2019, a year in books

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.”

― Oscar Wilde

I’ve always loved to read – growing up, I remember sitting with my mum every night for hours on end, each of us devouring our novels. I’ve always found something more than entertainment between the pages of a book: to me, it’s a way to grow, to learn, and to escape our every day. As a marketer, it’s no surprise that I’m also fascinated by how stories are told, how the author manages to capture your attention from the first sentence, and how messages and perspectives are communicated.

However, in recent years, life got in the way (as it tends to do), and I struggled to find the time to kick back and read as much as I would have wanted. At the start of 2019, I gave myself a challenge: to rekindle my relationship with books by reading 24 by the end of the year.

Now, as we turn the page on 2019, I've read more than 24 books (32 to be precise) and I wanted to share some of the best I came across. Some are novels, others are business related, and others are to grow. And all made me reflect and laugh and cry and understand things I never knew about.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

My favorite:

1.      Educational book:

Why we sleep, by Matthew Walker

A must for everyone and anyone - one of the most fascinating books I've had the pleasure to read. Why we sleep explores the science behind this misunderstood aspect of our lives, and helps shed some clarity on the importance of getting enough shut-eye.

"Professor Matthew Walker, Director of UC Berkeley’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood, and energy levels; regulate hormones; prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes; slow the effects of aging; increase longevity; enhance the education and lifespan of our children, and boost the efficiency, success, and productivity of our businesses. Clear-eyed, fascinating, and accessible, Why We Sleep is a crucial and illuminating book."

2.      Personal growth books:

Over the past year, I've made a conscious effort to choose a few books that are designed to promote growth, to "stretch" when it comes to certain aspects of my life and career. I love reading first-hand experiences and stories from business leaders and entrepreneurs, as it gives some great insight on aspects we all struggle with, and helps put things into perspective.

Rejection proof, by Jia Jiang

Over the course of 100 days, the entrepreneur Jia Jiang challenged himself to be rejected every day. From asking a stranger to give him 100$ (no), to knocking on someone's door to ask if he could play soccer in their backyard (yes), Jia Jiang demonstrates how to harness the power of no and turn it into a yes.

Through nearly 100 rejections, Rejection Proof is a fun and thoughtful examination of how to overcome fear and dare to live more boldly.

The Myth of the Nice Girl, by Fran Hauser

As a "nice girl" myself, I've always struggled with my niceness: would I be perceived as a pushover? As weak? As lacking confidence?

Fran Hauser's The Myth of the Nice Girl debunks the myth that you can't be a successful business women while remaining true to your nature. "Sharing a wealth of personal anecdotes and time-tested strategies, she shows women how to reclaim “nice” and sidestep regressive stereotypes about what a strong leader looks like. Her accessible advice and hard-won wisdom detail how to balance being empathetic with being decisive, how to rise above the double standards that can box you in, how to cultivate authentic confidence that projects throughout a room, and much more.

The Myth of the Nice Girl is a refreshing dose of forward-looking feminism that will resonate with smart, professional women who know what they want and are looking for real advice to take their career to the next level without losing themselves in the process.

3.      Novels:

Hard as I tried, I could not choose between my two favorite 2019 novels. Although set in different parts of the world, in different times and in different contexts, a common theme of survival emerges. Both novels captivated me from the very first line, and I could barely put them down.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky, by Mark T. Sullivan

"Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours."

Set in Italy during WW2, Pino Lella is but a boy when his family home is detroyed in a bombing. Quickly, he becomes instrumental in the Underground Railroad, helping Jews escape through the Alps. Then, through a series of peculiar circumstances, he is recruited to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich’s most mysterious and powerful commanders.

The Orphan Master’s Son, by Adam Johnson

"Part breathless thriller, part story of innocence lost, part story of romantic love, The Orphan Master's Son follows a young man's journey through North Korea. A riveting portrait of a world hidden from our view: a North Korea rife with hunger, corruption, and casual cruelty but also camaraderie, stolen moments of beauty, and love."

?The full list (in the order they were read):

1. La Vérité sur l’Affaire Harry Québert, by Joel Dicker
2. Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer
3. Rejection Proof, by Jia Jiang
4. The Lost Airman, by Seth Meyerowitz and Peter Stevens
5. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman
6. Grit: the power of passion and perseverance, by Angela Duckworth
7. Girl, wash your face, by Rachel Hollis
8. Dollars and Sense, by Dan Ariely
9. Then She Was Gone, by Lisa Jewell
10. The Myth of the Nice Girl, by Fran Hauser
11. Bear Town, by Frederik Backman
12. The Night Tiger, by Yangsze Choo
13. Artemis, by Andy Weir
14. A River in Darkness, by Masaji Ishikawa
15. My Absolute Darling, by Gabriel Tallent
16. Beneath a Scarlet Sky, by Mark T. Sullivan
17. Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee
18. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
19. The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
20. Lilac Girl, by Martha Hall Kelly
21. The Orphan Master’s Son, by Adam Johnson
22. Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker
23. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
24. 438 Days, by Jonathan Franklin
25. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
26. Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer
27. Becoming, by Michelle Obama
28. One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow, by Olivia Hawker
29. It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover
30. Rush Home Road, by Lori Lansens
31. J’aime Hydro, by Christine Beaulieu
32. Maybe you Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb