Nyakeh Rogers
Highlights
These were all brilliant five star reads for me.
I wanted a place to spotlight the books whose incredible characters, writing, and ideas deserve a round of applause.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
by Charlie Mackesy
Beautiful. This quiet and poetic little story never fails to spark joy as I have read and re-read it a few times this year. One of a growing list of gems I cant wait to share with my future children, nieces and nephews.
The Last Kingdom
by Bernard Cornwell
A captivating story of revenge, loyalty, fate, and family. I had previously watched the TV show, which helped me visualise the large cast of characters. Destiny is all.
The Psychology of Money
by Morgan Housel
This is the rare achievement of a book that is both an enjoyable and engaging story to read, as well as teaching me things about how the brain works that I've followed up with actions that will improve my life today and years down the line.
In Defense of Food
by Michael Pollan
Pollan is a genius. My gateway into his insights was the well composed Netflix documentary Cooked. Since then i've read three of his books (Food Rules, The Omnivore's Dilemma) with this being by far my favourite.
Dune
by Frank Herbert
Herbert takes his time building a huge universe in this sci-fi classic. I spent the first third of the book confused as to the large casts motives and where this was leading them. Then a single betrayal focuses the story and drew me into a more personal story of growth and revenge.
We Should All Be Feminists
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This book is tiny, but it packs a punch. With a mix of logical and emotive stories and personal experiances opened my eyes to a different perspective.
Twelve Years a Slave
by Solomon Northup
A detailed and chilling memoir that carries you along on Solomon's journey through the American slave trade.
The Year Of Less
by Cait Flanders
I really connected with Cait's story as she opens up about the experiance of giving up shopping as a proxy to taking control of her life. Becoming a person that defines how to live their life, instead of reacting to and accomodating the people around them.
The Dip
by Seth Godin
This tiny book manages to condense alot of wisdom and life experience into 76 pages. “The next time you catch yourself being average when you feel like quitting, realize that you have only two good choices: Quit or be exceptional. Average is for losers.” — Seth Godin
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
by Marie Kondo
Binge-watching her TV series introduced me to the kon-mari method, highlighting that the steps aren't as extreme as what I had previously perceived from articles reviewing the book. This book held my hand as I improved my home and provided a vocabulary and system around enjoying and sometimes letting go of my stuff.