In 2019, I read a total of 12 books. The number of books that I consumed in the second half of the year was a lot smaller than the progress that I made during the first half of 2019. While that was the case, I enjoyed a pleasant break from some of the non-fiction that I was reading and used the time to indulge in finishing a previous series and a couple of fiction recommendations. If you are curious about the books that I have read or currently reading, check out my new Goodreads account! (January Bucket List item: check!)
Here are my two favorite reads of 2019:
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Author: Trevor Noah
Method: Audible
I shared my thoughts about this book in my 2019 Mid-Year Book Review post and I still stand by the 5-star rating that I gave it. It was such an unexpected favorite of mine, which is one of the reasons that it has made such a lasting impression. I do recommend listening to Born a Crime versus reading a hardcopy of the book. Trevor Noah narrates the audiobook, so you get to enjoy his accent, plus the voices that he gives to his mother and grandmother (trust me, it adds to the stories).
The Happiness Project
Author: Gretchen Rubin
Method: Audible
The Happiness Project was about the year that Gretchen Rubin dedicated to learning about her own happiness. She gave herself challenges each month (very on-brand for me) that addressed different areas in her life such as her marriage, parenthood, friendship, work, and many more. She charted and documented her thoughts as she went through the year and used it to inspire people around the world to start happiness projects of their own. One aspect of Gretchen Rubin’s journey that I admired was that she started off by saying that she was not completing this project because she was particularly unhappy. She acknowledged her privilege while stating that she believes that learning to be happy now, in her baseline state, would be helpful when times got rough (which it inevitably would). I like to think of it as developing happiness skills now so that you are able to employ them when you need it most. In addition, Rubin pointed out that everyone’s happiness project will look different. It is all about what you value and your own personal happiness commandments. While I have not read this book in both formats, I think that it would work out great in both audio and physical copy forms.
Rating: 5 stars
I didn’t know Trevor Noah wrote a book and now I have to find it and read it because he is AMAZING.
YESSSS!!! If you love him, you will adore the book. Listen to it if you get the chance–I loved hearing him talk.