2023 Book Review Wrap Up
I had the opportunity to read 10 books for the Forward Fitness book reviews this year. As in years past I thought I would end the year with looking back at these books and deciding which ones were my favorites. Over the course of the year I read Rising Strong by Brene Brown, Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness, The Science of Getting Started by Patrick King, The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink, Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, Think Again by Adam Grant, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubins, The Undeniable Power of Movement by Nicole Mott, Move by Caroline Williams and Deep Listening by Jillian Pransky.
This list was easy to separate into 5 that I enjoyed the most and would recommend and 5 that were good to not so great. So, let’s start with the ones that didn’t work so well for me and move our way up.
10. The Science of Getting Started: Since I’m writing this final book review of the year the morning that I need to have it done for the newsletter, clearly, I learned nothing from this book. Actually, that’s a little harsh. The book did have some good ideas, just nothing new or earth shattering.
9. The Undeniable Power of Movement: Much like The Science of Getting Started, I just didn’t feel like this book offered me any new points of view and felt way too much like an infomercial for the author’s business.
8. The Power of Regret: I really hate that this book fell so low on the overall list for me. I really enjoy Daniel Pink. I follow him on SM and get his newsletter. I’m not sure what I was hoping for with this book, but it just didn’t hit quite right for me. I think there may have been more business type emphasis in the book than I was expecting, making the book less relevant for me personally.
7. Peak Performance: I liked this book. It has some good stories. The focus of this book was sports performance, and I would recommend it, if you are looking for a book in that genre.
6. Move: Like Peak Performance I did like this book. I thought it has some good ideas on how and why to incorporate more movement into your life. I would recommend this one as well, it just wasn’t one of my top 5.
Now on to the top 5.
5. Can’t Hurt Me: There is no denying that David Goggins is a bad ass. If you are looking for some motivation, then you really should read or listen to this book. I did both and recommend the audio version. This book really shows the truth in the saying that “your mind gives up before your body does”.
4. Deep Listening: I just loved this book. It is a book for someone looking to incorporate meditation, yoga, and rest into their lives but honestly who couldn’t benefit from slowing down a little. One of the things that I liked the most about this book is that it gives you specific steps on how to start your practice.
3. The Happiness Project: This book has been on my radar for a long time, and I really wish I had read it sooner. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and humor. I have already started listening to her podcast and I am looking forward to reading more of her books.
2. Think Again: Adam Grant is another author that I has been on my radar for a long time and again I wish I had read some of his books sooner. Like Daniel Pink I was worried that this book would have more of a business slant to it. The book could be used from a business perspective, but it was also relevant to anyone. It was easy to read and some good thoughts on how looking at things through a different lens can really change your outlook. Grant just came out with a new book and I’m really looking forward to reading it.
- Rising Strong by Brene Brown. For anyone new to my book reviews you need to know that I LOVE Brene Brown. I like to think that if we ever met we would become instant best friends. I have read at least one of her books every year that I have been doing book reviews for Forward Fitness and this is the first time that she ended the year at number one. There has always been one book that was just a little bit better that year – thank you Atomic Habits. What I loved about this book is that it took all the good stuff from The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly and put it all together so that it all made sense. If you are unfamiliar with Brown’s work, she is all about showing people the importance of facing your vulnerabilities. Hopefully you will all be happy to hear that I just bought two more of her books so I’m ready for the New Year.
I enjoy having the opportunity to find new books to bring to you each month. Reading is a very personal activity, and you would probably rank these books in a different order than I have. I hope that my reviews have caused some of you to branch out and read something that you might not normally read. I love it when someone at the gym mentions that they read one of the books that I reviewed, or honestly just mentioning that you read my review makes me happy. I’ve got several titles to get me started next year but I’m always looking for good recommendations so if you have any feel free to send them my way.