My Books of 2019 Recommended for you this 2020

I have been decluttering my social media accounts including Instagram and realised I have used  IG to journal some of the books I have read this 2019.  Certain books had great impact on me and some really are simply for entertainment. Anyhow, the photos of books I am sharing today is a partial list of what I have read since I didn’t really take photos every  time I read 😉

1. 2019 DIDACHE                                    A gift from my sister friend on my birthday, end of 2018. Proved to be an apt tool to keep me grounded all throughout the year. I am thinking of getting a 2020 copy.

2. JOURNEY TO THE HEART by Melody Beattie                                      This book I got from a BOOKSALE (sort of a thrift shop for books in the Philippines) for only Php130.00.  I so love Ms Beattie’s daily meditation insights. It helped me to stop, keep still and reflect on my purpose in life. I recommend this to anyone who is too busy and cannot seem to sit still and calm their minds. I actually download most of her books  on Kindle, her works resonated on me.

Sharing here December 29 reading going towards end of the year. I wouldn’t really mind rereading this book in 2020.

3. THE POWER OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS by  Joseph Murray, Ph.D, D.D                              I am hooked to this one. According to Dr. Murray, “This book is designed to teach you that your habitual thinking and imagery mold, fashion and create your destiny. For as a person thinks in his subconscious mind, so he is.” I so personally agree on this, I believe in MIRACLES and we create them by beginning and tapping the power of our subconscious mind. I have been practicing this and believe me it works. One proof is when I had an accident and I wrote about it in my previous post. The power of my subconscious made my healing miraculously fast.

4. THE STUPIDEST ANGEL by Christopher Moore                              I have this book for years, it isn’t really like 5-star type, however it is a funny Christmas book at least for me 🙂 So I reread it this December to keep my spirit light. Who wouldn’t laugh if you encounter an angel who only wanted to help the world yet unfortunately he isn’t the brightest one? I am glad my Guardian Angel is a sharp one, she’s a compassionate and bright one. Read this if you want to laugh.

5. EAT TO BEAT DISEASE by William W. Li, MD                                 I have written previously about my major accident and its set back. I developed an auto-immune disease called Vitiligo after two major operations. My body was physically stressed and that caused my AI to wreck havoc on my skin. There’s no cure for that although I tried homeopathy coupled with good diet and it works on me. So I decided to read more about food that can help the body heal itself. This book tackles both and this became my guide ever since. If you wanted to start a healthy lifestyle and eating habit, I strongly suggest that you read this in 2020!

Here’s a peek on the writing style of Dr. Li. The analogies are so entertaining that you wouldn’t even feel and think that a medical doctor have written this. The words are simple, written in a very flawless and smooth way, that made me feel like I am savoring a very creamy hot dark coco drink while reading it 🙂

6. MATING IN CAPTIVITY (Unlocking the Erotic Intelligence) by Esther Perel                  Heard her interview on Oprah Winfrey podcast and a friend recommended her. My interest was also piqued by her concept of EROTIC INTELLIGENCE that I got a copy of this from Amazon Books. If you are into a relationship and its a roller coaster ride, I suggest that you read this. Does this mean that my relationship is also a roller coaster ride? Not anymore, I took control of it 🙂

7.  THE POWER OF NOW by Eckhart Tolle and other Spiritual Enlightening books         Yep, I went into a book shopping spree at FULLYBOOKED in BGC. I have finished reading Tolle’s and it made me understand fully being at the moment, being now.  This book helped me a lot to appreciate my daily grind without stressing about it. THE TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA powers my soul and its like my refuge every time I felt that my NOW is taking control of me and not me in-charge of it. If you want to steer your boat and become the captain of your life please read this… I haven’t started Deepak Chopra’s and Malcolm Gladwell yet. I know…. they are now in my 2020 list… 🙂

8.  WRITING MY LIFE by Alison Bing                                                          When I was in my grade and high school, I used to be a features editor in our school paper. I love to write essays, short stories, poems and was hoping that someday I get to write my autobiography. So one day while killing time at this thrift bookstore (again? yes… this is like my cave when I need to relax)  I saw this book. I immediately bought it and now I am journaling everything. What I realise while writing on this book/journal is that writing about the past may it good or bad is liberating and a journey that makes me appreciate who I become now. I recommend this even if you aren’t an aspiring writer, instead if you wish to reflect on your life and find out the lessons it brought.

Here’s why you should get this 🙂

9. THE ART OF THINKING CLEARLY by Rolf Dobelli                    First the reason why I bought this book is because of the  ART, literally and figuratively ha ha ha…. this book intrigued me… This book itemized cognitive biases but with no clear cut explanations or arguments… thus will make you think creatively rather than clearly..  well anyway creativity is clarity for me.. nonetheless I didn’t get what I wanted from this… but hey it is still entertaining and informative. If you aren’t familiar with different  cognitive biases, this is a good start. It is easy reading and entertaining. Obviously I was entertained cause I spent my early morning at Starbucks to splurge on coffee!

10.  C.S. LEWIS A Life by Alister E. McGrath                                                  Obviously I am a C.S. Lewis fan! Again I got this book from the BOOKSALE for only Php150 and it is brand new.  As I am a Lewis fan, I appreciate the well researched information about his personal life which I am not aware of. This made me ponder about the author and the inspirations behind his work. I would prefer not to be influenced by McGrath’s opinion about Lewis.  I recommend this to Narnia fans (which means you are a Lewis fan ) but if your purpose is to read and find our more about the author through the point of view of McGrath…. hmmmmmm….. you can take the dive  LOL..

11. THE MAGIC STRINGS OF FRANKIE PRESTO by Mitch Albom  I love music although music sometimes doesn’t love me (  huh.. should I really explain this ?) .. Anyway, what I love about this book is that MUSIC is the story teller, which makes the book is an eye candy… I love reading it at a coffee shop… no pressure at all to delved deeper to understand the points.. am not a music expert so the analogies aren’t really a big deal for me..

12. THE NEXT PERSON YOU MEET IN HEAVEN by Mitch Albom              Okay, okay… he is also my favorite after I first encountered, Tuesdays with Morrie way back in college.  Just want to stress this quote form the book “All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.”  This sums up my recommendation 🙂

 

13. MEN WITHOUT WOMEN by Haruki Murakami                                Murakami’s melancholic, surreal and mind boggling writing  style had me attracted.. especially when I first read IQ84 ! It’s like boom… I’m lost for awhile until I  figured out and got my bearing. After that experience I always buy new releases by Murakami. This book as the title implies will give you an idea what it is all about. It is melancholic and kind of heavy though this book is short! As an optimistic person, I sometimes wonder why the characters cannot move on… until a personal encounter.. now I understand.. people does move on superficially but subconsciously they cannot.. Don’t  get me wrong guys, I am not talking about me ha ha ha  .. Recommended if you wanted to get deeper insights into a man’s heart.

I just wanted to share this line because it made me chuckle for a while… “she sounded like a staunch vegetarian who have been asked if she ate lettuce”  … it sounded like me hahahaha (yes am a vegetarian)

14. THE ART OF WAR and Other Classics Of Eastern Philosophy        I am a huge fan of everything classical not to mention my line of work involves a lot of negotiations. To win those negotiations one has to read Sun Tzu’s military strategy and tactics. It is not only applicable on warfare but can be also applied on our day to day war 🙂  Do I have to say more? Just get a copy of this book and dive in! 

15. FACTFULNESS by Hans Rosling  I first encountered Hans Rosling at TED X. I was so fascinated by this physician/ academician/ public speaker!!! He is so brilliant!  This book was recommended by someone to me and I immediately got a copy. After reading few pages.. I felt vindicated.. why? Because I always say and tell my friends that things are better than how we think and see it.. and I was always told “you’re too optimistic, get real”.  Thanks to Mr. Rosling for explaining “why we’re wrong about the world and why things are better than you think” . His claims are backed with data and scientifically explained and I simply love it. Please get a copy of this one, it will change how you perceive the world 🙂

So these are some of the books I’ve read in 2019, if I have more time I shall write part 2 as I have read more than these top 15 which I posted on my 2019 Instagram.  If you you’ve seen this books before in a shop, I hope my thoughts can help you decided if you’ll buy  and read it or not at all.

I learnt a lot by reading the works of great minds and with this I leave you with something to ponder on:

“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.” – Socrates

Happy reading this 2020 guys!

Cheers!

-Arlyn