“There is no such thing as too many books, just not enough shelves.”
I like to read across a lot of genres, so this month’s recommendations should give you some variety. These eight books touch on psychology and spirituality to history, memoir, and classic fiction. I found something unique and valuable in each one.
I’ve sprinkled in a few quotes as well from each book.
[See previously recommended books here]
NONFICTION
1. 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet
by Pamela Paul
I loved reminiscing through this list of 100 everyday experiences, habits, and connections that we used to have. Many of these things have disappeared in modern life due to the internet, for better or worse (depending on your perspective), such as:
- Getting lost
- Losing your ticket (although I can lose my digital ticket too if I forget where I have it on my phone)
- TV Guide
- Maps
- Blind dates
- Boredom
“People have always spent lots of time on the phone; the difference is that before, we spent it on actual phone calls. Imagine that.”
~ ~ ~
“What did parents in the seventies do when kids were bored in the back seat? Nothing! They let them suck in gas fumes. Torture their siblings. And since it wasn’t actually used for wearing, play with the seatbelt.”
~ ~ ~
“In my childhood view of the world, kids were either born into a fun-loving, full-color World Book Encyclopedia family or consigned to a boring, beige Encyclopedia Britannica family like mine.”
(I was definitely in an Encyclopedia Britannica family—I was fairly old before I could even understand what the entries meant. I was jealous of my friends who had the World Book set. )
2. What Matters Most
Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living
by Diane Button
This was a beautiful telling of story after story from Diane Button’s work as a death doula with people nearing the end of life.
So, what did she find matters most? Spoiler alert: “People and relationships are the core of what matters most.”
“To die with gratitude, you must learn to live with gratitude. To die with a joyful heart, you must learn to live with a joyful heart. To die surrounded by love, you must live surrounded by love. To die in peace, you must learn to live in peace. To die well, you must learn to live well.”
3. Give and Take
A Revolutionary Approach to Success
by Adam Grant
Who ends up more successful: givers, matchers, or takers? Do the most competitive people end up winning the most?
Adam Grant says no. His research shows that generous people—even when they’re literally giving things away—usually achieve the most extraordinary success. (This is Book # 17 for me from Daniel Pink’s 21 Favorite Books list; you can find the list here. It’s been almost a year since I started, but I’m getting there, slowly but surely….)
“Givers reject the notion that interdependence is weak. Givers are more likely to see interdependence as a source of strength, a way to harness the skills of multiple people for a greater good.”
4. When Things Don’t Go Your Way
Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times
by Haemin Sunim
So many great lessons here, and in short doses. Zen teacher Haemin Sunim writes about how to handle disappointment, uncertainty, and hardship with more peace and acceptance.
“Why are we unhappy? The answer is rather simple. We are unhappy because we can’t find peace with what is. We wish things to be different from what is happening at that moment.”
~ ~ ~
“They say that the chance of laughter is thirty times higher when you are with friends than when you are alone. We laugh only fifteen percent of the time because of something that was truly funny, while the rest of the time we laugh because those around us are laughing.”
~ ~ ~
“Which would you rather have? A thousand new followers, or one new genuine friend?”
5. Blessings and Disasters
A Story of Alabama
by Alexis Okeowo
I learned a lot of new things about my home state from journalist Alexis Okeowo. She writes about Alabama’s complex history on faith, race, politics, community, etc. As with most of America’s history, I walked away with a mixture of both shame and pride.
“The way Alabamians think about themselves is due in great part to the environment. All this abundance and its violent settlement—whoever has more force takes the spoils—have bred an entitlement to the land and a defiance to anything that is in the way.”
~ ~ ~
“Alabama has become known for the holidays it still chooses to recognize (three are in honor of the Confederacy) and those it continues to downplay (Martin Luther King Jr. Day is combined into a joint holiday with Robert E. Lee Day).”
(And just Monday we had our annual state holiday to commemorate Jefferson Davis’ birthday, the former president of the Confederate States. Really???)
~ ~ ~
“White people in the South have the most African ancestry of white people living anywhere in the country.”
6. Psychobabble
Viral Mental Health Myths & the Truths to Set You Free
by Joe Nucci
Fascinating! Joe Nucci is a psychotherapist who challenges a lot of the popular mental health advice that we see circulating on social media and everyday conversations. He writes this book for the layperson so it’s easy to understand.
“Myth #6: “Hurt People Hurt People”
Some hurt people hurt people, but many hurt people go out of their way to never hurt anyone, physically or emotionally. There are many reasons why people who do hurt others take those actions.”
FICTION
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
It has been a few years since I’ve read this classic novel about Jim and Huck Finn as they travel on the Mississippi River seeking Jim’s freedom and a better life. With each reading, I see a little more of Twain’s criticism of racism and social hypocrisy. I read it for a book club I’m in. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make the meeting; I always get so much more out of a book through group discussions.
I bounced back and forth between reading and listening. I found the audiobook easier because I could hear the dialects spoken into of deciphering them from the page.
“Turn him loose! he ain’t no slave; he’s as free as any cretur that walks this earth!”
8. To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
I reread this classic for another book club I’m in. I’d forgotten some of the key parts of the story about Scout and the Finch family so I was moved (again) at how Attitcus Finch confronted prejudice in their small Alabama town. And even though I knew what was going to happen in the end, I still cried (again) when it did.
I also swapped between reading and listening this book too (yay for public libraries!). The audio version was narrated by Sissy Spacek, who was phenomenal for every character!
“You’ve got everything to lose from this, Atticus. I mean everything.”
“Do you really think so?” This was Atticus’s dangerous question.
“Do you really think you want to move there, Scout?” Bam, bam, bam, and the checkerboard was swept clean of my men.
“Do you really think that, son? Then read this.”
WHAT I’M READING NOW
- A Thousand Ways to Die
The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America
by Trymaine Lee - I Belong to Me
A Survivor’s Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma
by Tia Levings - Big Time
A Simple Path to Time Abundance
by Laura Vanderkam - Influence
The Psychology of Persuasion
by Robert B. Cialdini - Why Won’t You Apologize?
Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts
by Harriet Lerner - Anxiety Rx
by Russell Kennedy - The Deliverance of Hope
The Spiritual Discipline of Writing People on Death Row
by Wendy Ramage and Jeff Hood
Whatever you’re looking for in a book—practical wisdom, a deeper understanding of human nature, or simply a good story to enjoy—it’s sure to be out there somewhere. There are SO many books to choose from. I hope your latest stack brings you as much joy as my stack has brought me.
Have you read any of these books? Leave a comment with your thoughts—or tell me what book you recommend.