My Favourite Books From 2019
I read loads of books in 2019 and while it’s hard for me to choose a favourite, I’ve compiled a small list of the top three books that I think were truly outstanding. I believe there’s massive value to be gained from each of these books and I honestly can’t recommend them enough. If you’re looking for something to read, this is a great place to start.
1. The Fear Bubble - Ant Middleton
Ant is well known for his role on SAS Who Dares Wins, a British television series that puts civilians through a shorter and less brutal version of SAS selection. For those that don’t know, the SAS (and SBS) are an elite regiment within the British Military. Getting into this part of the military is extremely difficult and these soldiers are considered to be some of the best on the planet. Ant is former SBS and writes about the lessons he’s learned from the front line in various war zones.
In The Fear Bubble, Ant talks about how to handle fear and gives us a very handy method to break down scary situations into small bubbles. He has incredible examples about how he’s used this on the battlefield and teaches us how we can use this concept in everyday life.
The main story throughout the book is Ant’s recent experience of climbing Mount Everest. It’s an exciting journey and having a love of the mountains, I really enjoyed this element of the book.
2. Stillness is the Key - Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday is one of my favourite writers. His ideas have been massively influential in the way that I view the world and I absolutely love his work. I bought this book as soon as it came out and devoured it in one sitting. It’s outstanding. Please read it!
Stillness is the Key talks about how we all need to find balance in our busy lives. The book is packed with wonderful advice from a huge range of sources. Stoicism and Buddhism make an appearance, along with lessons and stories from sports-stars, world leaders and iconic historical figures. It’s a wonderful collection of ideas from some of the most brilliant people to have ever lived.
There is a massive focus on being more “present” in this book and I truly believe that this is extremely important for all of us. If you’re feeling frazzled, this book will really help you.
3. The Future of Humanity - Michio Kaku
If you ever find yourself daydreaming about what technologies are around the corner and what the world might look like in the next 50 - 100 years, then this book is for you! The Future of Humanity is a fascinating read and really gets you thinking about where we collectively go from here. It’s an extremely positive book and fills me with hope for the future (something that unfortunately, a lot of people don’t have).
The book explores exciting technologies on the horizon and talks about the need for us to colonise other planets. Terraforming Mars, building space stations on asteroids and tackling our own mortality are some of the topics this book discusses. All of them are pretty mind blowing!
There are big ideas in this book but I love how Michio makes them accessible to everyone in the way he explains them. Nothing is unnecessarily complicated and for a physics professor, he does a wonderful job of simplifying complex ideas.
These three books will help you to harness fear, find balance in your life, relish in the present moment and develop a sense of excitement about the future. What a great way to start the New Year! I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these books so pick one that jumps out at you and let me know how you get on. Enjoy!
“By 2100, our destiny is to become like the gods we once worshipped and feared. But our tools will not be magic wands and potions but the science of computers, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and most of all, the quantum theory.”