I have always loved to read. There’s not a time I remember when I didn’t have a book with me, my Kindle with me, or an app downloaded on my phone. I will read almost any type of book. In the past, I would finish every book whether I liked it or not. For some reason, I couldn’t DNF. Now I have no problem putting a book down if I’m not feeling it. These are my favorite books that I reach for time and time again.
My favorite book of all time is Diary of Anne Frank. I love this book so much. I have reread it several times and throughout several times in my life. Even though I have read it so many times I will never get tired of this book.
SELF DEVELOPMENT
Braving The Wilderness by Brene Brown. In the cancel culture world that we live in now, I think so many people need to read this book. It teaches us how to be ourselves while standing up for what we believe in but still listening to others even if we disagree. One story that always sticks out to me is when she is at a super-conservative event and someone mentions gun control. Brown is pro-guns and a member of the NRA (I believe, I didn’t fact check everything), but instead of getting upset and ready to defend her views. She listened to what the other person was saying. Once she was done talking, Brown talked about her beliefs. This is one of my favorite books because it reminds me that I need to listen more and not talk as much.
101 Essays To Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest. I saw this book all over TikTok and had to get it. This book CHANGED my life. It literally changed my mind on so many things. I have horrible self-talk and automatically think the worst. This book has helped me reset and get to the root of my issues instead of changing my habits. I will definitely be reading this book again soon because there were so many times I wanted to journal my thoughts and feelings. But I just wanted to read all the way through. I didn’t want to put this book down. Plus, the way she writes it feels like you and her are in a conversation and best friends.
FICTION
May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes. I got this book from Free Little Library in Tampa, Florida. I didn’t know what to expect when I got this book because the cover is just the title with a can of cranberry sauce. From the first couple of pages, I was hooked. It is such a good book about realizing how important it is to find your own community and family. The book takes place over 1 year which you wouldn’t think because this book is thick. This is on my list of favorite books because of how hooked I was to this book. It’s a THICK book and I kept reading and reading because I wanted to know what happened next. As you read there was NO way I could predict what was next. The story just got crazier and crazier and you want to know how it ends, and it ends in the most wholesome way possible.
The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews. This book is a quick read and great for the beach or by the campfire. It’s about an aunt and her niece on the run from the niece’s father. All the aunt has is a bag of cash and a ripped piece of paper with an ad for the Beachcomber Hotel in Florida. She makes her way down there and tries to start her new life. She quickly learns that her sister had stolen items from people staying at the hotel. Andrews has also become one of my favorite authors right now because all of her books are quick reads.
BUSINESS
The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran. This book is great for those wanting to complete more in a year. It’s about thinking of 1 year in 12 weeks. So in 1 typical calendar year, you think in 4 years. Moran emphasizes not thinking in quarters, but each 12 weeks is a year. So each day is like a week, each week is like a month, etc. There is a workbook that goes along with this book. I have done both and think they complement each other very well, but you can do both and still get the same results.
Atomic Habits by James Clear. I received this book as a giveaway when the world was ending. I wasn’t working and I think I finished it in a day. The one downfall of this book is there weren’t any new concepts to me but new ways to implement or how to think about something is why I recommend this book. My biggest takeaway from the book is getting 1% better each day. It’s literally my mantra right now. How can I be 1% better each day and improve toward what I want to accomplish?
