Books I read in 2019

Mistakes to Run With by Yasuko Thanh

Recommended to my by a good friend, this is a memoir of a straight-A student turned sex worker turned writer and mother. She shares her story deeply, offering no answers but a stark solidarity for all who are struggling to find themselves.

Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn

This is the first of the Patrick Melrose novels, now a TV mini-series starring Benedict Cumberbatch. In this semi-autobiographical novel series, St Aubyn explores the experience of suffering traumatic narcissism via an abusive father and a neglectful mother, and eventually working towards healing from it.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown

Also recommended to me, this book is by Brené Brown, shame reseacher and speaker in one of the most watched TED Talks. She explores how shame and our societal avoidance of the topic prevents us from being vulnerable and forging deep connections with one another.

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho

Following reading *The Gifts of Imperfection,” I read The Alchemist. Brené Brown mentioned it, so I decided to pick it up. It’s a novel studied in some high school classes across Canada, about a boy who goes on a quest to fulfill his Personal Legend. I found the themes really inspiring, and the story told in a very simple and direct manner, as if the author distilled his story to its most fundamental components. I felt a sense of urgency, that the author really had an important story to share with the world.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

This memoir by Michelle Obama is a powerful, human story. She tells her story strong and true, and sheds a light on racial tensions, prejudice, and systemic disadvantage in a way that incites not anger and outrage, but compassion, empathy, and the desire to make things right in the world.

Books I read in 2018

  • Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
  • Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith
  • Rome’s Last Citizen by Jimmy Soni
  • Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
  • Animal Farm by George Orwell
  • The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg