From the bookshelf :: 16 brilliant books for 2016

One of my favourite things is sitting down to read. Like many people it's a way to escape but also for me it is one of the best ways to learn and discover more. Taking the time to savour the sculpted journey created by an author's words, absorbing the content, and enjoying the main message from cover to cover is one of my simple pleasures. I fit in reading a book where I can, whether its my 15 minutes during my commute to work on the train or snuggling into a blanket with a cup of chai tea in hand at the end of a busy day at work. I enjoy the moment and I'm trying to make more time for it, especially at weekends.

Over the past year or two I've rediscovered my love of books, last March I wrote a blog post about a few of the books I have been reading and some of them crop up here too. For me at the moment I'm especially loving the raft of personal development and creativity books that I'm finding. I haven't read a novel for quite some time, I love them but I know in time that they will be there waiting for me when I'm in the mood. For now it's all about reading about and discovering more about creativity, development and making changes to life.

I wanted to put together 16 books that I have read (or have re-read) over the past year and share my thoughts on them. I'm not going to review them in a way where I tell you what happens but provide a short summary so that you can make your own discovery of the book and enjoy the process of reading. Grab a cup of tea and let's start...

My Heart Wanders by Pia Jane Pijkerk
I return to this book time and time again when I feel I'm on the cusp of change. The book is about Pia's life, the poignant moments and changes through her life so far. It's a book about 'a celebration of taking risks, letting go, and making a home wherever you are'.  Many of her words about her journey resonated with me, about travel, relationships, preparing to go away from home or move home and deciding what to take, and a feeling that something got lost in the past. Pia's words and journey about getting lost and having to retrace her steps would resonate with anyone who has decided to take a new route. It's a delicious book packed with gorgeous photography and beautifully crafted words that bring comfort and closeness.

Creative Thursday by Marisa Anne
A simple and delightful book about "everyday inspiration to grow your creative practice". I adored this book with its mix of advice and approaches straight from Marisa's heart. Her authentic words and  thoughts on her creative practice are surrounded by her beautiful illustrations and the book feels like an easy and pleasurable read. When you delve in you'll find a wonderfully paced book, with a playful balance of words, photos and illustrations that enables contemplation.

The Artists Way by Julia Cameron
A book doing just what the cover says 'a course in discovering and recovering your creative self'. It's a book that, if you start reading more about creativity, is quoted everywhere. I had this book on my bookshelf for quite a while before taking the time to try it. Rather than working through the book one chapter per week I decided to read it cover to cover to get a feel for what it is all about. For me it took a real push to get through the first few chapters, however I grew to love this book with its simple approach and weekly break down. I think it sparked a few thoughts that took me down a different route, and rather than do the course, I wanted to keep reading. I will return to this book when I want a course in boosting my creativity.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
It is a classic and popular book first published in 1988. Despite its typical motivational book cover design and initial feel I decided to get past this and really got stuck into the content. It is an engaging read and one that needs concentration and time to digest. For me it will be a book I return to in time to re-read throughout my life and become even better acquainted with the habits that are covered. I read it cover to cover and felt a real sense of satisfaction and insight. The model of the 7 Habits that Stephen presents is really insightful and 'begin with the end in mind' is one habit that keeps coming back to me at the moment.

Better than Before by Gretchin Rubin
The book is a follow on book from Gretchen's other books The Happiness Project, being the one book I have read previously. It's a book based on Gretchen's personal insight into how understanding your habits will enable you to make change. Her personal connections to the discoveries, the explanation of how people have expectations that can be grouped into four tendencies, and the pillars of habits were insightful. I feel that this book deserves a follow up read at some point this year for me.

Thrive by Arianna Huffington
This book was one of the first books of last year that I decided to read. Arianna describes her life changing moment that made her take a different view on life and how she has decided to live it. It's a book that is full of research and statistics from a wide range of scientific studies all brought together under the notion of how to make change in your life and make it more fulfilling, with a focus on personal wellbeing and happiness.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
I started by writing 'an incredible book', but that isn't particularly helpful. The deliciously colourful hardback book jacket and the ease of reading this book, meant that I devoured this book over a few sittings. The chatty writing style, honest insights, flowing content is packed with personal experience and for me was a delight to read. The book is one that I will return to and is a book that makes you feel that Elizabeth is there with you telling her story about her creativity and her 'Big Magic' moments.

The Fringe Hours by Jessica N Turner
I adored this book and wrote about it in detail last year in a blog post. The Fringe Hours is about how to find time in the day to do things that you love and how we should aim to focus more time on self-care. Based on research from over 2000 surveys completed by women, the book brings together a collection of ideas, thoughts and quotes from women detailing how they feel about needing time for themselves and how they are using their fringe hours. I adored this book and it made me more aware of pockets of time that I can use in my day, but also highlighted to me what I was already doing in my fringe hours that I had set aside already.

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
Following listening to a podcast about Hal and his story I decided to buy this book. Hal is someone who is full of energy and really inspiring. The Miracle Morning is a short and easily digestible read, starting with how Hal's life changing moment and personal story became a catalyst for change in his life. The concept of the 'miracle morning' and his S.A.V.E.R.S ideas for a morning routine are insightful. I have not yet been totally converted to everyday having a new morning routine but I'm making time to appreciate the different elements of the S.A.V.E.R.S that Hal covers in his book.

Playing Big by Tara Mohr
This book follows on from Tara's step by step leadership programme for women. Playing Big is an in-depth look at how to become more empowered as a woman and how to make changes to be more bold, self confident and 'play big'. The book contains journaling questions at the end of each chapter and helpful chapter summaries making it an approachable read. For me I would like to read this again this year to see what other thoughts I can take from it to help me play big.

The Renaissance Soul - How to make your passions your life by Margaret Lobenstine
It's heart warming to discover a book that you wish you had found a while ago! For me this book went in a direction than I hadn't expected, at last it felt ok to be someone who has multiple interests and passions. This book is packed full of information about how you can thrive on many interests and not feel overwhelmed. Working through a discovery of your own values and practical exercises within the chapters provides a confidence that you can build a life encompassing all your passions. This is another book that I will be dipping back in to later this year.

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
An easy and simple book to read that focuses on how to move beyond a problem that is holding you back from achieving your true potential. In The Big Leap the concept of 'upper limit problem' is discussed as well as moving from a zone of excellence to the zone of genius. It's a book about understanding the personal and hidden barriers we create that stop ourselves from moving forwards. It's a short read but one that provides a different viewpoint on how to move past barriers and move forwards.

The One Thing by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan
This book is one of my favourite books of the past year and I have read it twice and each time found more information and advice that spoke to me. The key statement in the book is to you ask yourself "what's the one thing that I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?". The book encourages you to ask yourself this question across the areas of your life that matter the most to you, for example, work, relationships, health, spirituality, and personal life. It's a book about having a focus on the one thing that you are hoping to achieve, how to work from that thought and how to go about taking small steps to achieve it. There are illustrations throughout the book that help put some of the key concepts into a visual form. I enjoyed reading this book and have littered it with post-it-note tabs highlighting the most insightful key points for me.

Rising Strong by Brene Brown
A book that forms part of Brene's book series that deal with tough subjects, this time it is about fear and failure and how to build a courageous life. It's a book built upon Brene's academic research and her own personal reflections on situations she has had that highlight the key themes discussed in the book. Brene's style is authentic and she is open and brave to put her struggles and thoughts into a book. I found Rising Strong a deeply impactful book which connected to my feelings and experiences across many levels. As the book cover says 'if we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall. This book is about getting back up'. Brene's writing style is engaging and I really enjoyed this book, it has made me want to buy the other two books that she has written that have been hovering on my wishlist for a few years.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
I've had this on my bookshelf for about five years and it took until the end of last year to read it. I had tried to read this book previously but just couldn't connect with the subject. It is a book that for me I would now recommend to others but is a book that for me required quite a lot of concentration and focus to really understand the meaning behind the words and way that the book was structured. I felt I have taken something away from this book but can't quite put it into words at the moment. It's about being present in the current moment and how that can enable you to have a happier and healthier life. It is a short read but one that requires quiet contemplation more than any other book I have read.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
This book is now appearing everywhere I look. I read this book early last year and wrote about it in a blog post. I will openly admit that I have yet to do the full Marie Kondo method of tidying on our home. I have worked through some sets of things in my life, such as some clothes, paperwork and excess belongings that were still in boxes but I haven't quite had the desire to go full blown Marie Kondo on our home. Inside the book Marie writes about the in-depth approaches to tidying and working through clutter, approaching it by category instead of location. The main premise of the book is to hold an item in your hands and see if it "sparks joy" and "speaks to your heart". I think this will be a book that I return to. Many of the ideas about simplifying have stuck in me at the purchasing stage of an item, does this spark joy, if not then I don't buy it.

There you have it, my top 16 books for 2016. I hope these mini insights into these books provides you with a few new non-fiction reads for your 2016 reading list. For me summarising these books has made me want to read them all again and to go back through the exciting journey of each book. I have a list of other books that I plan to start dipping into this year and will let you know how I get on.

From the bookshelf - The Fringe Hours

It's been a busy month! At last on a Bank Holiday Monday I've managed to take a moment to stop and write about a book I mentioned back in March. The Fringe Hours by Jessica N Turner, is a book that I hugely enjoyed, so much so I re-read it again over the past few weeks. I've found this book a guiding hand in helping me make the most of my time. I'm someone who has been using my spare time reasonably well for a while but I am always looking to mix things up and find new ideas, The Fringe Hours has helped me do just that.

The Fringe Hours is about how to find time in the day to do things that you love and how we should focus more time on self-care. The book is based on Jessica's research collated from over 2000 surveys completed by women. It's a collection of ideas, thoughts and quotes from women showing how they feel about needing time for themselves and how they are using their fringe hours.

Using themes from her research and her own methods of finding time, Jessica has written a book that is divided into four parts - Explore, Discover, Maximise and Live Well. The sections work through a set of stages. Firstly exploring why women don’t tend to prioritise self-care, then discovering what we most want to do in our fringe hours, how to find where the fringe hours are within our own lives, how we can work more activities into our day, and finally how to live a more meaningful and well rounded life using our fringe hours.

What stuck with me most powerfully was the definition of the fringe hours... 

“fringe hours are those little pockets of time throughout the day that often go underused or are wasted altogether” p84

The deeper explanation was just beautiful...

“a fringe hour is literally a limited or appointed piece of time that is found in the margins of a day…The primary definition for fringe is something that is decorative. Think about it: fringe typically makes a piece of clothing, an accessory or and object more beautiful. Fringe does the same of life. Activities and passions pursued during the fringe hours make a life more beautiful and the participant feel more alive and more uniquely herself.” p85

On reading this I felt a rush of warm positive feelings and it made me really see the benefits of taking the time to pursue my passions.

Throughout each section of the book there are questions that encourage personal reflection. When I reached these sections I sat and thought about my answers to the questions posed, sometimes taking a minute or two and others thinking more deeply. The chapters are a good length and suited to picking the book up when you can. I read mine on my commute and when I came home from work, both small chunks of time (my fringe hours!) and getting through the book at some pace. 

Over the past few years I've spent time reflecting and have taken time to work through a lot of the concepts covered in the book, mainly about how I wanted to use my spare time and where to invest my energy. The questions in The Fringe Hours provide a really good starting point to enable you to focus on your own thoughts and feelings about your spare time and attitudes, helping you to find your own answers.

I felt a real connection to this book and maybe deep down it is a book that I wished I'd written. I discovered my fringe hours a while ago, fitting in listening to podcasts on my commute to work, finding time to read the many magazines I subscribed to, breaking things down into mini goals, having numerous hobbies and interests, and deciding to create smaller projects to pick up and put down when I fancied. Before I read this book I knew that I needed to find a way to look at my spare time in a different way and to try and fit more in.

What helped me whilst reading the book is how much of a connection I felt to the author. Jessica scrapbooks, reads magazines, crafts and seems to be really busy, however she has found ways to fit things into her day in small chunks to use the most of time. However a key difference is that she is a parent. Initially I wondered if this book was going to be just for women with children but the way that it's written is suitable for all women and suitable for non-parents like myself. The main focus of the book about investing more time on self-care resonates with everyone, and the book really allows you to think about how you can be doing more of what you love. There are parts of the book I feel close to and other areas that don't quite resonate with my life, however overall this book was a boost that I needed to focus once again on my fringe hours. 

The Fringe Hours has made me want to press forward with my goals even more (take a look here if you'd like to read about them). I've recently been looking at my routines and I've started a refreshed journey of how I can use my fringe hours even more effectively to make more time for living a happy and creative life. It's pushed me to start putting my plans into place, making time to action some of the steps needed to move forwards in my life and complete a few things on my to do list each week.

The Fringe Hours is a truly practical, down to earth and honest read. I really adored it and I'd highly recommend it. The Fringe Hours feels like a book that I will always have around on standby to lend to friends, or to be near my bed when I need a motivational push and ideas to help me focus on fitting in more time for the things I love.

From the bookshelf...March - the month of self improvement

Over the past few weeks I have fallen in love with reading books again. I read whenever I can fit it in and recently I've tried to make it a more prominent part of my daily routine. I read whilst travelling to work by train, when I get home instead of watching TV, and I try to read before I go to bed to take my head away from screen time. I thought it may be great to tell you about the books I currently have by my bed that I've recently discovered.

You may have noticed by the titles of these books that they are about self-improvement. My collection of these types of books seems to grow each year and many that I have read have led to profound changes in how I see and do things, sometimes bringing about a shift change in my life. I enjoy reading the ideas, approaches and tips and trying to apply what I've read and see if it fits with me and my life. Some of them help me work through things on my mind, and others inspire and deliver great ideas and concepts to weave into my life. I'm always looking to expand my skills and learn new things so these books provide a great way of doing this. I enjoy finding different ways of thinking, hearing about different perspectives, and expanding the way I understand the world and how we as humans deal with what life throws in our path.

In the past month or so I've read a number of books...let me tell you a little bit about them:

The One Thing - The surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, is about asking yourself, "what's the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?". It encourages you to ask yourself this question across the areas of your life that matter the most for you, so for example work, relationships, health, spirituality, personal life etc. It's about looking at the one thing you are hoping to achieve and working backwards from that, giving you a certain level of focus to reach your goal. It's about taking small steps. When I read the book it came at a particular time for me when I really needed it, it gave me a great focus on a few areas of my life. I found that by asking myself the question in these areas it has turned a few things round for me and has got me closer to finding a path to results. It's a book I plan to re-read and pick up frequently, so it's not going onto the bookshelf, I'm leaving it firmly next to my bed so I can pick it up and refresh myself. Having the book out will be a daily reminder for me to think about 'what is my one thing?'. I will dive in deeper and work with this book over the next few months so keep an eye out if I mention it again.

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks is a book about moving beyond a problem that is holding you back from achieving your true potential, in the book it's called your 'upper limit problem'. The book is all about making a big leap, and understanding the personal and hidden barriers we create that stop ourselves from moving forwards. The book talks about making a move from the zone of excellence and to the zone of genius. For me this book didn't have as much impact as The One Thing, but it certainly highlighted a few takeaways for me that I will take time to think about and implement where I can. It is probably a book I will return to in a few months to see if there are any new takeaways.

The life changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo has been one of the books that I've most recently finished reading. The book was recommended to me by my friend Ruth (thank you lovely!) who told me about it after commenting about my blog post about Simplify, my One Little Word for the year. I was intrigued by a book like this and popped it on my wish list. Soon after Ruth's recommendation the book started cropping up across blog land too, so it seems to be a book of the moment. It's a pretty little hardback book with a gorgeous cover, inside the book talks through in depth the approaches to tidying and working through clutter, approaching it by category instead of location. I wasn't too sure about the main premise of the book at first but upon finishing the book I decided that I wanted to attempt the methodology that Marie Kondo uses to simplify her belongings. The main method of sorting through belongings is to hold the item in your hands and see if it "sparks joy" and "speaks to your heart",  if it doesn't then you have to discard it. From her experience you have to start with clothes, then books, paper, miscellaneous then mementos. I got my first taste of it last weekend when I decorated our spare room and when putting my clothes back into the wardrobe I started to see how I felt about the items I had...it was great to make a start but want to dedicate more time to really focusing on this. I'm sure I'll be telling you more about the book as I use it this year to simplify our home.

Another book that I've also recently finished reading is The Fringe Hours, it arrived mid-week and four days later I had finished reading it. I whipped through it and couldn't put it down. I'm pretty excited about this book and will be telling you more about this book in a few weeks in a short book review. I'm love it, perhaps it's because I smiled so much reading this book. I feel a huge connection to the author in many ways and I already seem to be using the 'fringe hours' in my life. Despite seeing how I already have started to fit things into my fringe hours, the book has still helped a little with a few take away ideas. It's the book I wish I'd written!

The final book is Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. The book is a collection of short inspirational essays, one for every day of the year. It's a beautiful read and many of the essays spark daily reflection for me. It will take me the year to read as I'm taking it day by day and I'm enjoying the slow reflective routine that I've started by reading this book. Already I've felt inspired and am really enjoying it.

I have a few more books on order arriving soon and have started reading The Art of Happiness by HH Dalai Lama and Howard C Cutler, which I'm very much enjoying but I'll tell you about these when I'm finished reading them!

I always love finding out what people are reading. Have you got any recommendations of books that you think I may like?

From the bookshelf...

Reading hardback non-fiction books is one of my favourite things to do to relax and clear my head after a busy day. It has been a while since I've made the time or had the energy to do something I really love after work. I wanted to change that so over the past few weeks I've made it a goal of mine to make a conscious effort to ensure that I make time after work to sit, relax and do something I love undisturbed for 20 minutes or so a few times a week. For me this has meant making time to read an inspiring book related to my interests. I've made an effort to leave work on time a select few days a week, get home and sort out the most important tasks around our home, and then, armed with a rooibos tea, I've sat and read a few pages of a book. I've really enjoyed it!

I bought the book Making a House Your Home - The Essential Guide to Modern Day Homemaking by Clare Nolan, a few years ago. It was recommended to me by Mr C's sister who thought I'd really love it. I've had it on my shelf for quite sometime and have dipped in and out of it but only recently I decided that I wanted to read it from cover to cover to get some inspiration and homemaking tips. Having just moved into a new home Mr C and I now have a new space to make our own and I wanted to have a fresh set of ideas to really help me think about how we wanted our home to feel.

I would highly recommend adding this book to your list of must reads if you love homemaking and interiors. It's the book that I would've loved to have conceptualised and written. It's jam packed with interiors tips and home lifestyle advice about making a house into a personalised home. There are lots of lovely photos, a great use colour, plenty of content to read and a great feel to the flow of the book. I'm half the way through at the moment and I'm especially enjoying working through the chapters one by one and picking up ideas that resonate with me. It's not just a room by room decorating book, it's a book about living a great life in your home too. 

Here are a few pages showing the lovely photography...

the great ideas....

and the fresh design.

I'm so pleased that I'm back on track with making time in my week to do things that I love. Having a goal in place to read a book related to my interests after work is bringing me energy that I forgot I had! Having 20 minutes or so of time built into my routine, to snuggle under a blanket, light a candle, make a calming cup of tea, and listen to the autumnal rain and wind outside, whilst reading my book, has done wonders for my soul. I've managed to relax, do something I love and achieve something for me after a busy day at work. It's a small step closer to a bigger goal I have, however doing something small during the week is enabling me to feel and see that my weekdays are more than just about my day job and work.

If you feel like building in some time for you after a busy day and want to enjoy something related to your hobbies and interests, don't forget about your bookshelf. Re-aquaint yourself with a book that you love or have once loved and enjoy taking a few minutes to relax after your day and get inspired.