I have never been a reader. In my rural country school, it was not “cool” to be sitting around with a book. However, moving to Boston and meeting new friends who love learning encouraged me to reframe my view on learning as something I am creating, not something that someone is teaching me in a classroom. So, this year, I changed my mindset. Reading is one of the most powerful tools for learning and understanding life. It is a way I can learn about whatever I choose. I went from hating reading and not understanding why someone would want to sit and stare at pages for hours to purposefully making time during my busy schedule to sit and read. I stopped making myself read books I did not like and started giving myself grace when it took me a while to finish. I wanted it to be completely self-driven, calming, and motivating. That said, these are four of the books I read this year, in no particular order, that made me fall in love with reading.
- “101 Essays to Change the Way You Think” by Brianna Wiest
This book is a game-changer in every way. It is one of the most life-changing books you can read, especially in your 20s. The book’s primary goal is to explain how your thoughts impact everything in your life. It teaches you to understand what the negative emotions are trying to tell you. It teaches how to see the more positive side of life and create happiness rather than waiting for it. It helps with feeling lost in your career, seeing your cognitive biases, working through relationships, motivation, etc. Another notable aspect of this book is the structure. The 101 essays are separate, non-chronological, and only about two to five pages each, which makes it a great book to pick up and put down as you please. I keep it by my bed and read an essay each morning before I start my day. However, if I miss a month for Christmas break, I can still easily pick it back up. It is easily understandable but makes you think critically about how you want to live. I am getting close to the end of this book, and once I finish, I plan on returning to the beginning and continuing my morning essay. It is that good.
- “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides
“The Silent Patient” is a psychological thriller that focuses on a woman who shoots her husband and becomes a silent patient at a psych ward. If you are not the biggest murder mystery fan, don’t let me lose you yet. It does not focus on the violent act but instead on her time in the psych ward as her therapist dedicates his time to trying to unravel her story. It is the quickest page-turner I have ever read and has a plot twist that I would bet you can not see coming (this is coming from someone who loves murder mysteries and usually can see it coming a mile away). Although this book does not teach you lessons that can change the way you think, it is the book that catapulted me back into reading for fun, and I highly recommend it.
- “I Will Teach you to be Rich” by Ramit Sethi
This book is the reason I know anything about finances. A better title would be “I will teach you to be financially stable” because you shouldn’t get this confused with a get-rich-quick scheme. I believe every student should read this book out of high school. As someone who knew nothing about credit cards, savings accounts, retirement investing, negotiating or debt, I found it incredibly digestible and actionable. I started the book without even knowing how my credit card worked and ended up understanding how to set up a Roth IRA (which I did and now hold a retirement investment account that has been making me money since I read the book). Sethi is straightforward and funny. In addition, he teaches how to avoid paying high fees for little reward, stay out of credit card debt, prioritize finances, and get the most out of what you have by negotiating.
One of my favorite parts of the book is that Sethi writes scripts you can use when negotiating a late fee with your credit card company, setting yourself up for a raise at work, etc. These tips were extremely helpful for a 20-year-old college student who had no idea how to approach a conversation like that. I have used the scripts already when I had problems with my loan payments going through at my university, and they charged me a late fee. They reversed the late fee after I talked to them using the scripts. The structure of this book is beneficial as well. The author separates it into a seven-week program, allowing you to start from scratch and understand each part. Summaries at the end of each section give actionable items to work towards each week. He advocates for you to do your own research as well and does not force anything on the reader; he includes many options and ways to help you find one that works for you. Another part of the book that resonates with me is that he asks the reader to take a minute to understand what your “rich life” looks like. For some people, that looks like going to a restaurant and ordering appetizers and desserts. For others, that means a larger house. Understanding what drives you to succeed and finding out what things do not really matter to you is essential in making your finances work for you.
- “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I loved this book as a female trying to make her way in the world. It is told through a journalist’s perspective, finally getting a complete story of the famous Evelyn Hugo’s life. She starts her story in Hell’s Kitchen in NYC and transforms into the most elegant, powerful sexy icon of the time. Although her methods are not always the best, it is weirdly empowering to watch a woman show such grit, pulling herself out of hardship and forcing herself into power regardless of how it affects others. It is a highly entertaining story with many plot twists to keep you on your toes. I read this book on vacation at an Airbnb, and it was the perfect book to lay in the sun and get lost in the story.
If you do not find joy in reading, like my past self, I hope you try some of these books. Reading has become a part of my self-care routine. A small part of my day that is only for me where I can dive into other people’s lives or learn how to help myself through mine. It has made a huge difference in my life. I hope it can do the same for you. Happy reading!