My Favorite Books from 2019

Earlier this year I set out to read 25 books.  By May, I met my goal.  I mostly replaced TV watching and social media with books.  You could say I previously spent a lot of time on social media and binge watching HGTV.  Over the past couple years and a push from not wanting to show up to book club without completing a single book in the month, I changed my inner dialogue from “I don’t have enough time to read a book” to “I have enough time to do things that are important to me.”  That change had a significant impact to not only how much I read but how I spent my free time. 

I am writing this article mid-December and I have read 57 books so far with a new goal of reading 60 books in a single year.  After going through my Goodreads list, I found a couple themes.  In no particular order, here are my favorite books from 2019. 

Do you have a messy closet or desk at work?  Or simply can’t find your keys?

• Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff by Myquillyn Smith
• Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki, Eriko Sugita (Translator)
• Less: A Visual Guide to Minimalism by Rachel Aust
• Make Space: A Minimalist’s Guide to the Good and the Extraordinary by Regina Wong
• Outer Order | Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin
• The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life by Francine Jay
• The More of Less and the Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker

Looking to change your inner dialogue?  Or wondering if that story you have been playing in your mind is even true?

• Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder by Reshma Saujani
• Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
• How to Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment—The Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life by Sophie Hannah
• Natural Disaster: I Cover Them. I am One.  by Ginger Zee
• Super Attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein
• You are a Badass series by Jen Sincero

Wondering how to get all of the things done?  Or do they really need to be done?

• Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day by Ken Mogi
• No F*cks Given Guide series by Sarah Knight
• Slow: Simple Living for a Frantic World by Brooke McAlary
• The Joy of Missing Out: Live More by Doing Less by Tonya Dalton

Trying to break up with technology?

• Destination: Simple – Rituals and Rhythms for a Simpler Daily Life by Brooke McAlary
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
• How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life by Catherine Price
• Lightly: How to Live a Simple, Serene, and Stress-free Life by Francine Jay

Swear life is easier in other countries? 

• American Cozy: Hygge-Inspired Ways to Create Comfort Happiness by Stephanie Pedersen
• Lagom: The Swedish Secret of Living Well by Lola Akinmade Åkerström
• Sisu by Joanna Nylund
• The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World’s Happiest People by Meik Wiking

Just want to unwind with a fun book?

• Because I Said So! : The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids by Ken Jennings
• Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails by Michelle Markowitz, Caroline Moss, Carolyn Bahar
• No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering by Clara Bensen
• Seven at Sea: Why a New York City Family Cast Off Convention for a Life-Changing Year on a Sailboat by Erik Orton and Emily Orton
• When Life Gives you Luluemons by Lauren Weisberger

Looking to change your relationship with the environment?

• The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
• Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste by Bea Johnson

Love to solve crimes in your free time?

• Backlash by Brad Thor *ANY BOOK BY BRAD THOR*
• I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank the Irishman Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa by Charles Brandt
• Sara Booth Delaney mystery series by Carolyn Haines

Did you read any of the books on my list?  What did you think?  Any books I should add to my list to read in 2020?