Each year I challenge myself to read more books. The book number for 2020 was 50. That seemed daunting until the pandemic hit. I'm quite certain from March until June, I spent most evenings in my bathtub with a large glass (eh maybe a bottle) of wine & a good book. I also often found myself laying on my outdoor patio of my high-rise apartment soaking up some sun while devouring another book. The pandemic caused a bit of an issue in my work life, like many of us, not to mention my social life, so I had an abundance of free time to hit my goal. I finished the last book just the day before New Year's but I did it. 50 books! Whew. What a feat. I won't lie, I'm proud of that number.
Some books, especially those with well-known authors, I like to listen to on Audible. For example, listening to Obama or Matthew McConaughey read their books gives the story a whole new depth and even deeper story-telling element. Other books I will read with an actual physical book. I love the feel of a book between my hands, especially laying in a hammock or laying on the beach. I tried to use a Kindle in the past but I wasn't really a huge fan.
The average American reportedly reads 4 books per year but unfortunately, many people I know, especially back home in Oklahoma don't even read one book a year. Reading is so important. It's important to always expand our thoughts, knowledge & understanding of the world. Whether you are seeking a place to gain understanding, expand your worldview or escape into a fake tale, there are so many useful purposes of reading.
I tried to mix up my reading list this year based on places I traveled like Salem, social causes, knowledge I wanted to gain, and then a few books just to escape and read for fun.
Here is the list of books I read in 2020.
1. Great Expectations By Charles Dickens
2. The Salem With Trials By Marilynne K. Roach
3. The Paris Hours By Alex George
4. Greenlights By Matthew McConaughey
5. A Promised Land By Barack Obama
6. The Undefeated Mind By Alex Lickerman
7. Art of Seduction By Robert Greene
8. Cesar's Way By Cesar Milan & Melissa Jo Peltier
9. Super Attractor By Gabrielle Bernstein
10. Screwball By Simon Rich
11. Sapiens By Yuval Noah Harari
12. Folsom Untold By Danny Robins
13. Out Of My Mind By Alan Arkin
14. Accessing the Healing Power Of The Vagus Nerve By Stanley Rosenberg
15. The Science Of Selling By David Hoffeld
16. We're All Marketers By Nico De Bruyn
17. The Science Of Storytelling By Will Storr
18. Game Changers By Dave Asprey
19. 18 Minutes By Peter Bregman
20. Genius Foods By Max Lugavere
21. Facebook Marketing By Greg Brooks
22. What Great Brands Do By Denise Lee Yohn
23. Disrupt Yourself By Whitney Johnson
24. How Google Works By Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg
25. The Art Of Social Media By Guy Kawasaki & Peg Fitzpatrick
26. The Science Of Why By David Forbes
27. Me Before You By Jojo Moyes
28. Rules Of Civility By Amor Towles
29. Range: Why Generalists Triumph In A Specialized World By David Epstein
30. Aphrodite Made Me Do It By Trista Mateer
31. Real Magic By Dean Radin, Ph.D.
32. Walk Like Buddha By Lodro Rinzler
33. Whiskey Words & A Shovel By r.h. Sin
34. Limitless Mind By Jo Boaler
35. Medical Medium By Anthony William
36. White Fragility By Robin Diangelo
37. The Daily Stoic By Ryan Holiday
38. The Plant Paradox By Steven R. Gundry
39. Flirty Thirty By Cassie Mae
40. Next To You By Julia Gabriel
41. UnFuck Your Brain By Faith G. Harper, Ph.D., LPC-S, ACS
42. Dear Lover By David Deida
43. How To Be An Antiracist By Ibram X. Kendi
44. Badass Affirmations: The Wit & Wisdom Of Wild Women By Becca Anderson
45. How To Punch The Sunday Jitters In The Face By TK Kader
46. The Singles Game By Lauren Weisberger
47. The Awakening By Kate Chopin
48. The Wild Woman's Way By Michaela Boehm
49. Shrill By Lindy West
50. You Are A Goddess By Sophie Bashford
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