“Let’s be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.” – Lena Dunham.
As 2019 draws to a close, I realize I have read 31 books this year. Fiction, non-
fiction. Short, long. Great, less great. For book club, not for book club. Here are my favorite, in the order that I read them.
- Le Petit Prince by Antoine de St. Exupéry. I started 2019 with this book, which I have read a dozen times at least. There is a reason why this novella of love, loss, friendship, and loneliness is one of the best-selling and most translated books ever published.
- On Becoming by Michelle Obama. I miss the Obamas. That is all.
- Love you Hard by Abby Maslin. I don’t often cry while reading, but this memoir of love, loss, and marriage is a real tear-jerker (in the best sense of the word).
- The Banker’s Wife by Christina Alger. The author is a friend of a friend and a fellow Harvard graduate, and discovering her writing is one of my 2019 highlights.
- The Darlings by Christina Alger. I am addicted.
- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou.The best book I read this year, this Theranos exposé is proof that reality is indeed stranger than fiction.
- Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing by George Cloutier. A powerful reminder that profitability enables the mission.
- Girls Like Us by Christina Alger. Christina, please write more faster.
- The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy by Michael Lewis. A must read in today’s political climate. (Truly, anything by Michael Lewis is a must read).
- The Friends We Keep by Jane Green. A touching book about friendship.
- The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins. A lovely story about a small town and the power of books.
My goal for 2019 was to read a book per week. I did not quite get there – although I do plan on reading four more books before 2020:
- Living the Sutras: A Guide to Yoga Wisdom Beyond the Mat by Kelly DiNardo. I am not a yogi, but I love Kelly…
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear.
This has been on my reading list since this past summer. It is time.
- American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood by Marie Arana. My January book club book.
- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson. Because he fascinates me.
