Mental Post-Its

Thoughts, Notes, and General Mental Mayhem


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My 2021 and 2022 Reading Lists

Before I get into my 2021 and 2022 reading lists, let me make a couple of confessions:

  1. I’m sorry for my long absence. Like many of you, I’ve struggled during the pandemic to just keep up with life. It’s been so busy and draining that, as much as I wanted to write, I didn’t. And I decided not to make myself feel guilty for it.
  2. I didn’t read much in 2021 and 2022. I was just too emotionally spent. If you’ve followed this blog long, you know that most of my reading is on the topics of self improvement and business, not as much fiction. And I just didn’t have the emotional capacity or desire to dig into much of anything like that.

Instead, the one piece of media that did keep me entertained steadily throughout the pandemic (until recently) was The West Wing Weekly podcast. I was a huge fan of Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing TV show, and this podcast is total wish fulfillment. It features cast and crew from the show was well as many other special guests, and it is clear that the team behind this show all loved and respected each other—and had a lot of fun making it. Plus, the hosts are Josh Malina, who played Will Bailey on the show, and Hrishikesh Hirway, a friend of Josh’s and West Wing fanatic. They are so funny together and have great rapport. It was an excellent podcast and a bright spot during such trying times. I highly recommend it!

Okay, back to books!

As mentioned, it’s a short list! To be honest, it’s even shorter than I thought, ha!

What about you? What did you read and would recommend?

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Need more reading suggestions?

2020 Reading List

2019 Reading List

2018 Reading List

2017 Reading List

2016 Reading List

2015 Reading List

2014 Reading List

2013 Reading List

2012 Reading List

2011 Reading List

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My 2020 Reading List

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Whew—what a year! Who else is ready to show 2020 the door?

Despite the pandemic, racial injustice, natural disasters, and presidential election, you and I made it through the last 12 months. Not only that, you probably found some bright spots along the way, too.

Light moments, funny moments, poignant moments, and heartfelt moments gave us the motivation and capacity to keep moving forward. And I’ve always found that some of those feel-good moments include books.

Whether you used books to retreat from the world or shed light on it, it’s amazing what a few hundred pages can do for your life.

Here are a few books that made my 2020 a little bit better:

Also . . .

My self-care routine this year largely consisted of a weekly trip to the Starbucks drive-through and listening to The West Wing Weekly. If you were a fan of the TV series, then you’ll love this homage podcast!

Here are some of my other favorite podcasts:

Need more reading suggestions?

2019 Reading List

2018 Reading List

2017 Reading List

2016 Reading List

2015 Reading List

2014 Reading List

2013 Reading List

2012 Reading List

2011 Reading List

Short on time, too? Try Blinkist, which recaps popular books in 10 minutes!

Happy reading (and listening)! And here’s to a better 2021!


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My 2019 Reading List

Books I Read in 2019

The last, few years since I became an entrepreneur have been wonderful in many ways, but my reading has certainly tapered off, which I don’t like. When I had a long commute, I could easily get through audiobooks in the car, but I’ve had to be a lot more intentional since working from home.

In 2019, I wanted to recommit to reading more, and that meant Kindle. Believe it or not, I don’t actually love to read. I love to learn, and that’s why Audible was so important to me. It made it so much easier to read books while driving—and there’s a lot of that here in Atlanta.

However, if I wanted to read more last year, it meant I’d have to re-commit to Kindle. I’ve tried to get into the habit of reading about a chapter per night, which has been good for my bedtime routine. Overall, I’ve enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and am even giving Kindle Unlimited a try.

I didn’t really increase the number of books I read much from my total count in 2018, but I’m making progress. I think 2020 will be a good year for reading, though!

“Leaders are readers” and “leaders are learners” are two messages that have been instilled in me over the years, and I know reading also makes me a better writer. So, as much as I enjoy podcasts, I want to make sure reading stays on my radar. And that means being thoughtful about it.

Of course, it’s never as much about the quantity of books as it is the quality. Luckily, I found some terrific options. Take a look for yourself . . .

 

Books I read in 2019:

 

Here are some of my favorite podcasts from last year:

 

I was even on a few podcasts last year:

 

Need more suggestions?

2018 Reading List

2017 Reading List

2016 Reading List

2015 Reading List

2014 Reading List

2013 Reading List

2012 Reading List

2011 Reading List

 

Short on time, too? Try Blinkist, which recaps popular books in 10 minutes!

Enjoy!

 

PS: Some links are affiliate links, which means I get a small kick back for introducing awesome people to awesome things. I only promote what I love. 


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My 2018 Reading List

Books I read in 2018One of the other annual posts I love writing, but haven’t had a chance to post yet, is my reading list. Granted, my reading has taken a nose dive over the last couple of years since I started working from home.

That’s because “reading” usually means audiobooks for me. I love Audible! And my commute used to be over an hour, so I’d get through a lot of audiobooks. These days, there is no commute and car time is relatively short, so books have largely been replaced by podcasts. I love podcasts, don’t get me wrong, but I really do miss my audiobooks.

So, though a fairly short list, here’s what I read in 2018:

 

And here are some of the podcasts I recommend:

 

I was even a guest on a few podcasts last year!

 

Need more suggestions?

2017 Reading List

2016 Reading List

2015 Reading List

2014 Reading List

2013 Reading List

2012 Reading List

2011 Reading List

 

Short on time, too? Try Blinkist, which recaps popular books in 10 minutes!

Enjoy!

 

PS: Some links are affiliate links, which means I get a small kick back for introducing awesome people to awesome things. I only promote what I love. 


4 Comments

My 2017 Reading List

While there are many 2017-reading-listbenefits to working at home, the downside is that I don’t get to listen to near as many audiobooks as I used to. I really miss that, and my Wish List is piling up as we speak (or as I type).

However, I did manage to sneak a few in this year, and wanted to share them with you in case you’re looking for a good read.

And if you read something wonderful, please let me know about it!

2016 Reading List

2015 Reading List

2014 Reading List

2013 Reading List

2012 Reading List

2011 Reading List

By the way, if you haven’t yet discovered the magic of Audible, you can snag two, free audiobooks here. They’re yours to keep, even if you decide not to get a membership.

And if you don’t have much time to read, try Blinkist, where they summarize books into just 10 minutes of content.

I spend most of my car time listening to podcasts these days. Here are a few of my favorites. What would you add?

Happy learning!

 

PS: Some links are affiliate links, which means I get a small kick back for introducing awesome people to awesome things. I only promote what I love.