WHAT I'M READING V. 46

1. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves

We read this book at work for one of our book studies, and it ended up being a very practical and helpful book to evaluate each of our emotional intelligence (there is a test that you take that scores you in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management) and then gives straightforward and valuable strategies to improve in each of those areas.  It was source of good discussions in our groups and got me thinking about ways I can better my sense of internal peace and external communication. 

2. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin 

I found this one on Hoopla and remembered hearing that it was a good autobiography (and it has been a while since I have read an autobiography! Autobiography being distinct from the form of a memoir. The distinction is that usually a memoir covers one specific aspect of a person's life, while an autobiography usually covers the entire timeline. I wonder if this definition is shifting though now, with so many celebrities writing 'memoirs' of their lives, i.e. how they got to where they are). It was great (it took me a second to slip into the language of the mid-1700s), revealing (I especially loved hearing the details of what life was like then, including the way they thought, talked, ate, conversed, etc.) and I learned some more about Benjamin Franklin that I didn't know before.  While I wish it went into more detail about his work as an inventor and diplomat, it was an insightful look into his career as a printer, journalist and politician.

3. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

I didn't know what to expect with this one because I had never heard of the Osage tribe before, and I was completely floored by this narrative of what happened in the 1920s in this country. It's pretty horrifying how intricate the plans were to kill members of the Osage tribe because of greed and racism. It's an important story that should be told, especially to ensure that our understanding of America is one that is a more accurate one because of its recognition and inclusiveness of all its voices. 

4. The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley

I was familiar with the concept of The Common Rule beforehand (Justin was on our podcast, Living with the Moons, to talk about it!) but there were so many gems in this book; gems that need the medium of a book to allow for pauses, rumination, and savoring of sentences. There is vulnerability and intimacy in the stories he tells and wisdom to be found in the spaces between yearning and peace; in many ways, reading the book felt like a conversation with a friend. Full of practical guidance, not for the sake of creating habits, but for the sake of living beautifully and building lives of love. I still have it by my bed so I can refer back to it when needed!