Favorite Books of 2022

I’ll start by listing my favorite books I’ve read this year.  I’m also adding in all of the recommendations received from others!  You may skip down to see all books arranged by genre.  

• The Onward Workbook: Daily Activities to Cultivate Your Emotional Resilience and Thrive by Elena Aguilar.  This is an absolute treasure with so many practical exercises, tips for introspection, and a framework to explore each of the author’s 12 Key Habits.  Even better is that this book can also be used in coaching, training, on teams, or individually.
• Trejo’s Tacos: Recipes and Stories from L.A. by Danny Trejo.  If you saw my LinkedIn post, you’ll know that I will read cookbooks like a typical book, from cover to cover.  This book definitely didn’t disappoint!  Danny’s recipes are amazing, with a perfect fusion of authentic Mexican and unique twists.  He also tells some stories about his past and how he turned his life around.
• Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living by Kris Bordessa.  I have this dream of living on a small farm one day, growing lots of veggies and having animals (not for food).  One day, I’ll get there!  But one of the things that have always been very attractive to me is being self-sufficient as much as possible.  This book is the perfect handbook for anyone wanting to be more self-reliant.  It covers everything from canning and fermenting, to natural remedies, gardening tips, crafts, and more.
• Let That Sh*t Go: A Journal for Leaving Your Bullsh*t Behind and Creating a Happy Life by Monica Sweeney.  Okay, I admit that I have not filled this one out yet. BUT… I’m going to!  And I did read the whole book with the prompts and activities and I loved it!  The author is as potty-mouthed (curses a lot) as I am, and once you open the covers, the asterisks go away, haha!  So this is definitely not a journal for those who don’t like “colorful language”.
• Let the Right One In by John Ajvinde Lindqvist.  The only non-fiction book I read this year and it was one of my top 10 favorite books of all time!  I had to force myself to put it down at times because I wanted to just keep reading and reading!  It’s a really neat and unique vampire story with a brilliant story.
• The Art of Coaching Workbook: Tools to Make Every Conversation Count also by Elena Aguilar.  This is a workbook to accompany Elena’s book The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for School Transformation. I’ve not read that yet and still really appreciate this book and the tools it provides!  This would be beneficial not only for coaches but for anyone leading training sessions, teaching, working in learning and development, or mentoring others.
• One Question a Day for Self-Care: A Three-Year Journal: Daily Check-Ins for Emotional Well-Being by Aimee Chase.  This one might win the award for the longest title!  This little gem is SO cool.  Not only can you record your thoughts with prompts for each day… it has 3 sections for each one that you can do a year apart!  What a great tool for looking back at your growth over a 3-year period!