At the beginning of this year I set myself the challenge to read 35 books. There was a time when this wouldn’t have been a challenge – just a few months’ entertainment! But as life became busier I noticed that I wasn’t making time to read any more, and so set myself this reading challenge.
You can read the first update here. In Autumn I knocked 10 books off the list:
Life & Love – Creating the Dream (Lisa Messenger)
I’ve been fangirling on Lisa Messenger this year, and this book didn’t disappoint. Like Daring & Disruptive, Lisa is sharing what she’s learned from her own experience. This time, though, it’s all about ‘creating the dream;’ despite running a successful company she’s not all work work work and recognises that it’s important to nurture your health and relationships, too.
It’s an easy read with some thought-provoking tips and ideas. Definitely worth a look.
The Word Exchange – Alena Graedon
Set in the near future, The Word Exchange depicts a world where the printed word is all but extinct and people instead rely on their handheld Memes to deliver…well, everything. Your Meme can communicate for you, order a taxi for you, and provide endless sources of entertainment and distraction. Anana and her father are hard at work to produce the last ever edition of the North American Dictionary of the English Language when her father suddenly disappears. With the help of her colleague, Bart, Anana is attempting to follow the cryptic half-clues she encounters while avoiding shady characters and the ‘word flu’ that is robbing sufferers of their words – maybe for good.
I picked this book up at a discount store, it’s title appealing to my word-nerdery. It was reasonably absorbing, though at times I felt like it was trying too hard. There’s a lot going on in this book, maybe a bit too much at times. It contains some interesting ideas about technology and how we rely on our devices, but towards the end I was rushing it just to get to the conclusion.
Burial Rites – Hannah Kent
Set in Iceland in 1829, this debut novel follows the final weeks of Agnes, a housemaid sentenced to death for the murder of her former master.
I haven’t been interested in historical fiction lately but picked this up on the recommendation of a friend, and I was fairly quickly sucked in. There are a few instances where the writing lacks fluidity and feels slightly awkward, but overall this is a fantastic debut.
Based on a true story, Kent skilfully depicts the at-times brutal life endured by poorer parts of the community, particularly during the bleak and everlasting winters, and demonstrates that there is always more to the story than what first appears. If you haven’t read it yet – add it to your list!
Company – Max Barry
I pinched this from my friend’s beach house because I’d so much enjoyed Syrup by the same author.
From Amazon: Stephen Jones is a shiny new hire at Zephyr Holdings. From the outside, Zephyr is just another bland corporate monolith, but behind its glass doors business is far from usual: the beautiful receptionist is paid twice as much as anybody else to do nothing, the sales reps use self help books as manuals, no one has seen the CEO, no one knows exactly what they are selling, and missing donuts are the cause of office intrigue. While Jones originally wanted to climb the corporate ladder, he now finds himself descending deeper into the irrational rationality of company policy. What he finds is hilarious, shocking, and utterly telling.
The concept of this book is interesting and pretty funny, but the execution didn’t match. There wasn’t anything that really kept me pulled in (in fact it took me a few months to get around to finishing it). Just ok.
The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users – Guy Kawasaki
This book is cover to cover tips and tricks to help you dominate your social media. From resources to how-tos and detailed tips for the top social media platforms, this book has everything you need (or shows you where to find it). Definitely worth a read if you need to use social media effectively for a business. Get it!
Thrive – Arianna Huffington
I loved this book. It’s thoughtful, interesting, and well researched. It doesn’t really tell us anything new (we know we work too hard, we know we need more sleep) but it’s well presented and a very compelling read.
Not long after I finished it though I came across this article and was entirely disheartened. The number of corroborating comments suggests that, while it’s likely exaggerated, there is probably a fair degree of truth in the claims. This depiction is so far from the impression created by the book that I have been left feeling incredibly conflicted.
Nevertheless, the advice in Thrive is valid and motivated me to examine the way I’ve been doing things and how I want to do things moving forward. I think there’s something for everyone here!
Get Gutsy – Jenny Fenig
I didn’t really enjoy this book. It’s a self-help book based around the writer’s own journey towards a more fulfilling life. There was nothing new in it for me (although it might be more appealing to someone who hasn’t been reading in this space for a long time and maybe hasn’t encountered these ideas before). And it was desperately in need of a heavy edit –– it was repetitive and circular at times, and the overall voice of the book was inconsistent, making it jarring to read in parts.
This House of Grief – Helen Garner
Oooohhhhhhh my heart. I’m fascinated by true crime books but this became very challenging to read as my empathy muscles kicked in.
Helen Garner wrote this book after sitting through the trials of Robert Farquharson, who was accused of murdering his three sons when the car he was driving them in went into a dam. Farquharson maintained that he blacked out after a coughing fit and it was a tragic accident, while the prosecution alleged that he wanted to punish his ex-wife by taking her boys away.
This is no dry court record –– Garner opens her heart, guiding the reader not only through the testimony but the heart-wrenching emotion of the court room, too. She presents the evidence clearly, only occasionally offering her own opinion on what is brought to light. It’s a fascinating examination of the case but it definitely hurt my heart to read. No matter what you believe, there is nothing but pain here.
House Rules – Jodi Picoult
Jacob Hunt is a teenager with Asperger’s Syndrome who is fascinated by true crime and forensics. His mother has dedicated everything to ensuring Jacob has a normal life, arranging their lives around his quirks to minimise his meltdowns and fighting for him to be accommodated in mainstream schools. But when Jacob is accused of murder, everything goes to hell, basically.
This was a re-read –– as a general rule, Picoult’s books are absorbing and easy to read and this is no exception. It’s a courtroom drama with heart, and the depiction of how this family has managed Asperger’s Syndrome is sympathetic and interesting (although perhaps that’s easy for me to say, with no direct experience with Asperger’s or autism myself).
The Daddy Diaries – Joshua Braff
Throw in a couple of deadbeat friends who haven’t changed since high school and an arrogant, wealthy relative and you have a snapshot of real life that is elegantly captured on the page.
While I didn’t feel that I was the target market for this book, I enjoyed Braff’s depiction of relationships that we can all identify with. Above all, it’s real. This book doesn’t shy away from what’s hard but is sympathetic to all of its characters (even the painful ones).
I’m not sure what’s next on the list – leave me a recommendation in the comments!
Image via Kaboompics
