I have been, or can be if you click on a link and make a purchase, compensated via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value for writing this post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
All of the links below are my Amazon affiliate links. One of my goals this year is to read more and actually complete several books and this post is about the books I’m currently reading. Because of our stay-at-home situation over the last several months, reading has been easier for me. Because my trips to kids’ activities have been greatly reduced, there are many more pockets of time available for me to read. And, since the libraries have been closed, I love reading digital books on my husband’s Kindle Paperwhite. He so kindly gave it to me because he wasn’t using it much.
Since using this device, I have actually finished many more books than I ever did before. I’m not exactly sure why, but it may have something to do with all of my books being in one place. Yes, I am one of those people….. I always have several books going at a time. But, there is a method to my madness. To quench my thirst for all of my different interests, I have one book going from each of the following categories at all times: fiction, health, personal finance, book club, and personal development or another non-fiction book.
What I’m Reading
In Fiction
I don’t know why, but I don’t read a lot of fiction. My ability to focus on long stories is underdeveloped. I have always preferred non-fiction because I can take little bite-sized nuggets of information and find ways to apply them to my life. I can’t tell you how many times I have started a fiction book and only made it 10% of the way through.
The funniest thing about it is that I formed a book club with a bunch of actors, thinking that it would force me to read more fiction. Instead, we all seem to be non-fiction readers. So I have been trying to hold myself accountable to reading more fiction.
This month I am reading Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. Click here to check it out. So far I am enjoying it. It’s part of a trilogy and was made into this movie. I will definitely watch the movie once I have finished the book. This has been an emotional read for me so far. Once I have finished this book, I plan on using the discussion question guide at Penguin to reflect on what I have read.
In Health
I am in the process of becoming a functional medicine health coach. So I have made a personal commitment to read health-related books. Right now I am reading two books: Genius Foods by Max Lugavere and Paul Grewal and The Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns.
Genius Foods is a dense book filled with so much useful information. As a menopausal woman, I struggle with brain fog and this book gives research-based ways to improve how your brain functions. One interesting fact that is mentioned in the book is that your brain takes up only 3-5% of your body mass, but consumes up to 25% of your energy. This explains why a person can be completely exhausted after taking an exam even though they were not being physically active. Because of this book, I have increased my consumption of olive oil, blueberries, and avocados. Read it to learn why.
The Keto Reset Diet has some similarities with the Genius Foods book even though the objectives are different. Genius Foods discusses the advantages of a Keto diet and The Keto Reset Diet talks about the benefits that a Keto diet has on the brain. Since I have started reading the Keto book, I am transitioning myself into a Keto diet. From what I read, it may help me with some of my hormonal changes. The Keto diet is also an advocate for eating lots of avocadoes and I love avocadoes!
In Personal Finance
Because personal finance is a passion of mine, I also include these in my repertoire of books I’m reading.
I am currently reading T. Harv Eker’s Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. Though it was written in 2005, the information is still timely. I like the mindset that this book shares and it offers great rules for saving and spending. The book offers hope for even those who might think they are destined to be broke because of their past experiences.
In Personal Development or Non-Fiction
Now, this is one I finished last month. I loved it so much that I thought I would include it here: You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt.
Eleanor Roosevelt shares wisdom galore throughout this book. I found myself highlighting in my Paperwhite repeatedly. I just looked at my notes and I have 65 highlights about her life advice. Some of my favorite quotes from this book include:
Life is interesting only as long as it is a process of growth; or, to put it another way, we can grow only as long as we are interested.
Living and learning must go hand in hand. Each new bit of knowledge, each new experience is an extra tool in meeting new problems and working them out.
The encouraging thing is that every time you meet a situation, though you may think at the time it is an impossibility and you go through the tortures of the damned, once you have met it and lived through it you find that forever after you are freer than you ever were before. If you can live through that you can live through anything. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
Eleanor Roosevelt
I highly recommend this book. Though originally written in 1960, her words are just as pertinent today. If you have a Kindle Unlimited membership you can read it for free (as of today’s writing) as part of your membership.
For My Book Club
We are currently reading Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston. According to the Merriam-Webster definition, a barracoon is “an enclosure or barracks formerly used for temporary confinement of slaves or convicts.” This book tells the story of the very last slave living in America. It is quite interesting and important to get this viewpoint. While it is sometimes difficult for me to understand it (the author wrote it phonetically when transcribing his words), I quickly adjusted to the dialect. I have heard that the audiobook is wonderful and a good way to get past the transcription.
What are you reading right now? Do you have any great summer recommendations?
