As a new year approaches, I like to take some time think about all the books I read over the past 11+ months. I love to read, but I’m not necessarily a voracious reader. My reading preference tends to be slow and savoring. When I finish a book that relationship has come to an end with those characters, and I’m rarely looking for a rebound fling. I wait for another meaningful read. That’s just me. It’s not everyone’s preference. I’m just that kind reader.
What I’m currently reading. . .Â
I’m also the type of reader/person who will talk your ear off when it comes to books. So, to spare you hours of conversation that is basically me talking at you, I’ll just list my 2017 book list here. I have two books included on this list that I haven’t finished/started yet, but plan to finish the year out reading. The first book is Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. So far, this book is so engrossing and general enough in nature that anyone would probably find something they like about it. The second is a short story collection by Viet Thanh Nguyen titled, The Refugees, a timely collection that is quite relevant for today – any time period, really.
My Favorite Books
I read a mixture of fiction and non-fiction – mostly self-help books this year – but I am a fiction reader, first and foremost. So, my top picks for this year are from the fiction genre. Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaram, and Beartown by Fredrik Backman are my two stand-outs from this year. Backman is the author of A Man Called Ove, a funny, bright book in its own class. However, Beartown is very different from Backman’s previous works. It’s an entertaining book with a writing style that has matured. I always say that as we write we should see the evolution of our craft in our writings. We should not only get better, but take more chances. Backman is a great example of how storytelling matures overtime.
Two of my favorite books, Lucky Boy and What is the What
Lucky Boy was a book I picked up on a whim, but I fell in love with writing and the story. With so much in the news about building a wall between the U.S./Mexico border and DACA, this book gives two very different perspectives about motherhood, parenting, and raising children when you’re an immigrant. It also takes a heartbreaking look at adoption and infertility. Such a beautifully written book that I am still thinking about months after reading the last words.
Non-Fiction Reads
Before I leave you to peruse my reading list, I can’t help but mention the following two books: At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider and The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein. It’s no secret, if you follow me on Instagram, that I have a soft spot for travel. I want to go anywhere and everywhere. Slowly, I’m making that happen. So, when I was recommended At Home in the World, a book about a woman about my age who traveled the world for nine months with her family, well, I had to read it. If you have a bit of wanderlust, this book is a dangerous, but enlightening read.
Loved this one so much that I returned it to the
library and bought my own copy.
Now, about The Universe Has Your Back . . . I took this book on my trip to San Juan earlier this year and it changed me, my outlook on the world, and gave me a new perspective. I always believed that we manifest our lives. That nothing is not truly within our reach, but reading Gabby’s words and following the meditations in the book were life changing. If this is your thing, check it out!
The Reading List
Okay, so here’s my reading list for 2017. I can’t wait to see what great reads I’ll find in 2018. If you’ve read something amazing, share it with me in the comments or send me a message on one of my social media outlets.
- Those Girls by Chevy Stevens
- Undergroud Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley
- Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
- Idaho by Emily Ruskovich
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
- Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekeran
- Touch by Courtney Maum
- Beartown by Frederick Backman
- The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein
- At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider
- All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
- What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
- Yoga Girl by Rachel Brathen
- Tracing Time by Shelly Snow Pordea
- What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan
- You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
- Find Her by Lisa Gardner
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
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