Tomorrow I'll post the review of the first book of 2015, but first let's do a wrap-up of what I read in 2014. Above are my favorites of 2014, these are the ones that have stayed with me the most.
1. The Martian by Andy Weir
2. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
3. One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
The next three were reviewed before I did posts, so I'll paste my review from the "Books I've Read" page here:
4. Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller - LOVED this book so much. It's her memoir about growing up with parents that are hoarders (mostly her father, but her mother enabled). She did such a wonderful job of describing her horrifying childhood living conditions not in a judgmental way, but in a matter-of-fact, this is what I knew way. It's heartbreaking/moving/thought provoking story. But it's not gloom and doom, it's a story about the literal and figurative "stuff" we all have and how we deal with it. I highly recommend this book, it's a great companion to Daring Greatly.
5. Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin - Warning, the first 30 pages or so are a tough read with a very upsetting event setting the table for the rest of the book. That being said, this book is one of the best, most original stories that I've read in quite a while. It's the story of Max who is an intersex teen. The story is told through the eyes of Max, his Mom, brother, doctor, girlfriend and his Dad pops in a time or two as well. The changing perspective is interesting and benefits in a lot of ways. Though I will say I wish she had featured the Dad more and not featured the brother at all. Be prepared to feel a lot when reading this book, it's an important story about coming of age and what gender means.
6. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown - I don’t say this often, but this is a book that every single person should read. It’s about vulnerability, shame and how they can (even if you aren't aware) affect your life. It is such an eye opening read, it’s really made me aware of how I approach my thinking and interactions. Mixing personal stories and data from her years of research, it's a good read!
I ended up reading 57 books in 2014 (sure that includes some design books that weren't a lengthy read by any means, but still not too shabby). I'd like to stay around 50 in 2015, I'll start to number them in the title this year.
