A year in reads and quotes
Didn't hit my reading goal for the year, but did some good reading nonetheless.
This week I’m discussing some of my favorite reads of the year in terms of books and articles. Please let me know where my favorites stack up against yours.
This year has been an interesting year. We have been living through nine months of a pandemic with no end in sight. We had great results with the Presidential election, ready to dance like YG when Trump is finally out of office.
Every year I set a reading goal on Goodreads. Typically, I hit my goal or surpass it. This year I set a goal to read 50 books, and as of today, Goodreads let me know I was 28 books below my target. Such is life. I have a few books that I am determined to finish before the year ends: How I Built This by Guy Raz, Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Fall of WeWork, The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America by Marcus J. Moore, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid which I finally got on Libby after a five-month hold, and I plan to start reading Barack Obama's A Promise Land which I got on both Kindle and in print when I realized Target has on sale for 30% off.
Although I did not reach my reading goal for the year, I do have a favorite book that I read this year which was Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo. Such a beautiful book. The flow of this book, and how it introduces twelve different women but somehow their stories are connected. Also, some of the themes explored in the book were spot on. I just loved this book so much and it's not surprising that it won so many awards including a 2019 Booker Prize Award.
I also read a few other books that I enjoyed this year and I wanted to share them. Please let me know what books you enjoyed this year or what books are on your reading list.
This book was very much about race and privilege. The story follows the protagonist Emira who is a black, young, nanny for a wealthy white family. She goes to the grocery store, and an incident happens where she is questioned about why she has a white child with her which leads to a lot of interesting themes that run throughout the book. I found myself often shaking my head while reading because I couldn’t understand the logic of certain characters namely Emira’s boss Alix.
The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey
Honestly, I was surprised that I liked this book so much. I'm not sure if it's because some of my best friends are lambs, but I found this book to be pretty enjoyable. I will say, however, initially I tried to read this book on my Kindle but I couldn't get through it. I instead used a free credit on Audible and loved listening to Mariah speak—she has a sultry voice and sings throughout the chapters. I learned a lot about her life and her tumultuous upbringing which made me respect her much more than I already did. Recommend for a light read.
Another book by a musician that I loved was Jessica Simpson's memoir. If sip tea were a book, I feel like this is what it would be. I learned so much about Jessica but the parts that I found to be the most interesting were about her marriage to Nick Lachey and how bizarre her relationship with John Mayer was.
Can't Even: How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen
For Girls Night In I recently read and moderated a book club on Anne Helen Petersen’s new book which was inspired by her Buzzfeed article released last year. If you read the article which explored millennial burnout this book would be an extension of the same topic. I don’t find that I left thinking wow that was a great book but it did leave me with many questions and thoughts.
Why is it when we speak about burnout, the only thing people seem to talk about is work wise?
What are other ways burnout shows up in our lives?
Anne does interviews with different people and mentions their race and their income level. With that, do different races feel burnout differently and how so?
Many articles mention that millennials are get married and having kids a lot later than our parents and grandparents generation. Does any of this have to do with burnout or what are the factors leading to that?
See many questions. I found the book to be pretty relatable and suggest checking it out. Also if you want to answer any of those questions, please feel free to add your answers in the comments section.
Keeping up with my 2020 reading list, I looked in my Pocket to find some of the best articles I read this year as well. Shameless plug for Pocket my favorite app ever. Last year I was in the top 1% of readers because yes, I am very, very, smart.
I don’t care if you are a Black mayor or not,” Breed tells Vogue. “If you see what’s happening to Black people in comparison to any other race in San Francisco, and you aren’t making deliberate investments that will change the outcome, then why even be in this position?
‘Success Addicts’ Choose Being Special Over Being Happy
But success also resembles addiction in its effect on human relationships. People sacrifice their links with others for their true love, success. They travel for business on anniversaries; they miss Little League games and recitals while working long hours. Some forgo marriage for their careers—earning the appellation of being “married to their work”—even though a good relationship is more satisfying than any job.
100 Couples Share Their Secrets to a Successful Relationship
You’re both in charge of your own happiness,” B.R. says. “You can’t make someone else happy. You can help, encourage, and support, but it’s up to all of us to find our own path to being happy people.” This requires giving yourself what you need rather than making your partner carry that hefty responsibility. “Knowing what makes you happy is essential for harmony and balance in the household,” Y.H. says. “We like to have our own projects, our own growth, and our own sense of fulfillment.” Two happy individuals make one happy couple.
“I’ve Decided To Give Myself Permission To Focus On My Joy”: How Beyonce Tackled 2020
I choose to invest my time and energy only in projects that I am passionate about. Once I’ve committed, I give it all of me. I start with identifying my intention and making sure that I am aligned with the collaborators for the same purpose. It takes enormous patience to rock with me.
Ann Curry Still Doesn’t Know Why She Was Ousted From Today
I have no regrets about how I’ve behaved. And I’m very proud, in spite of everything, of all the work I was able to achieve. I don’t really think about it very often; I really don’t. But when I do, it does hurt still, because it takes time to heal. But what I’ve learned is that you rise stronger.
Padma Lakshmi Wants Us to Eat More Adventurously
Listen, I’m under no illusions. I’m not one of these kumbaya people. But I think the willingness to break bread with someone shows a crack of openness. I believe in that quote, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.” Through food, you can tell a lot about not only a person or a family but also a community. You can trace history through foods. You can trace colonization. Food can be a great instrument, and that is how I try to use it.
That’s it for this week. Like what you read, please share with your friends.
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