It's another year and another wrap up of my favorite books I read in 2019. I was lucky enough to be part of a book club which introduced me to books I would have never chosen on my own, yet still loved. What did you read and love this year?
Atomic Habits by James Clear - I'm not someone that has a hard time changing my habits. As an Upholder, if I want to do something differently, I do it. But, I do realize I'm in the minority here. The biggest takeaway I think most people miss is that we have a tendency of thinking we need to make big, sweeping changes that totally disrupt our lives but we end up having a really hard time sticking to them. The best chance of us making change, is making it so small that we literally have no excuses to not do it. Small, consistent changes lead to longer lasting and impactful results. James Clear lays it all out here - follow his lead and you will be successful.
Cook Once, Eat All Week by Cassy Joy Garcia - Make meal planning and prepping not only easy, but delicious with this cookbook. Cassy Joy Garcia is an absolute gem and will provide you with meals for all dietary types in your family. Whether you're looking for inspiration or want real, quality food that the family will love, I highly recommend this book. You'll come away with some favorites. The best part? It's not even a little bit complicated. And you all know how much I don't do complicated when it comes to food.
Beartown (and Us Against You) by Fredrik Backman - Apparently I'm a bit late to the Fredrik Backman party, but I sure am glad I made it eventually! I cruised through Beartown as well as the sequel, Us Against You. I laughed, cried and felt all the feels. It got to my little YA heart.
Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach - I've always been minorly obsessed about making money, saving money and planning for big expenses. I love reading about the best ways to leverage money for retirement. Although most of them say similar things, I am a sucker for anything that's geared toward women. It's an easy, practical read and excellent for all of the women (and men, really) in your life who need a bit more direction when it comes to money.
Stress Less, Accomplish More by Emily Fletcher - Every once in a while I read a book and it changes my outlook and day to day living. This was one of the books that did that for me this year. Emily Fletcher teaches Ziva Meditation. I have been humming and hawing about meditating, especially after reading Tools of the Titans last year. Nothing felt right until I learned this method. I loved the idea of a three step process, so I committed to it for the month of June. #LifeChanger When the things I started meditating on started to happen, I panicked. This s!@# actually works?! I now follow her technique every morning (I should say 95% of mornings, depending on where I am and who I'm with). If you are even a little curious in meditation, I would highly suggest this book.
And just in case you're interested, here are my previous Book Club suggestions: