I am not the type of person to set New Years resolutions – but this year I set my goal to read 6 leisure books – so far I am on number 5! I had been in school for 9 years straight so there really wasn’t any time for me to develop the habit of reading books for fun. I am well on may way to my goal and am pretty proud of myself! Most of the books I have focused on this year were self improvement books and honestly, it has helped me through all this craziness. This year has been a year of personal navigation for everyone, and I feel most of these books have helpful in this point of change for myself.
- Aly Raisman – Fierce
This book is an autobiography by Aly Railman – Olympic Gold Medalist. For those of you who don’t know, I was a gymnast growing up and she is honestly one of the most amazing humans I’ve ever met. In addition to being a bad ass and an insane gymnast, she was one of the brave women who spoke about about Dr. Larry Nassar. Her story is one to be read, and in this book she really reflects on life lessons she has come across in her life. She is extremely relatable to many women, not just athletes!
2. Charles Duhigg – The Power Of Habit
I had heard about this book from former classmates and a few of my current colleagues have read this book as well. At the beginning of quarantine I started to hit a pivot in my work habits (I think from just getting older). This book really helps explain the biological reasons behind habits and why we have them, how to change them, and how to develop them. If you are looking to change the way your work or habits of your personal life, I highly recommend!
3. Rachel Hollis – Girl, Wash Your Face
If you don’t follow Rachel on Social Media, you should. She is so funny and just a realistic human that we all can grow to love. She understands the importance of talking about your struggles to help others going through similar things, but also to help yourself realize you are not alone. This is not a “cure all” book, but can def help you see ways she has approached situations you may find yourself in. I am a strong believer that self development or “Self Help” books should be used as a guideline to find ideas of how to deal with things you may be going through. But, I highly recommend this book!
4. Jordan Lee Dooley – Own Your Everyday
Similar to Rachel, Jordan also discusses life events she has overcome and experiences that have made her stronger. She gives solid advice on changing the way your view yourself and other situations. I will say, she is very in-tune with her faith and it has guided her along her life Journey which she discusses a lot in the book. I am not a religious person, but I still find her insight helpful and applicable to my everyday life even around the religious aspects.
Books to read or in process:
5. Bryan Stevenson – Just Mercy
Bryan Stevenson is a MAJOR player in the civil rights movement. This book has actually been made into a Major Motion Picture with Michael B. Jordan (YUM) and Jamie Foxx. If you are looking to educate yourself on what Death Row actually looks like in this country and the impact this man has had on criminal reform and changing laws in place that set up minority men and women to fail – READ THIS BOOK! I keep bouncing between this book and the next one I am going to list. I have watched the movie several times – if you are not a reader, you should still watch the movie as it is based off of this true story.
6. Kevin Kwan – Crazy Rich Asians
I really needed to switch up what I have been reading this year because its all been over stimulating. If you have seen the movie, you will love the book as well! I keep bouncing between this book and Just Mercy. My goal is to read the trilogy! I only have the first one, the link above is to all three books!
7. Tara Westover – Educated: A Memoir
I have not read this book but one of my friends gave it to me. It is a book about a woman from a Mormon family that breaks free of he sheltered life. She said she read it so quick – she couldn’t put it down.
These are what I have on my list so far – I have some more that I picked up recently, but I need to get through the ones I have first! I you have any other suggestions, leave a comment below or shoot me a message on my contact me page! If you have read any of the ones above, I would love to hear your thoughts! As always, thanks for reading!
xoxo
Tay
The Tay Greeley Blog 