My Must Read Books for 2019

I declared 2018 my #YearofReading and what a year it turned out to be!

In total I read about 14 books for pleasure, thanks in no small part to the book club I was invited to join by my friend Nakeeta. It help fuel my need to read, as well as kept me accountable and gave me new found ‘appreciation’ for Memoirs.

On a normal day, I consume reams of information from the internet, be it news stories, feature stories, long reads, technical information for work, contracts, academic literature and everything in between. Because of this non-stop reading I treasure the opportunity to read whatever else I want and therefore make it an important point of duty to consume reading material that truly brings me joy.

I read a lot of books in 2018 but the one that I am most fond of was Brother Man by Roger Mais probably because it was the book that accompanied me on the beach while I was on vacation and the story was so well told.

Reading as an exercise is something I consider a privilege that many of us continue to ignore because of ‘busy-ness’. It takes a high level of deliberate action on our part to do it and do it well.

Many people I know are aspirational readers, you know, the people who become readers when they see a book that you own. You dare make the mistake and lend them your book and you’ll either never see it again, or it will take a year for it to be returned.

Year of Reading 2.0

2018 was also bountiful in terms of the number of new books I acquired, thanks to the seemingly never ending sale held by Novelty Trading Co. from their location move exercise. A few trips and many heavily discounted books later, my collection has grown considerably. So much so that I have decided to take a four month sabbatical from my book club.

In so doing, I’ve created a MUST READ list of books for the year. This list is a must read, as opposed to just a reading list, because, while I will be reading other books throughout the year, I endeavour to read one book from my list each month.

Here is my list of #MustReadBooks2019

2019 Must Read Books

January

Duh!

February

Since reading Homegoing last year, I’ve been looking forward to this book, almost as a continuation of that journey. So many stories and journeys my people endured because of slavery.

March

My older brother Pete recommended this book to me some time ago and I think it’s about time I give it a read. I’m being intentional about it this year and I will read it.

April

I can boast here that I know Kei in real life and have always been impressed by his talent. I’ve read Fear of Stones and Augustown therefore this book is catch up.

May

I was drawn to this book because, my life changed in a major way when people started calling me ‘Boss’ and actually meant it. Management teaches you lessons and the quicker you learn the better for you.  I’m also aware of Peter Drucker because he is so often quoted for his pronouncements on management.

June

This book seems to be on every list of books that all black people should read. It is well regarded and considered a classic of African American literature and at just over 500 pages it’s a compact tome that I am looking forward to diving into. Quick Fact: It was the only book ever published by Ellison in his lifetime.

July

I’ve read The Outliers, his topics and writing style continue to fascinate me, plus he’s Jamaican, easy choice.

August

I’m reading Marlon James’ books in the order he’s written them. John Crow’s Devil was a revelation so I am looking forward to finally reading this masterpiece before turning to A Brief History.

September

This was a well-timed gift from Nakeeta for Christmas 2017 and I’m looking forward to internalizing the central message of this book and applying it to my life.

October

This book won’t be released until June 2019 but considering that Here Comes the Sun was such an eye opener I want to cop this book real quick. It’s already on several most anticipated book lists for the year.

November book

The history of Africa’s ruin is told by many and this book came highly recommended. King Leopold is famous enough for his atrocities in the Congo, and this book is a definitive retelling of that tale. I’m bracing myself for it.

December

Barack Obama is many things that inspires me and reading this exploration of his life and the intersection of race and culture is in line with other reading I’ve done on the topic.

Follow along and help keep me accountable. Each of these books was chosen because they offer something that I expect will help me along my life’s journey. Dare I say, there’s something for everyone as it’s important for me to mix compelling storytelling with something to learn.

Let’s make it a great year for reading together and share in the comments some of your #MustReadBooks2019 .

Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

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Kevin