Recent Reads and the Makings of a Podcast Junkie
One of my intentions for 2016 was to “break open a new book every week.” However, a combination of travel, working on some side projects, and podcast-binging means that I haven’t quite hit my weekly goal, though I am still making progress! I’m seriously loving podcasts though – I now listen to them while walking our dog, while running errands, and while doing stuff around the house. So here’s a roundup of what I’ve been reading and listening to lately!
Recent Reads:
#GIRLBOSS, Sophia Amoruso: Sophia Amoruso is a badass with an incredibly inspiring, candid, and human story – I really loved this book. A favorite quote – “A #GIRLBOSS is someone who’s in charge of her own life. She gets what she wants because she works for it. As a #GIRLBOSS, you take control and accept responsibility. You’re a fighter, you know when to throw punches and when to roll with them. Sometimes you break the rules, sometimes you follow them, but always on your own terms. You know where you’re going, but can’t do it without having fun along the way. You value honesty over perfection. You ask questions. You take your life seriously, but you don’t take yourself too seriously. You’re going to take over the world, and change it in the process.” Right on, Sophia.
Thrive, Arianna Huffington: Arianna Huffington is truly inspiring with how honest and devoted she is about maintaining a balance of well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving in life. So much of this book resonated with me, and were related to the reasons I left my position in Big Consulting. One of my favorite excerpts includes a quote from Iain Thomas – “And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling ‘This is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!’ And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart, and say ‘No, this is what’s important.’ ”
Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates: Not a light read, but an important one. There’s a reason Toni Morrison said this should be required reading. Ta-Nehisi Coates frames the book as a letter to his teenage son on the falsehood of “race,” how the concept of race has destroyed generations of black Americans and families, and how we can all be honest with ourselves about what has happened in the past and what is happening now. Not going to lie, it made me uncomfortable and on guard at times – but I think that’s okay, and sort of the point. There’s a really good Amazon review that sums up how I felt about this – “I never had to think about my safety, my future or my pride through the lens of my race. I couldn’t even begin to conceive of that experience. Ta-Nehisi Coates is the first person to break through that reality of my upbringing and allow me to step into another experience for a little while.”
Focus, Daniel Goleman: I’ve been a huge fan of Daniel Goleman for the past 10+ years – I centered my undergraduate thesis around his research and writing on emotional intelligence and read every new book he releases. This is a really good book, but I have to admit it’s been slow-going (3 weeks in and I’m still working on it). Maybe it says something about me that I’m having trouble focusing on a book focused on focusing?? Regardless, it’s a very interesting read about the intersection of attention, emotional intelligence, and systems thinking, and how inner/other/outer focus is an indicator of high performance.
All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr: I read this 530 page novel in 48 hours. This has nothing to do with reading speed and everything to do with how good this book is. It is INCREDIBLE – my description of it probably won’t do it justice, but just trust me and read it. A friend recommended it to me as the best book she’s read in a long time, and when I told her how I couldn’t put it down, she said “It’s hard for me to explain, but I felt like that book was a treasure. I just wanted to savor it.” And I COMPLETELY agree. I am so happy I bought the physical book because I felt like I could savor and appreciate it even more. Thank you, Anthony Doerr, for this treasure.
Podcast Addictions:
Startup, Season 1: This is the podcast that got me hooked on podcasts. A few friends recommended it, so Cem and I started listening during a road trip to and from Philly last month and now we listen to it together every time we’re driving. If you haven’t listened yet (or have only listened to Season 2), I highly recommend starting with Season 1. Alex Blumberg (the host) used to work for This American Life and left to create a startup focused on podcasts. It’s a candid, honest, and often funny peek behind the curtains of the startup world. Highly recommend!
This American Life: This is probably one of the best radio shows/podcasts that ever existed. I used to listen to this years ago, but recently got back into the habit and realized how much I missed it. It’s hard to describe, but each episode is basically focused around a theme or sliver of human life. For example, a recent episode was about doubt, and how it starts, how it spreads, and how two separate police stations handled the same crime and dealt with doubt in different ways.
Serial, Season 1: I know, I am SO late to the game on this one. But it is such a good series and I am still scratching my head about whether Adnan Syed did it or not. If you haven’t listened to this yet, I won’t try to influence your experience with my opinion. I’ll just say that this made me really reflect on my times spent as a juror and consider whether I would have acquitted or convicted Adnan Syed. Jury’s still out on whether I’m going to listen to Season 2 though.
Dear Sugar: I fell in love with Cheryl Strayed’s Dear Sugar book when I read it in December, and was so happy to see that she and the original sugar, Steve Almond, are once again running their advice column, this time over the radio waves instead of their blog. I was never into advice columns, but I LOVE the Sugars and their “radically empathetic advice.”
Modern Love: Famous voices (e.g., Jason Alexander, Dakota Fanning) read submissions to the New York Times’ Modern Love column, which beautifully talk about the ups and downs of all kinds of love (romantic, family, etc.).
The Mystery Show: This is a quirky show that focuses on seemingly everyday mysteries, such as “Why was Britney Spears photographed with a copy of my unsuccessful and hard to find book?” and “Who is the rightful owner of this belt buckle I found as a kid?” Host Starlee Kine commits to tracking down the answers to these mysteries in these quirky and fun 1 hour episodes. I’m seriously thinking of submitting my own mystery (like, why does my neighbor use his microwave so often all day long??).
Would love to hear about the best books you’ve read lately, and podcasts you’ve been listening to!
PS…If any of my local friends want to borrow any of these books, let me know!