This was the year of the e-book! And a few of the most impactful books I read this year were in this format. The running theme for books that had an impact on me this year would have to be non-conformity or thinking outside the box.

** Books mentioned below have Amazon affiliate links, meaning I make a few cents if you purchase through my link. I only recommend books that I’ve read.

Going back to the beginning of the year….

It all started with Linchpin by Seth Godin. Some of you know that Seth Godin is the co-founder of Squidoo, where I used to do most of my writing. He is an internet expert and business writer with one of the most popular blogs in the world. His book, Linchpin, is about indispensable people who follow their dreams and make things happen. In other words, they do more than dream, they ship the product.

In true Seth Godin fashion, he announced that, although he has published dozens of books, Linchpin will be the last in the traditional bound book format. I continue to learn from him every single day.

Mindsight by Dr. Dan Siegel

In late 2009, I attended a workshop given by neuroscientist, Dr. Dan Siegel, at Kripalu in Massachusetts. His book, Mindsight, which was the subject of the workshop, came out in early 2010. Mindsight is the ability to observe your mind through meditation, creating neural connections that integrate different parts of the brain. I was so taken with the topic that meditation has become a part of my life.

Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality by Richard Rohr

My faith-sharing women’s group discussed this book and finally, I was able to see the connection between some of the newer themes in spirituality and science and their connection to Scripture. Richard Rohr is a Catholic priest who really thinks outside the box. He shows in this brilliant book how the Bible outlines the evolution of human consciousness. Really!

The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka

I am interested in a not so big house and Sarah Susanka, an architect, coined that phrase and turned it into several wildly popular books. My husband and I went to hear her speak in April and she mentioned her latest book, The Not So Big Life, where she took her principles for a not so big house and applied it to life.

She is very much into meditation as well, and this book has well-developed exercises for paring your life to what really matters. I originally got the book from the library, but after finishing it, I downloaded it to my iPad for reading again.

And Now for those E-Books

My iPad came into my life in June and I love it! Having a built-in highlighter and dictionary is heavenly. But not all of my e-book purchases were through my iPad.

Here are some of the best e-books I read this year.

Have you heard of a Vook? It is a video e- book, consisting of a regular e-book, usually with a short video to begin each chapter. You can even highlight an excerpt and send it through your favorite social media platform. This year I read Karen Armstrong’s “12 Steps to a Compassionate Life” and Deepak Chopra’s “Buddha” with this format.

I downloaded Chris Guillebeau’s “The Art of Non-Conformity” to my iPad and I keep going back to reread parts of it, as well as continuing to follow Chris on his blog and Twitter. If there is anyone in your life, no matter what age, who would like to follow their dreams and live an unconventional life, this is the book for them.

Another book, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, I downloaded from the author’s website using Adobe Digital Editions. Another free program by Adobe, it allows you to read e-books on your computer. Pressfield is funny and smart, and talks about resistance and muses in the process of creating art.

What book had the greatest impact on you this year?