If you’ve been following me or known me long, you probably have figured out that two of the things I love are reading and my swimming pool. If I get to float in my swimming pool with a book in hand, then life just doesn’t get any better! I read every single day and that includes books for pleasure as well as personal growth. While I do read far more fiction than anything else, I always have a personal growth book going and try to read at least a chapter a day. Listed below are some of my favorite books from 2019.
Money – As a Money Mindset Coach, reading about money comes with the territory. I want to learn more and continue my growth around money. I also want to find books that I can recommend to clients. Here are a couple of favorites.
- Happy Money by Ken Honda. I’ve been sharing with my followers and clients for some time that there is an energetic frequency that we all have and money (and other inanimate objects) are included in that. I feel that the money we spend and receive can have a positive or negative energy. This book, was interesting to me. I was excited to get someone else’s perspective on that energetic exchange with money. Ken shares his perspective about happy money in such a way that speaks to everyone. Definitely a great read if you want to improve your money mindset and the energy around it.
- Overcoming Under Earning by Barbara Stanny. This was a transformational book for me. It has so many nuggets in there about money and our relationship to it. She offers transformative exercises at the end of each chapter that cab have a big impact. The stories she tells about her work with countless others is amazing and hope giving! If you are a person who isn’t earning to your full potential, then definitely get this book.
Personal Growth – When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, I turned to books as my first line of defense. I knew I needed to get myself outside of my own headspace in order to start looking at myself and life in a different way. I can’t say enough good things about these two books.
- Worthy Human by Tracy Litt. One of the areas where I’ve really had to grow and stretch myself is feeling deserving and worthy of having what I want, the money, the life and the ease. I came across this book late in 2019 and I have to say, it is a great read! If you struggle with feeling worthy in ANY way, then please read this book!
- The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. I can’t say it often enough. We get to choose to be happy. This book was one of the suggested readings for a course I took in mid-2019 and I loved it so much I sent a copy to my part-time employer. It was so impactful I think the whole world needs this book. There are so many nuggets of happiness and wisdom that I just can’t say enough good things about it. A must read for everyone!
Entrepreneurship – Most entrepreneurial journeys are a little bumpy. Mine is no different. Every year, I try to read some books that give me a boost both in encouragement and energetic frequency. Both of these books are great whether you are or want to be an entrepreneur, or if you want to stay in a 9-5.
- The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. This is a book that I come back to every year. Even if I don’t read the whole thing again (but I have read it through multiple times), I refer back to it to remind myself why I do what I do. This book was transformative for me in first realizing why I wasn’t fulfilled in my accounting work. I recommend this book to anyone who is considering entrepreneurship OR to any one who isn’t quite happy with there 9-5 situation. There are principles that work well with each and encouragement to really tap into who you are and what lights you up.
- Train Your Brain by Dana Wilde. I have long believed that changing how we think changes how we feel and our actions follow that. In 2018 I first found Dana Wilde through my business coach and started following her. I knew I needed to read her book and got it in 2019. This book is the perfect place to start if you want to tap into the power of your mind! So much wisdom in this book along with transformational exercises and practices. I highly recommend this to anyone, but especially entrepreneurs as we often have to get over ourselves in order to succeed and that means changing how we think.
Fiction – I can’t talk about books without adding some in for pure pleasure. Reading is my absolute favorite thing to do and I read more for that than anything else. Here are two of my favorites from 2019.
- The Light we Lost by Jill Santopolo. This book sucked me in and I literally read it in one day. This book is about love and loss and is totally believable and heart wrenching. It had all the things that create the perfect story and drew me right in like I was living right along with the characters. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves books that feel real and relatable. But beware, you may cry and for sure you will want to finish it quickly.
- All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood. This book. I’m not even sure where to start. This is another book I read that sucked me in and I couldn’t stop reading until the very end. In fact, I started it one afternoon and read clear through until the wee hours of the next morning. There is no way I was stopping until I knew how it ended. Although I will say that this book is not for the faint of heart. And it isn’t for you if aren’t willing to see the other side of the coin with an open mind. This story felt believable, real, heartbreaking and shocking; but ended with what felt to me rightness and triumph. It moved me to my core.
Those are just a few of the books I read during the last year, all of them transformative in their own ways. There is not one here that I regretted spending time on and highly recommend. If you have read or do read any of these, I’d love to hear what you think. So, comment below or send me a message! Happy reading!
Sherry Parks is a Money Mindset Coach who helps women escape feeling stuck and trapped by their finances, so that they find more joy and wealth for their lives. Check out her 5 Steps to a Better Money Story workbook here. Here’s what people are saying about the workbook. “I am amazed how much insight I got after completing the workbook, I [became] aware of so much!” – Nicole E. “Your workbook is great; I already feel calmer and more in control of my relationship with money!” – Nancy R.
To connect with Sherry, join her women-only Facebook group Lives in Balance
