October felt like a month where I didn’t get as much reading done as I’d wanted.
That’s partly because I wasted some days reading books that I didn’t end up finishing. I hate it when that happens. The time invested to abandon a book partway through irritates me. One of the books, The Secret Life of Bees, I had read before. I didn’t realise that for sure until after page 100, so that was a few days of reading to never be included in my list. Damn it. 😉
Here are the ones I did finish:
01: The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer. My husband recommended that I read this. I didn’t feel that it spoke to me, which may be unsurprising as it’s very much about following life wherever it takes you, and I guess I’m a control freak.
02: Would They Miss Me by Anne Lown. The debut fiction work from a dear friend of mine. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it and I’m super proud of Anne for her achievements!
03: How To Write a Swoon-Worthy Sweet Romance Novel by Victorine E Lieske. I’m planning on expanding my fiction writing to include sweet romance next year, so this was research. It was a really good, practical read.
04: Running Down a Dream by Tim Grahl. I really enjoyed this book about creativity and the writing style reminded me of Steven Pressfield’s work.
05: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. This was a nice read but I have to admit I found it really hard to follow which character was which. I’m not sure it that was intended by the writer, almost to suggest that these very wealthy people were almost indistinguishable from each other, but it did make the reading a little harder for me in places. I did finish it, though, and overall I enjoyed it.
06: Dare to Lead by Brene Brown. The shining star in October’s reading – let’s be honest, there aren’t many authors who could compete with my love for Brene. I pre-ordered this book months ago so I didn’t order it for its particular subject matter, which was all about leading at work with vulnerability for the tough conversations. Having said that, as a person who hates confrontation, this was an incredibly uncomfortable read for me in places. Another reason why I didn’t get through loads of books this month. I took my time on this one, did lots of highlighting, and really let the ideas sink in. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and would recommend it whether you’re in a professional leadership role or not.
That’s it for October. I have a great pile of books to read (I’ve been on a pre-ordering binge and those books are starting to be released now!) so I’m excited to get stuck into November reading.
Katie
