I consume non-fiction books in a number of ways. Sometimes I read them on my Kindle. Sometimes I read them in book format. Often, I listen to them on Audible. Regardless of the format, I tend to consume them a little bit at a time.
But, every once in a while, I get one that makes me want to keep picking it up to see what comes next. The last three non-fiction books I read (or, in the case of the third one, am reading) have had that impact.
The Twenty-Something Treatment by Meg Jay is, in my opinion, a book that everyone who is parenting a 20-something, works with a 20-something or is a 20-something should read. Cover to cover. Jay, a therapist who specializes in clients in this decade of life, discusses why this stage of life is particularly channeling, unravelling the reasons why the “best years of our lives“ don’t always feel that way. Jay legitimizes the struggles of this time of life when everything is so uncertain. As with many nonfiction books, I consumed this one a chapter at a time because there was a lot of information to absorb, but I found myself reaching for it over and over again when I was looking for something to read.
The next book was something completely different. I originally bought Jessica Radoff's The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series as a Christmas gift for my husband, but quickly realized it was more my kind of book than his. And for all of you thinking this was just an excuse for me to appropriate the book, I showed it first to my daughter ("Do you think Dad would read this?") and then my husband ("Would you read this?") before deciding to read it myself rather than returning it. I wasn't sorry. Written in interview format, Radoff shares inside perspectives from the cast, producers and TV execs who created a series my husband and I watch in reruns on a regular basis. It's the kind of insider info my mom would have loved.
The third book, Oliver Burkeman‘s Meditations for Mortals is one of the best books of its kind that I've read. I read his Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals during the pandemic and it was just okay. This one, however, had me hooked from the moment I picked it up. At several points, I've actually had force myself to put the book down in order to adhere to Burkeman's recommendation to tackle the book one chapter per day. Burkeman thesis in both books is similar: we are finite human beings who were never meant to tackle infinite scroll to-do lists, but I'm finding Meditations for Mortals to be more accessible and perhaps more practical. Each meditation focuses on one aspect of his thesis in a very chatty yet well- supported fashion, investigating ways to choose what matters and let go of the rest. Burkeman's book has become my go-to morning read. Currently, I’m on chapter 25 and not only have I not missed a day, I am not looking forward to the end of the book because I so enjoy picking it up and reading what he has to say each day. Fortunately, I have an idea for a book that I'm currently reading that will fill the void.
Stay tuned :-)
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