No, that’s not a photo bomb! That’s me and Arianna Huffington after an inspiring luncheon last week to benefit Read to Grow. Arianna (she IS the sort of person that you call by her first name) talked about her new book “Thrive”, which divulges how to really have it all. She’s not breaking new ground here: essentially that money and power, without meaning, do not a happy life make, but she offers it up in an easily digestible format, filled with personal anecdotes and helpful how-to’s. She is, in a word, awesome, and you’ll love her book. And if you don’t know about Read To Grow, it’s a CT-based non-profit that provides books to babies and literacy information to their parents at twelve partner hospitals across the state. Here’s a scary stat: over 60% of low income parents have no age appropriate books in their homes for their children. According to Read To Grow, strong language skills are the best predictors of later reading and writing ability and reading aloud to babies helps build those skills early on. It’s easy to help: donate books or money, or consider hosting a book drive. Find out more aboutRead To Grow and how to get involved, here.

Read the entire list here.