My previous post was about the past and this one is about the future! I have quite a few goals for this year that revolve around my blog. I mentioned in my post New Year, New Blog that one of my main goals was to post content more frequently. A few more of my goals include having 100 followers and creating an Instagram account. A personal goal of mine that goes hand-in-hand with my blog is to read more. My goal is to read at least 10 books this year whether they are fiction, nonfiction, or another genre that catches my attention. Although my favorite genre is nonfiction, I’m always willing to read different genres that are recommended to me (except for science fiction – I could never get into those books).
Here are a few books I’m particularly looking forward to reading.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
I’ve had this book by Michelle Alexander on my radar for a while. I added it to my list after I watched Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th on Netflix. Although published in 2010, issues with the criminal justice system seem to always be relevant.
$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America
This book by Kathryn J. Edin caught my attention because it seems similar to a book I’m currently reading: Broke in America: Seeing, Understanding, and Ending U.S. Poverty by Joanne Samuel Goldblum and Colleen Shaddox. I’m looking forward to reading the profiles of the families, particularly because I think the addition of personal stories in a book like this evokes many different emotions compared to if it was just quantitative data on poverty in the US. Both books are especially relevant right now – the pandemic has exacerbated poverty and income equality.
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself
I figured a new year would be a good time to do a little self-reflection to set the tone for 2022. I’m particularly interested in learning effective ways to set boundaries with myself, not just others. I don’t think I’ve ever shared this before but I am an Enneagram Type 2, otherwise known as “The Helper.” I’m described as someone who always puts others first, has difficulty recognizing and acknowledging their own needs, and has trouble respecting their own boundaries and asking for the things they need. I’m hoping that reading this book by Nedra Glover Tawwab will help me set healthy boundaries. For example, I will ask for help before I’m overwhelmed or before it’s my last resort.
Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery
I watched the movie Lost Girls on Netflix a few years ago. While I was looking on Goodreads a few weeks ago for book suggestions, the book popped up as one. If or when I read books about crime, I prefer them to be true crime (for example, I read All-American Murder: The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murderers’ Row by James Patterson and loved it). I’m a firm believer that books are always better than movies, so I’m looking forward to reading Robert Kolker’s Lost Girls. The story reminds me of plots from Law and Order SVU episodes, a show that I love.
The Undocumented Americans
I’m looking forward to reading this book by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio so I can get a new perspective on the narrative surrounding immigration in the US. I hope to read about different people’s lives, their desires, their strengths, and their humanity and learn how they live in a country that constantly shows them that it doesn’t want them.
Hopefully after reading this you have new ideas for books to read!
Have a great weekend,
Thoughts From A Lefty 