It’s almost a new year! 2022 is right up ahead, 2021 in the rear view. I can’t even tell you how happy I am to be waving goodbye to this shitty collection of months. It’s been a rough year for me, but things really started to look up these last two months. As January and new year’s resolutions come into focus, I want to offer you this: my favorite nonfiction books for a fresh start! I’m ready to jump into books that help me become my better self this year (and no, none of them will include exercise, I promise you).

How to Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price

I read this book my senior year in high school. While I think it’s safe to say every teenager could’ve used this advice, it’s also telling that I would pick it up of my own volition. Nowadays, I need my phone for work – I’m constantly texting, calling, emailing for business straight from my personal phone, so I have to say I actually prefer putting it down on my days off. It feels good to physically separate my phone from my body, either by leaving it in another room or giving it to my boyfriend or just plain old leaving it at home (only if someone is with me, though, I’m not that good!). How to Break Up With Your Phone is filled with practical advice, tips and tricks, and the science behind why our relationship with our phones is so bad…and I think all of it is more relevant than ever. I think I’d like to try to say goodbye again in 2022! Get a copy of your very own here.

the witch doesn’t burn in this one by amanda lovelace

Writing all that without capital letters physically hurt me, but you gotta do what you gotta do. And yes, I understand calling poetry nonfiction may be a bit of a stretch…but given the memoir style of lovelace’s work, I’m going to die on this hill. I adore lovelace’s poetry, and the evolution that’s taken form within it over the past few years has been wonderful to read and experience. the witch doesn’t burn in this one is a great fire starter: it gets you angry, amped up, and ready to do something about, well, anything really (but primarily: burning the patriarchy). I encourage everyone to read the whole series, but this is one of my personal favorites given the witchy theme and the burn-it-all-down energy. Get a copy of your own here.

#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso

#Girlboss is your slightly more business-oriented memoir and self-help book, but I love it, even if you’re not on an entrepreneurship path. This book blew up a couple years ago, and I think Amoruso’s personality certainly helped. I didn’t read it until years after it was published, but the business advice and the life advice is sound and entertaining at the same time. I loved her story, her scrappiness, and her drive. I think you’ll find that reading this book will help light the fire of your passions and remind you that you have no reason not to try. Fake it ’til you make it! Just the vibe I’m looking for going into the new year. Order yours here.

Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide by Rachel Wilkerson Miller

I read and fully reviewed Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide several years ago, but I couldn’t tell you for the life of me where the review is now. Gone to the abyss. Poof. Disappeared. Regardless, I do remember thoroughly enjoying the advice and fresh ideas that came from Miller’s book. This trend for increasing productivity and organization is totally hacked in the pages of Dot Journaling, along with some creative ideas to help you build that emotional attachment to your calendars and spreadsheets. If you think dot journaling might fit into your hectic life and change it for the better, Miller’s book is a great place to start. To be perfectly honest though? I didn’t start dot journaling after I read it (but I wanted to?). It’s the illusion of productivity that keeps me going. Grab a copy here.

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson

Ahhh. Swedish death cleaning. Döstädning to be precise. Döstädning is the practice (and art) of sorting and cleaning one’s belongings before you pass. Even in American culture where we don’t even have a name for it, I’m sure you can think of a few older people who begin to sift through everything they’ve collected over a lifetime as they near the end. And Magnusson’s novel doesn’t make it a dark thing: it’s matter-of-fact, emotional yet practical, and very smart. Even though I do not find myself needing to death clean at the age of 21, I thoroughly enjoyed Magnusson’s wit, and still yet her advice for living a less cluttered life. No matter what stage of being you find yourself in, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is a great way to start your year off decluttering your life. Order a copy here.

I have to tell you, there are actually several other books I wish I could’ve put on this list. If you feel like an overachiever this year, here are my runner-up choices: Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, Educated by Tara Westover, Basic Witches by Jaya Saxena, Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis, and Me, Myself & Ideas by Carrie Anton. So, so many.

Also, it’s occurred to me while reading this that some people might be assuming these are affiliate links that I get paid for…they’re not. I just love Gibson’s Bookstore, and if my mini-review drives you to buy a book, I hope you’ll buy it from them. Jeff Bezos doesn’t need to go to space again in a cowboy hat. Gibson’s online ordering is fast and seamless, and their staff is wonderful, so I highly recommend them for all your book purchases!

And on that note, friends, I hope you have the most excellent new year. It’s coming soon. Keep looking forward, and get ready to make some big, positive changes for yourself in 2022!