Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means YBC® will earn a small commission if you happen to make a purchase. Thanks for the support.
Since so many in our community are readers, we thought we’d take a minute to share some of the top books we’ve read so far this year. Dan has his own little 2020 reading challenge going on that he’ll share more about down in his section of this post, and Candace has been reading before bed to help her fall asleep. Ashley reads in the morning after her meditation and listens to audio books as she works around the house. Here are our best picks:
Candace
I’m pretty proud of myself for the books I’ve read so far this year. I feel like I’ve had a really good mix of genres, and the books have been anchoring my evenings to help me wind down and fall asleep. Here are my top picks in no particular order:
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins - I feel like I’ve sung this book’s praises since the moment I finished reading it, but it’s worth repeating - this memoir will make you laugh, cry, and cringe, in the best way. It will inspire you to get yo’ lazy self up and at ‘em (promise!), and improve the overall quality of your life. This is definitely the book I’m going to be gifting the most this year.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma - In a similar vein as Can’t Hurt Me, we’ve got this, which is a more gentle, sweet book that will also serve to inspire, uplift and motivate. You aren’t going to get the rough and tumble kind of language that you’d see in Goggins’ book, but the message is very similar.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo - This is a great YA novel that reminds me a bit of The Hate U Give. It follows a teen mom through her senior year of high school who grows up in a rough neighborhood but dreams of being a chef. It’ll make you laugh, and cry, and is a smart, feel-good novel perfect to pick up at the end of a long day.
The Night of the Gun by David Carr - Renowned New York Times journalist, David Carr, was a cocaine addict in the 80s, and spiraled into crack use, which of course led to arrests, rehab stints, and a lot of really foggy memories. When his crack-addicted girlfriend gets pregnant with twins, he decides he’s got to get it together. Now, on the other side of the addiction, he uses his journalism skills to go back and interview the people in his life in the 80s to try to piece together the foggy memories and get clarity about who he was and what he did to try to better understand himself. It’s a fantastic memoir.
Dan
After reading 51 books last year, part of a 50 book challenge, I have decided to start a new challenge for 2020. It is called the Alphabet challenge, I am reading 26 books that begin with each letter of the alphabet. The books do not need to be read in order. It just makes picking titles a little more interesting the deeper into you get. Here are a few of the books I have read so far this year. You can follow along in Instagram by checking out @mrtschalkboards; that is my teacher account where I share all the books i’ve read in the highlights.
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - This book was wild, a true story uncovering one of the biggest frauds to ever hit Silicon Valley. A young new tech company claimed to revolutionize how blood tests could be performed. The business received investments from the wealthiest people in America, and its board of directors was filled with high powered political players. It turned out that the business was a scam, and the founders were highly deceptive. There is a movie coming where Jennifer Lawrence is slated to play the lead.
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan- An incredible journey from plantation slave to scientist. The story follows a young black boy named George Washington Black. It starts out on the island of Barbados in the early 1800s and follows the boy’s miraculous journey all over the globe. A hint of historical fiction tied in, but otherwise it’s just a fantastic story. Selected as one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2018.
Tightrope by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn - This book dives into the underlying issues of American poverty, homelessness, and abuse, certainly not a “beach read.” It follows a few people as they navigate life under the poverty line. It seems that the help is not there, government policies never find their way to the problems, and we lose people each day to drugs and alcohol. It makes you feel a bit more grateful for all that you have, but it does open your eyes, and show you what life is like for a large portion of people. The American Dream does not apply to everyone.
Ashley
I started the year telling myself I need to read more fiction. It used to be the only genre for me, but in the past couple of years, I’ve devoured all things self improvement, yoga, meditation, memoir and information dense. I picked up one or two tales, and while I was briefly entertained, they just don’t hold my attention like they used to. Instead of fighting it, likely resulting in me reading less, I’ve decided to follow my interests with abandon. If there’s any area in my life I should allow myself to do whatever I bloody well want (I guess I’m British now…), it’s in my reading list. Here are the books I’ve enjoyed most this year, so far:
The Path Made Clear by Oprah Winfrey - Devoured in a day, then did it again. I’m an Abbi Abrams level fan of Oprah, and this book is a collection of her greatest messages about living your most authentic life. She uses clips from her Super Soul Conversations podcast and interviews with spiritual teachers to string together an uplifting narrative to help squash the doldrums. It’s a great one to underline and write your favorite quotes on sticky notes, or download the audiobook for the next time you’re multi-tasking or stuck in traffic and feeling stressed.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb - This was a YBC® Book Club Pick last year (no secret that many of my book recommendations come from Candace!), but I only just recently picked it up. I found it profoundly insightful and appreciated the beauty of connection and sameness in the human experience as told by a therapist, her therapist, and a collection of journeys in healing after heartbreak. It’s the perfect reminder that again and again we must return to a place of awareness and choose acceptance. Gottlieb’s explanation of life and healing as cyclical inspires me to choose service to others that requires me to do my own inner work first.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk MD - The week before I bought a copy, this book crossed my path no less than 4 times. “FINE, Universe. I’ll read it!” I thought. It’s a fascinating work of a psychiatrist who studied trauma’s impact on our brains, our bodies, and the beliefs we hold about ourselves and the world around us. I should warn you, it can be a tough read if you have a history of traumatic experience, but the pathways to recovery he offers in the end bring it full circle into a powerful tool for awareness and healing. It makes a case for yoga and meditation as tools for recovery that resonates with me deeply.
What books have you loved so far this year? Share them in the comments section below!
pin now, read later!