The month of January found me reading voraciously. A friend of mine joked that every time she saw me I had a different book. I was reading in almost all of my free time, in part due to my self-imposed ban/experiment of Netflix or YouTube only on Sundays (more on that later) that I started on a whim, and in part because I just love to read.
Over the past few months I’d gone through my to-read list of books and had cut it by more than 50%. I got it down to only the books that I wanted to read, as opposed to having some thrown in that I felt like I should read but in reality wasn’t interested in. It was a surprisingly liberating experience that I’ve replicated in other parts of my life and would recommend. I was surprised how I could feel a noticeable opening in my mental space after saying no to something as simple as a book or podcast that I felt like I should read or listen to and limit it to only my interests.
I think that’s also part of why I ended up finishing so many books in January. If I was in the middle of a book and wasn’t enjoying it, I would just stop wherever I was and start a new one.
Now, after finishing close to 20 books here are three that I really enjoyed and found myself thinking about long after I turned the final page.
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
- The Circadian Code by Satchin Panda
Deep Work by Cal Newport
I found this to be a solid book about the importance of uninterrupted stretches of time with high concentration towards your work. The ideas weren’t groundbreaking, we all know focusing on what’s important and dedicating time to your work is the key to getting things done, but I liked what Newport had to say. Particularly about the depth of focus and arranging your time so you have periods of intense concentration and times to work on more admin tasks (shallow work) which he gives three different models of. I also found the Eudaimonia Machine an interesting idea of one way to make your working environment set up for different “levels of focus”. In an age with increasingly fragmented attention I think this is a skill that shouldn’t be left to the wayside. It made me want to re-direct some of my attention to adjusting my current habits to allow for more deep work in my life.
Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
Stay With Me was one I couldn’t quite get out of my head for several days after finishing. The author creates a story that is entertaining throughout, but in the last third (the best part of the book in my opinion) she manages to weave details that seemed insignificant in the beginning into a deeper reveal that I did not see coming. The characters are both intriguing and flawed and the purple-pink and orange cover is striking. The fact that this was her debut novel impressed me even more.
The Circadian Code by Satchin Panda
This book went into your body’s circadian rhythms and their impact on your overall health. I found what it had to say about the several different “clocks” that your body has, in particular cells in different organs, fascinating and something I’d never heard before. The research on TRE (time restricted eating) was interesting as well and reminded me of intermittent fasting as they’re similar concepts, but I found to be better explained by Panda.
These are books I can see myself coming back to and reading again and are ones I’d recommend if you’re looking for something to read.