FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2019
Here’s a list of favorite books I’ve read this year - grouped by Overall Favorites, Work-Related Favorites, and a third category, serving as a catch-all for the Unique and Undecided.
OVERALL FAVORITES
KEEP GOING: 10 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD BY AUSTIN KLEON
Recommended For: anyone who likes to create stuff; anyone who feels stuck.
I loved this little book. Perfect for reading cover to cover the first time (it’s short - you can do so quickly) and then re-reading, a page or two at a time, in any order you choose, whenever you need a dose of inspiration. The same month I read this book, I read Austin’s other books (Show Your Work, and Steal Like an Artist) as well. While I liked them all, Keep Going was by far my favorite.
WRITING DOWN THE BONES BY NATALIE GOLDBERG
Recommended For: writers, those who are working on developing presence and mindfulness-based skills and awareness; those who appreciate beautiful and brilliant writing.
On the surface, this is a book about writing. Beneath the surface, this is a book about life. Beautifully written and packed with wisdom, my copy now has nearly every other line highlighted.
THE INSTRUCTION: LIVING THE LIFE YOUR SOUL INTENDED BY AINSLEE MCLEOD
Recommended For: anyone who is interested in a fascinating perspective on your soul’s journey and purpose. Disclaimer: you will not like this book if you are not into this sort of thing - considered by some to be far too woo woo for consumption. :)
This is a beautiful and fascinating book, leading the reader through a journey of discovering one’s soul age; soul type; powers; talents; and soul’s mission. I found it to be a powerful perspective to not only better understand myself, but also loved ones in my life whose journeys have been filled with what seems like disproportionate amounts of struggle.
THE CREATIVE HABIT BY TWYLA THARP
Recommended For: anyone who likes to create stuff; anyone who feels stuck; anyone who is interested in the topic of creativity; anyone who likes to dance and/or the arts.
Sassy, no-BS, and packed with nuggets of wisdom, this was both a joyful and amusing read. The book contains a number of lists, practices, and tips for developing and expanding our creative habits.
SELFISH, SHALLOW, AND SELF-ABSORBED: 16 WRITERS ON THE DECISION NOT TO HAVE KIDS BY MEGHAN DAUM
Recommended For: anyone who is on the fence about pursuing motherhood in some fashion; anyone who is looking for a broadened perspective on the topic of motherhood; anyone who has consciously chosen not to have kiddos. Disclaimer: this book may be triggering for some people.
This book is a compilation of essays by writers. As a result, the essays are brilliant, well written, and often raw and vulnerable. I tore through this book in a couple of days - captivated not only by the content, but by the writing itself.
ATOMIC HABITS BY JAMES CLEAR
Recommended For: anyone looking to build, develop, or shift habits in a positive way.
I did a terrible job of tracking the books I read in 2019 (side note: does anyone have a system you love for tracking what you read? While I’ve dabbled in GoodReads, it’s never really stuck for me), so I can’t remember if I read this book in 2019 or 2018. It’s so good that I’m including it here just to be safe. In addition to his book, James has a robust and helpful blog - from which he ultimately created Atomic Habits.
WORK-RELATED FAVORITES
CLOCKWORK: DESIGN YOUR BUSINESS TO RUN ITSELF BY MIKE MICHALOWICZ
Recommended For: entrepreneurs; business owners; anyone who hasn’t taken a real vacation away from their business in…..maybe ever.
In typical Mike M style, this book is hilarious, while being packed with great information and relevant stories. Helpful for taking a step back to discover the “queen bee role” in your business, and how to create systems, structures, and processes accordingly.
COMPANY OF ONE BY PAUL JARVIS
Recommended For: entrepreneurs; business owners; freelancers; anyone who struggles with the question of “should I grow?”, anyone who has a tendency to conflate “impact” with “size.”
This book begs the question of “how can I be better,” rather than “how can I be bigger?” As a bonus, it includes a whole section in the back aimed at new entrepreneurs and business owners who are interested in setting up their business in this way.
THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK BY DOUGLAS STONE AND SHEILA HEEN
Recommended for: anyone who wants to be better at receiving, or giving, feedback.
This book is impeccably researched and one of the best books I’ve read on this topic. It’s well organized and thoughtfully woven together through stories, real-life examples, and concise and easily digestible charts and tables.
THE COACHING HABIT BY MICHAEL DUNGAY STEINER
Recommended for: anyone who is looking to bring a coaching-based approach to their management and leadership; anyone who wants a no-nonsense guide to this topic.
I’ve read this book several times since it first came out a few years ago. I consider it a no-nonsense, low-hanging fruit entry to coaching and is perfect for anyone who wants to grow their coaching skills in a way that doesn’t take a ton of time, and isn’t the least bit woo woo.
NO EGO BY CY WAKEMAN
Recommended For: anyone who wants to reduce the level of drama in their workplace; leaders who want to take a stand against drama and toxic behaviors; individuals who want to sever their relationship with drama, gossip, and what Cy calls emotional waste.
Cy provides a brilliant perspective (backed by lots of research) on the cost of drama and emotional waste in our workplaces. She urges us not to feed into or enable BMW (bitching, moaning, and whining) but instead to ask, “what would great look like?”
BUILT TO SELL BY JOHN WARRILLOW
Recommended For: Entrepreneurs, business owners, anyone who is exploring shifts to a traditional service-based model or freelance-based model.
This is a super quick read, told through a story of a graphic design company (the writing style reminded me a bit of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team) looking to shift from doing everything for not a lot of money, to doing just a couple things to create a more sustainable and profitable business.
THE UNIQUE/UNDECIDED
THE COMPREHENSIVE ENFP SURVIVAL GUIDE BY HEIDI PRIEBE
Recommended For: the other ENFPs out there. Disclaimer: MBTI is disputed by a number of psychologists due to the fact that it draws a hard line between introversion and extroversion, when really this exists on a spectrum. Disclaimer #2: the author makes a number of generalizations. Despite all of these disclaimers, this book does a great job of explaining what the various elements of MBTI mean, and how they express themselves in real life.
We ENFPs are a complicated bunch, and the author attempts to break down why - and how to navigate life with this particular cognitive stack.
WHY WE CAN’T SLEEP: WOMEN’S NEW MIDLIFE CRISIS BY ADA CALHOUN
Recommended For: women. And men who want to understand more deeply. But proceed with caution (see below).
I debated whether to include this book on the list. I picked it up after a related article went viral in some of my circles of 30 and 40-something year old women. At the time the article was floating around, I didn’t really relate to it and wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about. I wanted to better understand this perspective. While the book was interesting and robustly researched and easy to read over the course of 24 hours, it was one of those books that made me feel somewhat worse, rather than better, upon turning over the last page. Is this what we women have to look forward to? Is this just “how it is” in mid-life? And is this whole thing contributing to the popular narrative of dealing with it all, courtesy of a special concoction for women consisting of Prozac and Mommy Juice? These are some questions I’m left with after reading the book. On the bright side, the book is loaded with great research on generations - especially Gen X - a generation that has gotten much less buzz in recent years than Boomers and Millennials, and more recently Gen Z. So - for this one - I’ll say, read at your own risk - and let me know what you think if you do.
