WHAT I'M READING V. 52

1. I'd Rather be Reading by Anne Bogel

Anne Bogel's "What Should I Read Next" podcast has been such a favorite - for its book recommendations and for all the 'eavesdropping' I get to do on bookish conversations. I read her first book, "Reading People" which is about personality tests and it was fine and interesting, but more of a primer than a deep dive.  I liked this second book much better, as it was a short and lovely book traversing through things that book-obsessed people would be delighted to relate to - the joys of living next to a library, library fines, trying to decide what to read next, reading slumps, reading accessories, etc.   A read through this book was coffee with a bookish friend.

2. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

I saw this one touted as an alternative to Jane Eyre, if you didn't like Jane Eyre, and although that sounds sounded like a pretty lofty claim to me, I was intrigued by that claim and picked it up. It's a more modern retelling that speculates where Antoinette Cosway came from before she was shut up in the attic at Mr. Rochester's house.  It was evocative, dark and beautiful, but I didn't love it like those recommending it did. It felt like a dream, and if that is the intended effect, it was successful. But I wanted more than just the emotions, I wanted clarity to see deeper into what was happening on this island. 

3. Deep Work by Cal Newport

This one was solid and falls along the ranks of Greg McKewon's "Essentialism"; many of the ideas reminded me of that one. It has good information about how important deep work is to achieving goals and mindfulness and makes the point that interruptions and multi-tasking are at odds with focus and productivity.  It points toward time management, prioritizing and being aware of distractions like social media. Many of the concepts were things that were familiar to me, but was organized in a direct and convincing way. The most helpful thing for me that I will apply is making sure I actually schedule uninterrupted periods of deep work when I'm working on a project. If I were to reread a book between the two though, I would probably pick up "Essentialism".

4.  Dear Life by Alice Munro

It took me a while to catch on to the wonderful train that is Alice Munro.  I read a few stories and was puzzled by the feel of these short stories - they felt like excerpts out of a novel, and left me wanting more. As I read on, I realized this is her art, and she's very good at it. She drops you into a life and you are fully immersed in its parameters, details, and tragedies and then you step out. She is masterful and I clutched it in appreciation after I was done.