BOOKSHELF: AUGUST 2024
I may revisit these and expand on each title when time allows, but in order to share a quick overview, here are a few of the last books, some paper some audio, I fell in love with recently.
The first are two of the best audio books I’ve listened to this year:
Be Useful, by Arnold Schwarzenegger, was a huge surprise and a book which I think wouldn’t have resonated as much if I had not taken on running and weight training. But since I did, and since I work in films and moved abroad to start a new life, this was one of those I simply could not stop listening to. I wrote three words in my journal to describe it: inspirational, purposeful and intentional. Thus it earned its place here.
Listening to Alonement, by Francesca Specter, was like having a chat with a friend. This is another book which I can safely say you “need to be ready for”. A 20-something-year-old Zaira wouldn’t have appreciated it in the same way. But perhaps this the beauty of coming across it earlier in life, fast tracking some of the knowledge one often gains through experience. I appreciate there is a difference between knowing from a cognitive place and feeling (many therapy sessions later…), but if you’re on the path from thinking to owning, embracing and loving life, this book might give you a ride for a few miles.
The last two, are very well known number 1 best sellers:
I won’t spend too much time on these two books since the web is saturated with all kinds of reviews about both. What I can say about both James Clear’s Atomic Habits and Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman’s The Daily Stoic is that these are books I suggest reading in good old paperback with a highlighter at hand. And revisiting them time and time again.
I challenge you not to pursue the 1% better rule after reading Atomic Habits. Again, as a runner, it was easy to relate to the idea of consistency and natural progression - getting a little bit better every day - when noticing the tangible results of persisting as time goes by. But how does one persist? As obvious as some of the advice may seem, we cannot underestimate the brilliance of putting these in an very digestible format, which is in essence a roadmap for building good habits and freeing yourself from any you deem as bad ones.
I confess I was put off by the word “meditations” when I first came across The Daily Stoic. I find reflections a more appropriate term to describe these. As the name suggests, you’re meant to read a page a day. Needless to say, I often binge these and I am sure you will too. This book not only changed completely my perception of Stoicism, but taught me to pursue it whilst being in touch with my emotions.
