Happy New Year! I have a tradition of doing a personal retreat for several days in January, where I reflect on the past year’s learnings and celebrate any successes. I then turn toward the new year and consider my overall priorities (personal and professional), and I wrap up by setting some goals. This process is even more important now, as I continue to grapple with the challenges we face as a country, and how best to approach them at this stage of my life. As part of this practice, I want to share with you some books that are helping me on my journey. I hope that you will find them useful and inspiring, as together we embark on 2026.
PERSONAL GROWTH
The Book of Joy, by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams
This book tops my list of recommended reading for 2026. It’s been life-changing for me. As I wrote about in last summer’s blog, The Book of Joy is a remarkable dialogue between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama – two deeply spiritual leaders who have witnessed the worst human suffering and yet still find ways to be joyful. The Book of Joy has been key to my processing of so many painful things, past and present. Last summer in Paris, I gave myself time to listen to these two iconic spiritual leaders and absorb their lessons. It allowed me to see how these two leaders could address the suffering of so many people and retain the joy of life. I embraced its “8 Pillars” (Perspective, Humility, Humor, Acceptance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Compassion, and Generosity) and deepened my understanding of how to live during this fraught time.
Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts, by Oliver Burkeman
Following up his successful book, Four Thousand Weeks (which I recommended in my Winter 2023 reading list), Oliver Burkeman has done it again. He’s written a helpful guide for how to live a meaningful life. Drawing from philosophers and Buddhism and grounded in the practicality of being a burned out “productivity guru,” Burkeman advises us on how to accept our limitations and move forward anyway. I am still grappling with how to accept my limited time on this planet, and Burkeman is helping me to make peace with it. In his latest work, Burkeman provides digestible advice on how to work with our human limitations and imperfections. He provides a daily meditation, which he groups into four weekly themes: accept finitude; take bold, imperfect action; let go of perfectionism (and other habits); and show up fully in the present. As one reviewer summed it up, “Rather than trying to improve endlessly, [Burkeman] suggests that peace and purpose lie in embracing our humanity as it is.”
The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward, by Melinda French Gates
This short and insightful book is perfect for anyone going through a transition. While focused on the challenges that women face as they navigate their personal and professional lives, it has broad applicability. Melinda’s courage and willingness to share her personal stories, including her decision to end her marriage to Bill Gates, provide welcome and helpful insights. It’s a quick read and worth the time.
CONNECTING PAST TO PRESENT
Master Slave Husband Wife, by Ilyon Woo
Historian Ilyon Woo, who I was lucky enough to meet last summer, has created a masterpiece with her biography of Ellen and William Craft. She documents the true story of this married couple’s harrowing escape from slavery right before the Civil War (from 1848-1850). By disguising herself as a young white male slaveowner, traveling with her husband who poses as her slave, Ellen Craft was able to escape from slavery with her husband, William. Every step of the way was fraught with danger, and their ability to survive, even after they escaped to “freedom” in the north, was often dependent on individuals who, one by one, chose to help this brave couple. As I seek to better understand where we are in our country today, through the lens of our nation’s history, I found this book to be invaluable. Stories like these bring our troubled history to life and show us what a difference individual acts of courage can make. And that gives me hope.
AND ONE FOR FUN…
Pictures of Him, by Clare Leslie Hall
I couldn’t put down this page-turner! I was almost glad to be home with a terrible cold last fall, as I dove into this immersive thriller set in England. It’s the story of a woman trying to reconcile her current life with the romantic “road not taken” through class boundaries after college. The ending caught me by surprise. I’ll leave it to you to enjoy!
Pictured left to right: Ilyon Woo, Wanda McClain, and Rosemarie Day.