Yale University published the results of a 12 year study about people who read and found that people who read over 3.5 hours a week lived a full 23 months longer than the people who didn’t read at all. That extended lifespan applied to all reading participants, regardless of “gender, wealth, education or health” factors, the study explains. That’s a 20% reduction in mortality created by a sedentary activity. 

Nice. Here is Brenda’s reading list for 2019. 

Brenda’s Rating system: Loved it, Liked It, or Meh!

Non-fiction, business & Memoir

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans 

Loved it. The only reason I don’t send this book to my clients is that it has a lot of exercises which are similar to mine. Perfect DIY career book for professionals.  

Becoming by Michelle Obama 

Loved it. One of the best memoirs I have read. And FYI it is 90% parenting and life choices focused and 10% about the political scene. 

Someday Is Not a Day in the Week: 10 Hacks to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life by Sam Horn

Loved it. What a perfect book for the majority of us who have let some wish or dream remain untapped. 

Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts–Becoming the Person You Want to Be by Marshall goldsmith

Loved it. Quick read with lots of great strategies for changing stubborn habits and behaviors.

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of the Change by William Bridges

Loved it. Apparently, this book has been around a long time. It is what companies would (ideally) do if there was BIG change coming. 

The Credibility Code: How to Project Confidence and Competence When It Matters Most by Cara Hale Alter

Loved it. A quick read with videos to support content. Great for up-and-coming corporate stars who need attention in the professionalism department. 

Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS by Shirzad Chamine 

Liked it. This book supports the free test (PQ) which I loved. The book is good, but I am not sure the info could realistically create as much behavioral change as I would have liked. 

Life’s Golden Ticket: A Story About Second Chances by Brendon Burchard

Liked it. I have been listening to parables because I am writing one. This is a good story. Hoakie but good. 

Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al.

Loved it. Highly recommend for anyone who manages anyone. 

Do Over: Make Today the First Day of Your New Career by Jon Acuff

Meh. I am a big Jon Acuff fan. This book did not deliver on the promise of the title. I prefer his book STOP-Punch Fear in the Face. 

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

Liked it. Carol is the expert on the growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset. The book is a MUST for anyone with kids in the house. I recommend the articles and Ted talk for business use. 

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh  

Loved it. I try to listen to this every year. I missed last year. I would call this a book for women with families. 

A Shift in Being: The Art and Practices of Deep Transformational Coaching  by Leon VanderPol

Meh. I was hoping for a dramatic strategy for coaching but instead it is more about what not to do. 

Time Management Ninja: 21 Rules for More Time and Less Stress in Your Life by Craig Jarrow

Liked it. Good for the basics. 

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal

Loved it. Great book combining research and strategies for today’s insane, busy business world. 

Fiction

I read so much fiction this year that I was almost embarrassed to show you the list. Apparently, when you take more vacation, which I did, you read more fiction.

Then I read that the University of Toronto published a study that found that reading fiction makes us more open-minded and that fiction readers have less “cognitive closures” in their brains. So, here is my fiction list—no shame. 

The Expected One (Magdalene Line) by Kathleen McGowen

Loved it. It’s like The DaVinci Code but with a woman at the center and a little bit “bible.” I found it riveting. 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Loved it. On my reading list for like 15 years. A creative story told in the setting of World War 2. Page turner. 

The Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel by Nina George 

Loved it. A lovely page turner here. 

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

Loved it. I literally got this book based on the cover and lucked out. It alternates between two eras, a theme which I love. 

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi and Abraham Verghese 

Loved it. I never read books that are described as “heartbreakingly beautiful.” But this one was worth it. About a young doc who is dying and this is his last word. 

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats: A Novel by Jan-Philipp Sendker and Kevin Wiliarty

Loved. What a lovely and different story. Set in Asia in a different time and juxtapositioned with present day. Transportive. 

Heat Wave: A Novel by Nancy Thayer

Loved. Nancy has the beach novel formula down pat. I love her characters and her story lines. 

32 Yolks: From My Mother’s Table to Working the Line by Eric Ripert

Loved. What a pleasant surprise this memoir written by the owner of a famous French restaurant in NYC. I was invested in his success from the start of this book. 

Secrets in Summer: A Novel by Nancy Thayer

Loved. Same review as Heat Wave above. 

The Liar by Nora Roberts

Loved. There are several books by this title so be sure to grab the Nora Roberts one. She is an expert at weaving the story with romance and some suspense–and making us love her characters. 

The Book of Love: A Novel (The Magdalene Line) by Kathleen McGowen 

Liked. I read this because I liked The Expected One so much. It was pretty good but not a fav. 

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

Loved. I read this many years ago and decided to re-read. Weiner is known for her unique style of telling a compelling story and yet dealing with issues, like self-love, parenting, dating etc.  

The Air You Breathe: A Novel by Frances de Pontes Peebles  

Liked. It had many great moments but was not my favorite read. Maybe clunky at times. 

Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephanie Meyer

Loved. I mean, “Hello! I have read this whole series 3+ times.” But it was not my fault this time. I ran out of books on an international flight and I was forced to read this. Delivers every time. 

New Moon (The Twilight Saga Book 2) by Stephanie Meyer

Loved. See Twilight above.