If you’ve already checked out our Recommended Reading page, you’ll know that I am a huge reader. One of the things I love to read about is personal development and lifestyle or inspirational stories. Where my Recommended Reading page lists those books I’ve read and recommend, this page is a Read Along List of those books I’m planning to read next. I don’t know if they’ll be good or bad, valuable or basic, but I’m excited to find out!
The intent is to share ideas for a new read and hopefully generate some conversation here in the blog or in our Facebook group for those that want to read along with me and share your opinions!
If you’d like to participate, all you have to do is make sure you’ve joined the Coffee, Grit, and Inspiration Community group on Facebook. Then buy (or borrow, or beg, but please don’t steal) a copy of one of the books below. Then, let’s chat about it in the Facebook group or in the blog! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Note that the links below are affiliate links. You do not need to use them. If you do, I will receive a commission at no additional cost to you. You can find out more here.
So let’s get to it!
Read Along List
Last updated: 2/17/20
Becoming | Michelle Obama (Currently Reading)
I want to read this because I’ve always admired Michelle Obama. I think she is classy, elegant, and handles so many different situations with grace. I saw a recording of a speech she gave once and was so inspired. I just want to learn more about her.
Dare To Lead | Brené Brown
This one, quite honestly, popped up in my search on Amazon. I had just read an article in Psychology Today that mentioned this author, which is what caught my eye, so I figure, what the heck? I’ll give it a shot!
Indistractable: How To Control Your Attention And Choose Your Life | Nir Eyal
I chose this one because Heather and I were talking about keeping our focus even when there’s a lot going on around us. It came up when I searched for James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) and the book description shows a recommendation from him. So again, why not?
My Life In Leadership: The Journey And Lessons Learned On The Way | Frances Hesselbein
I added this one to round out my next few books because Frances Hesselbein was referenced in both How Women Rise and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There as one of the best listeners the authors, Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith, had ever met. The description says that the book contains practical advice and how to apply it in your daily life, so let’s see!
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything | BJ Fogg, PhD
OK so, I am reading this because I read and liked Atomic Habits. Tiny Habits…Atomic Habits…what’s happening here? Tiny Habits has three laws for creating habits that stick: make it easy, make it fit your life, and make it rewarding. Atomic Habits, on the other hand, has four laws: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying. Atomic Habits was written in 2018, Tiny Habits at the end of 2019. Who’s copying who? The mystery is killing me. I have to read it!
Make Your Bed | Admiral William H. McRaven
OK. The last book I tried to read that was written by a military man was Team of Teams [not an affiliate link]. I didn’t make it past the first couple of chapters because it seemed so unlike something I could relate to. Plus, he used indiscriminate pronouns, throwing out a “she” and “her” here and there just to keep his female readers satisfied. Or so it felt. However, I am willing to give it another shot, being as this one had a more interesting title. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the “Best On Kindle” books, and I get a credit for it. $1.20, but still. This one is supposed to be about 10 principles Admiral McRaven learned during Navy Seal training that promise to help overcome challenges. Since I could always use a little overcoming, I’m going to give it a shot!
Previous Read-Along Books
Here’s books I read already! If you haven’t already, check them out and let me know what you think! I started a new rating system too, so I can be more methodical and clear about what I liked and didn’t like about each book.
Atomic Habits | James Clear
While I thought it was well laid out and held a lot of value, I think it could have been a little more personable. I would have enjoyed feeling like I could relate more to Mr. Clear as I was reading it. Still, all in all a great book! I got several exercises that I immediately tried out that are working for me. Too soon to say if it was life-changing. My review of it will be posted on Wednesday 2/19, and I’ll update this page to link to it once its out there!
- Accessibility & Readability: 4/5
- Clarity & Organization: 5/5
- Storytelling: 3/5
- Value-Add: 5/5
The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness | Ichiro Kashimi, Fumitake Koga
This one was a hard read for me. It was tough for me to fall into the narrative style, which was of a dialogue between an older philosopher and a younger man – a “youth” – who was struggling with self-esteem. It focused on Adler psychology, which I hadn’t heard of before. It was pretty cerebral, which made it hard for me to connect to the authors and really process what they were saying. I will say, however, that many of the concepts in this book still stick with me now, even a few weeks after I finished it. I’m still mulling them over. I may upgrade my rating later, but for now – three coffeebeans!
- Accessibility & Readability: 2/5
- Clarity & Organization: 4/5
- Storytelling: 2/5
- Value-Add: 3/5
