BOOKS I'VE READ (and listened to)

Book recommendations are always a tricky topic. Often the books people recommend have come to them in the right time of their life.

I'm no different; these each resonate with a different era of my human life. If there is one thing I've learned with books and authors is that is it important to a) focus on the content of the book and the message and b) Along with "a)" don't turn the author into a celebrity or villain based on one sentence, paragraph or even book.

1984 - George Orwell

This is almost a cliche to put on any must reads. An alternate 1984 where big brother is watching (and controlling) your every move. What this book does to showcase lying, governmental control, total authoritarian media and a world where you simply have no idea what is going on but you must pretend that you do and acknowledge it on a daily basis. 

Animal Farm - George Orwell

Possibly the most effective way to teach what a dictatorship is to a child or a person who loves storytelling. I listened to the audio book for this which included all of the different animal voices, sounds and even sound effects. 

The Body - Bill Bryson

This book is a brilliantly written comprehensive explanation of everything to do with the workings of our human bodies. You can have no parent anatomical or physiological knowledge and understand everything Bill has to say. If you already have that knowledge you'll still pick things up and enjoy the easy educational read.

The Brain, a story of you- David Eagleman

This book made me wonder "Why don't we talk about the brain more?". Vibrating vests for deaf people to hear, tumours in psychopaths, neural plasticity for all and strippers earning twice as much during ovulation. This book gives such a great explanation to who we really are as a person. David is such a genus and I only wish I could have a tenth of his own brain to understand what he does.

Fear and Loathing

Lying - Sam Harris

Santa clause, white lies and fibs. As the author puts it, I can't really recall what I thought about lying until I read this book. This firmly put a case to abolish lying anywhere to anyone. It's very hard to unseen the message Sam puts further here when he outlines the hole that one can dig when lying. Tell the truth and if you can't, definitely don't lie.

Ministry of the future - Kim Stanley Ronsinon

Honeslt my first big Sci Fi novel that in fact got me interested in fiction again. An almost black mirror feel to a book that outlines the worst of climate change, runs with it and dangles a carrot of renewable hope throughout. 20 million dead in a heat wave, air conditioners being stolen, an untraceable terrorist organisation taking out petrol planes and diesel boats in order to force companies to change their energy usage and money being ripped away from the super rich and internationally standardised. I really enjoyed the multiple story lines this book tells from different character perspectives.

 

Retrograde - Peter Cawdron

How can you fight the enemy when you don't know who they are?A fun short fiction novel about astronauts who have colonised Mars and when disaster strikes they face a choice of whether to separate or join together without all of the puzzle pieces joined. Oh, and what to do when earth is in trouble and you are relying on supplies which take months to be delivered?

 

12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson

Why does improving your life have to be so controversial? JBP outlines some real no brainers and simple ways to reorientate your human life in an entertaining read. Rules such as "stand up straight with your shoulders back", "Tell the Truth", be precise in your speech or set your house in perfect order before you criticise the world" cut through a lot of nonnse of self development theories and really dig into what is important and what can be done right now 

 

Why We Sleep - Mathew Walker

The questions of "what could we achieve if we all worked together" is starkly similar to the question I asked myself after reading this book. Knowing that roughly 50% of the worlds population is sleep deprived, I can only imagine what  we as a sleep nourished species could achieve. This book is an absolute wake up call for sleep. To the best of our current knowledge and as Mathew Walker said "There is not anything in the body that does not positively benefit from a good nights slumber". I know its hard as a human to always get a good nights sleep, this book made it apparent that it should be your absolute mission.

You can Heal your life - Louise Hay

Does anger cause a bladder infection? Can masturbation cure a migraine?

My focus is on practical woo. There is much I don't agree with in this book but its an original on self love. Perhaps the original book to encourage yourself to look in the mirror and love what you see, and go forth and change it at the same time. Affirmations may have little effect, mostly placebo but the mere act of addressing the person you are, and that there is a story, love and acceptance possible within it inspired me to still recommend this book. Take it as someone who is a skeptical human, this book is still worth a read.