I've finally gotten back to reading fiction, and what a great reunion it's been! A book club selected Girl Waits With Gun, by Amy Stewart, and it was the perfect book to reignite my love for a good novel. Without further ado, here are my favorite recent reads:
If You Find This Letter: My Journey to Find Purpose Through Hundreds of Letters to Strangers, by Hannah Brencher
Oh, I've been waiting for this book. I've been following Hannah for several years now, and I've had the opportunity to hear her speak in person. This girl brings it. And while there is no substitute for hearing her speak (at the very least, check out her TED Talk!), the story that unfolds on the pages of this autobiography is captivating in its own right.
Hannah found herself struggling with depression and loneliness as a twentysomething in New York City. In a moment of sheer desperation for connection, she began writing letters to strangers. Hundreds of them. She turned that energy into what is now a global initiative, More Love Letters. Every two weeks, new letter requests are posted on her web site, and people from around the world respond. The hope that is restored in the lives of letter recipients with this simple act is just beautiful. If you are (or aspire to be!) a letter writer, it's easy to be part of the effort.
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, by Jonas Jonasson
More fiction, how 'bout that?! This was a really fun read, and an imaginative description of how one person's actions can have amazingly far-reaching consequences.
The story begins in South Africa, where we meet Nombeko, a resourceful and fearless girl. She overcomes a difficult life with a lot of cleverness and a little bit of luck, only to encounter more challenges as her story collides with that of two twins from Sweden intent on overthrowing the monarchy.
The story perfectly balances a lively and entertaining story with serious issues, like racism and absolute government. Highly recommend, even if you have only a little reading time to spare.
Girl Waits With Gun, by Amy Stewart
This was the first selection in a new book club, and what a fun book to kick things off! Based on a true story and hundreds of hours of research, Girl Waits With Gun tells the story of one of the "first female crime fighters" in the US.
An unfortunate car and buggy accident sets off a string of crazy events. Constance and her sisters, in an attempt to recover damages for their ruined buggy, find themselves the targets of a sophisticated team of criminals.
This was a fun read about a decade (1910) that doesn't get a lot of attention. Our book club had the privilege of meeting with Amy herself, and hearing how she'd fallen in love with these sisters made the book all the more enjoyable. And the letterpress book jacket on the hardcover edition? All the heart eyes. Word on the street is that this is the first in at least a trilogy. I'm already looking forward to the next book!
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo
Can a book with the term "Life-Changing" in the title really change your life? In my case, the answer was a resounding yes! As I've mentioned before, one of my biggest intentions for 2015 was to simplify, and there couldn't have been a better book to help facilitate that journey.
I've done plenty of seasonal closet purges before, but I've always asked myself, "Am I ready to get rid of [insert object here]?" Marie suggests asking the opposite question, "Does [object] get to stay?" Boy, is that a much higher bar! The exercise is simple (but does take time) -- pull out all of your stuff -- yep, all of it (but one category at a time, so you can break it up in manageable chunks). Take each object individually and ask a simple question, "Does this bring me joy?" If so, keep it. If not, donate or trash it, depending on its condition.
Once you've settled on what you're keeping, Marie has some brilliantly simple techniques for organizing your belongings. These techniques have changed my clothing storage techniques -- and more importantly, given me that quietness of mind that comes with a decluttered, organized space. The biggest change was in storing my folded clothes (T-shirts, tanks, etc.) vertically (so I can see each item), rather than horizontally (piled on top of each other) within the drawer. Turns out you can also fit a lot more in the drawer that way, but of course that's not the point. :) The good news is that you may have more space available for storage than you think!
Get Some Headspace: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day, by Andy Puddicombe
This book is written by the founder of Headspace, a website and app that makes meditation accessible to everyone. Whether via the book or website/app, Andy takes you through simple guided meditations that completely take the intimidation factor out of the practice. I've always struggled with just sitting and meditating in silence, but these guided meditations change the game. Listening to Andy's soothing British accent doesn't hurt either! The book outlines the science and benefits of meditation, which are truly remarkable. I found that the simple 10-minute daily exercises had a noticeable impact on the way I felt -- calmer and more focused.
You can download the app and try ten 10-minute sessions for free, to experience it for yourself. I loved it so much that I signed up for a subscription (lots of options, anywhere from about $6 to $12 per month). Once you're a subscriber, you have the ability to choose mindfulness exercises in the areas most important to you. There are tons to choose from, including stress, anxiety, sleep, focus, training, and many others. And they're adding more all the time.
Non Obvious: How to Think Different, Curate Ideas & Predict the Future, by Rohit Bhargava
This was one of those books that I kept seeing profiled, and that made it on to my reading list for a number of reasons, not least of which is that the author is a fellow Georgetown alum! (And despite the grammatical error right in the title...)
Over the past several years, Bhargava has curated a list of "non-obvious" trends that he predicts will take hold in the coming year. The most recent edition predicted several trends of 2015, and evaluates his track record in predicting the trends of 2011-14. The trends themselves are intriguing, and help readers understand different aspects of the changing business landscape.
Bhargava also opens up his curation process for the reader, describing both a mindset and a methodology that you can cultivate to predict trends for yourself. Overall, a unique and interesting book.