7 Electric Books That Will Excite the Extrovert in You

September 28 2020
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Extroverts, to me, have always been fascinating with the way they walk into a room and seem to bring a whole new level of intensity to the world. There is a reason why they are so often described as the “life of the party.” These seven books convey the same amount of energy, and a few really great parties too, that are perfect for the extroverted heart.  

The Beautiful and Damned
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Of course, when you think of extroverts and books, the first assumption might be to jump into the glitz and glam of THE GREAT GATSBY. Luckily, THE BEAUTIFUL AND DAMNED is filled with the nightlife of New York’s nouveau riche and their wild ambitions. THE BEAUTIFUL AND DAMNED is largely believed to be based on Fitzgerald's own relationship with his wife, Zelda, and follows the life of Anthony Patchy, a New York socialite, and his wife, Gloria, through their turbulent marriage, parties, and drinking.  

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The Beautiful and Damned
F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s second novel—written at a pivotal moment in his career—is now available in a beautifully designed special collector’s edition.

The Beautiful and Damned is a stunning satire of the glamorous but doomed marriage between Anthony Patch and his wife, Gloria. Harvard-educated Patch is waiting for his inheritance upon his grandfather’s death. His marriage to Gloria is fueled by alcohol and destroyed by greed. This shallow, pleasure-seeking couple race through a series of fiascoes—first in hilarity, then in despair.

A devastating portrait of the nouveaux rich, New York nightlife, reckless ambition, and squandered talent, The Beautiful and Damned was published in 1922 on the heels of Fitzgerald’s first novel, This Side of Paradise. This keenly observed novel signaled Fitzgerald’s maturity as a storyteller and confirmed his enormous talent as a novelist.

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To Live and Love In L.A.
by Ben Peller

Part of Ben Peller’s To Live trilogy, TO LIVE AND LOVE IN L.A. really is about just that and how love requires a little bit of courage and crazy, which all extroverts can relate to. This story follows Shawn as he attempts to navigate his passionate encounters that involve everything from artists to cougars and even a would-be zombie. What could easily be dismissed as a wild drunken adventure actually becomes quite insightful. Shawn is funny, damaged, and enticing. This book is great for any extroverts attempting to navigate love and find themselves along the way.  

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To Live and Love In L.A.
Ben Peller

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Everybody (Else) Is Perfect
by Gabrielle Korn

It’s easy to feel like everyone around you is perfect and that they are the center of their own wonderful universe. Korn’s delightful memoir closely examines this through her experience as the youngest editor in chief at Nylon and the reality that not everything is Instagram perfect all the time. EVERYBODY (ELSE) IS PERFECT is honest and darkly funny as Korn examines the fashion industry, anorexia, and what it means to be a young lesbian in New York.  

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Everybody (Else) Is Perfect
Gabrielle Korn

From the former editor-in-chief of Nylon comes a provocative and intimate collection of personal and cultural essays featuring eye-opening explorations of hot button topics for modern women, including internet feminism, impossible beauty standards in social media, shifting ideals about sexuality, and much more.

Gabrielle Korn starts her professional life with all the right credentials. Prestigious college degree? Check. A loving, accepting family? Check. Instagram-worthy offices and a tight-knit group of friends? Check, check. Gabrielle’s life seems to reach the crescendo of perfect when she gets named the youngest editor-in-chief in the history of one of fashion’s most influential publication. Suddenly she’s invited to the world’s most epic parties, comped beautiful clothes and shoes from trendy designers, and asked to weigh in on everything from gay rights to lip gloss on one of the most influential digital platforms.

But behind the scenes, things are far from perfect. In fact, just a few months before landing her dream job, Gabrielle’s health and wellbeing are on the line, and her promotion to editor-in-chief becomes the ultimate test of strength. In this collection of inspirational and searing essays, Gabrielle reveals exactly what it’s truly like in the fashion world, trying to find love as a young lesbian in New York City, battling with anorexia, and trying not to lose herself in a mirage of women’s empowerment and Instagram perfection.

Through deeply personal essays, Gabrielle recounts her struggles to reconcile her long-held insecurities about her body while coming out in the era of The L Word, where swoon-worthy lesbians are portrayed as skinny, fashion-perfect, and power-hungry. She takes us with her everywhere from New York Fashion Week to the doctor’s office, revealing that the forces that try to keep women small are more pervasive than anyone wants to admit, especially in a world that’s been newly branded as woke.

From #MeToo to commercialized body positivity, Korn’s biting, darkly funny analysis turns feminist commentary on its head. Both an in-your-face take on impossible beauty standards and entrenched media ideals and an inspiring call for personal authenticity, this powerful collection is ideal for fans of Roxane Gay and Rebecca Solnit.

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City of Girls
by Elizabeth Gilbert

This 1940s love story is full of life, scandal, and embracing who you truly areperfect for any extrovert. CITY OF GIRLS follows ninety-five-year-old Vivian as she recounts her life as a nineteen-year-old college dropout who was sent to live with her eccentric aunt in Manhattan. As she becomes engrossed in her aunt’s failing theater, she makes a personal mistake that leads to a professional scandal and changes her life forever.  

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City of Girls
Elizabeth Gilbert

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Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
by Christina Lauren

Oh, Christina Lauren. How could I write an article about extroverts and not include some of their absolutely energetic romances? Hazel is a lot to handle, but she is so unapologetically herself and is unwilling to change who she is just so that she can find someone to date. That mixed with Josh’s more mellow, organized sweet personality makes both of these characters instantly likeable. Of course, John and Hazel are not dating, they’re just trying to set each other up on a series of very, very bad double blind dates. Yup. Definitely not dating.  

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Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
Christina Lauren

Most men can’t handle Hazel. But her best friend Josh isn’t most men. Don’t miss New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren’s new novel about two people who are definitely not dating…no matter how often they end up in bed together.

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

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Dating You / Hating You
by Christina Lauren

Sorry, not sorry, one Christina Lauren book just wasn’t enough for this extrovert list. Mostly because their characters are both fun and engaging and perfect for every extrovert. Maybe I just like to laugh and love, maybe I’m just a sucker for an enemies to lovers plot, but this book has it all. Despite a very awkward encounter at a party, Carter and Evie immediately click despite the fact that they work for rival agencies. Of course, all bets are off when their companies merge and they are forced to vie for the same position. What will win, love or their careers?  

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Dating You / Hating You
Christina Lauren

Everyone knows that all’s fair in love and war. But these two will learn that sabotage is a dish best served naked.

A sexy, compulsively readable romantic comedy that dives headlong into the thrill and doubt of modern love, Dating You/Hating You by New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren is the story of what two high-powered agents will—and won’t—do to get everything they ever wanted.

Despite the odds against them from an embarrassing meet-awkward at a mutual friend’s Halloween party, Carter and Evie immediately hit it off. Even the realization that they’re both high-powered agents at competing firms in Hollywood isn’t enough to squash the fire.

But when their two agencies merge—causing the pair to vie for the same position—all bets are off. What could have been a beautiful, blossoming romance turns into an all-out war of sabotage. Carter and Evie are both thirtysomething professionals—so why can’t they act like it?

Can Carter stop trying to please everyone and see how their mutual boss is really playing the game? Can Evie put aside her competitive nature long enough to figure out what she really wants in life? Can their actor clients just be something close to human? Whether these two Hollywood love/hatebirds get the storybook Hollywood ending, or just a dramedy of epic proportions, you get to enjoy Christina Lauren’s heartfelt, hilarious story of romance in the modern world.

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Mrs. Dalloway
by Virginia Woolf

On its surface, MRS. DALLOWAY appears to be a novel for extroverts simply because it’s a day in the life of a high-society woman preparing for a party. Of course, the reality of that is much more complex. MRS. DALLOWAY represents a compelling aspect of extroverts in their enigmatic way to draw unsuspecting people together, creating an intricate web of love, loss, and life. While Clarissa Dalloway prepares for her party, she reminisces about the way her life used to be and is forced to confront horrid realities of the present. Yet, when faced with her own insecurities, she chooses life. Considered one of Virginia Woolf’s greatest novels, this intricate story is sure to pull anyone into Clarissa’s world.  

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Mrs. Dalloway
Virginia Woolf

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Photo Credit: Farknot_Architect/iStock

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