What I’ve been reading this week
Two recommendations and a book I’m desperate to discuss
This week I read three very good, very different books which I can’t wait to discuss with you.
Firstly, an aside: Yes my dopamine went through the roof in having read three books in one week. But let me level with you… all were short (about 200 pages) and I listened to one of them. I’m very much in the any way you want to consume a book counts camp, but listening meant I was able to multi task whilst walking etc. I often listen to non-fiction books as a scan to see if I will learn enough from them and if they are great I will then buy them physically, I need to see the words to remember the content properly.
The three this week are all old - to varying levels - keeping to my commitment to read older books and not just get sucked into the new releases this autumn. And what a JOY it has been. In a fortnight of many, many new books hitting the shelves, I have loved these discovering books. (As expected, Boris shot to the top of the bestsellers over the weekend).
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
This book was published in 1987 and (aside from the slightly dated voice on audio) I would have never have guessed this book is 40-odd years old. It felt very contemporary and in tune with a lot of the big questions being asked today. I loved how succinct it was in both conveying information and in length (you can listen to it in 3hours or so). I would recommend as a quick read for anyone looking for some practical, tangible ideas in pushing themselves out of their comfort zone or overcoming decision paralysis.
My favourite aspects that I’ve already started playing around with:
Challenge yourself to take 1 risk a day. I’ve tried this for the last week and it’s great at pushing you outside your comfort zone, often with positive or surprising results.
Remember whatever comes your way: You can handle it. 90+% of what we worry about never happens, the remainder might… but you can handle it.
Submit your challenges to your subconscious and let it work it out (I used to do this with my uni essays and never knew how I somehow got to the answer … I’ve since lost this ability but I’m working on this again).
Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott
I picked this up on a whim and let me tell you, I was chuckling from the first page.
Another old book, it was published in 1929 and is about a couple who divorce in the post-war 20s of New York (which sounds like a vibe). It is totally hilarious and captivating, I could not put this down. It feels like a pre-cursor to Heartburn by Nora Ephron, which is one of my favourite hilarious yet reflective books. Ephron famously believed ‘everything is copy’ and this book leans into that theory. Witty, dark, brilliant, sad, funny. All the feels, much hilarity, some tears. Most importantly, truly excellent writing. I have marvelled many times at Parrott’s ability to say some much in so little. This has become my new go-to gifting book (I wrote about my previous go-tos here).
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
This was published in 2019 and I can’t remember where I saw this, but perhaps over on BookTok? It seemed to crop up a few times, and with a super beautiful and recognisable cover my mind immediately went ‘buy’ when I stumbled upon it in a bookshop last week. This is such an interesting structure (which I enjoyed) based in a fantasy world (which I didn’t fully follow). I think there is so much to unpick and discuss here, my tl;dr is I found it super interesting and I liked lots of things it did but, for me, it didn’t fully come together. Has anyone read it? Can we chat??
Happy Monday, I’m off to watch the new TV adaptation of Rivals ✌️
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