My Favourite Books Of 2021

I started off the festive season strong, but as the days passed, with gatherings, so much family time, eating, drinking and being merry (oh, my delicate HSP nervous system)…my spirit and well-being has slowly waned.

There is nothing like spending time with family to dredge up all the gunk that still needs to be healed within yourself.

It’s not even New Year’s yet and I have a headache.

AND I have a lisp.

(I burnt my tongue tasting some hot soup straight from the pot and now have a sore in its place the size of Texas.)

Maybe it’s a combination of it all: Contemplating how I spent 2021, who I would like to be in 2022 and what steps I will need to get there, PLUS holiday overwhelm…the gatherings, the crowds, the presents that are well-intentioned, but not all of which I am sure are entirely appropriate for a two year old (think: a plastic military helicopter that stores police cars decked out in riot gear)…let alone any child. All gifted in good spirits, but a sore to my eyes and heart. It makes me wonder if Christmas = an opportunity to de-sensitise children to mass consumerism, violence, and domination culture conditioning. And, poof, just like that the magic of the season is gone. Bah humbug!

Alas, I emerge from the festive season scathed, resembling the Grinch, with a scowl and a monotone response to all those who cross my path. 

I’ve very recently started working with financial coach and wealth therapist Barbara Huson. I’m processing our most recent (and first) session, which seemed to have stirred the pot. I’m eagerly awaiting the next. I’m flummoxed with just how I’m going to go about the next year. I take these things, like resolutions, very seriously. Maybe almost too seriously. Maybe that’s part of the problem.

In any case, I’ve decided to take my own advice from my previous blog post and have started journaling furiously—leaving my journal out around the house for easy access, so I can grab it when a free moment becomes available and scribble down my thoughts. I’ve booked in a craniosacral session with my go-to therapist, and a massage later in the week. ‘Tis the season for self-care indeed. 

In addition to all that, I thought it would be a fun and reflective exercise to tally all the books I read this past year…to see the things that interest(ed) me, that I’ve focused on, been inspired by and enjoyed. I was astonished by the number, although to some it may not seem like many to you bookworms out there. I’m not sure if its motherhood, the current phase of life I’m in, an outcome of pandemic life, just part of who I am (always curious), or all of the above. I’ve always been a voracious reader since a young age, and have now become somewhat of a speed reader, too. Thank you to my trusty Kindle for making this all possible!

Well, go on. Give it a guess.

Drumroll, please!

I read 41 books in 2021! 

I’ve categorised them to get a picture of where my energy has been focused this past year. They’re mostly parenthood and trauma-related books. There are also a lot of money mindset books as I’ve been determined to prioritise my financial health. There are a few novels in the mix, too. (I didn’t include the books that are partially completed, only the ones that I finished.)

How many books did you read in 2021? What were your favourites and why? Please share and I will make sure to check them out.

The complete list is below and I’ve highlighted my top reads of the year: The ones I found most significant, impactful, enlightening and entertaining. Enjoy!

Blessings for the end of the year and 2022!

Much love,
Lia


The 41 Books I Read in 2021 

The titles highlighted in bold are highly recommended.

On Parenting

1) The Highly Sensitive Parent: Be Brilliant in Your Role, Even When the World Overwhelms You, Elaine Aron

2) The Highly Sensitive Child: Helping Our Children Thrive When the World Overwhelms Them, Elaine Aron

3) Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent, Iris Chen

4) The Aware Baby, Aletha Solter, Ph. D. | Enlightening in terms of understanding the needs of babies: From hunger cues, sleep, stimulation to supporting the prevention and healing from stress and trauma. This book got me started on my journey to becoming an Aware Parenting Instructor!

5) Tears & Tantrums, Aletha Solter, Ph. D. | Such an important read to understanding emotions, physiology and how to support children in not only preventing, but healing from stress and trauma.

6) Raising Drug-Free Kids, Aletha Solter, Ph. D.

7) Attachment Play, Aletha Solter, Ph. D.

8) Cooperative and Connected, Aletha Solter, Ph. D. | This really shifted my paradigm with regards to democratic parenting: How to parent without the use of punishments and rewards, and how to get everyone’s needs met. It is possible! A must-read for any parent out there who doesn’t resonate with coercion, or using punishments and rewards to elicit cooperation.

9) Trauma-Proofing Your Kids: A Parents' Guide for Instilling Confidence, Joy and Resilience, Peter A. Levine, Ph. D., Maggie Kline


ON TRAUMA & Sensitivity

10) Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body, Peter A. Levine, Ph. D.

11) Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, Peter A. Levine, Ph. D. | Wowzers. This book was mind-blowing. A deep dive into understanding trauma. It’s opened my eyes to just what sensitive and resilient creatures we humans are and given me a whole new perspective on understanding trauma. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand why trauma-informed anything (education, healthcare, medical system, etc.) is so important!

12) The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, Elaine Aron, Ph. D.

13) Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism, Stanley Rosenberg, Stephen W. Porges, Benjamin Shield | The vagus nerve is fascinating to me and this book explains it in such a way that’s been beneficial for my kinesiology practice. I regularly use these exercises myself and also with my clients.

14) The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology)

ON MONEY MINDSET

15) Sacred Success: A Course in Financial Miracles, Barbara Stanny

16) Secrets of Six-Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life, Barbara Stanny

17) Overcoming Underearning(TM): A Simple Guide to a Richer Life, Barbara Stanny | I’ve read a lot of money mindset books in my time and this one really hit the nail on the head for me. Why? Barbara Huson (formerly Stanny) links our beliefs around money, and ultimately our own power, to not only cultural conditioning but childhood and unhealed trauma.

18) Money: A Love Story: Untangle Your Financial Woes and Create the Life You Really Want, Kate Northrup

19) Chillpreneur: The New Rules for Creating Success, Freedom, and Abundance on Your Terms, Denise Duffield Thomas

20) Get Rich, Lucky Bitch: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First-Class Life, Denise Duffield Thomas

21) How To Be Wildly Wealthy FAST: A Powerful Guide For Women To Attract Unlimited Abundance Today!, Sandy Forster


Spirituality, Self-Discovery, Memoir

22) Untamed, Glennon Doyle | Such a brilliant and inspiring read reminding us that we are goddamn cheetahs. See previous blog post on how I adore this book here.

23) Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live, Martha Beck

24) Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the Life You Want, Martha Beck

25) The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self, Martha Beck | Martha Beck shares her personal journey, while also juxtaposing Dante’s The Divine Comedy, to support you —it is brilliant, beautifully written, touching and inspiring. I couldn’t put it down. This is my favourite out of all her books.

26) A Mind at Home with Itself: How Asking Four Questions Can Free Your Mind, Open Your Heart, and Turn Your World Around, Byron Katie, Stephen Mitchell | This book illuminates one of the most profound Buddhist texts, The Diamond Sutra, using Katie’s system of inquiry to liberate us from painful thoughts. I will definitely be re-reading this in 2022.

27) Loving What Is, Byron Katie | Katie’s book saved me this year. Now when I found myself suffering with painful thoughts I grab my phone, laptop or journal and start writing—and running those thoughts through the Four Questions. It’s helped to soften my judgments and perspective.



ON BUSINESS, CAREER, PURPOSE

28) Align + Attract: Align Your Energy to Create a Business you Actually Love, Kerry Rowett | I’ve been a fan of fellow kinesiologist Kerry Rowett for quite some time now having had a few kinesiology sessions with her in addition to being part of her Align + Attract group program. This book is relatable and easy to read with useful affirmations and prompts to keep you on track.

29) Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert

30) Body of Work, Pamela Slim

31) Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day, Todd Henry

32) Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Ambitious Women, Kate Northrup

33) Your Stand Is Your Brand: How Deciding Who to Be (NOT What to Do) Will Revolutionize Your Business, Patrick Gentempo

34) The Impact Equation: Are You Making Things Happen or Just Making Noise? Chris Brogan, Julien Stanwell Smith

35) Hiding in the Bathroom: How to Get Out There When You'd Rather Stay Home, Morra Aarons-Mele


FICTION

36) Tokyo Ever After, Emiko Jean

37) Fault Lines: A Novel, Emily Itami | Probably the novel I enjoyed the most this year! I loved having Itami’s words wash over me. It’s a story about love, motherhood, relationships and life in Tokyo. It’s beautifully written and I was hooked—I finished it in one (sleepless) night.

38) Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Book 3), Jenny Han

39) P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Book 2), Jenny Han

40) To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Jenny Han


NUTRITION

41) Women, Food, And Hormones: A 4-Week Plan to Achieve Hormonal Balance, Lose Weight, and Feel Like Yourself Again, Sara Gottfried, M.D. | The ketogenic diet is something I’ve done on and off for several years now and it’s always worked well for me. After I gave birth, I tried going back on it again and something wasn’t the same. Dr. Gottfried explains this low carb diet taking into account women’s hormones and it made so much sense to me, especially with regards to detoxification and as helped with regulating my digestion, which I’ve struggled with since giving birth. I’ll be doing the Gottfried Protocol starting in January!