I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. For instance, I read my first ‘proper’ novel, Sidney Sheldon’s Master of the Game, at age 7. However, as time passed, life happened and my reading count dropped drastically (asides recommended texts in Uni and scientific articles of course).
Late 2019, seeing as I was about to complete my PhD, I decided to be more intentional about reading books. Also, I decided to significantly expand my scope beyond fiction.
Q1 2020 over, I am proud of the progress I have made so far. Not yet where I want to be but hey, baby steps. Below, I have included a list of books I have read and some key things that stood for me. I’ll update the list as I go.
I hope this inspires you to get your reading hat (or glasses) on!
Have you read any of the books on my list? What key things stood out for you?
Reading List
Life
Yuval Noah Harari – Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Current read. I’ll let you know my thoughts when I am through.
Fiction
Khaled Hosseini – A Thousand Splendid Suns
Due to the underlying currents of war, child marriage, domestic violence and dysfunctional family relationships, I found reading this book very emotional. Truly, there is so much suffering going on in the world. Nevertheless, the book ended on a somewhat happy note.
Definitely recommend this book. Gripping storyline and masterful storytelling.
Douglas Kennedy – Leaving the World
Reading this book was a stark reminder of how sad and dark life could be. How suffering a terrible loss does not necessarily confer immunity against suffering even greater losses in the future. That the ones closest to us could sometimes be the stumbling blocks who drag us down and prevent us from living the best version of our lives. How sometimes people can’t help how they’ve turned out considering the environment and situations they had to contend with. Of losing it all and trying to rebuild again, brick by brick.
All the same, it was a good read even though it took me way longer than anticipated to complete it.
Faith
Bill Hybels – Too Busy Not to Pray: Slowing Down To Be With God
I found this book very easy to read and actually finished reading it in about 6 hours. Key highlights were the importance of keeping a prayer journal and learning how to pray using the ACTS technique (ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication).
If you are looking for how to improve your prayer routine, this book is your plug.
Finance
Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant: Guide to Financial Freedom
One of my resolutions this year was to improve my financial literacy. This book shared useful tips about having the right money mindset and investing.
Good pick .