Books I Read in 2023

Whoops! 2023 has been a challenging year for me since I had to battle two or three illnesses as well as take care of Mum when she fell down and hurt her abdominal muscles. I had to be there for her whenever she needed to go to the toilet. Dad also went through two crucial surgeries. And I lost one of my uncles.

Despite those challenges, I was able to achieve several feats in 2023. Chief among the feats were rising before dawn each morning and staying active throughout the day. I also stopped watching adult films, entertaining lustful thoughts in my mind and talking aloud to myself like a madman.

What made 2023 bearable for me were the informative books I read. Not only did the books occupy my mind in a constructive way, they also made me grow in wisdom and knowledge. Okay, let me tell you more about some of the books I read and the lessons I gleaned from them.

The book I enjoyed most this year was The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. Even though I am no longer a teenager, the book spoke to my heart in an entertaining and relatable manner. I loved the didactic quotes and the cartoon illustrations in the book.

Among the lessons I learnt from the book are to always say some nice things about myself to myself whenever I see my reflection in a mirror and to refrain from lying and exaggerating, two sins I regularly committed in my teenage years and well into adulthood. And when it comes to music, the book encouraged me to listen to songs with edifying lyrics.

Another delightful book I pored over this year was Nelson Mandela's spellbinding memoir, Long Walk to Freedom. I found it touching to read the hardships that Mandela endured as he tried to free his people from the shackles of oppression in apartheid South Africa. He was arrested, imprisoned and subjected to hard labour.

During most of his 27 years in prison, Mandela was not allowed to possess a watch. When his mother died, he was not permitted to attend her funeral. And when he ventured into writing his life story, prison authorities confiscated his manuscript. Reading such travails of Mandela made me appreciate the freedoms I have here in Kenya and which I have taken for granted.

While Mandela endured his hardships, he was aware of the importance of having a healthy self-esteem and of cultivating his uniqueness. One of the things he detested most about imprisonment in apartheid South Africa was the way prison life was designed to break a prisoner's spirit, that spark that makes each of us human and each of us who we are.

After his release from prison, Mandela was treated with honour. And he clearly deserved the honour, for he practised such virtuous habits as rising early, reading avidly, exercising physically, communing with nature as well as thinking clearly, positively and optimistically.

Mandela's memoir is just poignant and charming. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the genesis of greatness.

Because I am a Christian and I am always endeavoring to deepen my faith in God and in His Word, I bought and read the memoir of Billy Graham, the world's greatest evangelist in the 20th century. The memoir, titled Just as I Am, is quite huge but it delighted me nonetheless.

As I waded through the memoir, I couldn't help admiring the way Billy Graham travelled around the world to spread the gospel of Christ. I also admired the way thousands of people flocked to his crusades to hear him speak. How I wish this blog of mine could attract such a massive audience!

And because I am a sucker for riveting stories, I also read a few novels this year. One of the novels I read and finished was Danielle Steel's Remembrance. Well, I didn't find the novel that much riveting since it sounded unreal and exaggerated but I liked it all the same.

Enough about me. What about you, my beloved reader? How was your 2023? And what did you read that impacted your life positively? Hoping that you learnt something worthwhile from what you went through and what you read, I wish you a fulfilling 2024. May God fulfill all of your heart's desires in the coming year. Ciao!

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on some of the books I read in 2023, you might also enjoy another one on "Books I Read in 2022" which I wrote last year. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.