My Top 5 books of 2024
What are YOU reading?
Have you got times like this? When you can’t bring yourself to FINISH books you started? Even though you were SO excited to start reading them?
No? Just me then.
This year has been a year in which I’ve rekindled my first love. Of fiction books that is. I’ve read around 50 of them, against only 13 non-fiction.
Which means that non-fiction books have - no, not taken a back-burner - but have definitely suffered the fate described above.
Here are my Top FIVE non-fiction books this year.
Here goes:
Non-Fiction
Your Brain on Art - Susan Magsamen
Did you know that art is not just a ‘nice to have’ but absolutely ESSENTIAL? That it supports the brain to learn, to change, to be happier?
Well, you WILL when you read this book. When reading the FIRST chapter I had to stop myself, get a pen and paper, because of ALL the information about the brain contained in that chapter alone!
It’s mind-boggling. And that’s just chapter ONE! Wait until you read about what happens when heart surgeons put music on. Or watch the pictures of how people let you experience buildings.
Honestly, my book review doesn’t even touch the SURFACE of what’s in the book. But here it is anyway.
A MUST READ. Pen and paper to hand for those of you who LOVE learning about how the brain works.
The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel van der Kolk
OK, so - full disclosure - I haven’t finished it. Yet. But I will!
I wanted to be better informed about trauma. About how trauma affects your body. How it STAYS in your body, even if you have no easy access to it. And what to do about it.
There’s SO MUCH in this book that I haven’t fully absorbed yet, that I’m fully ready to embrace it again early next year.
For now? It’s FIRMLY in my Top 5!
Serious creativity - Edward de Bono
Creativity is this mysterious thing, right? That thing that only works when you relax your brain. It does its work when you sleep, or in the shower, or going for a walk.
Nothing you can do about it. Right?
WRONG!
That’s what the godfather of Lateral Thinking, Edward de Bono, is saying in this book.
Yes, you’re accessing a different part of your brain. But NO, you most DEFINITELY don’t have to leave it to chance!
There are TECHNIQUES and TOOLS you can use to prompt your creative thinking. Ways to trigger your creative brain.
That’s what this book is all about. To teach you those techniques, and tell you why and how they work.
I had this book on my shelf for literally AGES, and read it this year. A great book to start thinking differently about thinking. And to poke your creative brain.
Women are Angry - Jennifer Cox
Jennifer Cox should know! She’s a counsellor and helps a LOT of women cope with the ANGER they’re feeling.
Not that they KNOW half the time that they’re angry. Except their BODY does! Because all that pent-up anger is directed inward. Quite literally making you ill.
In this book the writer tells us ALL about these stories, some of which may sound familiar to you, AND gives us tools and techniques to bring some of that anger out (better out than in) in sustainable, non-destructive ways.
Yes, women are angry. And so we should be!
But pointing that anger inwards? Getting ill? Just no, right?
Great read.
Likeable badass - Alison Fragale
Whilst we’re on the subject of women …
Likeable badass is all about how women can raise their status at work.
Status, not power. Power can be given to you by giving you that promotion or that senior job.
Status? Depends on what people THINK of you. And yes, that can be influenced by a LOT of things, including biases.
Bottomline is: your status is defined by how effective and assertive you are (the ‘badass’ bit) and how warm you are (the ‘likeable’ bit).
What I like about this book is the multiple - easy-to-implement - ideas and tasks are being discussed in this book. How you can take tangible actions every day to raise your profile and be both liked and trusted to get stuff done.
Great read. Lots of food for thought.
That’s it for this year!