I started the year with a loose goal for myself; I wanted to be the type of person that finished 24 books in one year. The only criteria that I had for myself was that the list should include a mixture of personal development as well as my usual smattering of fiction. Now that half of 2019 is over, thought that it was a good time to check in on my progress and share a review of the books that I have read so far. I still have quite a few books to go, so if you have any recommendations, please leave them in the comments!
Here is my 2019 Mid-Year Book Review (in order of finish date):
Becoming
Author: Michelle Obama
Method: Audible
I started the year by finishing listening to former First Lady Michelle Obama discuss her life in her memoir Becoming. It was so interesting to learn more about her past, her relationship with former President Barack Obama, and her perspective about life in the White House. Listening to her read her story through Audible made it feel a little more personal (if that makes sense). This was my first novel even closely related to political that I read for fun, and it felt like it was a good way to ease into the genre. She gave her perspective and shared her history as a way to help the reader understand how the past shaped her present. It wasn’t all sugar-coated perceptions of her time in the White House, how she felt about politics or even her relationship with the former President. It felt real. Nothing like hearing the thoughts of an inspiring woman to give you hope for your future.
Rating: 4 stars
Influencer
Author: Brittany Hennessy
Method: Audible
Brittany Hennessy’s Influencer should be on the reading list of anyone in the influencer space or anyone who is thinking about going into blogging/media. There were so many helpful tips about everything from Instagram to brand relationships. The book is a compilation of insights from Brittany herself, who is an influencer marketing experts, as well as a myriad of other large bloggers and influencers. I think that you can definitely learn something, no matter where you are in your journey.
Rating: 4 stars
You are a Badass Every Day
Author: Jen Sincero
Method: Audible
After Jen Sincero’s You are a Badass made it onto my list of must-read books for the year, I had high expectations for a second book. You are a Badass Every Day is supposed to keep you motivated well beyond the fire that you felt in the first book. Honestly, I felt that it was pretty lackluster. The purpose of the book is to be a motivational pocket guide (it’s only a little more than a 1.5 hr listen on audible). However, I don’t think that you are necessarily missing anything if you skip this one. If you’re in need of motivation, I would just recommend re-reading You are a Badass or opting to listen to a podcast.
Rating: 2 stars
Body Love
Author: Kelly LeVeque
Method: Physical Copy
Kelly LeVeque spoke to every nerdy bone in me through her book Body Love. I like that she got into some of the actual science of wellness and what it means to give your body the nutrients that it needs. However, I will say that I have not yet found a Fab Four Smoothie (discussed more here) that worked for me. I actually failed miserably when I challenged myself to have it for a week on my April Bucket List because I just could not with the taste. All that aside, I think that the general philosophy of her book has merit and I have had no problem including other Fab Four meals into my lifestyle.
Rating: 3 stars
Girl, Stop Apologizing
Author: Rachel Hollis
Method: Audible AND Physical Copy
That’s right, I read Girl, Stop Apologizing TWICE this year. If you are unfamiliar with my feelings about Rachel Hollis, then let me fill you in: OBSESSED. Her previous book, Girl, Wash Your Face, was life-changing and one of my favorite books of 2018 (I talked about GWYF more in this post here). I was super excited to read her follow-up book and wanted to compare what it would be like to read vs. listen to the book. My conclusion: listen to it! Rachel actually wrote the book for it to perform well in an audio format, and she definitely succeeded. Listening to Rachel speak made it feel like you were receiving advice from your best friend. She continued with the same tone of “tough-loving bestie who is also your biggest cheerleader” that she had in Girl, Wash Your Face. I will say that having a physical copy of the book does make some of the goal road mapping work that she suggests a little easier to refer to.
So why did I only give it four stars? I wanted it to be a little more than it was. The book was a great follow-up to GWYF and was meant to help people actually execute the lessons that were taught in the previous book. However, I may be one of the few people that thought that GWYF was just…better. In addition, because I follow her social media very closely, I felt like I was experiencing extreme deja vu the entire time that I was reading it (the first read). Rachel did an in-depth job of promoting and talking about the book before it was released that there was little mystery left. However, I still highly recommend this book to anyone looking for some motivation and help on their personal development journey. Ray Ray is absolute fire.
Rating: 4 stars
Promise Me, Dad
Author: Joe Biden
Method: Audible
After my reading Becoming, I thought that I had increased my tolerance for post-white house memoirs. I had heard great things about Joe Biden’s Promise Me, Dad (before all of the allegations) and decided to give it a try. Long story short: not my jam. While it was intriguing to hear about his son’s fight with cancer and the general close-knit relationship of his family, there were many parts of the book that I wish I could just fast forward through. Political memoirs just might not be my thing.
Rating: 2 stars
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Author: Trevor Noah
Method: Audible
BEST. BOOK. I’VE CONSUMED. THIS. YEAR. Do yourself a favor and download this book in an audio format so that you can get the full experience. In Born a Crime, Trevor Noah tells stories about what it was like to grow up in South African during and post Apartheid. While some stories are simply hilarious coming-of-age tales, many of them give a unique insight into what life was like being mixed-raced in a country where it was literally illegal to be. I honestly didn’t expect to like the book as much as I did. Seriously, add this book to your list.
Rating: 5 stars!!
The Happiness Advantage
Author: Shawn Achor
Method: Physical Copy
The Happiness Advantage was another book that excited the nerd in me. The book is rooted in Positive Psychology theory and describes empirical studies to support the claim that positivity and happiness are the keys to success. Though the author goes cites research as well as is own anecdotes, he does so in a manner that is easy for anyone to understand (you don’t have to be a psychology nerd to read this!). I actually discovered the book after listening to Shawn Anchor’s appearance on Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations podcast (listen here). There were great tools in the book about how you can train yourself to be more positive and reap the benefits of the happiness advantage.
Rating: 4 stars
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