Posted on by Elizabeth OTS

Books of Q2 2019

It’s the end of the quarter, so it’s time for another book list! I read way more books than the first quarter of the year and more nonfiction specifically. Despite that, it’s worth noting that last quarter’s post was a chore to write. It seemed insurmountable. This post was a breeze, and I even finished and scheduled it several days early. I guess it just goes to show how taking care of mental health (and using medication as needed) can make a huge difference! I’m feeling better, and that shows in how much effort it takes me to do productive things in my life. It’s also definitely one of the reasons I was able to read more new books this quarter.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That being said, my first preference is for you to check any recommended books out from your local library! Read more about my affiliate philosophy here. You can also check books out in e-book form and download them to the Kindle app, which means you don’t even have to put on pants and leave the house to get your book. Isn’t technology grand? Occasionally, books I read and review are also available for free through Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program, and I make sure to note if that’s the case.

All books in this list are rated using the following format:

  • Drop everything to read this book (DEAR for short)
  • Highly recommended (HR)
  • Good book (GB)
  • OK
  • Meh don’t bother (MDB)

Nonfiction

  • Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA. HR. So I was a little thrown when first reading this book because while the first half focused on individual burnout, the second focused on systemic causes, including patriarchal inequality. The transition was jarring, but also made a whole lot of sense. On the individual side, the authors focused on the idea of completing the stress cycle so that our bodies don’t continue to hold onto tension far past the end of the stress’s cause. Worth a read, especially if, like me, you’ve been dealing with burnout and some existential questioning…
  • Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. DEAR. I saw this recommended…somewhere. And I’m so glad I read it. Wow. I finished this book in about two and a half days, and there were several points where I found myself crying. Which is a sign of a super awesome non-fiction book… Gottlieb writes about her own therapy practice as well as her experience seeking the help of therapy. This offered some really interesting context for my own experience with therapy, and Gottlieb’s story is real and wonderful.
  • Everybody, Always by Bob Goff. GB. When I downloaded the audio version of this book, I didn’t know what to expect, but it was a wonderful view of how love, and especially unconditional and selfless love, are so important if we live a life in God’s image. The idea is to use love as a default, and to approach the world with love. That doesn’t just mean our family and community, but also outsiders who aren’t part of those groups.
  • Work Optional by Tanja Hester. DEAR. I’m breaking protocol and calling her Tanja because I consider her a friend. But that’s not the only reason this gets a DEAR ranking. Tanja has blogged for years at Our Next Life, and this book is such an awesome continuation of her writing there. If you are at all interested in the Financial Independence movement (sometimes shortened to FIRE), then this is worth a read. Not only for the practical information, but also for the more intangible advice. I think I’ve made it clear on this blog that the non-money parts of personal finance are critically important, and Tanja captures that balance well. Give this a read if you’re ready to move beyond finance basics and dig a little deeper into motivation!
  • Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. HR. I’ve heard great things about Brown’s books, and I really enjoyed this book. Brown writes about her research on vulnerability and shame. Specifically, she talks about embracing vulnerability in order to live a fuller life. It’s so easy to put up shields in life, but those shields prevent us from truly experiencing everything. This is definitely something I struggle with, and I know that Brown’s work has some important insights for me to learn from.
  • We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. DEAR. I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by the author, and it was excellent. For those of you who are Beyoncé fans (which should be ALL OF YOU), her song “Flawless” uses excerpts from this audio. That is reason enough to listen (or read). It’s also a wonderfully succinct explanation of why feminism is important. It was only about a 40-minute audiobook if I remember correctly, so you have no excuse not to listen on a couple of commutes.
  • Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. DEAR. Another great one by Adichie and a wonderful read for people specifically concerned about raising their children as feminists. I listened to this one as an audiobook as well, but unfortunately, this one wasn’t narrated by the author.
  • What Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam. OK. This was a really quick read, but I don’t know that it had any information that was unique to this book versus numerous articles on the topic. Additionally, I don’t love some of the generalizations about productivity “before breakfast” or along other lines regarding waking early, etc. It was a good audiobook for a car ride though.
  • Mind Over Money by Claudia Hammond. GB. I liked the premise of this book, but it was, quite frankly, a pretty slow read. It focused less on actionable advice for money and more on the psychological studies on the topic. There was a lot of information about a multitude of studies and what they had to say about money. That was interesting, but more from an academic standpoint rather than a useful one.
  • Deep Work by Cal Newport. GB. I listened to this book on audio, and I regret that format because it would have been nice to be able to take notes while reading (I was driving at the time). I feel like I didn’t get the full value out of this book that I could have. There were some worthwhile tips in the book that were useful, but I didn’t think it was as amazing as I had expected based on the hype.
  • Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier. MDB. Given the large number of really wonderful finance books out there, I don’t know that this book adds much to the conversation. The numbers stay on the surface level and the book doesn’t delve any deeper into the nuances of the conversation around personal finance and specifically financial independence. That being said, if you’re curious about the book and Sabatier’s story, it’s a quick read!

Fiction

  • Flamecaster
  • Shadowcaster
  • Stormcaster
  • Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chima. DEAR. I love all of Chima’s writing–she’s wonderful. This series is a fantastic set of books set in the same universe as Chima’s Seven Realms series. The series has some really creative worldbuilding. If you’re a fan of fantasy fiction, this needs to be on your list. Also, as a bonus, the first book in this series is available on Kindle Unlimited!
  • Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young. GB. This was a really cool dystopian science fiction novel. I won’t say it’s a completely original plot line; the big twist was pretty obvious, but it was also wonderful. I do get a little bored by the teen fiction trope of instant love with a cute forbidden boy. But I also expected it. And thankfully the boy wasn’t the one doing any of the saving.
  • Renegades
  • Archenemies by Marissa Meyer. HR. Meyer is such an awesome writer. Her last series was a retelling of several fairy tales (starting with Cinderella), except involving cyborgs and outer space. Do you really need to know anything more in order to invest some time in reading her novels? This series involves two factions of superheroes who disagree on what would be the optimal set-up for a society that involves superheroes watching over everyone. And it involves some wonderful characters to follow–I expect nothing less from Meyer!

**Well, everything after this was written after Apple took my laptop in for repairs…in an effort to get this post out on time, I’m instead publishing but leaving out all the pretty pictures. So that this doesn’t take me forever on my work computer…

  • Red Rope of Fate
  • Royal Magic by K.M Shea. GB. Another series by the same author as the group above. I really like her writing style for when I want something light and fun. None of these books take long, which is great because sometimes I have the urge to finish books ASAP, which is a problem when it drags my evening out to 1 am…These are also on Kindle Unlimited.
  • Stolen Enchantress
  • Piper Prince by Amber Argyle. GB. This is an interesting plot line loosely based on the pied piper fairy tale (crossed with Beauty and the Beast is what the book’s description says). Parts of it are slow, and parts are a little angsty, but I enjoyed the first two books and will read the third when it comes out.
  • No Man Can Tame by Miranda Honfleur. GB. I guess I was on a Kindle Unlimited fantasy book spree. This is another that I randomly got because it was intriguing. It was a good read, though it did show some of the plot timing issues of similar books I find via Kindle Unlimited. I guess it’s loosely Beauty and the Beast meets Hollow Kingdom, if you like either of those stories.
  • The Swan King by Nina Clare. GB. Available on Kindle Unlimited! Sometimes, fairy tale books can get a little repetitive (there’s only so much you can do with the same story unless you’re willing to get creative). Which is why this lovely free e-book was such a pleasant surprise. It’s fairy tale meets historical fiction, and I really enjoyed the read. It was original and wonderful. A fast read, and well worth the time.

This is more my regular reading speed–Q1 2019 was light because of the amount of time I spent studying. And there are also more books on this list because many of them were short reads, especially in the fiction section (but still wonderful). All books are books worth reading!

If you read any of these books, I would love to hear about it. Do you disagree with any of my ratings? Do you have other books to recommend based on this list? Tell me in the comments or via Twitter!

Want to see what else I’ve read and reviewed? Check out these previous posts!

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