Top 10 Reads of 2016

It’s that time of year again! If you’re looking for ideas on what to read in 2017, here’s a round-up of the books that stood out to me this year. If you’re looking for tips on how to read more in 2017, check out this earlier post on ‘4 Easy Ways to Read More’.

There were a few stand-outs for me this year in my reading list, including my first ever read of the Harry Potter series (what?! How could I have never read them before? I know…), and a successful second attempt at reading Thomas Piketty’s 700-page book on economics and inequality, ‘Capital in the 21st Century’, which I had tried and failed to finish when it came out a couple of years ago. I’m so glad I gave it a second try, because it turned out to be SO fascinating. I also started reading a few of the titles on the list of ‘A Year of Reading the World’, which gives suggestions for books translated into English from each nation in the world.

Here are the top 10 books that I found most impacting, significant or enjoyable, along with the rest of my reading list for the year –

Owning Your Time

When we think about our lives, we can tend to think of it as divided between time set aside for responsible purposes – work, study, the fulfilling of commitments – and free time.

It’s a natural mentality, and one that can be useful. It enables us to make necessary decisions about what we can and can’t schedule into our week.

However, if unchecked, it can also very subtly and easy take us into a mindset of powerlessness – one where we start to think of ourselves as the victim of our calendars.

Top 10 Reads of 2014

(this is a post that originally appeared on an older blog, which I have transferred across to A Deliberate Life)

I set myself a little personal challenge for 2014, to read a book a week on average. I mostly just read whatever interested me, but when I discovered that I was gravitating overwhelming to books written by American men in the last 10 years, I also tried consciously to mis up my author perspectives by nationality, age of the book, gender, etc., because it’s boring and a little dangers to view the world through only one lens!