Beauty and wisdom: my favorite books of 2019
Conscious leaders are curious and open — to new ways of doing things, new ways of seeing the world, and new ways of being. That means they’re always reading books. There’s nothing like tapping into an author’s words to develop our wisdom, intelligence, perspective, and empathy.
I read 85 books in 2019. They’re an eclectic mix of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, including many books about leadership development. How did I read so much, especially during a year in which I began a new business? I make it a priority in my life. I read in bed, on the couch, in an armchair in my office, and at the meal table (when I’m alone). When I drive, I usually have an audiobook or podcast going. I don’t watch much television anymore, and I don’t really miss it because I’ve learned so much from the books I’ve read.
I also make space for quiet in between reading, so I can process all that I’m taking in. It’s in those moments of stillness that I draw connections between the things I’m reading and make the ideas new.
Below are my favorite books that I read last year. You can check out my full list on Goodreads and follow me for future recommendations.
What did you love that I should read in 2020?
Nonfiction
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, by Jim Dethmer and Diana Carlson
The Art of Gathering, by Priya Parker
The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
The Art of Stillness, by Pico Iyer
The Big Leap, by Gay Hendricks
The Book of Joy, by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
The Coaching Habit, by Michael Bungay Stanier
Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport
More Than Enough, by Elaine Welteroth
Stamped from the Beginning, by Ibram X. Kendi
The Uninhabitable Earth, by David Wallace-Wells
Literature
An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones
Bright Dead Things, by Ada Limon
City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Disappearing Earth, by Julia Phillips
Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff
The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai
The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead
On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong
Salt, by Nayyirah Waheed
Spring, by Karl Ove Knausgaard
There There, by Tommy Orange