Look back at childhood as a means to understand oneself and others. Lesson #4 : One’s childhood–how one is raised, educated, and loved–can really do much to either build up or damage one’s life.

The Urban Sketching Handbook: Architecture & Cityscapes – Gabriel Campanario.

The Miracle Morning for Writers – Hal Elrod & Steve Scott.

Poetry for Dummies – John Timpane & Maureen Watts.

And use what you lived, felt, and saw for your art. But it’s also true that an unlived life is not worth examining. Lesson #3 : Socrates is right: an unexamined life is not worth living. (Also, the future belongs to those who can harness the powers of their minds.) Take control by grabbing the future by the coattails and by living forward. Lesson #2 : The past always has a way of catching up with the present.

The Master and Margarita – Mikhail Bulgakov.

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez*.

A Little Princess – Frances Hodgson Burnett.

To survive, you have to stand your ground, explore possibilities, persevere, and have faith, courage, and most importantly, love. Lesson #1 : Sometimes things aren’t what they seem and life doesn’t make sense. Plus I added a general insight about this list. I’ve also tried contemplating the lessons I learned from each book and condensed them under every category. So as the year ends, I’ve reviewed my reading list for 2019. It’s like being that girl in Confessions of a Shopaholic, except that I hoard books (and I’m not bubbly).

Whenever I need guidance or entertainment, I just open a book and life instantly seems better.

Twisted by Jessica Zafra