20 Books To Read This Winter

Every once in awhile I talk books here but it’s usually herb books or something completely related to the post topic. This time, for fun (sort of) I decided to write a post just about books! Books of all kinds are another passion of mine. And while most of these books to read this winter will be related to the topics I write about here on My Wellness Basket, some will be just for fun too. So if you are a book fanatic like mine, take notes.

Making a list? Checking it twice? Whether your list contains people that are naughty or nice, there’s something here for everyone. Be sure to fill your own stocking too!

Books With Winter Settings

Let’s start out with books just for fun or at least that go with the winter theme of this post!

Murder on The Orient Express

This is my ultimate favorite Agatha Christie novel. Back in elementary to middle school I moved directly from Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene directly to Agatha Christie mysteries. There’s a reason she was called the queen of mystery. Great plot twists and great writing! Plus, in true winter theme, the train gets stuck in a snowstorm! Will the killer get away?

The Long Winter

Whether you have kids or not, and whether you have read it or not, the Little House on the Prairie books are phenomenal and The Long Winter definitely helps us gain perspective on the difficulties of today vs. the challenges of the time period lived by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Peace Like A River

I have not read this Leif Enger novel yet. You will see it on my personal list of books to read below. My understanding is this national bestseller involves and murder trial and escape across a Midwest snowy terrain taking place in the 1960’s. It’s said to involve adventure, tragedy and miracles. It’s also said to be for ages 12 and up so I’m inclined to make it part of our homeschool reading.

The Greatest Miracle in the World

I can’t tell you how many times I have read this book. It is truly amazingly uplifting. Og Mandino, known as a magnificent inspirational self-help author is perhaps better known for his Greatest Salesman in the World book, but I prefer this one. Beginning with a symbolic event in a wintry parking lot, the characters of Simon Potter, ragpicker, and Og reveal great secrets of happiness that are bound to help you with your own life. Even my 13 year old LOVED the messages this book offered. This book also belongs in my list below, Best Self-Help Books of All Time.

Best Self-Help Books of All Time

Reading and taking the advice offered in a self-help book takes a tremendous amount of self-discipline. It involves a desire to understand why you have certain behaviors, recognize your habits and triggers, and dedication to learn to rewire your patterns of thought and actions. Obviously what’s the best books to offer this is a completely subjective account – but here I have a few that are considered the best by others AND myself.

The Greatest Miracle In The World

I know I wrote about this above for books with winter themes but it definitely belongs here too.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Sean Covey discusses a principle centered approach for solving problems and having a successful life. This one has been around and has grown into even more books including The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Being proactive is the first principle discussed and , well, I’ll let you be proactive and read the rest for yourself. It’s worth reading and rereading.

Boundaries

I’ve been meaning to revisit Boundaries more closely. It’s one that I listened to on Audio years ago but feel a more in depth read in paperback may be helpful. If you are one to ever experience difficulties with setting boundaries, saying no, or feel great anguish when others are upset with the boundaries you try to place, this may be the book for you. Authors Townsend and Cloud have written further editions since the original as well including more specific books for kids, dating, marriage and leaders.

The Four Agreements

This was recommended by a counselor many years ago. In this particular don Miguel Ruiz book, the author reveals the source of self-liming beliefs that robs of of joy. While based on ancient Toltec wisdom, this insight is absolutely of relevance today. If you struggle with taking things personally, making assumptions, or always putting forth best effort, this may be a good book for you.

Unglued

I read this book a number of years ago and often find myself leafing through it to review the things I underlined and starred throughout. I actually wrote posts regarding this book on another blog of mine which greatly needs attention, but here’s a link to that post. Lysa TerKeurst writes with great honesty and wisdom about how we women tend to become unglued after stuffing down emotions. She talks about God giving us emotions and how we are to use them for good as well as how to better deal with the hard stuff. I just may have to move this one up higher on the ‘reread’ pile.

Healing Your Wounded Soul

I’m not quite finished with this book but it still has to go here. I’m deeply moved. Joshua Makoul, Orthodox priest and licensed therapist (wish he were mine), writes about how we can take insights and resources from BOTH the church and modern psychology to help us with our past and deepen our union with God. I really love how Fr. Joshua relates our faith with psychological knowledge to help us heal from painful past experiences.

Books for Developing Mindset and Positivity

The Power of Positive Thinking

Sometimes I just flip through this one and read sections over again. This Norman Vincent Peale book is on almost all lists for mindset and positivity. It’s an easy read but very transformative so long as you dedicate yourself to allowing it to do so. With every book on positive thinking or changing mindset, one needs to revisit and practice the concepts. I love that he includes how to use faith in healing and incorporates Christian concepts along with believing in yourself, developing power to reach your goals, improving personal relationships, breaking the worry habit and more.

Soulful Simplicity: How Living With Less Can Lead To So Much More

I enjoyed Courtney Carver’s mindset with Project 333, which I read about a year ago. The concept of that book was extraordinary and I keep it in mind a great deal especially as I’m changing over to a new season’s wardrobe, but Soulful Simplicity has been a bigger influence on me. I guess because here she’s not just talking clothing and the impact that has on us but this book speaks about life and everything in general. It’s a more ‘holistic’ approach in that it looks at all the aspects that overwhelm us and can make life challenging and lead to poor health and stress. The book is a look into her own life, her struggles, and how she used an awakening moment to change it all. It’s about practical minimalism and simplicity. Who doesn’t need simplicity? I highly recommend this one.

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare To Live Fully Right Where You Are

I’m surprised I don’t see this on more lists. I guess it’s not actually directed towards ‘positivity’ or even ‘mindset’, but Ann Voskamp writes One Thousand Gifts to demonstrate how to find joy in the midst of life with deadlines, unscheduled events, death, messes and more. This book is full of beautiful language and beautiful thoughts to help you change your mindset from seeing the dull mundane things around them and turn them into positive joy. I read it first in paperback but have listened to it several times since, sometimes in just bits and pieces, whenever I need a little pick me up in getting my mindset back to gratitude.

Books on Herbs and Heathy Eating

The Healing Kitchen

This book on Cooking with Nourishing Herbs for Health, Wellness and Vitality by Holly Bellebuono is just FILLED with all kinds of recipes including vinegars, butters, smoothies, snacks and meals. All of which incorporate nourishing herbs that can have a profound effect on your health. I borrowed this one from my neighbor who was fortunate enough to find it at a discount store, but I’ve put it on my own Amazon wish list!

Herbal Medicine For Beginners

This is my favorite book on herbal medicine. It’s put together well with the most common herbs (nothing hard to find) and a nice summary of what each herb’s actions and benefits are, any cautionary things to know about and suggestions for how to work with them. In addition, there’s an amazing section at the beginning of the book explaining what various types of herbal remedies are AND how to make them (decoctions, tinctures, infusions and more) as well as a fairly extensive recipe section in the back. Whether you are brand new to herbalism or a person with some background, this is a really splendid source.

Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?

My husband, who just happens to be in the medical field, and I both enjoy the works of Mark Hyman, MD. My husband has read more of his works than I have but I found this particular book written fairly well in a more layman’s terms and does a great job in explaining the conflicting research on food. If you are confused by the myths and food pyramids and want to know what’s really healthy and why, this may be the book for you.

The Autoimmune Solution: Prevent and Reverse the Full Spectrum of Inflammatory Symptoms and Diseases

So I was scanning my shelves the other day while preparing for this post and my eyes caught this title. It’s been awhile since I read it but with my inflammatory symptoms cropping up again ( I have a long history of health issues and Lyme disease was my most recent illness I fought), I thought. Hmmm. I should at least read through the highlights of this one. It may help me get myself back on track with diet, mindset techniques, etc. to get back to optimal health.

Dr. Amy Myers, M.D. , author of the Autoimmune Solution and other books, is a functional medicine doctor (formerly Emergency Medicine) and specialist in autoimmune diseases. This book provides a fairly easy to follow program. It’s for anyone suffering from autoimmune disorders or anything with inflammatory symptoms. This includes allergies, asthma, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and more. While it may focus on people already displaying an array of symptoms, it’s good for anyone who wants to avoid a future of illness and get on track sooner rather than later.

Books To Read This Winter – My Personal List

I’ve got quite a list because I always do. I doubt they will all be covered this winter. But I’ve narrowed down my list and as of right now, these are the 5 books at the top of it.

Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing

I am a true FRIENDS fan and I was devastated by Matthew Perry’s death. I definitely understood the devastation experienced by thousands across the globe. There’s something special about FRIENDS, their relationships on and off screen, and the characters that just spoke to us and the laughter no matter what we are experiencing in life. I had this book in mind even before his death. Now I can’t decide if I want to read it in print first or listen to him narrate his own biography on Audible. What would you do?

Peace Like A River

See my description above from the winter themed list! I think I’ll be listening to this on Audible with my son during car rides.

Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out and Lonely

Okay so this one is here partly because I picked it up at a yard sale. LOL. But I have soo many books like that in this big pile (okay, several piles) of books that are yet to be read. I know I’m not the only one like that. How many piles do you have?

Anyway, I’ve moved this closer to the top because the author is Lysa Terkeurst who is the author of Unglued as I mentioned above. This book is supposed to be about learning to feel like you belong. With my own past of not quite feeling like I belonged or how I belonged, I gravitated towards it while perusing books. I loved Lysa’s other books I’ve read and decided, ‘why not?’.

Breath as Prayer

This one will be near the tippy top of my pile, partly because it’s been there since last winter. And because it focuses on elements of mindset. This book apparently focuses on ‘breath prayer’ or ‘Scripture centered prayers’. it is about intentional breathwork which promises to help focus your mind on God’s promises while also calming the body. I know breathing practices really work but I have not dedicated the time to them on a daily, consistent basis. I’m hoping this book will help me get there. Double bonus that it incorporates faith and renewal of the soul into it.

Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a Meaningful Life

This is another one that’s been on my shelf for awhile. What can I say? I buy books because I really want them but I have SO many I really want to read. However, being that I’m currently focusing on mindset, this book’s focus on overcoming distraction is of utmost importance right now. This number one bestseller discusses practical steps to focus on things that really matter. This is as opposed to the distractions that overwhelm us. It’s time to let go of past mistakes and keep moving forward to embrace what’s really important.

Conclusion: Make a list and Check it Twice

Books are a door to ….. SO MUCH! Your future, your health, your peace, a world of wonder, gratitude and more. Books can be an escape or tool for stress management. They can help you change your mindset. They are a must as a tool for your wellness basket. Since this list contains 20 books to read this winter, I hope that you will find a few to suit your own likes and needs. Let me know how it goes!