March! Reads! 2020!
March is upon us! As you can see from the above IG post, March is in full swing and the above book list is already underway. A variety of books covering the gamut from philosophy to finance to mindfulness all in the course of a single month.
Who once said that variety is the spice of life?
Yes, that is a Lego Star Wars (Y-Wing Starfighter) in the background and I love it. I'm still on the hunt for a discounted Millenium Falcon... I will find you!
On to the books!
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki is a legendary book at this point. Practical and useful advice on money to get us out of the mindset of being a person who works to earn money to a person who uses money to make money. I've been rather ignorant about my own money goals and thus I have set a 2020 goal to read a money book a month. This is month three and so far so good!
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion was a book recommended by fellow followers on a recent Joan Didion book stack photo. This was Joan's first non-fiction book and her experiences living in California and America in general. If her writing from The Year of Magical Thinking is any indication of how this one will be, I'm looking forward to it!
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk comes highly recommended by many people interested in psychology and especially from those who are interested or knowledgeable about trauma. I've heard it referenced as the foundational book to really help us start to understand the impacts of trauma not only on the body but on the brain.
At the Existentialist Cafe comes from Sarah Bakewell, who also wrote How to Live: A Life of Montaigne, comes at us talking about the people and philosophies behind Existentialism. Satre, Camus, and Kierkegaard to name a few of the individuals who have dived into this thought. Looking forward to this one; it's been on the shelf for a while!
Steve Brusatte's The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs has received critical praise for it's updated look at dinosaurs and really bringing everyone up to speed on what we know. If you are understanding is still based on Jurassic Park, don't worry I was the same way! Who knew that the field of paleontology was such an interesting always-changing landscape.
Jack Kornfield's No Time Like the Present brings this message (straight from his website):
"We can be happy and free at any moment, no matter what our circumstances, even in periods of great change, whether chaotic or peaceful."
March's book for the mindfulness/spirituality reads for the year, looking forward to diving back into a book by Jack as his words always seem to bring a sense of calmness to me.
Ronan Farrow's Catch and Kill probably needs no introduction. This book flew to the top of the charts and covers people in positions of power who abuse that power and the ways they try to cover it up. Operatives, high-priced lawyers, and spies; nothing is out of bounds in this one!
Last but not least, Sam Kean's The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons takes a look at the history of the brain and brain surgery through the last few hundred years. I've already read about half of this one and some of the stories are downright crazy. We really had no idea what we are doing and yet over time have come to understand just how complex and amazing our brains truly are.
Phew! A big list. Have you read, or are you interested in reading, any of these? Send me a message on the blog or reach out on Instagram if you want to discuss any of these. Looking forward to how the month unfolds!