In my entire life, I’ve never read as many books as I did in 2021. So it’s only natural that I’d end the year with a post on my favorite book of each month.
January– The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel Ruiz
February– The Child in You: The Breakthrough Method for Bringing Out Your Authentic Self by Stefani Stahl
March– When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron
April– Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change by Pema Chodron
May– The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo
June– Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty
July– The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
August– The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
September– Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
October–A Year to Live: How to Live This Year As if It Were Your Last by Stephen Levine
November– The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer
What were some of the best books you read this year?
A Grace Full Life 
Congrats on being a prolific reader. I’m a laggard anymore. I’ve read your January, March, July, and August selections. Of those the January one is the one that has stayed with me the most, followed closely by August. Now of course I want to read all your other ones.
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Thank you! Recently, I haven’t had as much luck finding good books. I’ve got a number of books on hold at the library, so hopefully they will be in soon.
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You have a list of uplifting books. I may need to read some of those!
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They’ve helped me get through some things. I hope they can help you as well. š
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Im doing a post in a few weeks to look over the books that made the most impactā¦
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Ooh, I can’t wait to read it!
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A friend gave me Peace is every step way back in ’94…that book helped to an extent in my 20’s.
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I got it from the library and liked it so much that I bought a copy.
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I SENSE A THEME.
The Alchemist is SUCH a gorgeous book. It’s one of those books that I want to highlight everything that is meaningful to me, but that would mean I would highlight the entire book. I also liked Shetty’s book, although not as much as The Alchemist. The others I haven’t read but they totally look like my jam, ma’am. I think I’ll make myself a list from your list.
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TOTALLY a theme, LMAO.
The Alchemist is one of my all-time favorite books.
I love that you’re making a list from my list. š
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I read a lot of books this year too; I think I have read just over 120 books. Though I do think they were all non-fiction or memoirs.
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WOW! That’s a lot of books!
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I feel silly . . . the Four Agreements was sent to me by my dear friend in Dallas months ago. I have been carrying it around in my bag but I haven’t read it yet. Seeing it here feels like the universe is talking to me and I haven’t been listening. I’m usually focused on finishing a book club book and I keep ignoring it. I plan to get going on it.
I liked a few books this year that would not be grouped with the books you’ve listed here. Good in a different way. ‘Girl with Seven Names’. And ‘This is Happiness’ were 2 of my favs.
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I think you’ll like it. The agreements have stuck with me all year, and I even have one of them written on a board in my kitchen so I don’t forget it.
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Wow I have read 3 of these!! I also read a book by Thich Nhat Hanh but it wasn’t the one on your list. That one looks really good though. š
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I’ve have one of his books on hold at the library right now. It’s about inner child work, I think?
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The one I read was called “No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering”
I love his writing style and I hope to read all of his books eventually !
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Ooh, I will add that one to my TBR list. Thank you for the suggestion!
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Look at You! That is amazing; look at all the work you’ve done on yourself.
I applaud you for all the reading.
*Hangs head in shame* I’ve started and NOT finished only ONE book this year. I will though, it will be done soon.
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Friend, for years I didn’t read. Not one single book. So, I’m making up for lost time. š
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I high five your drive to read inspiring books. These are all new to me (except familiar bc u blog about them!) except the Four Agreements. I read that one, loved it, and years later still think on the bookās oh-so-simple but oh-so-useful advice. Iāll look into adding these others to my reading. Iām a big reader but I tend to go for fiction or gardening/plants. Youāre doing me a huge favor by reading these and then blogging the choice bits. š
In addition to admiring your achievement of reading worthwhile reads, I also sorta want to give you a completely useless trashy book to read after seeing your list *grins mischievously*. Something with, like, a wind blown Highlander wearing a poofy sleeved shirt and kilt on the coverā¦. Does this make me a good or bad blog friend? š What if the trashy novel contains long walks in the (nature) Highlands? That counts as soul work, right?
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“Don’t take anything personally” has become one of my slogans of 2021, thanks to The Four Agreements. I actually forgot that “Don’t make assumptions” was another agreement, which is something I struggle with.
YESSSS. I am in desperate need of a good trashy novel!! That makes you a fantastic blog friend! I welcome any and all suggestions. š
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I’ve read 7 of those books! I read the Jay Shetty one this year based on your recommendation and really enjoyed it. Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind was another non-fiction favorite I read this year. And two more non-fiction: Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage by Anne Lamott and How to Make Disease Disappear by Dr Rangan Chatterjee.
Fiction: Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia; The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare; and Oh William by Elizabeth Strout.
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I’m glad you liked it! I take notes on a lot of those books, and I was just re-reading the notes from his book, which helped me with something I was struggling with recently. Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind is going to the top of my TBR list. I’m sure it was added a few months ago, but I keep adding new books to the top, which is messing up my system. š
I love Anne Lamott, so I will also add those as well.
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I am watching WGN this morning and they just interviewed a man who wrote a book called Spark about finding the job that you will love, or something to that effect. I thought of your list. It might fit in with the other books you read this year.
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OOH! I will look for it. Thank you for the suggestion!
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