Don’t get me wrong, I love reading books. I enjoy pausing on every word, visualizing, and enjoying a quiet moment. But on the flip side, I work 8 hour days with a 40-minute commute home, meaning the majority of the day, I can’t have a book in my hand. Enter audiobooks to save the day.
Audiobooks allow me to ingest books while being able to work or drive. While I don’t enjoy listening to dense, lyrical books in audio form, I can appreciate a good self-help book or memoir.
In honor of the new year, I want to share 10 books that are on my “listen to” list. Obviously, you can read these as well, but I’m planning on using Audible or my local library to listen to these.
Girl, Wash Your Face is my first intended to listen for this year (aka I already have it downloaded and ready). The premise of this book is to debunk all the lies we tell ourselves, so we can reach our full potential. According to the book summary, “Rachel exposes 20 lies and misconceptions that too often hold us back from living joyfully and productively, lies we’ve told ourselves so often we don’t even hear them anymore.”
I’ve heard great things about this book and I think it is the perfect book to start 2019 off right with.
You Are a Badass contains related topics to Girl, Wash Your Face, but I have had this on my reading list for so long, that I am determined to listen to it in 2019. I’ve also heard a lot of great things about this book. I believe it will make a good listen to provide motivation while I’m at work.
Audiobooks allow me to ingest books while being able to work or drive. While I don’t enjoy listening to dense, lyrical books in audio form, I can appreciate a good self-help book or memoir.
In honor of the new year, I want to share 10 books that are on my “listen to” list. Obviously, you can read these as well, but I’m planning on using Audible or my local library to listen to these.
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
Girl, Wash Your Face is my first intended to listen for this year (aka I already have it downloaded and ready). The premise of this book is to debunk all the lies we tell ourselves, so we can reach our full potential. According to the book summary, “Rachel exposes 20 lies and misconceptions that too often hold us back from living joyfully and productively, lies we’ve told ourselves so often we don’t even hear them anymore.”
I’ve heard great things about this book and I think it is the perfect book to start 2019 off right with.
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
You Are a Badass contains related topics to Girl, Wash Your Face, but I have had this on my reading list for so long, that I am determined to listen to it in 2019. I’ve also heard a lot of great things about this book. I believe it will make a good listen to provide motivation while I’m at work.
According to the book summary, “Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bite-sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to: Identify and change self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors.”
One of my favorite YouTubers, Brittney Vasseur talked about The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck in one of her YouTube videos which made me intrigued. Since then, I have seen this book at every bookstore on display. I’ve picked it up a few times, but decided I would buy it next time. Well, this year is the year to listen to this book. Mainly because I want to learn how to not give a f*ck.
Unlike most self-help books, this book summary says, “Manson makes the argument, backed by both academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited - "not everybody can be extraordinary; there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault". Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.”
I have been a subscriber to Anna Akana’s YouTube channel for 5+ years, so when she came out with a collection of essays, it immediately went on my to-read list. When I found out Akana was narrating the audiobook version, I was sold on listening to it.
The book summary says “Anna opens up about her own struggles with poor self-esteem and reveals both the highs and lows of coming of age. She offers fresh, funny, hard-won advice for young women on everything from self-care to money to sex.”
Akana lost her teen sister to suicide, so I’m sure there will be some sad moments in this book, but knowing what I know about Akana’s other content, I can’t imagine this book being anything but great.
I absolutely loved listening to Eat, Pray, Love, so it only makes sense for me to continue my journey with Elizabeth Gilbert in Committed. Committed follows Gilberts love saga with Felipe, a man she fell in love with Eat, Pray, Love. They swore to never get legally married due to past divorces, but when Felipe is detained at an American border crossing, they are only left with one choice.
You ever know when a book has to be good? I can feel in my bones this is going to be great, especially since it is narrated by Gilbert herself. This book is also already downloaded and on deck after Girl, Wash Your Face.
I always like a good memoir, if you can’t tell. I’ve seen Becoming get good reviews on Amazon and it has a lot of buzz around it. Since it is actually narrated by Michelle Obama, I thought I would give it a try. I find memoirs and self-improvement books that are narrated by the author are way better than having a random narrator on the audiobook.
The book summary claims, “Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years balancing motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address.”
Let be real, the movie trailer did this. After watching the movie trailer, I knew I wanted to read The Hate U Give. I feel like it is a story that needs to be heard by everyone. This book is not narrated by the author, but the sample of the narrator sounded decent.
If you haven’t watched the movie, “Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hand of a police officer.”
I’ve had Blood and Water on my to-read list for a while since Briana Morgan is an indie author and I knew her from my freshman year of college. Since I’ve haven’t had time to read this, I was excited when I saw Morgan had an audiobook version. This book is also free if you have KindleUnlimited.
According to the book summary, “Seventeen-year-old Jay Harris lives in a world struck down by a deadly virus. His parents are dead, along with half the planet. When Jay’s sister Maia falls ill, he must find a cure before he loses her, too. But unbeknownst to Maia, Jay is also sick...and he’s running out of time to save them both.”
Along the same lines as Blood and Water, I’ve had Reflections on my list to read since it came out. I really want to support an indie author, so I’ve decided to listen to this book instead. You can also get this book for free if you have KindleUnlimited.
The book summary states, “Ramachandra ‘Rama’ Ganeshan wants nothing more than to avoid dressing rooms for the rest of her life. After a brutal assault destroys her confidence and self-esteem, she yearns to be someone else...someone pretty, popular, and loved—until multiple girls in town are found murdered.
I can’t wait to read Briana Morgan’s work. I’m trying to make an effort to read more indie authors and I believe this is a good place to start.
I recently have been interested to learn more about the spiritual side of self-improvement. One of my favorite YouTubers is Kayln Nicholson (I talk about her podcast here). She read and loved
Sacred Powers: The Five Secrets to Awakening Transformation, so I wanted to give it a listen. From what I heard this book is dense, so this may be a listen and read, but it will be nice to get a preview of concepts by listening to the audiobook first.
The book summary says, “When life presents you with a critical crossroads, which way do you turn? Award-winning author of Secrets of Meditation and destressifying, meditation teacher, and stress management expert Davidji offers his five time-tested secrets to awakening transformation so you can ground yourself, gain clarity, make life-affirming decisions, step into your power, own your impact, and soar!”
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
One of my favorite YouTubers, Brittney Vasseur talked about The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck in one of her YouTube videos which made me intrigued. Since then, I have seen this book at every bookstore on display. I’ve picked it up a few times, but decided I would buy it next time. Well, this year is the year to listen to this book. Mainly because I want to learn how to not give a f*ck.
Unlike most self-help books, this book summary says, “Manson makes the argument, backed by both academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited - "not everybody can be extraordinary; there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault". Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.”
So Much I Want to Tell You: Letters to My Little Sister by Anna Akana
I have been a subscriber to Anna Akana’s YouTube channel for 5+ years, so when she came out with a collection of essays, it immediately went on my to-read list. When I found out Akana was narrating the audiobook version, I was sold on listening to it.
The book summary says “Anna opens up about her own struggles with poor self-esteem and reveals both the highs and lows of coming of age. She offers fresh, funny, hard-won advice for young women on everything from self-care to money to sex.”
Akana lost her teen sister to suicide, so I’m sure there will be some sad moments in this book, but knowing what I know about Akana’s other content, I can’t imagine this book being anything but great.
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
I absolutely loved listening to Eat, Pray, Love, so it only makes sense for me to continue my journey with Elizabeth Gilbert in Committed. Committed follows Gilberts love saga with Felipe, a man she fell in love with Eat, Pray, Love. They swore to never get legally married due to past divorces, but when Felipe is detained at an American border crossing, they are only left with one choice.
You ever know when a book has to be good? I can feel in my bones this is going to be great, especially since it is narrated by Gilbert herself. This book is also already downloaded and on deck after Girl, Wash Your Face.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
I always like a good memoir, if you can’t tell. I’ve seen Becoming get good reviews on Amazon and it has a lot of buzz around it. Since it is actually narrated by Michelle Obama, I thought I would give it a try. I find memoirs and self-improvement books that are narrated by the author are way better than having a random narrator on the audiobook.
The book summary claims, “Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years balancing motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address.”
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Let be real, the movie trailer did this. After watching the movie trailer, I knew I wanted to read The Hate U Give. I feel like it is a story that needs to be heard by everyone. This book is not narrated by the author, but the sample of the narrator sounded decent.
If you haven’t watched the movie, “Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hand of a police officer.”
Blood and Water by Briana Morgan
I’ve had Blood and Water on my to-read list for a while since Briana Morgan is an indie author and I knew her from my freshman year of college. Since I’ve haven’t had time to read this, I was excited when I saw Morgan had an audiobook version. This book is also free if you have KindleUnlimited.
According to the book summary, “Seventeen-year-old Jay Harris lives in a world struck down by a deadly virus. His parents are dead, along with half the planet. When Jay’s sister Maia falls ill, he must find a cure before he loses her, too. But unbeknownst to Maia, Jay is also sick...and he’s running out of time to save them both.”
Reflections by Briana Morgan
Along the same lines as Blood and Water, I’ve had Reflections on my list to read since it came out. I really want to support an indie author, so I’ve decided to listen to this book instead. You can also get this book for free if you have KindleUnlimited.
The book summary states, “Ramachandra ‘Rama’ Ganeshan wants nothing more than to avoid dressing rooms for the rest of her life. After a brutal assault destroys her confidence and self-esteem, she yearns to be someone else...someone pretty, popular, and loved—until multiple girls in town are found murdered.
I can’t wait to read Briana Morgan’s work. I’m trying to make an effort to read more indie authors and I believe this is a good place to start.
Sacred Powers: The Five Secrets to Awakening Transformation by Davidji
I recently have been interested to learn more about the spiritual side of self-improvement. One of my favorite YouTubers is Kayln Nicholson (I talk about her podcast here). She read and loved
Sacred Powers: The Five Secrets to Awakening Transformation, so I wanted to give it a listen. From what I heard this book is dense, so this may be a listen and read, but it will be nice to get a preview of concepts by listening to the audiobook first.
The book summary says, “When life presents you with a critical crossroads, which way do you turn? Award-winning author of Secrets of Meditation and destressifying, meditation teacher, and stress management expert Davidji offers his five time-tested secrets to awakening transformation so you can ground yourself, gain clarity, make life-affirming decisions, step into your power, own your impact, and soar!”
I hope you enjoyed this roundup of books I'm interested in lsitening to this year. Let me know in the comments below if you have already read one of these books, or which one you are most interested in!
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