A new year ushers in a new beginning and an opportunity to reflect on the year before. As part of that reflection, for this month’s blog post I am recapping the books I read in 2023. The way my life is setup, a book a month is pretty aggressive for me so my plan is to read a book every two months. I have also rediscovered audio books which is a life saver because I read slow and don’t always have time to read each day. I love the flexibility of putting on an audio book while I am driving, in the grocery store, or around the house doing chores. Reading has been a pretty big part of my life since I was a little girl and as a lifelong learner, I try to keep a book in rotation. I am an advocate for keeping books in schools and not to get too political but do not agree with book banning but that is another topic for another day. Check out my 2023 reading list below and let me know if you’ve read any of these and what your thoughts are on them if so. Thanks for reading this blog post!
January/February
The Miracle Morning was the first book I read in 2023. I was introduced to the author Hal Elrod via coach Cathy Heller’s podcast. I was inspired by his message of how he overcame physical challenges in life and once I got the book, was equally inspired by the testimonies he shared from people who have adopted his philosophy of getting up earlier and completing what he calls S.A.V.E.R.S. S.A.V.E.R.S. is an acronym for silence (prayer and meditation), affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and scribing (journaling). While early rising may not be for everyone, there is literature that suggests that most CEOs and wealthy people get up early and engage in most if not all of the SAVERS. Engaging in these activities before starting my day is not totally foreign to me, but I have a different perspective and appreciation for time to ground myself now that I am a mom. Before becoming a mom, I could make up the time so to speak if I didn’t get to having time for myself before starting my day. Now however, I value rising before others in my home because it gives me a head start to my day. I’m not sure if it’s like this for most other moms, but if I get up at the same time as everyone else in my home, then I am already behind. To be clear though, it’s a struggle and I don’t always make it. My snooze game is strong! Come to think of it, I may need to revisit this book as it addresses tactics for not hitting the snooze button. I know the parents out there know. It’s tiring! I think you must give yourself some grace depending on the season you’re in. This is a good and easy read. Very inspirational and motivating relating to advancing yourself and setting the tone for your day to get things done.
March/April
When our forever First Lady introduced her latest book in late 2022, it was a must read for me out the gate! I had read her first book Becoming and wanted to delve into her insight with this book as well. I admire Michelle Obama and wanted to glean from her whatever nuggets I could to navigate the complexities of life and the roles such as wife, mother, professional, etc. that she and I have in common. On the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic, The Light We Carry explores ways to navigate the hard times in life, and presents the notion that we all have a light within us that influences our world while also when shining helps us to move forward. While I found this book to be a little long, I enjoyed many of the anecdotes used that served to illustrate a larger point. I also enjoy Michelle’s candor and relatability.
May/June
So, I got this book from my mom. I was at her house one day and saw it on her dresser. As I thumbed through it, I was intrigued by it and asked her if I could read it and she said I could. My daddy is a deacon, and this is a book the deacon’s wives at their church had read. My husband is not a deacon, but he is very active in ministry at our church, and I thought this book would help give me perspective on being the wife of someone spending a substantial amount of time in ministry and it did. Admittedly, I struggled with the amount of time my husband would spend away from home leaving me to do the bulk of the parenting and adulting around the house. This book helped to set expectations for me around having a husband in ministry and also shifted my outlook on the role of being a deacon’s wife and a church member in general.
July/August
One of my goals on my 2023 40 before 40 list was to read a literary classic. I’ve read a few in my time, but there are many that I have not read. To check this off my list, I decided that I wanted to read a literary classic from a Black author. There was not much method to my choosing which book/author to read to achieve my goal so I cannot explain why I chose Toni Morrison other than that I know she is a Nobel Prize winning author. I had already read The Bluest Eye growing up, so while Sula is not necessarily a classic (that I know of), it’s written by a literary giant of an author and that was good enough for me. I was not familiar with this title before doing a search of Toni Morrison’s books. Sula is a relatively short story but undoubtedly most of it I am sure went over my head. The story kept my attention, and the foreword offers some insight into what Toni was getting at with it, but I still feel like I missed a deeper meaning here. I don’t usually like to read books a second time, but I may have to spin the block on this one. What I can say is that the story chronicles a friendship between two girls and follows them into womanhood. Sula is an interesting character. I was reminded of her when seeing the new Color Purple movie. There is a scene when Shug Avery played by Taraji P. Henson first arrives and there is a swarm of birds flying above her. This is similar to a scene painted by Morrison in an instance where Sula returns to town. In almost a plague like form, even nature stirred at her arrival.
September/October
I joined a group coaching program toward the end of 2023. The group reads a book each month and has a virtual book club meeting every Friday morning. The book of the month when I joined was Atomic Habits and so I kind of abandoned the book I was reading, and began reading this one. Atomic Habits is a really good read and offers a lot of insight into habit formation and how small incremental changes when practiced consistently can yield large dividends. This book is thought provoking and comes with a lot of resources and practical methods for application. Not only does the book address forming good habits, but it also provides a framework for breaking bad habits. This is definitely a good book to get your life on track. I’d 10/10 recommend.
November/December
I threw Sula in the mix this year, but the books I read for the majority of the year are self-help/self-improvement non-fiction books so my final book of the year I use as a “treat.” I usually select something fictional that allows me to get lost in the story so this year I chose Kimberla Lawson Roby’s latest novel Sister Friends Forever. Kimberla Lawson Roby is one of my favorite authors. As a Black Christian woman, her stories are relatable to me as I obviously identify as part of all three of those groups. Sister Friends Forever is an overall good read. The book chronicles four 40ish lifelong friends navigating romantic relationships as well as relationships with one another. Each woman is in a different season of her life and the book takes readers on a ride of each one of their stories collectively and individually. It’s a little juicy. There is definitely drama. As the story unfolded it became a true page turner for me.
As an honorable mention, as a part of the coaching program I am in, I also listened to the following audio books: Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess and Necessary Endings.
Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess is rooted in neuroscience and provides steps for mind management to as the cover notes “reduce anxiety, stress, and toxic thinking.” There is a lot to absorb with this one. As someone who struggles with anxiety and negative self-talk, this book was right on time for me. I am still working to understand and implement the strategies learned here but am very grateful for the exposure to the knowledge presented.
Likewise, Necessary Endings is truly insightful and thought provoking. It was easy to listen to. The content is so good I found myself hitting rewind to ensure I was digesting the information. There is a concept presented that like a rose bush that requires a continual process of pruning to thrive, so do our lives. This book challenges the reader to view endings as a necessary part of life and to examine areas of their life to see where endings may need to occur. It’s the necessary endings that make way for new and better beginnings.
That’s my recap. I’m keeping things going and already have one book down for 2024. Let me know what’s on your reading list. I’d love to hear from you!
XOXO,
Mrs. O
