I often joke that reading is my superpower. It is incredibly difficult for me to save a book for more than one sitting. Most of the time I inhale and then go back and re-read, taking cliff notes on my favorite parts. As a kid I really struggled with reading until about the third grade. I would come home in tears telling my mom it just didn't make sense. In third grade something finally clicked (thank you phonetics) and I became unstoppable! We had a summer reading program and for every ten or so books you read you received a TCBY ice cream cone. Ya'll I got crazy for that white chocolate mousse. Within the year I went from barely getting by in class, to reading at a fifth grade level. By the end of elementary school I was reading at a twelfth grade mastery.

All that to say, if you have kids, definitely bribe them to read! It's a skill set that is incredibly helpful in so many arenas of life. I've found reading challenges your mind, worldview, expands your perspective, and kinda makes you an all around better human being. Although I tend to be drawn most to poetry, personal growth, neuroscience, personality/HSP studies, I can find something I thoroughly appreciate in just about every genre.

I work in a field with quite a lot of trauma (anti-trafficking / human rights) and wanted to spend some time in 2017 to grow in my understanding of how the mind, body, and spirit are impacted by trauma, as well as what modalities are available for healing. I read quite a bit less this year than in previous years. Which is ok, sometimes you need to take it a little slower for absorption and the rhythm of the season of life you are in. 

I hope you had some great reads in 2017 and that you are challenging yourself with new goals and new perspectives in 2018! 

1.     Braving the Wilderness-  Brene Brown
2.    Hallelujah Anyway-  Anne Lammot
3.    The Sun and Her Flowers- Rupi Kuar
4.    Milk & Honey - Rupi Kuar
5.    Unseen - Sara Hagerty
6.    Little Book of Hygge – Meik Wiking
7.     Brave Enough- Cheryl Strayed
8.    You Are A Badass – Jen Sincero
9.    Essentialism – Greg Mckeown
10.   Keep your Love On - Danny Silk
11.    The Best Yes - Lisa TerKeurst
12.   Carry On Warrior - Glennon Doyle Melton
13.    Immortal Diamond- Richard Rohr
14.   The Blessed Life - Robert Morris
15.    The Power of TED – David Emerald
16.    Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg
17.     Go Small – Craig Gross
18.    Asking For It - Kate Harding
19.    The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
20.   Authentic Human Sexuality – Balswick & Balswick
21.    Upstream - Mary Oliver
22.   Invisible Influence – Jonah Berger