Self improvement is the theme connecting many of my favorite non-fiction books of 2016. Of course, I also throw a bit of murder and alcoholism into the mix… just to round things out.
I made this list of favorites by looking at which non-fiction books I gave perfect five-star ratings to during 2016. Here are the results.
1. Love Your Life, Not Theirs
In Love Your Life, Not Theirs, Rachel Cruze, who is Dave Ramsey’s daughter, explains in practical terms how to best use your money and create habits that help you live a life that satisfies you instead of constantly comparing your life to others’. I loved this book the first time and am likely to read it again, just to remind myself of the amazing lessons inside.
2. Smart Money, Smart Kids
In Smart Money, Smart Kids, Rachel Cruze gets her Dad’s help in explaining to parents how to teach their kids responsibility with money. We are implementing some of these changes at our house. While it will be difficult for our kids to adjust to initially, the authors explain that the worst thing parents can do for their children’s financial futures is to act like an ATM every time they need money. This book is a must read for any parent. I wish I had read it earlier.
3. Present Over Perfect
While Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist is written through a spiritual lens, it’s a book almost every woman can related to, regardless of her spirituality. The book’s foundation is to live a meaningful life with real connections instead of trying to do everything and be everything to everyone. The story is told through Niequist’s own life experience of realizing that it was time to stop pushing herself so hard and focus on what was really important.
4. Gitchie Girl
Gitchie Girl by Phil and Sandy Hamman is about five teenagers being attacked while hanging out in Gitchie Manitou State Park. But the book really is about the lone surviving woman and her attempt of moving on with her life after being labeled the “Gitchie Girl.” The authors wrote the book through interviews with her after years of silence about the crimes that shaped the rest of her life.
5. The Barefoot Executive
The Barefoot Executive by Carrie Wilkerson was one of those books that inspired me immediately. In the book, Wilkerson tells about her transition from a teacher to a business owner. She helps you answer questions about why you want to work for yourself, what type of business you should have, and how to set goals and be successful. Wilkerson’s advice is easy to understand and apply. Plus, her personality is just relatable, making the book fun to read.
6. The Spiral Notebook
I listened to The Spiral Notebook by Stephen Singular and Joyce Singular after finding the audiobook in the online library. The book explores why America keeps producing mass killers in their 20s. The book uses the July 20, 2012 shootings at the movie theater in Aurora, Colo., as a sort of case study to reflect on mass killings by young people. It also includes interviews by individuals in the age group about why they think people in their peer age group choose to kill. While I didn’t agree with everything I read in The Spiral Notebook, the book certainly was worth reading and considering.
7. The Productivity Project
In The Productivity Project, Chris Bailey spent a year performing personal productivity experiments and interviews with productivity experts to determine what truly makes a person productive. The book documents that year. I didn’t necessarily learn anything new by reading the book, but I’ve read a ton on productivity because it’s a topic that really interests me. What I liked was reading about what Bailey found successful and what he didn’t. I also enjoyed Bailey’s personal writing style. It felt like he was just talking to me about what he’d learned through his experiments.
8. A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy
We never want our children to suffer, but how do you come to terms with it when your child is the one who causes the suffering? Even more, how do you cope with never having seen it coming.
Sue Klebold writes about these issues in A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy. In case you don’t recognize the name, Sue is the mother of Dylan Klebold. Dylan and his friend, Eric Harris, killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded 24 others before killing themselves on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Columbine was the first mass school shooting and remain the worst on record.
Sue writes candidly about her grief, what she thinks about her son’s crimes and what she now knows she missed. I certainly don’t agree with everything Sue wrote in the book, but I feel compassion toward her for having written it and I am forever grateful that it’s not my story to tell.
9. Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget is Sarah Hepola’s candid memoir about her struggle with alcoholism. What first seems like an independent, strong woman becomes recognizable as someone with a sad illness when you read about all of the blank spots in Hepola’s memory. Her addiction resulted in dangerous choices and embarrassing behavior, and that’s just what she can remember or was told. Then Hepola writes honestly about trying repeatedly to force herself to give up drinking, even though she really never wanted to.
When I first started reading this book, it was like a car wreck that I couldn’t look away from. I remember claiming to my husband that I couldn’t believe someone would drink that much and that I had never blacked out. He questioned with astonishment if I had never drank so much that I couldn’t remember parts of an evening or event. Oh…
While many of us haven’t mirrored Hepola’s level of addiction, her story resonates with anyone who has ever drank much more than they should. The book is interesting, sad and, at times, terrifying.
There they are! My nine favorite non-fiction books of 2016. I hope you find something you enjoy on the list.
As always, happy reading!
