Fresh Reads: Winter 2016 Recap

I've had a few email requests to share the other books I've read so far this year since writing about The Year of Yes. Like to hear it, here it go!

l kicked off the year by finishing the Harry Potter series for yet another time. Each time I read it, I appreciate all of the intricacies in the universe J.K. Rowling created - and am in awe of her imagination - even more!

I also read Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself by Dr. Alejandro Junger after seeing how much Geri Hirsch, one of my favorite bloggers and healthy lifestyle ladies, raved about it. Clean merits its own blog post - coming soon!

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari was a quick, fun read on the data and realness of dating and relationships. Shout out to the Il Corvo Pasta and Seattle mention early on in the book too. My fiancé and I have been together for a really long time - so long that I have no idea how online dating works! Modern Romance was an eye-opener on the impact Match.com, Tinder and the like have had in shifting the way dating and relationships go down, for better or for worse. I am still a believer in the magic of serendipity!

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt was recommended to me by so many friends and coworkers! This was my first fiction read in a long, long time, and I'd say it was a pretty good one. Not my favorite, but a riveting read nonetheless. 

I just finished Start with Why last week. This book is a continuation of the concepts Simon Sinek introduced in his famous TED Talk, "How Great Leaders Inspire Action." I've watched this TED Talk many, many times when I'm in need of a inspirational boost, so the book was a breeze to read through. Sinek uses a few popular corporate brands like Apple, Southwest and Microsoft to demonstrate the difference between the impact of a good leader and one who can truly inspire others to act. It's a fascinating perspective, and a good framework to understand why some charismatic people have so much more of an influence than their seemingly capable peers. 

My favorite read so far this year (after The Year of Yes) was Cheryl Strayed's Wild. I'm gonna be honest, I had zero interest in seeing the movie, but I was in an impulse buying mood at Amazon Books one night and Wild ended up in my hands. I am so glad it did. Even a big doubter like me was swayed by her story of adversity and persistence. I don't think I'll be hiking the Pacific Crest Trail anytime soon, but she did leave me with a healthy dose of wanderlust to explore the beauty that surrounds us here in the Pacific Northwest much more than I already have.

See what I'm currently reading and books I love on my Goodreads profile!

Read all my posts on the Year to Flourish here.