Books of March 2020
March brought along with it the start of my life coach certification program. Getting all of my books in the mail felt like college all over again! And I’m just as excited. I’m one of those people who really enjoyed college - but I am also super glad to be done.
In March I also faced an unexpected move. I had been planning to move for a while but all the right doors opened this month. So I spent a lot of time decluttering, sorting, cleaning, packing, and now I get to do the reverse. This actually gave me a bit of extra audiobook time, so while I had less time for causal reading with a cup of tea, there was plenty of listening while packing going on.
In addition, the coronavirus hit in the US with full force in March. I shared my feelings about that as well as how and why I have continued to stick with my goals in my Sustainability - March post. This is an ever-evolving topic and situation. My love and prayers are extended to everyone - those who are sick, those who are well, health care workers, grocery store attendants, and everyone else as we unite to get through this together.
Despite all that has been going on, this month I tackled the following books according to my plan:
Memoir: Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me - 4 Stars. This was an amazing memoir. It was a pick for the Happier podcast book club. Although I wasn’t able to get it from the library and read it before the episode with the author came out, but I’m glad I finally got through it. The story is fascinating and Adrienne Brodeur did a fantastic job of making you understand and care deeply about all of the characters - even if you don’t agree with their choices. It also demonstrates the cyclical process of personal growth and the complex nature of family relationships - concealed affairs or not.
Business: The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level - 3 Stars. I think that this book is the one that really brought the concept of upper limit problems to the forefront. There are a lot of good ideas in this book that relate to mind management, and the upper limit problem is no different. Our human brain tries to keep us safe, and sometimes that means that it holds us back from our full potential - whether through headaches, subconscious relationship sabotage, or something else. It is worth taking a look at if you might be facing an upper limit problem, and how it might be presenting itself.
Mystery: Taken at the Flood - 3 Stars. This Agatha Christie mystery pushes the limit of her usual style by having two big, while still technically related, twists. This was another story about families uniting, and not necessarily for the best. It also had a somewhat sad ending, at least more so than many of her other stories.
Personal development: Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less - 3 Stars. Part memoir, part personal development book, Tiffany Dufu shares her journey from feeling like she had to be the perfect wife, mom, and employee to realizing that sometimes it is more beneficial for everyone if she drops the ball. Her perspective on equal partnership is certainly interesting, and so is the way her husband managed to do his half of the work even while he lived halfway around the world. This book traverses the path that I think most women travel at some point in their life. And while the idea of doing less by taking things off your plate or passing them onto someone else isn’t exactly new or unique, Tiffany Dufu’s story is. And her point about identifying your life goals and using them to dictate the balls you continue to juggle is the best takeaway.
Novel/fiction: The Singles Game - 4 Stars. This book is exactly the kind of light romcom-y fiction I’ve come to expect from Lauren Weisberger. Since I finished the Crazy Rich Asians series and the Ranger’s Apprentice books I was reading last month, I was a bit lost as to what novel to tackle next. I always like Lauren Weisberger’s stories, so I decided to reach for one of her books. The story is interesting, although certainly inappropriate at times. I appreciated the concept and learning more about the lives of the world’s top tennis players. It even made me want to jump back into tennis even though I haven’t played for years. The resolution is a bit predictable, even coming from someone who tries not to predict the end of the books I read. And in true Lauren Weisberger fashion, the story doesn’t exactly end conclusively. Normally that kind of ending doesn’t really sit well with me, but this time I appreciated the vague finality of it - allowing me, and all the other readers, to come to their own conclusions. And with my proclivity for happy endings, of course, mine was in that vein.
Sustainability: MagnifEco: Your Head-to-Toe Guide to Ethical Fashion and Non-toxic Beauty - 2 Stars. The book is super heavy on the details - and while they are definitely interesting, they can be quite difficult to follow at times. I don’t know a lot about different toxic chemicals, so sometimes I felt like I was jumping into the middle of a conversation. But that doesn’t make the topic any less important. If you are looking for the big scoop on eco-friendly choices in the realm of makeup and clothing, this book will get you well on your way. It even lists specific brands that operate ethically and sustainably. I’m not familiar with many of the companies mentioned, but the ones I looked up were still in operation and doing good work.
The list of books that I read in addition to my planned list is much shorter this month than usual. This is partly because of all of the things I shared about above, but also because of all the podcasts I listen to!
Almost every podcast I regularly listen to released a bunch of extra episodes discussing the state of the world and coronavirus. Some discussed how to stay sane in such a tough situation, others discussed how to keep business going, and others shared about how to help those around us. All in all, that added up to dozens of extra hours of content. But I am happy to say, I stayed on top of all of my podcasts.
So in addition to all of the podcast listening, I also read:
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems - 3 Stars. This book is exactly what it says it is - although I’m not sure how common these problems are. Thanks to what I read, I learned how to build a moat of lava around my house, send a package from outer space, and transmit information via butterflies. If you love science and the practical application of that science - you don’t need to look much further. I have a pretty standard understanding of how the universe works, but I will admit, quite a bit of this was over my head. An added plus, if you listen to the audiobook, is that it is narrated by Wil Wheaton. While I don’t know him from Star Trek, I am familiar with him through Big Bang Theory, and that made it just as amusing.
Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts - 3 Stars. For all of the thought management reading and research (and personal application) that I have been doing, I haven’t heard anyone discussing how it relates to the Christian faith. So I was glad that this book covered just that. Although some of the information wasn’t quite in alignment with the stuff that I’ve learned, the foundational information is all there. It ends up being a bit repetitive, but I appreciated finding the Christian perspective here because I haven’t really found it anywhere else.
Martha Stewart's Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines - 3 Stars. As a professional organizer, I have a natural proclivity for books that discuss organizing in-depth - and of course, love the ones with lots of beautiful pictures. I also appreciated that this book is broken down into different sections, it not only discusses how to organize your home, but also how to organize your routines and annual tasks. While there are plenty of valuable tips and insights in the book, I found it to be a bit much. I can’t remember the last time I hosted a crafting afternoon with friends, and I don’t think that I will ever make my own Halloween decorations - much less put it on my calendar every year. This book presents a very high standard. I consider myself to be an organized person, and I think I have a pretty high standard for myself, but this book made me feel like I will never be able to do quite enough.
Peril at End House - 3 Stars. Agatha Christie does it again - approaching this mystery with an unforeseen and unforgettable twist. And the ending is shocking in more ways than one. I’ve noticed that with all that is going on, I really only want to read mystery books. They allow me to direct my focus to something else, and (generally) they still have the happy ending that I crave. I probably would have read more mystery books this month if I had the chance - but there’s always April - and who knows what that month will hold.
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions - 3 Stars. Another book discussing questions I never would have thought to ask - and a lot of answers that went pretty far over my head. This book did, however, have a discussion of what might happen if a virus was spreading around the world. The depiction of industry shutdown, quarantine, and potential economic collapse hit a bit too close to home. So I guess maybe some of these questions and their resulting answers are a bit more within the realm of reality than I would like to think.
I am very excited to tackle all of my reading for April in my new apartment! I may read a lot of mysteries or I may not, but I’m excited (and a bit apprehensive) about what a new month will bring.
Until next time,