First of all, if you missed my last blog on my story behind this book list you can check it out here!
I buy most of my books from our local shop, The Great Escape. The have been thriving in my community for over 50 years and I never leave there without my arms full of books and mind full of inspiration!
You can check them out here: http://www.greatescapebookstore.com/
Below are my most recent reads with a brief review of my favourites.
(Please comment your recommendations for new books! Always looking for new good reads in all genres)
Fiction
This was my first Stephen King book and I am hooked! It is a great way to introduce yourself to Stephen King's work as most of his books are massive.
The Long Walk is a very dark morbid story but I could not put it down. This story puts your imagination in places it's never been before and makes you crave more.
Even if you're nervous about reading a book in this genre, I highly recommend it.
Coincidentally my top two books have a very similar premise. While The Road is less dark, it was just as compelling at The Long Walk.
The book never strays off the perspective of two characters walking on 'the road'. I was surprised at how invested I was in this book considering the simplicity of the plot. The end of this book also left me wailing like a baby.
The Dead Zone is another great read by Stephen King. This one isn't scary, rather a peculiar story of a man becoming psychic after a being in a 3 year coma. I enjoyed the mix of supernatural and romance.
If you're exploring Stephen King's short stories, I recommend adding this classic to your list!
One more Stephen King short story for good luck!
Another classic, great story - couldn't put it down.
If someone recommends a book and says they couldn't put it down, I say "say no more!".
This book is one of those. I hadn't seen the movie so the plot was new to me but I'm sure many people have seen The Green Mile starring Tom Hanks.
The Handmaid's Tale is a great dystopian read. The novel and Netflix series have been around for awhile now. If you haven't checked it out by now, I recommend you do! (and start with the book!)
Atwood's new book The Testaments is considered to be The Handmaid's Tale's sequel - I will be adding this to my list of what to read next!
Others:
The Beautiful Mystery - Louise Penny
Glass House - Louise Penny
1984 - George Orwell
No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
Non-Fiction
Hands down one of the top 10 books I've ever read. Whether you have a passion for being on the water or not, this is one of the most compelling, poetic books I have ever read.
The way Daniel James Brown writes about this story really resonated with me. The story of resilience and success left me in tears. I highly recommend to every one!
I only picked up this book twice to finish it. It is a wonderfully written story of an Auschwitz survivor.
This story pulls you right into the life of prisoners in world war two and gives you a unique perspective on a horrible event that you've learned so much about in school.
While this story could have been really dark, the author chose to go into detail about life instead of death. A must read!
Dan Harris shares his very human experience with exploring meditation and mindfulness.
I have been exploring these in my own life and his testimonials are very empowering.
Essentially, Dan explains that adding mindfulness and meditation to your life can realistically make you 10% happier. Instead of reading self help books 'that will change your life', Dan's take on this lifestyle is very real and motivating.
A very trendy book that I was reluctant to read at first. But since I started travelling, I have been wanted to reduce my belongings.
Marie Kondo's theory of 'spark joy' was intriguing to me. But I never expected to enjoy this book as much as I did.
Her explanation of why her process to tidying was so insightful it caught me off-guard. What she says about belongings and clutter makes so much sense to me. I am Marie Kondo-ing my entire house this weekend because of it!
I love being by water. I paddle, I swim, I go to the beach to watch the sunrise. I love everything about water.
I heard Wallace J Nichols talk about his book Blue Mind on a podcast and naturally, I was intrigued.
While this book focused more on neuroscience than I expected, I really enjoyed the read. It was really interesting to read the different stories of how water has helped people in so many ways.
Other:
Europe Through the Back Door - Rick Steves
Tribe - Sebastian Junger
Unbeatable Mind - Mark Divine
Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
Born to Run - Christopher McDougall
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