Author: margaritakruyff

Reading List

I Read 100+ Books a Year for Three Years. Here’s How My Reading Habits Have Changed.

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I Read 100+ Books a Year for Three Years. Here’s How My Reading Habits Have Changed.

What do tuberculosis, A.I., and space-time have in common? They are a few of the topics on which I did a deep dive in my reading journey last year.

I have always prided myself on being a generalist. In high school, I played volleyball, sang in chorus, ran track, and danced hip hop. In 2007, I pivoted from a degree in marine biology to marine policy because I did not want to dedicate my career to one marine species, but a whole suite of environmental issues.

Being a generalist has served me well thus far. It has cultivated my curiosity, honed my ability to pick up new subjects, and enabled me to see issues from various perspectives. But, I’ve always wondered what I am missing by not doing a deeper dive from time to time.

For the past five years, I have been challenging myself to read a book per week, and my reading choices—as reflected by my 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 reading lists—have reflected my multidisciplinary bent. In 2025, I tried something new. I aimed for a tad more depth, and went down some REALLY niche rabbit holes.

In hindsight, the topics I honed in on aren’t so random. Last year I spent a lot of time outdoors exploring Alaska and the Four Corners, inspiring 7 books centered on nature and people living on the fringes of society. Similarly, my work in transportation and logistics for a large corporation motivated me to read 10+ books about notable inventors, founders, and Fortune 500 leaders. And, given the state of the economy, is it any surprise I read one fiction and one non-fiction book on the Great Depression? (I’m continuing the theme this year with “1929” on audiobook.)

For the third year in a row, I read more than 100 books. Unlike prior years, I let my curiosity take me down some interesting rabbit holes, and found that depth is important within measure. Topics like general relativity and neural networks are not something the average person “gets” on first pass. They require patience, repetition, and often different teachers. (Carlo Rovelli is a damn good one!) I’m excited to carry a bit more depth into the new year.

The full list of books I finished this year is below in order of completion. As always, I’ve marked the books I loved and highly recommend in bold. Those with an (A) were audiobooks. The ones marked with an asterisk were the monthly selections for my Miami-based book club, The Booze and Books Club.

Thank you to everyone who recommended books this past year. As I kickstart my reading journey for 2026, I’d love to know — what books should I add to next year’s list? Leave me a comment below.

Continue reading “I Read 100+ Books a Year for Three Years. Here’s How My Reading Habits Have Changed.” →
Sound Off

Knowledge Should Be Shared

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Knowledge Should Be Shared

Like the Founding Fathers of the United States, I find certain truths to be self-evident. The sun rises from the East. Mexican food tastes better in Mexico. And, knowledge should be shared.

While my take on Mexican food may not be held universally, I always assumed the other two were…until this week. I am reading “Genius Makers” by Cade Metz, a non-fiction book on the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) through the stories of the academics that made it happen. In Chapter 2, the author references two occasions where scientists declined to explain a discovery in layman’s terms. One of the examples is Nobel Prize winner, Richard Feynman, who said “If I could explain it to the average person, it wouldn’t have been worth the Nobel Prize.” I’m sorry, WHAT?!

Continue reading “Knowledge Should Be Shared” →
Continuing Education, Reading List

One Thing That Inspired Me This Week: “Share The Load”

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One Thing That Inspired Me This Week: “Share The Load”

These days I only write when I am so inspired by something that I have to share it. “Discipline Is Destiny” by Ryan Holiday is one of those occasions. Marshall Pasternak recommended the book during the February meeting of the United Way Miami Young Leaders Executive Committee. As I finished each chapter, I kept thinking, “Our team needs to hear this. They would be as energized by this as I am.”

When I finished the book, I launched a weekly team email series to share different lessons from the book. I kicked it off with “Share The Load,” because our team can take on too much at times. The chapter talks about the importance of delegating as a matter of self-discipline. In a culture that glorifies being busy, I found this to be a particularly effective argument for changing course.

I was excited to share what I learned with the team. I was even more excited when they responded with the parts that resonated most with them. That’s what inspired me to share the email below with you as well. I can’t always share our weekly team emails publicly, like when they delve too deeply into details of our work. But, when I can, I will be posting them here and anxiously await your thoughts!

Subject: One Thing That Inspired Me Most This Week: “Share The Load”

Team,

As you know, I’m an avid reader and am often inspired by the wide genre of authors that I read. Every time I learn something new or am inspired by something, you are the first people I want to share it with. Rather than save it for our department calls and take up time meant for group discussion, I am going to start sending short Friday morning emails with the “one thing that that inspired me most each week.” I hope that you will find these nuggets empowering, insightful, or just plain interesting. Have a great weekend!

This week’s “one thing” is an abridged transcription from Ryan Holiday’s book “Discipline is Destiny”:

Share the load.

It takes discipline not to insist on doing everything yourself, especially when you know how to do many of those things well. Especially when you have high standards of how they should be done. Even if you enjoy doing them whether it is mowing your own lawn, writing your own speeches, making your own schedule, or answering your own phone.

While a leader must know how to do anything, they cannot conceivably do everything. It’s not physically possible. It’s not mentally possible.  Often the best way to manage the load is to share the load.

Woe is the person who wears themselves out on trivial matters and then when the big moments come is out of energy. Woe is the person and the people around them who is mentally exhausted and strung out because they have taken everything upon themselves that now when things go wrong, there’s no slack or cushion to absorb the additional stress.

A glutton isn’t just someone who eats or drinks too much. Some of us are also gluttons for punishment, gluttons for attention, gluttons for control, gluttons for work. What makes it so tricky to identify, let alone to manage, is that it often comes from a good place. We feel obligated, we feel bad spending money, we feel guilty asking for help. No matter how well intentioned, the outcome is the same. We wear ourselves down, we harm ourselves, we harm the cause, we neglect “the main thing.” We end up depriving the world of progress, of the benefits of what economists call “the law of comparative advantage.”

You have to be able to pass the ball, especially when someone is open and has a better shot. You have to be able to share the minutes with the other players, because that’s what teams do. 

The insecure are unable to do this. They fear being criticized, they fear letting people see behind the scenes. Tyrants are unable to do this. Egotists are unable to do this too. The cheap are unable to do this, they want it all for themselves. They aren’t strong enough to bear anything being the center, the exclusive, the sole source of achievement. And what happens to most tyrannical regimes? They fail.

It doesn’t make sense to try to do everything yourself. You have to delegate; you have to find people who are good at things and empower them to help you. You have to be strong enough to hand over the keys, to relinquish control, to develop a system and organization that is bigger than just us. We need to share – that is if you’re trying to scale, trying to build something or do something that matters, something that is bigger than just you.

Each of us must know what an hour of our time is worth. We must have the discipline to figure out how to best spend that time and invest the fruit it bears. No matter how successful or important you are, we all have tasks that can be automated. We all have legacy tasks that ought to be reassigned. Everything in life is a team sport. You know these inefficiencies exist and yet you refuse to delegate them. You continue to try to do everyone’s job. Stop procrastinating – delegate. The value is virtually incalculable because it affords you the most expensive thing in the world: time.

What line or concept shifted your perspective the most? What is one change you will be making this week to practice the discipline of delegation? What is a book you have read recently that changed the way you behave? Let me know in the comments below!

Reading List

My Record Year: 122 Books in 2024 (5th Annual “One-Book-Per-Week” Challenge)

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My Record Year: 122 Books in 2024 (5th Annual “One-Book-Per-Week” Challenge)

If you had told me at the start of 2024 that I would read 122 books, I would have laughed. Sure, I read 10 books per month in 2023 but it took a herculean effort. I was convinced it was a record I couldn’t sustain, much less beat. Well, here we are. Last year has officially been my most successful reading year ever.

I attribute my reading record to three factors. First, I continued to lean heavily on audiobooks. Like in 2023, I listened to approximately 40% of the books I finished. This year’s audiobooks were nearly twice as long on average—Barbara Streisand’s memoir was 40 hours long!—BUT they had much better narrators. Wil Wheaton’s narration of John Scalzi’s “Starter Villain” was a standout performance, perfectly complementing an incredible plot.

Another factor was that I didn’t force myself to power through trilogies if I didn’t feel like it. “Wool” and “The Housemaid” were two great reads that I comfortably left hanging after the first of three books. The sequels didn’t look as promising and I have hundreds of other books that I am dying to read. Ain’t nobody got time for subpar stories.

Last but not least, I’ve gotten better at selecting books. One big lesson I learned this year is that President Obama and I have completely opposite taste in books. I read three recommendations from his reading lists—”Overstory,” “Trust,” and “Intermezzo”—and I did not enjoy them. “Intermezzo” was the biggest surprise because it was written by Sally Rooney, one of my favorite authors. I will be staying clear from books he recommends for the foreseeable future. Instead, I will trust my network. They recommended my favorite books this year, including my top three: “Beautyland,” “Project Hail Mary,” and “The Impossible Fortress.”

As always, the full list of books I finished this year is below in order of completion. Those I loved and highly recommend are shown in bold. Those with an (A) were audiobooks. The ones marked with an asterisk were the monthly selections for my Miami-based book club, The Booze and Books Club.

A sincere thanks to everyone who contributed recommendations to my 2024 reading journey! What were your favorite books you read last year? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to consider them for 2025.

Every Book I Read in 2024

  1. “Live Your Life” by Amanda and Anna Kloots (A)
  2. “Quietly Hostile” by Samantha Irby (A)
  3. “Silo Series Book One: Wool” by Hugh Howey
  4. “We All Want Impossible Things” by Catherine Newman
  5. “Olga Dies Dreaming” by Xochitl Gonzalez
  6. “Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe (A)
  7. “The Guest” by Emma Cline
  8. “The Rachel Incident” by Caroline O’Donoghue (A)
  9. “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride*
  10. “Really Good, Actually” by Monica Heisey
  11. “El Viento Conoce Mi Nombre” by Isabel Allende
  12. “The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” by Stuart Turton
  13. “Good Material” by Dolly Alderton
  14. “Come & Get It” by Kiley Reid*
  15. “My Name is Barbra” by Barbra Streisand (A)
  16. “The Bomber Mafia” by Malcolm Gladwell (A)
  17. “The School for Good Mothers” by Jessamine Chan
  18. “Wellness” by Nathan Hill
  19. “The Museum of Ordinary People” by Mike Gayle (A)
  20. “Surrounded by Idiots” by Thomas Erikson
  21. “Beautyland” by Marie-Helene Bertino*
  22. “Grief Is For People” by Sloane Crosley
  23. “Trust” by Hernan Diaz (A)
  24. “All Marketers Tell Stories” by Seth Godin
  25. “All Things Aside” by Iliza Shlesinger (A)
  26. “The Psychology of Money” by Morgan House (A)
  27. “One in a Millennial” by Kate Kennedy (A)
  28. “Martyr!” by Kacey Akbar
  29. “That Was Then, This Is Now” by S.E. Hinton
  30. “Table for Two” by Amor Towles*
  31. “The Women” by Kristin Hannah
  32. “The Overstory” by Richard Powers (A)
  33. “Great and Precious Things” by Rebecca Yarros (A)
  34. “The Art of Thinking Clearly” by Rolf Dobelli
  35. “Before The Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (A)
  36. “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles
  37. “Send Me” by Marty Skovlund and Joe Kent (A)
  38. “Cut and Thirst” by Margaret Atwood (A)
  39. “Community Board” by Tara Conklin
  40. “The Humans” by Matt Haig
  41. “Hideaway” by Dean Koontz
  42. “The Ministry of Time” by Kalinne Bradley
  43. “Memory Piece” by Lisa Ko*
  44. “West with Giraffes” by Lynda Rutledge (A)
  45. “Call Me By Your Name” by Andre Aciman
  46. “Pecho Frio” by Jaime Bayly
  47. “All Fours” by Miranda July*
  48. “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara (A)
  49. “The New One Minute Manager” by Spencer Johnson and Ken Blanchard (A)
  50. “Please Stop Trying to Leave Me” by Alana Saab
  51. “The Paris Novel” by Ruth Reichl*
  52. “Anthem” by Ayn Rand
  53. “The Housemaid” by Freida McFadden
  54. “Running with Scissors” by Augusten Burroughs (A)
  55. “How to be Eaten” by Maria Adelmann
  56. “Love Between Equals” by Polly Young-Eisendrath (A)
  57. “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles
  58. “Circe” by Madeline Miller
  59. “The Nix” by Nathan Hill (A)
  60. “Inside Voice” by Lake Bell (A)
  61. “North Woods” by Daniel Mason (A)
  62. “How to Decide” by Annie Duke (A)
  63. “Long Island Compromise” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner*
  64. “Get Honest or Die Lying” by Charlamagne Tha God (A)
  65. “Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism” by Amanda Montell (A)
  66. “Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch
  67. “James” by Percival Everett (A)
  68. “101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think” by Brianna Wiest (A)
  69. “Youthjuice” by E.K. Sathue
  70. “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” by Lisa See
  71. “The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus
  72. “How to Hide an Empire” by Daniel Immerwahr (A)
  73. “The Fury” by Alex Michaelides
  74. “Fates and Furies” by Lauren Groff
  75. “Rich AF” by Vivian Tu
  76. “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah (A)
  77. “My Year of Rest of Relaxation” by Ottessa Moshfegh
  78. “Talking as Fast as I Can” by Lauren Graham (A)
  79. “Tell Me Lies” by Carola Lovering (A)
  80. “This Is Going to Hurt” by Adam Kay (A)
  81. “The Life Impossible” by Matt Haig*
  82. “Ghosts” by Dolly Alderton
  83. “Lies My Teacher Told Me” by James W. Loewen (A)
  84. “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir
  85. “The Courage to Be Disliked” by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga (A)
  86. “The Sequel” by Jean Hanff Korelitz*
  87. “We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay” by Gary Janetti (A)
  88. “Revenge of the Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell (A)
  89. “The Girls” by Emma Cline
  90. “The Last One at the Wedding” by Jeson Rekulak*
  91. “Stop Saving the Planet!: An Environmentalist Manifesto” by Jenny Price
  92. “The Ministry of the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson (A)
  93. “How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth” by Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Kate Tellers, Padma Lakshmi (Foreword) and Chenjerai Kumanyika (Introduction)
  94. “What I Ate in One Year” by Stanley Tucci (A)
  95. “The Husbands” by Holly Gramazio
  96. “My Murder” by Katie Williams
  97. “I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself” by Glynnis MacNicol (A)
  98. “The Fault In Our Stars” by John Green
  99. “Interesting Facts About Space” by Emily Austin
  100. “The Ride of a Lifetime” by Robert Iger (A)
  101. “Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House” by Alex Prud’Homme
  102. “State of Paradise” by Laura Van Den Berg
  103. “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom
  104. “Rosewater” by Maziar Bahari and Aimee Molloy (A)
  105. “Intermezzo” by Sally Rooney
  106. “The Anthropocene Reviewed” by John Green (A)
  107. “Go Set A Watchman” by Harper Lee
  108. “Ambition Monster” by Jennifer Romolini (A)
  109. “Book of Extraordinary Tragedies” by Joe Meno
  110. “The Impossible Fortress” by Jason Rekulak
  111. “Save Me the Plums” by Ruth Reichl (A)
  112. “The Wedding People” by Alison Espach*
  113. “Quit” by Annie Duke (A)
  114. “In My Time of Dying” by Sebastian Junger
  115. “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller
  116. “Acts of Desperation” by Megan Nolan
  117. “The Heiress” by Rachel Hawkins
  118. “Starter Villain” by John Scalzi (A)
  119. “Tell Me Everything” by Elizabeth Strout
  120. “En Agosto Nos Vemos” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  121. “The Invisible Man” by H.G. Wells (A)
  122. “What The CEO Wants You to Know” by Ram Charan
Resources, Travel

Explore Mexico City: A Native’s Insider Guide

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Explore Mexico City: A Native’s Insider Guide

Today I am revealing a secret I have been gatekeeping for years: my ultimate guide to Mexico City. I am a Chilanga, whose Mexico City roots go back multiple generations. I grew up in la Colonia San Jerónimo until my family moved to South Florida when I was twelve. My extended family still lives there and I go back to visit several times a year. I have made a habit of weekend trips to CDMX due to its affordability and proximity to Miami.

As a native, I have become the go-to resource for what to eat, see and do in Mexico City. Friends (and friends-of-friends) look to me for a local’s perspective to avoid pesky tourist traps. Over the years, I have compiled a list of my tried-and-true staples, sprinkled with the latest hot spots. The list has made the rounds with my inner circle BUT today is the first time I share it publicly. I figured it was time to share the wealth.

The list below is by no means comprehensive. Rather, it should serve as a jumping-off point for building your itinerary. I focused on highlighting unassuming places I have loved since I was a niña, places you won’t find in a travel guide. While there will be some overlap, you should supplement it with more current resources like Michelin Guide, World’s 50 Best Bars, and TimeOut. Mexico City has A LOT to offer—old and new. In fact, I encourage you to add your own “Mexico City musts” in the comments below. I will certainly keep adding to the list as I recall or discover new places worth your time. Happy travels!

Traditional Mexican Restaurants – Breakfast and Coffee

  • Fonda Margarita – casual, traditional Mexican breakfast dishes
  • Sanborns Café – casual, traditional Mexican breakfast dishes inside a department store. Several locations
  • Delirio Monica Patino – casual, coffee and limited menu of traditional Mexican breakfast dishes
  • El Bajío – casual, menu of traditional Mexican breakfast dishes
  • Postales de Cafe – casual, coffee house with pastries
  • Quentin Café – casual, coffee house with pastries
  • Terraza Gran Hotel de Mexico – buffet style brunch with unique views of the Zócalo plaza
Continue reading “Explore Mexico City: A Native’s Insider Guide” →
Reading List

I Read 10 Books Per Month In 2023. This Is My Secret. (4th Annual “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge”)

by margaritakruyff1 Comment on I Read 10 Books Per Month In 2023. This Is My Secret. (4th Annual “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge”)
I Read 10 Books Per Month In 2023. This Is My Secret. (4th Annual “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge”)

I’ve always been an avid reader. In middle and high school, when I was navigating the transition to adulthood AND the culture shock of moving from Mexico to the United States, books were my sanctuary. I binged Young Adult series like Harry Potter and Carolyn Meyers’ “Young Royal” series with abandon. Stories offered an escape from my socially awkward reality and were a gateway to adventure, romance, history, and new learnings.

After high school, I didn’t stop reading, but finding time to read became less of a priority. I traded living primarily in my imagination for living primarily in “real life”—until four years ago, when the pandemic altered “real life.” Faced with infinite free time and a desperate need for escapism, I turned to books as my sanctuary once again.

In April 2020, I set a goal to read one book per week and finished 55 books. I have renewed my commitment to the “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge” every year since, with varying results. As life returned to normal in 2021, I only read 31 books. I found a better book-life balance in 2022, when I devoured 46 books. This year was my fourth year striving for my reading goal and it has been my most successful to date.

Continue reading “I Read 10 Books Per Month In 2023. This Is My Secret. (4th Annual “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge”)” →
Reading List

This Is Every Book I Read in 2022 (3rd Annual “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge”)

by margaritakruyff1 Comment on This Is Every Book I Read in 2022 (3rd Annual “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge”)
This Is Every Book I Read in 2022 (3rd Annual “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge”)

In 2020, faced with the pandemic lockdown, I kicked my love for reading into hyperdrive and read one book per week. (These are the 55 books I finished.) Invigorated by all the stories I devoured, I tried reading one book per week again the following year. However, the slow return to “normal life” made it harder to find reading time so I only finished 31 books in 2021, a little more than half the goal.

2022 marked the third year of my annual “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge.” This year I found a better book-life balance and while my tally increased dramatically from last year, I once again missed my quota. That said, I consider it a very successful year of reading. For starters, I finished a respectable 46 books (see full list below). More importantly, my reading list achieved diversity of genre, literary complexity, and focus. Lastly, I found a new favorite author: Sloane Crosley. Sloane is an American writer known for her fiction and non-fiction tongue-in-cheek commentary inspired by/about her life. My first experience reading Sloane’s writing was in “Cult Classic,” The Booze and Book Club‘s pick for July. Upon finishing that book, I purchased her four other books and finished three. It was such a joy finding an author whose writing and voice really resonated with me.

While Sloane’s books were the highlight of my year, I enjoyed most of the books that made their way into my home this year. Other repeat authors from this year’s list include Jennifer Egan, Jean Hanff Korelitz and Paolo Coelho. There were stories about sports, war, relationships, ghosts, sociopathy, and innovation, among others. My favorite memory was reading Paolo Coelho’s “The Pilgrimage,” a memoir about his trek on El Camino de Santiago, while my mom and I completed our pilgrimage along its Portuguese route. Our journey on foot was memorable for a number of reasons and sharing my joy of reading with my mom during this once-in-a-lifetime experience was among them.

My mom and I on the Portuguese Route of El Camino de Santiago in June. We walked 119km from the southern border of Spain to Santiago de Compostela over 5 days.

I look forward to what 2023 will bring between two covers. To inspire your reading this coming year, here is every book I read in 2022 (in order of completion). I marked The Booze and Book Club selections with an asterisk and those I absolutely adored in bold. Did any of these make your reading list? Which books are you most looking forward to reading this coming year?

Continue reading “This Is Every Book I Read in 2022 (3rd Annual “One-Book-Per-Week Challenge”)” →
Reading List

I Tried Reading One Book Per Week in 2021. Here Is How I Did.

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I Tried Reading One Book Per Week in 2021. Here Is How I Did.

I read one book per week in 2020. Breezing through books was easy when the pandemic confined me indoors with no social prospects. A book per week was a tougher task once life started returning to normal. Reading time was superseded by dinners with friends, a flurry of travel, and the joys of a new relationship.

While I did not achieve quite as voluminous a reading list in 2021, I still managed to finish 31 tomes (approx. one book per two weeks.) Like last year, I focused on varying my reading selections between fiction and non-fiction and across genres, themes, and topics. One book a month was assigned by “The Booze and Books Club,” which was once again one of the highlights of my annual reading journey. Not only did we continue meeting on a monthly basis, but this year our club also launched its own instagram (@theboozeandbooksclub) and began hosting progressively more elaborate, on-theme gatherings. For example, in August, members brought their dogs to discuss canine-themed “Nightbitch” by Rachel Yoder and in September, we met at family-owned seafood restaurant La Camaronera to discuss “Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reed that spotlights the dynamics of a family that owns a seafood restaurant. Oh, and we began incorporating discussions with the authors into our meetings both virtually and when the pandemic (and Miami Book Fair) allowed, in person. Props to Virginia Gil and Gio Gutierrez for all of the hard work they put into running the best book club hands down.

Another milestone moment from this past year was my chat with Barney and Falc of @booksandbeersclub. You can watch the Books and Beers episode on YouTube here. We talked about my career, my George Constanza sweatpants, my numerous Instagram accounts, and all things reading. My favorite part was our animated discussion on our favorite and least favorite books. Both Barney and Falc share my love for the teaching of Dale Carnegie and struggled through “Cien Años de Soledad.” Nothing energizes me like intellectually stimulating discourse with fellow book lovers!

Before I share with you the comprehensive list of every book I read in 2022, I want to thank all of you who reached out to discuss books, suggest books, send books (Murph! Wanka! Christine! Reggie! Betsy! Faja!), and in the case of Scott Deitche, share books you authored. For me, reading is as, if not more, thrilling as a team sport than an individual sport. Please take a look at the list below and then reach out in the comments or on social media with your favorite books of 2021 and your most anticipated books for 2022. My very best wishes to you for a happy, healthy and book-filled year to come!

Every Book I Read in 2021 (in order of completion)
I marked the Booze & Books Club picks with an asterisk. I show in bold those I loved.

Continue reading “I Tried Reading One Book Per Week in 2021. Here Is How I Did.” →
Sound Off

The Advice on Networking No One Ever Gives You

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The Advice on Networking No One Ever Gives You

I only get inspired to write when I get heated about a topic. This month I am extremely passionate about networking—more specifically, how to nurture your network correctly. Because I enjoy sharing advice, I often meet with new grads and young professionals looking for career guidance. I help them review cover letters, offer lessons learned, and when I can, connect them with potential job opportunities.

Lately, I have been shocked by the bad networking habits exhibited by many of the intelligent and highly-capable individuals with whom I have met. Recent experiences in particular made me question whether at their age, I also had poor networking skills. After some reflection, I realized to my horror that I did. I can recall a handful of mentoring opportunities my dad helped me get in my early 20s where I performed less than admirably. There is one meeting in particular with a C-Level executive that makes me cringe.

Everyone preaches that networking is good, that it’s supposed to help you. Few people teach you how. Everyone arms you with advice for making new contacts. Few people teach you how to keep those contacts. Most people promote the notion that networking is about transactions—”I help you, you help me”. Not enough people promote the idea that networking is actually about fostering a lifelong community of contacts that respect, trust, and like you. We are failing students and young professionals by not filling these knowledge gaps.

Most of the good networking habits I have grown to expect I have learned the hard way. By sharing them below, I hope to spare you the trouble. The list is by no means all-encompassing, but it consists of the five networking best practices I value most highly and that I see missed time and time again. I would love to hear how they work for you. More importantly, if you have other networking tips you want to add to the list, we could all benefit from and would be ever grateful if you share them in the comments below.

1. Before requesting a meeting, define why you are reaching out and say so. Do you want to understand what it is like to work in my field? Are you meeting with me because you are hoping I will consider you for a job? Are you looking for general career advice from someone with my particular experience? When you walk out of the room, what will you consider a successful outcome? A well-defined purpose is absolutely critical to any fruitful discussion. Therefore, if you reach out to me with your goal for our discussion, I am more likely to meet with you and better positioned to help you.

2. Come with questions and genuine interest. Since you will have explored the purpose of our meeting in advance, use that to put together a few questions to guide our discussion so you get the information you are looking for. After you ask each question, listen attentively to the answers and take notes, where appropriate. Your nerves may get you from time to time—I know I blacked out a few times from panic mid-discussion during the cringeworthy meeting I mentioned before—but find a way to ground yourself so you can absorb my answers.

3. Follow-up with a “thank you.” Most people, including me, don’t offer their time or advice for a “thank you.” However, we are extremely grateful when we receive one and it tells us you are polite and professional. A hand-written “thank you” note is rare and automatically gets bonus points. Remember, if I connect you with my network, your behavior reflects on me and my hard-earned reputation. A simple “thank you” shows me I can trust your social graces and makes me ten times more likely to recommend you.

4. After our meeting, let me know how things are going. Was my advice useful to you? What worked? What did not work? Do you have any follow-up questions? Of all the advice I have shared, only two people have ever contacted me to let me know the outcome of my suggestions. Their feedback not only made me feel like the time I spent with them was worthwhile, but it also helped me understand how to better help others in the future.

5. Do not wait to reach out until you need something. Last but not least, your network should not be a resource you only turn to in a time of need. Like friendships, professional contacts should be fostered continuously. I like to set Google alerts for contacts and companies with whom I have an established relationship so I can stay current on their professional accomplishments and send them a note whenever there are milestones worth celebrating or discussing. My dad also taught me to keep track of birthdays and anniversaries by putting them in my calendar. This is not to discourage you from reaching out when you need advice or a favor. However, that should not be the only time your network hears from you.

Reading List

I Read One Book Per Week in 2020. This Is Every Book I Finished.

by margaritakruyff3 Comments on I Read One Book Per Week in 2020. This Is Every Book I Finished.
I Read One Book Per Week in 2020. This Is Every Book I Finished.

I have a penchant for making ambitious annual commitments. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, I committed to running one mile per day of the year, or 365 miles per year. However, despite my best efforts, which included regular 10 to 13 mile Saturday morning runs, multiple half marathons and my first marathon in 2018, I came close but never quite made it across the finish line. My competitive spirit was inclined to keep going, but I was forced to take a break from persistent running to recover from an ankle injury.

This year, I made a new and exciting commitment: to read one book per week of the year. I am a voracious reader and was on pace at the end of January so the goal seemed aggressive yet achievable. My focus on reading wavered from month to month. Strangely enough, quarantine and a new work-from-home routine were the biggest help toward reaching my goal by opening up new pockets of reading time previously used for commuting and a social life. Virginia Gil’s invitation to join “The Boozy Book Club,” a charismatic group of Miami readers that pick and discuss a new book each month, was also a godsend for my sanity and maintaining reading momentum.

I reached my goal on December 23 when I finished my 53rd book on week 52 of 53. I finished a 54th and 55th book that same week for good measure after there was some contention about counting a 20-page picture book as book 52. Let no one say this challenge was unmet—it was unequivocally defeated! Below is the comprehensive list of every book I read in 2020, in order, for your peer review and reading pleasure in 2021. (While I loved most books, the ones that were life-changing are shown in bold.)

My reading list for 2020 varied widely in every sense. It constituted both fiction and non-fiction. The books ranged from witty quips, poetry and short stories to novellas and novels. I read stories in 20 pages and others in 800+. What I liked most about this year’s reading journey is that every author forced my already open mind to see the world from a brand new perspective, opening my eyes to real and imagined scenarios beyond the realm of what I thought possible. I learned A LOT from reading each and every one of these books. I hope you too will find a much needed lesson, outlook, or escape in their pages.

Every Book I Read in 2020 (in order of completion)
I marked those I recommend in an asterisk. I show in bold those I loved.

Continue reading “I Read One Book Per Week in 2020. This Is Every Book I Finished.” →