My Top Non-Fiction Books From 2020
The ones that helped me overcome
Photo by Robert Norton on Unsplash
In a few days, we will finally call this the year that was. The new year is starting and bookworms like you and me will be updating our book lists.
When we look at books we’ve read, we see patterns, relive the experience, and remember the lessons.
What do you see when you look at yours?
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This was my list from 2019. Here are the best books I read this year.
Wintering by Katherine Kay
I randomly purchased this book after I saw it posted on Elizabeth Gilbert’s Instagram page. Timely, appropriate, and exactly what I needed. I took it with me on a solitary vacation to a faraway farm.
Nature gave us winter — cold and darkness — for a reason. Never have I seen it before as a gift until I found this book.
Get the book here.
Screenshot from Elizabeth Gilbert's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabeth_gilbert_writer
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Mari Kondo
There’s no other book that encouraged me to look at the items I own more than this book.
You will learn new ways of seeing and taking care of your possessions, the author’s lifestyle (she IS a neat freak), and simple ways of organizing without spending.
I wrote more about this book here. Get the book here.
Why We Sleep: Unlocking The Power Of Sleep And Dreams by Matthew Walker
This book made me realize how extremely important sleep is to be healthy today and in the future.
Walker says, ‘Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day’.
It’s Mother Nature’s gift to restore us. While we sleep, our brains come up with solutions, our bodies heal. Even our emotional baggage is sorted out.
Sleep is amazing so don’t miss it. Get the book here.
What I Think About When I Think About Running by Haruki Murakami
Reading this book feels a lot like running on the main road for an hour and turning right to a spectacular sunset that’s worthy of slowing down.
Get the book here.
Words by Murakami. Screenshot by the author.
Everything Is Fucked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson
My favorite lesson from this book is about being human.
According to Manson, the only and the best way to live our short lives here on earth is to constantly strive for growth. To improve. To live with integrity. To tell the truth. To respect others.
He tells us, ‘Don’t hope for a better life. Be a better life.’
Get the book here.
Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki
Throw it away, sell it, donate it. Sounds simple but the execution is not that easy.
We are attached to our things. They represent us. They show people who we are and who we were. Sasaki says when we let all of these go, that’s when we get to know our real selves and step into a better, much less complicated life.
I wrote more about this in this list of minimalism books here. Get the book here.
The Simple Guide To A Minimalist Life by Leo Babauta
In each chapter, you will find Leo’s advice on going minimal on finances, files, travel, and other important aspects of our day-to-day lives. They’re practical, doable, and worth trying out.
He quoted Socrates who said, ‘The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.
Get the book here.
If the books we read tell us about our patterns, experiences, lessons, this year was all about simplifying and resting. Not about productivity and doing more.
This year is about giving time to what’s important to the body, the self, and making space. I look forward to seeing what the 2021 book list brings.
What are your favorite non-fiction books of 2020? Share them in your comments!
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