Book journey

The books on my shelf tell a story. They tell a story of me.

I believe we are drawn to certain books for a reason. And the preference changes over time. Our collection of books tell of who we were, who we are and perhaps who we would like to be. They indicate our desires and fears, hopes and dreams, how we think and feel.

Here are a list of books I’ve read in 2019:

1. Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
2. When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Mate
3. Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life by Susan David
4. Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity
5. Kindred by Kirli Saunders
6. King of Ashes by Raymond E Feist
7. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
8. Silence: In the Age of Noise by Erling Kagge
9. The Flame by Leonard Cohen
10. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephen-Davidowitz

I was also dipping into these books, which for some reason are taking me a long time to finish reading:

1. Solitude: A Return to the Self by Anthony Storr
2. Luck Favors the Prepared by Nathaniel Barber
3. The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm

As I look on here, it occurs to me that I have not had much “light” reading last year.

Books on development for my personal and professional life; poetry books and a novel. Where are the fiction books of espionage, murder mystery, psychological thrillers and historical romances? While I, like most people, go through phases for book genres, it seems that I have been far too serious in 2019?

I have enjoyed every one of these books though; they bring alternative perspectives or stories to life, so I am not stuck in any longstanding common narrative.

Have you also found that you are drawn to particular genres of books at certain times in your life? As we look at the books on our shelves then, they tell of our journey, where we have been, where we are and without being deterministic, where we are going. Stories of our lives, especially those momentous period in our lives.

What’s your journey like? How has it been 🙂 ?

~ FlorenceT

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