Saturday, January 16, 2016

My Favorite Books I read this Past Year



My whole life I have never really been a reader. Growing up I struggled with reading and it was something that never came easy to me. I would read books for school and occasionally I would read something like Harry Potter or a comic book, but that was pretty rare. In college I don't think I ever got through one text book. I always envied those that read a lot. I wanted so bad to be a reader. When I was working on my bachelors degree I always told myself that once I graduated I would start reading, and when the time finally came I was put to the test. It probably took a good 4 or 5 months before I really started reading, but I did it. So about a year and half later I'm proud to say that I'm finally a reader! I'm still pretty slow at reading and it takes me a while to get through a book, but I've come to find a great passion in reading. (You can read more about my journey to become a reader here) Every year since I started a blog I've always shared my favorite movies I watched from the previous year (which you can see 2015's picks here) but now I'm excited to finally share my favorite books that I read this past year!










10. The $100 Start Up
Author: Chris Guillebeau


This book was a really fun and easy read, full of really cool business ideas. I had never really thought too much about the possibilities of small, microbusinesses before. This book really helped me get my creative juices flowing. There are lots of great little nuggets of information in this book that are both applicable and interesting.





9. The Power of Habit 
Author: Charles Duhigg



I loved how this book literally breaks down what habits are, how they work, and how they dictate almost every thing we do. It presents all of it's information through interesting case studies about habit formation. It also does a great job at helping you recognize your habits, how to create good habits and how to break bad ones. It does this all by telling real life stories. 



8. 10% Happier 
Author Dan: Harris




Before reading this book I had no idea who Dan Harris was and I didn't really know anything about meditation. The only reason I decided to give it go was because a friend recommended it to me (and it also has a pretty catchy title), but I loved it. Dan Harris's personal story and his introduction to mediation was super interesting. I also loved learning about something that seemed so foreign and different to me. Mediating is something I've done on and off since first reading this book but it was here that I really first gained my introduction to mediation. 




7. Getting to Yes
Author: William Ury




When Taylor I moved back to Arizona from Utah in April of last year I was tasked with driving our moving truck back alone, but this book kept me company. It was a really fun and inspiring book about how to overcome internal and external conflicts. I love how it goes into detail about before resolving problems with others we need to address the problems inside of us first. It's filled with a ton of great stories and cool ideas. 





6. Essentialism
Author: Greg McKeown



It wasn't until I read this book that I realized how cluttered and unfocused my life can be sometimes. This is an excellent book about why it's important to simplify our lives. It's filled with great stories and insights and has a lot of great application. The thing I liked most about it though is that it's one of the first books I've read that stays focused on one topic and keeps that one topic interesting. 






5. The Morning Miracle
Author: Hal Elrod




This is a tremendous self help book that outlines 6 practical things to help live to a more balanced and fulfilled life. Unlike other self help books though this book actually has great application. Everything discussed is something that you can put into practice right away. A lot of books present interesting ideas but they don't really give you any application (which I like sometimes because it allows you to be creative with it) but I liked how this one was very straight forward.




4. Real Love in Marriage
Author: Gref Baer




This is an amazing book about how to have great relationships. It helped changed the way I view my marriage and relationships. Some of things this book address is how to help your spouse and also how to help your spouse understand you. Another thing this book addresses is how to receive love when you feel like it may be lacking in your life.




3. The Hiding Place
Author: Corrie Ten Boom



This is one of the most inspiring stories true I have ever read. This is a book that makes your soul ache but at the same time inspires and uplifts. There are so many great things to learn and discuss in this book. I loved reading about Corrie Ten Boom experience of finding God and meaning even in extreme and difficult situations, like a concentration camp. This story is living proof that bad things still happen to good people, but that doesn't mean that good thinks don't happen either.





2. Man's Search for Meaning
Author: Victor Frankl



This is another book that had a profound impact on my life this year. Like Corrie TenBoom from The Hiding Place, I find it incredible that someone can go through something as excruciating as a Nazi concentration camp and come out finding meaning and gratitude. This book really helped me better understand what it means to have a purpose and meaning in life. No matter what happens around us we can always find meaning.  





1. The Power of Vulnerability
Author: Brene Brown




2015 introduced me to one of my favorite author's/speakers, Brene Brown. I chose this over two of her other books I read this year (The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly, which easily could of made my list as well) because it encompasses pretty much everything she talks about. In this book Brene Brown fleshes out topics such as vulnerability, connection, shame, belonging, authenticity, and she helped me realize why these are important things we should be discussing. She shares a lot of important stories and interesting research to back up what she's teaching. Her work more than any other this year really helped me understand myself better and help give me a better sense of purpose and reason to life. 






Here are some of the books I plan on reading this year! 

The Four Hour Work Week
by: Tim Ferris 

Rising Strong
by: Brene Brown

Rich Dad, Poor Dad
by: Robert Kiyosaki

The Bonds That Make Us Free
by: C. Terry Warner

The One Thing
by: Gary W. Keller & Jay Papasan

The Art of Work
by: Jeff Goins

The Psychology of Superheroes 
by: Robin Rosenberg


So what were some of your favorite books that you read this last year? And what books do you look forward to reading? Have any good recommendations?


Monday, January 11, 2016

Best Movies of 2015 and the Movies I Look Forward to Most in 2016

It seemed like for so long I was looking forward to 2015 simply because of the movies that were coming out. It's crazy to think I've know seen all the movies I've been anticipating for a few years now. So without further adieu here are my favorite movies from 2015!

(Also check out my favorite movies from 20142013, and 2012)







10. Joy

Directed by: David O. Russell
Starring: Jennifer Lawerence, Robert Dinero, Bradley Cooper

Most critics were pretty mixed on this movie so I wasn't really expecting too much from it, but the combo of Jennifer Lawrence and director David O. Russell paid off once again. This movie was weird and quirky, depressing, frustrating, but also inspiring. It's a great story about hard work and not letting your circumstance in life prevent you from doing what you really want. I also like that it shows that going after your dreams is not easy and sometimes it can be painful, but it also incredibly satisfying. I felt like Jennifer Lawrence demonstrated all those emotions from her performance. 







9. American Sniper 

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

Technically this movie came out in 2014, but it wasn't wide released until Jan. of 2015, which is when I saw it. Not only is this an intense war movie, but it's also a great movie about family. I loved that they decided to focus on Chris Kyle and his relationships. It was fascinating to see his story unfold and to get to know him as a person. This movie also made me want to do more for the people around me, and gave me great appreciation for anyone who sacrifices for help others.  









8. Mad Max: Fury Road

Directed by: George Miller
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theoron, Nicolas Hoult

This was probably the most insane movie I saw this year, and I mean that in a good way. It was one giant thrill ride, but it also had a great story about humanity and pulling yourself out of terrible circumstances. Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and Nicolas Hoult are all crazy in this movie and yet they still show enough humanity that you really care for them. This movie has some of the best chase scenes I've ever seen in a film. Along with that it has amazing visuals, great action, and a heart pounding soundtrack. 







7. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation

Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames 
There seemed to be a lot of spies movies in 2015 but no one does spies quite like Tom Cruise does. I love that he still does his own stunts and that's what makes this movie so much fun. This time around though Tom Cruise is joined by Rebecca Ferguson who proves that she can go toe to toe with Ethan Hunt. Mission Impossible delivered some of the best action scenes of the year but it also had a fun and interesting plot (something the last one was lacking). 








6. Antman 

Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Corey Stroll

Marvel has a great track record but if any movie was going to fail it probably would be one about a guy who can talk to Ants. Some how though they managed to make this movie both funny, heartfelt, and deliver some unique action. I liked that Marvel chose to go with a smaller more intimate movie and focus on family relationships, which is something we don't see in a lot from superhero movies.








5. Avengers: Age of Ultron

Directed by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downy Jr., Christ Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Paul Betany, James Spader

Living up to the first Avengers is an impossible task, but Joss Whedon does an excellent job at creating a sequel that comes very close. Age of Ultron checks off all the requirements of a good Marvel movie, it’s funny, has incredible action, introduces a great villain, but it also some how manages to still make the characters relatable and real. In-between the action and laughs there are great character moments for all the main characters. Some of them get more screen time than others, but the fact that this movie has about 10 main characters and is still cohesive is a huge achievement.





4. Bridge of Spies

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan

This movie took a premise that in the wrong hands could of been slow and boring but instead it was a fascinating and interesting and intense thriller. By now everyone has come to expect great performances from Tom Hanks, but everyone else in this movie were also excellent. I really enjoyed how this movie felt like an old movie. It had a certain charm to it that you don't see a lot in modern movies anymore. This is based off an amazing true story that is both inspiring and entertaining. I'm glad that Steven Spielberg took the time to tell us this great story.






3. Inside out

Directed by: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Lewis Black

After a little bit of rough patch Pixar is back at it delivering funny, thought provoking movies, and this might be my favorite one yet. I loved how creative and original this movies is. There aren't whole lot of original movies like this that get made anymore. What made this movie work so well for me was the great dynamic between the characters Joy and Sadness. This movie was more than just a kids movie, but an interesting and moving piece of art.









2. Creed

Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson

I've always been a huge Rocky fan. I love all the movies, including the sequels, but this may be one of the best one since the first Rocky. Michael B. Jordan kills it as the lead character and Apollo Creed's son, and Sylvester Stallone gives one of his best performances of his career. Seriously, he almost made me tear up a few times. While Creed relies on some of the same plot points from the first Rocky it does a enough new things and introduces great new characters for it to still feel fresh. This movie is an instant classic.








1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

Directed by: JJ Abrams
Starring: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boega, Oscar Isaacs, Adam Driver 

Was there even ever really a question on whether or not this was going to be my favorite movie of the year? Star Wars is back and I could not be happier about it. The Force Awakens introduces fun and interesting new characters, brings back old ones, has excellent special effects, is funny, emotional, and most of all feels like a Star Wars movie. It's not a perfect film, but it was still the most fun I had with any movie this year. No other movie this year made me cheer, laugh, and cry like this movie did. And plus, it's Star Wars that alone gives it bonuses points.






Honorable Mentions:

Everest
The Martian
Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 2
Jurassic World
Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl






Movies I Look Forward to Most in 2016



10. Midnight Special
Release Date: March 18




9. Star Trek Beyond 
Release Date: July 22






8. Hail Caesar 
Release Date: February 6 





7. Doctor Strange 
Release Date: November 4





6. Suicide Squad
Release Date: August 5






5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 
Release Date: November18






4. X-Men: Apocalypse
Release Date: May 27





3. Captain America: Civil War
Release Date: May 6




2. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Release Date: March 28




1. Star Wars: Rogue One
Release Date: December 16





So what were your favorite movies of 2015? I didn't get to see every movie of 2015. Did I miss any good ones? What movies are you look forward to seeing most in 2016?