Books of October 2020
If you notice the new website, hopefully, that will help to explain the (somewhat) lower-than-normal amount of books I got through this month. There has been so much business stuff to do this month, and reading has definitely gotten pushed to the back-burner. I did get through my 6 “required” books though, of course, as well as a few extras.
Memoir: Home: A Memoir of My Early Years - 4 Stars. I loved Julie Andrews growing up - largely because she was in so many movies that I watched over and over. Now, as an adult reading her memoirs (I read Home Work last year), I love her even more. She doesn’t whitewash over anything and tells her whole story with wit and grace. It is amazing to hear about her interactions with so many other iconic people early in her career, even as they were becoming big stars themselves - and she quickly followed. Her honesty and authenticity are beautifully blended with her sense of humor and realism. Because I read her second memoir first, I felt like I had a behind-the-scenes look, since I knew how everything worked out! But that certainly didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this book. Since she also wrote both of these memoirs later in life (as opposed to some Hollywood stars who write their first memoir at 30), she has such a big-picture and mature perspective that many similar books lack. She is just as talented a writer as she is a singer, dancer, and everything else.
Business: Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Creating a Mass Movement of People Who Will Pay for Your Advice - 3 Stars. This book has so much great advice on sales and marketing, and most of it is presented in a pretty accessible manner. There are even specific scripts that you can use in your webinars, sales calls, and pretty much any other marketing presentation. I would have appreciated if some of the tactics had more diverse examples, showing how the principles could be applied to a wider range of businesses. But I also understand that they will work best only after a million tweaks and lots of testing anyway. This book was a good reminder that business is just math - and all the brain drama is just something to deal with separately. Once you do that, it can just be fun! And experimentation is part of the process.
Mystery: The Clocks - 3 Stars. This Agatha Christie mystery was a nice escape from the crazy month (and year!). Although Poirot was technically the detective who solved this mystery, he was incorporated very loosely and wasn’t even introduced until halfway through. I kept forgetting he was even part of the story until he would randomly pop up. Overall, it was a really interesting story, but I didn’t feel like it was tied together well at the end. There was a twist, and the core “whodunit” was wrapped up, but there were other loose ends that I was still confused about.
Personal development: Didn't See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart - 3 Stars. I’m not sure that there is a more perfect title to describe 2020 - and since this book was largely written and edited in the last several months, that isn’t a coincidence. I’ve loved all of Rachel Hollis’s books and in many ways, I love this one too. The beginning and end of this book resonated really strongly with me, but the middle felt a little cliche. She addressed the pain and the struggle that so many of us are going through right now with gentleness and strength, and the chapter on resilience towards the end is one I think I will read over and over. We still may not know what lies ahead, and though I’m sure a lot of it will be great, many of the lessons in this book (especially the one on resilience) will be there for the times that aren’t.
Novel/fiction: Transcendent Kingdom - 2 Stars. This was the most recent Happier podcast book club pick, so I knew I had to read it - but it wasn’t one of my favorites. The story wasn’t really intriguing, and at times I had to remind myself that it was a novel, rather than a memoir, biography, or even largely based on real life. As novels go, it is one that feels rather sad and dark, with hope just barely tinging the edges. And I think that’s part of why I didn’t really love it. The jumping back and forth between time periods was hard to follow at times, and the jump at the end to several years in the future where a seemingly “happily ever after” was achieved felt out of place and empty. Since I knew that this book touched on religion and Protestantism, I was curious to see how I would feel about that. The description of that in the book largely unphased me, and it was interesting to see the character struggle with her faith over the course of the story - encapsulating much of what so many people experience. This is another area that is left largely unresolved, and I guess that is meant to be point back to the reality of many people’s lives, but maybe just since I don’t feel that way, I was left with that sad and empty feeling.
Sustainability: Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste - 3 Stars. This is a book that I’ve been waiting to read all year. And I waited until now because it corresponds to my Sustainability theme of the month. It was another zero-waste book - although it felt even more extreme than some of the others. Like turning your children’s artwork into pulp so that you can re-make your own paper. Or foraging in the woods for things to use in place of toilet paper (although the author admits that was not a habit they adopted long term). The idea of going zero-waste intrigues me, although I don’t know that I will ever consider myself to be fully in that category. If you are curious about it or want to delve into that world yourself, you might want to start with a different book. This book in many ways is truly the “ultimate guide” and it may end up feeling a bit more intimidating than helpful. But if you’re well-versed on the topic, this may provide some additional insights and procedures that you might never have even considered. The author also discusses her family’s annual trip to visit relatives across the globe, and she uses this to point out that none of us can live completely sustainable or zero-waste lives, it is all about living intentionally, being aware of our impact, and making decisions on purpose - and that is a lifestyle I can get behind.
In October I also read:
The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives - 2 Stars. I was excited to read about books that authors love - since what we read often influences so much about us, whether we write or not. I was a bit disappointed that none of the authors who were interviewed were particularly big names - or at least it didn’t feel that way to me. Since most of them I had never even heard of, much less read, I wasn’t as invested in their recommended reading lists - although I did add a few books to mine that came up in the interviews over and over.
The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread - And Why They Stop - 3 Stars. Over the years, I’ve read several books about virality - but more often than not they discuss virality of a digital nature, rather than a disease-related one. This book covered both but was certainly more about the spread of different diseases (mostly in more recent history), how and why they spread, and what we can do about them. In the age of COVID, this book felt more appropriate than ever - although of course, COVID wasn’t mentioned. But the idea of a pandemic on the horizon certainly was, and little did we know it was so close. The information in the book is interesting, if not really practical or applicable. I’m glad that there are people out there who study contagion though. And the book made a point that I have seen mentioned, but not discussed frequently - that when you react appropriately to an outbreak, it often is perceived as having been an overreaction since there is (ideally) minimal impact. And while we can never know what would have happened if such action hadn’t been taken, the opposite is not a risk that I’m willing to take.
Is This Anything? - 4 Stars. I didn’t realize how much I really just needed to laugh until I read this book. Since one of my goals for 2020 was to watch all of Seinfeld, this book seemed to fit in perfectly. And since I’ve watched so many episodes, I recognized some of the bits in this book that were used in the show. Is This Anything? is pretty much a compilation of bits that Jerry Seinfeld came up with over the years broken down by the decade in which he used them. It was fascinating to see so clearly how is humor and style developed over time, and I laughed a lot along the way. I listened to this book on audio and I would highly recommend that if possible - it is really funny hearing Jerry Seinfeld read it and kind of feels like one long comedy routine. I’m definitely considering branching out more into humorous and satirical writing, I almost always love it and it isn’t something that I read much of. And right now, laughter is something we all could use a bit more of.
Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You - 3 Stars. This may come as a surprise to some, but I’m not that familiar with Jen Hatmaker and I haven’t read any of her other books. I think though, that this book was a good introduction. It primarily focused on the internal and external pressures that women continue to face - as well as discussing many of the cultural issues that are at the forefront today. She approaches the topics with grace and strength, confident in her opinions and perspective. I enjoyed reading about her life and being reminded of many lessons it is easy to forget, but on the whole, none of the advice seemed that unique or to really stand out in hindsight.
Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye - 3 Stars. I’ve been a longtime fan of Lois Lowry and was surprised that I’d never seen this book by her mentioned. It tells the sweet story of a young high school graduate as she embarks on the search for her birth mother and the identity that she longs for. The story is meaningful and painful as it depicts the search of so many. In some ways, it has the happiest ending possible, while still seeming within the realm of reality. As I started the book I wondered how it could possibly be brought to a conclusion that satisfied both of those things - but it did. The experience depicted in the book certainly isn’t what many people experience, but I think that it still makes an important point about growth, choices, and identity.
The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done - 4 Stars. This book was a good blend of practical and theoretical - which you know I love! The idea of being a “lazy genius” doesn’t resonate with me, but a lot of the principles that Kendra Adachi mentioned do! Some of the ideas are so practical that if you’re looking for advice on the best way to clean your kitchen - this book has even that covered. And some of the other ideas - like just deciding once - are truly brilliant (although not completely unique). I loved the discussion on perfection and realism in social media - that both showing the messes and the perfect parts of our lives are both real - but in different ways. They’re both important and valuable. And judging someone for either (or because they post all of one and none of the other) is harmful to you and the life that you want.
November isn’t looking too hopeful when it comes to getting more time to read, but that’s okay. I’m in a season focused on work, and I have the reading habit that I want! I am able to maintain it even in the midst of the craziness - and I can sink back into more restful reading as time allows.
I’m still on track though to spend December re-reading only my favorite books, and I am so looking forward to that. Gretchen Rubin says that she knows she is stressed when she finds herself re-reading lots of children’s literature. I am much the same. When life is stressful or crazy all I want to do is read Agatha Christie or re-read my favorite books. I have been dying to pick up Slaughterhouse-Five again so that may have to be the first one on my list for December.
I only have 10 books to go to 150! Then on to re-reading it is.
Until next time,