Reading this many books in one year has been such a beautiful experience for me because its like I've traveled to so many different worlds and timezones. Books have been my joy and my escape for many years and my love of reading seems to grow by the day! Some books have a flow about them that drew me in so much so that it only took a day or two to read. I love easy reads that are light and relatable. Others were long-winded, challenging and intellectually stimulating. I love anything that stimulates critical thinking and existential questioning. I love how whole and complete I feel when I read, that is something that I'd love to hold onto forever.
1. The Promise - Danielle Steel
2. To Love Again - Danielle Steel 3. Secrets - Danielle Steel (The Steel influence comes from my mom, they are easy reads and mostly romance book, which I am a sucker for) 4. Veronika Decides To Die - Paulo Coelho 5. The Valkyries - Paulo Coelho 6. Brida - Paulo Coelho (Coelho has always been my favorite author and my brilliant boyfriend helped me complete my collection this year so I will probably spend the a lot of next year indulging in his poetic writing) 7. The Good Psychologist - Noam Shpancer (for anyone who is a mental health professional or living with a mental illness) 8. The Earth Goddess - Cheryl Straffon (if you're a feminist or a hippie, this one is for you!) 9. The Scars on My Skin - Keamogetsi Molapong (a soulful anthology published in Namibia) 10. Sophies World - Josteen Gaarder (the best piece of philosophical fiction with an intellectual agenda that I've ever read)
11. First Novel - Mazarine Pingeot (this book pushed me to finish the manuscript for what I hooe to be my first published novel) 12. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (recommended to me by the owner of my favorite bookstore, this was a difficult but insightful read) 13. Henry's Demons - Henry Cockburn (a beautiful story about the ins and outs of living with schizophrenia) 14. Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella (A light read, I struggled to get through it though) 15. The Brightest Star in the Sky - Marian Keyes (I was curious about this author because of her popularity, I enjoyed the book but I won't be buying anymore of her books) 16. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K. Rowling (I read this one because I am obsessed with magic; it took me 1 day to finish) 17. Able-Bodied - Leslie Swartz 18. Rhyming Life and Death - Amos Oz (I have neber read anything more difficult and intellectually stimulating) 19. Mans Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl (A must read for anyone who considers themself an exstentialist or philosopher) 20. The Anxiety Solution - Chloe Brotheridge (this is the first self-help book that I fell in love with)
21. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (a realistic and intriguing look at love and depression, long winded but gorgeous and neccessary) 22. Poser - Claire Dederer (this book fed the feminist, yogi and mother in me, loved it) 23. Waves 24. Psychedelics by Aldous Huxley (a trippy adventure of a book) 25. Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon (the name says it all; this story is EVERYTHING) 26. Love is a Thief by Claire Garber (this book made me feel so angry because of the sceptical perspective on love, although I enjoyed the humour and wit) 27. Reflections on Modern Damara History by Seth Boois (my dad made me so proud with his 5th published book) 28. The Fault in Our Stars 29. A Human Died That Night by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela (this book had me so triggered but definately expanded my knowledge about post apartheied South Africa)
30. Yoga nidra (because sleep and savasana are sacred to me)
Next year I plan on reading 40 books and I have already made my reading list for 2018. I want to be intentional about reading books about mental illness, philosoohy and psychology as well as African literature, especially books written by people of color. I can barely wait to get started on my new reading adventure!
What have you been reading?