As part of my review of the year that was, I like to remember my favourite books of the year. I’ve always been an avid reader, although it seems to get more so every year. So many books, so little time! Reading for me is an adventure in seeing. It introduces me to new worlds and new ways of thinking I might not have entertained otherwise.

The books listed below (in no particular order) are the ones that I feel shaped me in some way. They’re the ones that I found myself sharing snippets with others or writing down copious notes. Notice that there are no photography books here, although there are several on seeing. I hope you find something here that inspires you to read in the coming year.

2016 Favourites

** Books below have Amazon or Bookshop affiliate links, meaning I make a few cents if you purchase through my link. I only recommend books that I’ve read.

* Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman – Daniel Kahneman explains the two systems that drive the way we think. There is our fast, intuitive, and emotional system and our slower, more deliberate and logical system. We need both.

* The Wander Society by Keri Smith – I love anything by Keri Smith because she always thinks and creates outside the box. In this book, you’ll find out about the Wander Society, a secretive group that holds up the act of wandering, or unplanned exploring, as a way of life.

* This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism by Ashton Applewhite – I had a milestone birthday this year and was a little obsessed about how I wanted to live my third act in life. This was inspired by Applewhite’s book, which dispels myth after myth about aging. She calls us to confront ageism and dispel the stereotypes through our own actions.

* The Course of Love by Alain De Botton – a study of the stages of of long-term love in novel form, through the example of one couple, Rabih and Kirsten. So much wisdom here about how we bring our past into every relationship. Self-awareness is key.

* The Light of the World: A Memoir by Elizabeth Alexander – Alexander is a poet and this poetic memoir is heart-wrenching and heart-warming. It is a story of love and loss. Her beloved husband, Ficre, died suddenly at the age of 50. She tells of their incredible love story and how she and her two boys struggled with the subsequent grief.

* The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts – A classic book that is so relevant for today. Drawing from Eastern philosophy and religion, Alan Watts shows that it is only by acknowledging what we do not—and cannot—know that we can learn anything truly worth knowing.

* The Confidence Game: Why we fall for it … every time by Maria Konnikova – Think you can’t get conned? Think again. A fascinating psychological look at con artists and why everyone falls for them.

* Do Not Say we Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien – My favourite novel of the year, a saga covering three generations through China’s civil war to the present day.

* The Windup Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami – My second favourite novel of the year and the first I’ve read of the renowned Japanese author, Murakami. Such vivid and dream-like imagery. Makes me want to read more.

* Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living by Krista Tippett – I’ve been a longtime listener of Tippett’s show, On Being, and know her as an amazing interviewer. But, she’s also a wonderful writer. In this book she shares what she’s learned about living from the people she’s interviewed, interspersed with her own personal story.

* Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova – Using Sherlock Holmes as an example, Konnikova shows how we can cultivate our powers of observation for clearer thinking and deeper insights.

* Visual Intelligence: Sharpen your Perception, Change your Life by Amy E. Herman – Herman shows how observing great paintings (or photographs, I might add) can help sharpen your perceptive skills.

* Sight and Sensibility: The Ecopsychology of Perception by Laura Sewall – I’m still reading this book on the incredible gift of sight and how we can see more deeply through sensory awareness and receptivity. It’s phenomenal and may turn out to be my favourite of the year.

Which one book had the most impact on you this past year?