I recently read Bill Gates blog post about his favourite books of 2016. I like to know what the richest person in the world reads; I’m curious like that. I admire his drive to keep learning, and even though we have different tastes in reading material, the extensive book section on his blog is fascinating. So, after reading Bill’s list I was inspired to share my own.
I keep a list of all the books I read each year in my journal, broken down into four quarters – a practice I learned from listening to Jim Rohn.
I was looking back over my lists for this post and realized I hadn’t read ANY books in the second quarter of 2016. Makes sense, I suppose, since John had heart valve repair surgery during that time. Still, I seemed to make up for it in November and December when I was home in Shetland with not much to do except read.
Also, I made a pledge not to buy any books in 2016. There have been times, years ago, when I spent the family food money on books – which I don’t recommend. My irresponsible book-buying aside, libraries are an under-utilized community resource, and if your local library subscribes to Hoopla Digital or Overdrive (where I accessed most of the books I read this year) you are a very lucky person indeed!
So, here’s the list.
The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John D. Mann. I found this book artistically displayed on a table amongst other red wares at Jo Ellen Designs on a day trip to Camden, Maine. The deep pillar box red is what caught my attention, along with the gold man-angel on the cover. I picked it up and held it for a while; it felt good! Surely, there’s no more trustworthy method of book-selecting than the way it makes you feel, even before you read one word inside 🙂 The book itself is a parable about success and the power of giving. My favourite part of the book is when the unsuccessful realtor discovers that when she is just being herself – rather than trying to act the way she was taught salespeople should act – people respond differently to her and she starts making sales. A really lovely story with a great message.
Thank and Grow Rich, by Pam Grout. I LOVE Pam Grout! I love when I find a writer who can make me snort out loud with laughter. I see her as the cool-big-sister type, fearlessly showing the worry-warts of the world that, dang it, life can be magical and full of fun. I wish she was my big sister. I’d settle for BFF. Or maybe just F. I already wrote about how I tried her gratitude experiment and the cool things that happened as a result. Her book is a great reminder that what we focus on we’ll get more of.
Congratulations, by the way, by George Saunders. I picked up this small book at the University of New England’s library in Biddeford, Maine whilst I was waiting for the intercampus bus to take me back to Portland – where I worked during the summer as a staff assistant. The book is a transcript of Saunders’ popular 2013 commencement speech which went viral after it was published by the New York Times. It’s not a speech about motivation, or success, but something much more important: kindness. It will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, and you’ll want to instantly do good in the world once you’ve finished reading.
Heidi, by Johanna Spyri. Yes, I know this is a children’s classic, been around forever, but I just read it for the first time in 2016. I had just finished reading a blogger’s post about her family holiday to Switzerland when I was overcome with a powerful urge to visit the country, too. With foreign travel not in the cards anytime soon, I decided to read Heidi instead 🙂 What more could you want from a book than mountains, family, answered prayers, friendship, home, simple pleasures, and healing. It made me feel uplifted for weeks.
* Special Mention: Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame. Technically I didn’t actually read this; John read it to me. John has been reading to me at bedtime for years now. In fact, as a natural night owl, I changed my late bedtime habit to match John’s earlier schedule, especially for story time! For several years now my reading lists have included children’s stories I had missed out on as a child. When John asked me early in the year what I’d like him to read next, this book was at the top of my list. There is a reason this book is a classic. Who wouldn’t love Mole, Ratty, and Toad? And who could remain dry-eyed when Mole sniffs out his long-forgotten home and begs Ratty to come with him? Special thanks to John for the great voices he came up with for each character.
