1Q84 x Haruki Murakami
A novel I had started once before. Terribly long, terribly mysterious and makes you want to read more. Murakami’s descriptions and words are carefully chosen. Great surrealist author, in general.
Mosquitoland x David Arnold
Written for the young adult, but the truths told in this story apply to all humans. I want to be Mim, the main character.
Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality x Jacob Tomsky
Entertaining, sarcastic, potty-mouthed writer tells about working in fancy hotels.
Plane Insanity: A Flight Attendant’s Tales of Sex, Rage, and Queasiness at 30,000 Feet x Elliott Hester — ABANDONED
Same idea of a story as above, but about working on planes.
ABANDONED because not as entertaining as Heads in Beds.
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work x Mason Currey — ABANDONED
Tens of famous artists and details on their rituals. If you study this, will you become an artist? No, but it will make you aware on your own daily rituals and how you may alter them to allow you to be more productive. MyMorningRoutine is a similar concept.
ABANDONED because I got tired of reading about so many people’s rituals. Towards the end, I ended up solely scanning pages on those artists I admired.
The Help x Kathryn Stockett
Lovely book. I want to watch the movie now.
Travels x Michael Crichton — IN PROGRESS
Creator of Jurassic Park writes gripping stories about his time in med school and his travels to unconventional destinations. Some chapters have me gasping for breaths.
We Are All Weird: The Myth of Mass and the End of Compliance x Seth Godin
Currently on a Seth Godin craze. Freaking intelligent and great speaker. I feel like if I memorize even 30% of his words, I will become a better person. I want to read everything he has ever written and listen to all the podcasts in which he has been featured. I want to be an amoeba engulfing his every word.
The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? x Seth Godin
See Above.
The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere x Pico Iyer
Book based on his TED talk of the same title. Somehow this book seemed less entertaining than his talk. Short read. Some good ideas to take away on finding stillness wherever you are in the world.
Queen of the Tearling and Invasion of the Tearling x Erika Johansen
Fastest I’ve read fantasy books in a long time. Similar to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter but with a female protagonist and strong female characters. The Queen is awesome. The last book of the trilogy comes out in November 2016 and I can’t wait. Emma Watson is making a movie based on this trilogy.
Cabin Porn: Inspiration For Your Quiet Place Somewhere x Zach Klein
I first opened this book in the Poler outdoor store in Portland while sipping on a can of beer (they were having some event). Created by the co-founder of Vimeo, it highlights ten stories about people who have chosen to build homes with their own hands.
What to Do When You’re Rejected x James Altucher
Altucher is like Seth Godin but more human-like (while Godin is god-like, IMO). He has made many life-mistakes and reiterates his faults to readers. He teaches you how to not repeat his mistakes and do much more for yourself. Short read, free on Thought Catalog. Inspired me to confront all the times I’ve been rejected.
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles x Steven Pressfield
Book recommended by Seth Godin on The Tim Ferriss Show. Sort of a hidden gem. Written similar to the style of Paulo Coelho’s Warrior of the Light i.e. in short excerpts. This book, all about resistance, changed how I view work, productivity, and fear. Weirdly enough, around the same time I was reading this book, I found an article by Brianna Weist on Soul Anatomy that discussed similar themes.
Choose Yourself: Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream x James Altucher — IN PROGRESS
Reading this and Altucher’s other articles, I have started to sit on benches across the city with my morning cup of double (sometimes triple) shot cappuccino, watching people and looking for new ideas. This book will stretch your brain and push you towards a better path.
IN QUEUE:
1. Brave Enough: A Mini Instruction Manual for the Soul x Sheryl Strayed
2. The Power of No: How to Keep Blowhards and Bozos at Bay x Beth Wareham
3. David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants x Malcolm Gladwell
4. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?: How to Drive Your Career And Create A Remarkable Future x Seth Godin
5. Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts x Susan Cain
6. Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person x Shonda Rhimes
7. The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, A Tight Budget, and A Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage x Daymond John
8. The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island x Bill Bryson
9. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook x Anthony Bourdain
Other thoughts:
- Gosh. Why do almost ALL authors nowadays expand their book titles with colons?
- No job + No Wifi in the flat + NZD2.50 triple shot cappuccinos from Coffix = lots of time to read and write and experiment
