Books Read in 2021 and Books to Read in 2022 - Blogmas Day 18

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I am sharing one of my favourite blogmas posts today which is books I read this year and books I plan on reading next year. This year I read some great books and will share below my thoughts on each and if I recommend them or not. I also will share books I plan to read in 2022. 

Photo of books read from goodreads

Books Read in 2021

home body by Rupi Kaur was such a good book of poetry I read at the start of the year. She tackles some difficult topics and her past traumas and also some thoughts many of us have. At first the book appealed to me because of the home body thinking of enjoying being home, I came to realize it was about feeling at home in your own body and with yourself. I also recommend this book and also her book the sun and her flowers that I read a couple of years ago.

Didn't see that coming by Rachel Hollis. I started reading this book am was hopeful that I would enjoy it. I just couldn't get into it really and I don't recommend this one. I liked her other books that I enjoyed more: Girl, Stop Apologizing and Girl, Wash Your Face instead.

I listened to this book early in the year as well No Hard Feedings - Emotions at Work (And how they help us succeed) by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy. This one was so interesting to listen to and gave me a lot of good advice for navigating the workplace and creating a good work environment. I remember really enjoying it. This one might be one I go to every year to remember the teachings as I felt inspired after my times listening to this audiobook.

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Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg was also an amazing book for working women. I enjoyed reading about the expectations and pressures women face at work. Also the struggles women deal with when it comes to maternity leave and making decisions regarding having a family and balancing work and family life. I still think of this book often because I learned so much about still working towards my goals with starting a family in the future and also having a career I love.

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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was an amazing book. I really enjoyed this one and am drawn to books like this where they are going back in time and reflecting on their decisions in life. The protagonist gets to see what life could have been like if she made different decisions. This one was so interesting and couldn't put it down. Definitely recommend this book.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin is an interesting read and one I recommend to start now if you can before the new year as she creates resolutions for the year to work on different goals for her life each month. I like how she focuses on the different aspects of her life and can get some inspiration for my own life through her experiences. I didn't finish this one because it was a hold I lost at the library. I hope to finish it in the new year. Maybe start it over for some inspiration to start the new year off right.

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson is interesting and I started reading this one in November. I haven't finished this one yet, but plan to during the holidays. I can tell by the beginning of the book this one will be good. I will share more thoughts when I am finished.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews is so cute so far. I like the setting of the story and think the characters are interesting and I think the author does so well to describe the setting. I can picture the farmhouse in my mind. I can't wait to read more and finish it in time for Christmas next week.

Books I Want to Read in 2022:

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I read the description of the book on goodreads at the beginning of November and asked for it for Christmas. It has since won for best historical fiction of 2021. I am so excited to read this one in the new year. The story is about an end of summer party gone wrong for the family and it seems like it will be interesting and from different people's perpectives.

A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspiration, Wisdom, and Courage (A Year of Daily Reflections) by Cyndie Spiegal. I got this recommendation from blog Frida Howard Coaching as one of the top books to read for self-growth. I can't wait to start the New Year off right with these daily inspirations.

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. I want to read this book again because reading the book really inspires me to make a morning routine that serves me better. I remember when I first got into the miracle morning good things started happening and I had a clearer focus on my goals. I hope that in 2022 I can be so focused and grounded again.

Beautiful World, Where are You by Sally Rooney. This book won best fiction on goodreads this past year. She is the same author who wrote Normal People that I really enjoyed and the series on Prime is so good too! I am looking forward to reading this book as well and hope it is just as good. 

Thank you for stopping by today to read my blog for blogmas day 19. It means so much that you support my blog and I hope you have been enjoying the posts so far. We are getting so close to Christmas now. Hope you are enjoying the holidays!

Have a great day!

Blogmas Day 17 - What I Read in 2020 and Plans for 2021

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. One of my favourite posts to write during Blogmas is to share what I read in the current year, and what I plan to read in the upcoming year. This year was a crazy and unprecedented year. I turned a lot more to what gives me comfort: reading, knitting, and blogging. I read a lot more this year especially because I had more time at home and to look into books that I would like to read. I really enjoy reading self improvement books and also listening to them on audiobook through Overdrive. Please read below for books I read and I am currently reading in 2020, and then books I would like to read in the new and promising year of 2021. 

Books I read in 2020:

From Goodreads

Normal People - Sally Rooney - The last book I finished. I really enjoyed the story of the two characters. 

In Five Years - Rebecca Serle - Nice story but I wanted more I think.

Girl, Stop Apologizing - Audiobook - Very motivational and enjoyed listening to it while driving.

Everything is F*cked: A Book about Hope - Mark Manson - Interesting and informative.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Abbi Waxman -So cute! I loved this one.

One Day in December - Josie Silver - Very cute story. I would read again I loved the love story.

Average is the New Awesome - Samantha Matt - Very good book to remind us average is okay.

Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert - Good book for thinking of your purpose and creative goals.

The Testaments - Margaret Atwood - Loved this book and can't wait for more Handmaid's tale episodes.

Help Me! - Marianne Power - Loved this one! So fun to about read her yearlong journey 

Good Morning Good Life - Amy Schmittauer Landino - Inspirational and loved learning more.

Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey - Got more information and I got out of debt this year!

Currently reading: 

Atomic Habits by James Clear - Good so far and I am thinking more about making better habits.

Beach Read by Emily Henry - Good, I like the characters and story so far.

The Miracle Equation by Hal Elrod

Books I want to read in 2021:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. This is a book I have wanted to read for quite some time now. I love reading books like this about people's journeys to find happiness and find themselves. I read her book called Better Than Before and really enjoyed it.

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Home Body by Rupi Kaur. I really enjoyed her book of poetry called the Sun and her Flowers and I am excited to read her new book that came out later this year.

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Didn't See that Coming by Rachel Hollis. I enjoyed her other books and her style of writing. I am interested in reading how she coped with her separation and the big changes in her life following that event.

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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - This book won for best in fiction on goodreads this year. It sounds so interesting and a fun read.

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The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I started the audiobook for this one this year and I could tell it would be good. I didn't get around to listening to it much this year, so it would be great to read it in the new year. 

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The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I read his book called A New Earth and I remember it really having an impact on me, and still does to this day. I would love to read this book by him as well because I want to live more in the moment.

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Thank you for visiting my blog today for Blogmas day 17! I enjoyed putting these lists together and both reflecting on the year in books and also planning for the new year of reading. Please Click here to read last year's post on what I read in 2019 and plans for this year. I read a lot of the books this year I planned to last year. I love to read and really enjoy learning new lessons and also enjoying some good fiction to get lost in a new world as well. What book did you read in 2020 that you enjoyed and what do you plan on reading in 2021?

Please click here to read my other posts from Blogmas 2020.

Have a great day!

Books I Read in 2019 and Books I Plan to Read in 2020 - Blogmas Day 12

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. I have read 11 books so far in 2019 and I have really enjoyed the selection of books I have read this year. The list below is both of books I have finished and are still currently reading. I wrote a sentence for each book on my main take aways and my favourite thing about reading it. I love reading and I hope to get to my goal of 15 books read by the end of the year. I am currently at 11 so I would be happy with that and will try again for 15 next year if I don't meet it. Below that list, I included another list of books I plan to read in 2020.

Books read this year:

1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
I really enjoyed this book, it taught me how to interact people to help them like you and feel respected. The tips that he suggested we so spot on and I try to apply them each day. This one I might look through every year to remember the principles.

2. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
A fascinating page turner that had the main message that things are not always how they appear.

3. A Spark of Light - Jodi Picoult
An interesting read focusing on opinions about abortion. I realized that there are very different ideas about this topic and that it can really affect people and their families.

4. The Wedding Date - Jasmine Guillory
A light and fun read. It was so cute and I loved the relationship between the protagonists. A fun book to pick up and read wherever I left off and laugh and smile the whole way through.

5. The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg
Shed some light on habits and how there are cues that we can control the habit that takes place once there is a cue. Learned how to create more positive habits as well and think about my habits.

6. The Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod
Learned that the morning is a great time to have a routine that sets you up positively for the day and for life. I started morning routines this year and now I have one I love.

7. Quiet - Susan Cain
Learned about how being quiet is not a bad thing, but a powerful thing and to harness the strengths within.

8. What to Expect Before You're Expecting - Heidi Murkoff
Learned more about how to prepare for pregnancy and increase chances of becoming pregnant.

9. the life-changing magic of tidying up - Marie Kondo
Learned how to get rid of things that don't spark joy and to organize my home.

10. Help Me - Marianne Power (currently reading)
Learning how reading self-help books do affect your life in positive ways and give you information on how to live a better life. I am inspired to read all of the books she read and try to put them to the test as well.

11. Better Than Before - Gretchen Ruben (currently reading)
Learning about how we each treat habits differently and stick to goals differently. Also more about habit formation and how there are some strategies that help us stick to habits.

Some of the books read in 2019

15 books I want to read in 2020:

1.  Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope - Mark Manson
2.  The Testaments - Margaret Atwood
3. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear - Elizabeth Gilbert
4. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead - Sheryl Sandberg
5. Girl, Stop Apologizing - Rachel Hollis
6. Something Like Happy - Eva Woods
7.  How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease- Michael Greger
8. The Immortalists - Chloe Benjamin
9. The Miracle Equation - Hal Elrod
10. Big Little Lies - Liane Moriarty
11. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
12. Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life - Nir Eyal
13. Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur
14. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler - Kelly Harms
15. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed-Lori Gottlieb.

What are the books you enjoyed this year and want to read in 2020? Any books you would  recommend that I read next year?

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I really enjoy looking over the books I read in the current year and spend some time planning for reading in the next year. I look forward to reading the books I listed, they all had great reviews on goodreads and a lot of them have been on my "want to read" list for quite some time.

Have a great day!

Blogmas Day 14: Books I Read in 2018 and Books For 2019

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I am happy it is Friday it has been a long week and I am ready for some down time. I have been wanting to read some more books before the year is done and one on my list to read before 2019 or maybe even before Christmas when I hopefully receive some new books is the Inner Life of Animals by Peter Wohlleben. I finished reading Girl,Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis tonight. For today's blogmas post, I wanted to share a list of books I read this year along with some photos of them from previous blog posts from this year. There will also be knitting along with the photos of the books because they were part of my knitting and reading update posts.

Books I read in 2018 

1. Stuff Every Vegetarian Should Know by Katherine Mcguire: this book was interesting and a fun read. I was new to the whole vegetarian diet and lifestyle when I received this book for Christmas from my sister last year. The book has an interesting introduction at the front of the book and then has cooking tips and things to buy. I really enjoyed reading this book at the beginning of the year and I learned a lot. I will have to read it again soon!

2. Wild by Cheryl Strayed: This book was a bit of a long one for me. I remember reading this one for a long time and not being too interested in reading it. It was the story of a woman who goes backpacking along the popular Pacific Crest Trail.  I think I might have been interested in reading about her own self discovery and development and I thought it was more focused on bad relationships and decisions made.

 3. The Sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur: I loved this book! I remember relating to a lot of the poems and was thinking at the time I was reading them that I should every now and then pick it up and read a few poems to lift my spirits or find inspiration. I think I might go and do that soon!

4. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman: I enjoyed reading this book because Eleanor was an interesting character who said exactly what was on her mind, did not understand social cues, and did what she wanted. She has some struggles in life and works her way through in her own way.

 5.  Commonwealth by Ann Patchett: this book was interesting I enjoyed reading about the families that were connected by their parents' new marriages. I found it to be an easy read and fun to read. There was a lot of depth to the characters and they each had their own struggles and own way to approaching their life and dealing with their past.

6.  Reading People by Anne Bogel: It was an interesting book and got me thinking more about personality types. The author spoke about personality assessments a lot and it might be more interesting if you have taken the Myers-Briggs personality assessment prior to be able to know your type because she talks about each type in detail so you could learn more about the type you are ex: INFP or INFJ. I think I am one of these two types and it would be interesting to find out which one exactly.

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6. Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella: This book was good but I was a bit disappointed in the story of the couple and how it took a whole different turn than I expected. I think when I picked it up, I was looking for a fun read about how a couple tries different things to surprise one another and then they get closer and learn more about each other with some bumps in the road. But it was not really like that, there was a big secret and it overshadowed a lot of the fun and lightheartedness I thought would be a part of the book. 

7.  Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.  It was such a good and fun read. I like how she gave advice and her own life experiences as well. She shares a very difficult time in her life and I think it took a lot of courage to write about her experience with becoming a foster parent and I think it is a good warning for people considering becoming foster parents about what could happen to them. I liked that she introduced each chapter with "the lie" or what we believe to be true but is not and then at the end of each chapter she has tips on how to help with that particular issue.

Books I want to read in 2019: 

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

Becoming by Michelle Obama

and more... I am looking forward to reading some amazing books in 2019! Do you have any recommendations?

What was your favourite book that you read in 2018, and what books do you want to read in 2019?

Thank you for visiting my blog for day 14 of blogmas! We are moving right along in blogmas now. There are only 11 days left until Christmas and 11 more posts! I will work harder at visiting more of your blogmas and blog posts.

Have a great day!