and our place in it.  A varied company of contributors look into every aspect of Michelle and what she represents-from her fashion to her dignity under pressure and even a look at how she represents an American perspective from across the Pacific.  I really enjoyed this book as many of the introspection mirrored my own. Other essays brought new insight into the paradigm shift of this firmly down-to-earth woman living in the highest house of the land.   Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy  This is the book that started it all.  Blogger Mary Tomer was the first to begin compiling Michelle’s fashion moments on the campaign trail, giving us a glimpse of how a real woman gets dressed for the most public stage. Her website Mrs-O. org was a constant feed of the woman that would become our truly modern First Lady. This is a beautiful coffee table book of beautiful photos and commentary of how Michelle skillfully...

Perhaps it is a book publishing conspiracy to release so many great Design and Décor books the same month of High Point Market, the premier Home Furnishing industry trade show, but I’m not complaining.  I’m happy to rearrange the coffee table and bookshelf for these beautifully photographed books full of tips and inspiration to update and beautify my home.   The Art of Celebrating Known as the Architect of Style, David Monn transforms events, home design and theatre into transformative and beautiful ‘environments’ for celebration.  From styling State Dinners (yes, The White House) to the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala (yes, the Met Gala), he lends his well-trained eye and expertise to your home celebrations and grand events like birthday parties and weddings.     Better Than New  If you’re an HGTV addict, then you are familiar with Nicole Curtis, the Rehab Addict.  This tiny spitfire tackles some of the biggest renovation projects with aplomb.  From my home state of Michigan (#spartan4life) to Minnesota, she shares how she rebuilt her life as a single mother, changing careers and building a personal brand, astutely aligning it with the power of reusing and recycling homes and interiors.  An apt study in similiarities, the effort she has to put into seeing the potential of long neglected homes become  8 lessons for making a life of value. Not a typical design book, it explores the interior of homes as well as the interior of the heart.   Cecil Beaton at Home:  An Interior Life The definition of a Renaissance man, Cecil Beaton blazed a trail of beauty, creativity and style through tony London and New York.  Concentrating on the favorite of his country homes as well as his hotel residences, this visual biography shows how his interior life informed his talents as a designer, writer, photographer and...

I recently purchased the new release by one of my favorite designers Rachel Roy. Her clothes are modern, yet classic, youthful while not immature, and celebratory to any woman’s figure. The Design Your Life book jacket describes Rachel as “a working mother who believes that through style, we can design the lives we want to live”.  I couldn’t agree with that statement more and it’s a common blueprint for most designing women that have built legacies and lifestyle brands by addressing the needs and wants of women like themselves. I was inspired to compile a list of memoirs by favorite female designers, recounting the lives and lessons that were the seeds for their Designer Dynasties. There are many great designers missing, as I limited the list to books written by the designer herself. Just as any artist has to trust her own perspective, I only wanted stories told by the individual woman, absent of the filter of another person’s opinion or agenda.   Diane von Furstenberg By now, you know my love of the DVF brand and that infamous wrap dress. Her jetset life served as the blueprint for the liberating, yet sexy clothes she creates for women. Her fairytale life (which includes a Prince Charming) has produced a great library of books.   My favorite book is still her original autobiography Diane: A Signature Life, as she tells the story of the impetus of that simple wrap dress, just as she was embarking on her even larger second act.       Elsa Schiaparelli Born into gentile society, Elsa thumbed her nose at the aristocratic system whenever possible. Considering society confining, she married and moved to New York, finding a more liberating life as a working woman. Her rebellion continued with the invention of the “divided skirt”  (you may know them as shorts), giving women freedom while playing tennis. An art lover, Schiaparelli created fun, avant garde fashion that made society women walking...

Whenever you can be a literary fairy godmother, give the gift of a great book. I have personally christened such gift-giving events as Book Occasions. Recently, a family friend moved into their dream house. Her home is beautifully decorated and I thought a book would be a nice finishing touch. Who doesn’t like a little bookshelf bling? Home décor and lifestyle books are a favorite subject so I headed to my own library for gift inspiration. Since the woman is the true heart of the home, using the Mistress of the Manor’s personality as a guide makes the selection process easier. Below is a list of classic and timeless books that can serve as style inspiration for years. If She has a Certain je ne sais quoi In her second book, At Home with Madame Chic Jennifer L. Scott draws inspiration from the methodical and organized manner her French mentor Madame Chic operated her home, revealing the secrets to having a stylish and fulfilling home life. Deciding to put more effort into what may seem mundane, Scott continues to lead every woman into becoming a purposeful daily connoisseur. English rose Sharon Santoni-Smith married a French man and raised her family in rural France. Her blog My French Country Home has been transformed into the book My Stylish French Girlfriends exploring the life and style of 20 French women. From small rural cottages to sprawling French chateaux, gain entry into their lives as they shop, cook and entertain stylishly and in that quintessential way only la femme francais can. If She is Classically Chic Mary McDonald’s Interiors: The Allure of Style is one of my favorite books to spend a Saturday afternoon with. I first learned of Mary in Domino Magazine when I always drooled over her...