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I feel like reading is so often associated with words like nerd, geek or loser. It was never "cool" to have your face in a book while eating lunch or waiting for the bell to ring. But, why? Now, look at everyone with their face in their phones 24/7. That is the new "norm."
Well, I say "put the phone down and pick up a book once in a while!" I used to read a lot growing up. So much that I can remember my mother yelling at me to put the book away at the dinner table. Then I turned 21 and for a few years, I was more about the bar than the library. I still enjoyed reading but I didn't read nearly as much as I used to. Then last year I discovered a "book challenge" on an app called Goodreads.
I decided (mid-February) that I would sign up and try to read 25 books in the year 2016. I made a list of books that I had been wanting to read and added a bunch of new books along the way. The app was great because I had been out of the loop for so long that I got ideas from my friends and what they were reading as well as from the app itself. I ended up reading the 25 books (and have already completed 2 for this year so far) and thought I would share some feedback on a few of my favorites!
This book, very quickly, made my personal "must-read" list. Hygge is a Danish way of living and grabbed my attention right from the beginning. This book teaches you how to live like a minimalist, decorate your home, make all those yummy "comfort foods" and explains how to just slow down! The "Hygge" way of life is all about appreciating what's in front of you and to stop searching for more, turn off the technology and simply, just live. As if the entire book wasn't fantastic enough, on the very last page is a 30-day Hygge challenge! Now if you know me at all, you know that I've been big into making lists of everything I want to accomplish. I see a month of Hygge in my near future!
Now, let me start by saying that I found this series on a list of "books to read after Fifty Shades of Grey." This is a series of 5 books and the story about how a Harvard grad and entrepreneur falls in love with an overpowering, control freak. Sounds a little familiar, right? Wrong! This story is a "can't put down" series and is so much more interesting (in my opinion) than the story of Ana and Christian. If you're into love, sex, control and money this series is for you! I promise you won't be disappointed.
You know what a polygamist is, right? Well, have you heard about how the women live and how their children are treated first hand? This is a story about a woman that grew up in Utah and was married off and forced to live like everyone else in her community, with an abusive husband that had many other wives ... all living under the same roof. Then she ESCAPED! This story is a real eye opener when you're feeling down and feeling like your life sucks. It reminds you that there are people out there who have it much worse.
I am sure that you have heard all about this book (and now movie). I started reading it,
honestly, because everyone else was. It was recommended to me by a few people and even when I started reading it I didn't have a clear understanding of what the book was about. I started reading it on a Saturday night, made it through only 2 or 3 chapters before I couldn't stay awake any longer. Woke up Sunday morning and finished the book! Once you get into it there's no way to put it down. You just simply get lost in the story, and that's really the point of reading, isn't it?
I feel that this book was written just in time. It came out just months before the princess sadly passed away ... and what a story. She lets you into the life of the young "Leia" and all about her affair with the handsome Harrison Ford. (Well not all of it, she happens to leave out all the juicy details!) She lets you read journal entries from when she was 17/18 years old discovering herself and how to cope with the overnight fame she stumbled upon. It really lets you see Princess Leia for who she is ... Carrie Fisher. A shy girl that all of a sudden became a sex symbol. She is funny, witty and oh so honest. Whether you're a Star Wars fan or not I think everyone can take something away from this book.
So there you have it; my top 5 favorite books from my 2016 reading challenge.
I have read a lot of books just simply because they were recommended to me and some of them are now among my favorites. Even if you don't read all of them, try one. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Oh, and spread the love. Recommend some of your favorites to friends and family. Share your collection, borrow a book from your neighbor and let them borrow one from you.