On Goodreads, you can set your goals on how many books you want to read that year
I have been setting goals that way and reading for the last 4 years
But 2016 was the year I could not reach my goal for the first time
At that, I had planned to read relatively few books which was 12, but I read only 9
But I made only one book video
So I thought I'll make a combined one video instead of separate ones. So what are the 9 books I read this year?
Let's start from the beginning. I mostly read non-fiction, or you could say real, books this year
The first book is by Sophia Amoruso
the book is #Girlboss. Sophia Amoruso is the founder of nastygal.com
She is a businesswoman that first started by selling vintage clothes on ebay
in a year, her company was growing by almost 270-300%
it's one of the bigger startups that grew very fast. She has written about her life and how she first started and built Nasty Gal
It's an autobiography, self-written.
She was the CEO of Nasty Gal, then quit and had started working just as the founder
If you look at Nasty Gal's gallery
it seemed like it has done the online marketing of an online clothing business really well
even when you see YouTube, Nasty Gal just emerged out of nowhere suddenly
and I think it managed to become one of the "well respected" brands
so it might be an interesting book for entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs
the rating/score I gave is 3 stars
the second book is 'so you've been publicly shamed' written by Jon Ronson
on social networks, when people don't interact face to face
they become somewhat rude, too honest on one side, and too cruel on the other side
he wrote it based on real examples
and interviewed the 'victims' of those examples and elaborated on the interviews
Jon Ronson is an English journalist and writer
I have made a video about this book, so if you want to watch it's around here, on this side, there
Watch that video after you finish this video. I gave it 5 stars.
The third book is 'The men who stare at goats'. Again a Jon Ronson book.
There was a movie made based on this book
I think Jeff Bridges, Brad Pitt and Evan McGregor were in it.
In 20th century, American military forces used psychics to enhance its defense capacity
it's about an interesting unit that worked with that kind of purpose
to be honest, it's as if it was real, but also not
at the end, I was left wondering whether it was fiction or not
A really strange book. Very strange.
The fourth book is 'Soundless' by Richelle  Mead.
The first books by Richelle Mead are "Vampire Academy", "Blood Lines'", and maybe "Succubus revealed"
She's famous for her book series. She writes YA and fiction genres.
I thought Soundless is the first book of her new series.
But it was revealed it won't continue as series. At first, I thought it might be a part of series.
It's about 200-300 years later from now
but technology is not very developed. it shows a small village
I don't know what had happened, but everyone in that village had lost their hearing
and kind of a caste system is established and on top of the pyramid are painters.
basically, because there are deaf people
drawings are used to tell stories of what happened that day. hence they are considered to be the most talented people.
and it goes down by a caste system further
it's interesting how they became deaf. And the main girl gains her hearing suddenly
and so, why they lost their hearing, why that village is so secluded up there alone
why they are always poor and hungry etc. She's trying to find the answers
and to be honest, even though I like all of Richelle Mead's books
'Soundless' wasn't a book that interested me, so I gave it 1 star.
The fifth book is again by Richelle Mead, "The Glittering Court". It's the first book of a series.
The name of the series is "The Glittering Court". She names the series after its first book.
Again, it seems like it's set after some time, but there's an aristocracy
A girl goes into a brand new world, even though she has aristocratic origins
her family has lost their fortune and lives in a lot of debt.
so basically, the girl goes to a whole different world to mine gold. Just like in US history
like how the aristocrats and riches from Europe moved to America
but the glittering court is where poor girls get trained to become an aristocrat level women
then they 'sell' them to wealthy people in that new place
it's kind of an organization that provides this service
and the main girl ends up in that agency
and she goes to that new world
and of course, since it's Richelle Mead's book, it's about love and stuff, other problems will arise
developing friendships etc.
at least, for a new series it's way better than 'Soundless'
I think I will read the next book if it comes out. And I gave it 3 stars.
In the second half of the year, for some time I really started to get interested in minimalism
to declutter, to live with few belongings etc
that also probably influenced me in reading the next book
so the sixth book is 'The life changing art of tidying up' written by Marie Kondo
A japanese writer.
This book is becoming very popular. Like Twilight, one of the books that almost everyone is reading
it teaches about minimalism. but it doesn't use the word minimalism
just at home, in your life, or in an office, wherever you are
everything you have, everything that surrounds you, must bring you happiness. she's calling it joy let's translate it as happiness)
it is based on the concept that it should bring happiness (spark joy)
Not collecting stuff in your house. It is directed to living with as little clutter as possible
It's directed to how to live without a lot of stuff. The book kind of teaches this..
Generally, it was mostly on clothes, then paper, like letters and gifts from close ones etc
It's on how to tidy up those
On one side, if I follow it 100%, it wouldn't suit my life, but I liked it a lot, so 5 stars.
At 7, "Sex at dawn". A book written by Christopher Ryan
Sumiya told me to read it. And did I start it at the beginning of the year?
and it went on and on slowly. And I thought it was time to finish it and I sat with it and finished.
It's about the origins and development of humans, monkeys before us and other species
especially their sexuality and reproduction.
It shows research about their behaviour, what is the difference
how first humans' effect on society influences modern society's communication etc
it's a book written more on a scientific side.
it repeats itself a lot, can be a bit redundant
I gave 3 stars
Okay the 8th book. Again a Jon Ronson book. I guess I read 3 Jon Ronson books this year.
It's a Jon Ronson book called 'Them'. It's about extremists.
Like his previous books, again about a group of people with extreme ideology.
the book goes as he meets and talks with those groups of people.
It's a non fiction book.
Among them,  there are even people who finance ISIS and Islamic Republics
people who blame others....
Among Jews, people that are insulated from society
he met these unusual people and wrote about their lives
How? When I read these, I wonder how Jon Ronson just...
When he asks, " Can I tag along with you few days and observe your life?"
do they say, "Oh sure, come come"? I wonder...
The way he collects his material is so interesting. People just accept, they don't reject at all.
Or of course, they do and only the ones that agreed are included in the book
So that means he talks to numerous people. Yeah, very interesting.
My score is 3. But it's good.
The last book. The 9th book.
Again Marie Kondo's book, "Spark joy"
It's the sequel to her previous book.
You can read them by themselves. But it's better to read "The life changing magic of tidying up" first, and then "Spark Joy"
Because the main concepts are included in the first book.
"Spark Joy" includes more next level things, like how to clean your kitchen or tidy your living room etc
Ingredients in the kitchen, things in the fridge, things in the pantry
cooking tools, dishes, cutlery and pots etc
it's more about how to manage them
It was interesting. Nice to read.
I, again, didn't really follow through, but I'm trying to apply them to myself a little.
like not buying in bulk
you know there's a tendency for women to get addicted to that
so at least not doing that
I like the KonMari method, Marie Kondo's life lesson you could say.
So here are the 9 books I read this year
I don't know how many books I will read next year. Let's plan 12 books again for now.
If I can, I'll tell you in my next video like this.
