The Life Plan by Shannah Kennedy
I can’t recommend this book enough. This book is full of practical tips and tricks that you can scribble in to reset your goals and values. I’m a very unorganised person and require structure, planning and a great calendar to complete my goals otherwise I am all over the place with my tasks and cannot complete any of them.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
This was one of the most impactful books of the year for me because I actually practised what I was reading. I loved it so much it actually sparked me to document my thoughts on YouTube. You can watch it here if you like.
This book is full of effective methods to take back control of your shit and stop storing things away but actually get rid of things. Living with intention and having every item in your home serve a purpose and a reason.
The Little Book of Hygge
This book is pretty much made for introverts. It has cosy vibes and centres around candles, reading books by the fire and spending quality time outdoors alone. It is from the Institute of Happiness in Denmark and has a chapter by chapter walkthrough of how to incorporate this idea of Hygge happiness into your daily life.
The Witcher Saga
I am a huge gamer, I absolutely love deep, rich narratives that transport us into another world and we have a choice of what path to trend. I have poured hours upon hours into the Witcher universe and so it was inevitable that I pick up the original books and read them.
Finding out further detail about the characters and reigniting my love for the fantasy genre was the inspiration I needed this year to start writing fiction again. Thank you, Witcher, for resparking my creative writing adventure.
Writing up Your University Assignments and Research Projects
I’m at university and I’m always learning about ways to improve my assignments and achieve higher grades. This book was full of practical tips and tricks to write an outstanding essay and it honestly helped me so much.
Contagious: Why things catch on
This centres on why people are addicted to things. Why Pokemon Go was suddenly all the rage, why Snapchat is now the most used social media by teenagers in America. It asks the big question of why are trends contagious?
It explored this idea from both a social and psychological point of view. If you’re going into the field of marketing or just generally interested in why people become addicted to things (including yourself) then this book will give you the answers you seek.
Taking Charge of your Fertility
I bought this book years ago but it’s huge and full of dense literature. It teaches women how to take control of their menstrual cycle and about their fertility. We live in a world now where the Pill is the most prescribed drug on the planet and women don’t know when they ovulate naturally or what their natural cycle is. This book was full of helpful information about the female body, how hormones work together and what you can do to take back control of your fertility.
The Good Life
What does it mean to live a good life? It’s such a huge question to ask and I believe we all share different opinions on this. Some people believe a good life is one of financial success. Others believe it’s been able to afford the freedom to do what we want when we want too.
This book challenges you to think about your own view of a good life and work towards that dream. It’s a very simple read and a small book you could read in less than a week.
The 5 Love Languages
This book was one of my favourites of 2017. I wish I had read this book years ago when I was young and didn’t understand love, affection or how relationships function as an added bonus to our lives. This is about finding your love language and making sure you carry those values into your next relationship or current relationship so you are fulfilled.
My love languages are quality time and physical touch. Previously I was always under the impression that something was wrong with me because I was ‘clingy’ wanted to spend too much time with my significant other and cuddle on the couch, hold hands, kiss when I see them.
But now I realise that it’s my true essence of love and I should never be ashamed of that.
- Haley
Haley Lauren Smith 