In my article on reading 50 books this year, I introduced the Book Bingo: an arrangement of 25 books on a 5 by 5 grid that has gamified reading for me. I also talked about using different ways to read more – assigning books for different times of the day, such as commutes, and bedtime, as well as using different formats such as audiobooks, ebooks and books. This has truly diversified and increased how much I read and January has been a fabulous mont as a result.
There is nothing better than celebrating accomplishments. This January, I read 6 books and from my Book Bingo, earned 1 key and allowance to buy 1 book. Here’s a quick look at the books and I read:
You are a Badass – Jen Sincero
This was a good book to pick up at the beginning of the year. Jen’s writing style is very personal and she comes up with many examples to support her theories. As you can guess from the title, the intent of the book was to believe in yourself and do your best to get what you want. I marked out a couple of exercises from the book that I want to do such as build a vision board in the near future.
If you ever read or heard about The Secret or the Law of Attraction of the Universe, Jen’s book has some ideas from there and she elaborates more on personal growth, keeping them in mind.
My Rating: 5/5
Read it as: A book
Category from Book Bingo: Personal Growth
Steve Jobs – Walter Issacson
When I think Steve Jobs, I think Apple. My earliest recollection of his name is associated with an Apple launch event. That is all I remember. His biography was recommended to me by a friend and as an Apple user, I was more than happy to read it. Steve Jobs was an amazing man and though he had his quirks, the biography showed all sides of him. I learned about this thinking of Apple products, his connection to Pixar, how the Apple Stores came about, and much more! His journey is an inspiring one.
I have been a Mac user for over 4 years now and had initially spent some time with Pages, Keynote and Numbers. However, after reading the biography and the philosophy of ease of use that Steve had, I looked at these softwares anew. I am really enjoying using them. 🙂
We learn best by doing and there is nothing better than learning a software while working on it for assignments that have deadlines. I have made some of my best visual works in Pages. Here is an example:
My Rating: 5/5
Read it as: An Audiobook
Category from Book Bingo: A book about/by a person who recently passed away
Wherever you go there you are – Jon Kabat-Zinn
I have been interested in meditation for a couple months now. It started with learning about mindfulness for education and incorporating it in my Grade 7 Math classes. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book is about meditation and mindfulness – what it means as a practice and the little things we can do to make it part of our lives.
I marked many paragraphs to transfer to my bullet journal but I especially love these lines from the book:
You certainly have to be ready for meditation. You have to come to it at the right time in your life, at a point where you are ready to listen carefully to your own voice, to your own heart, to your own breathing – to just be present for them and with them, without having to go anywhere or make anything better of different.
Though I am not practicing meditation after reading this book or while I was reading it, I feel closer to the practice and my thirst to know more about it grows more. Once I have all the notes written down and finish the Book Bingo, I am going to pick up Jon’s series:
- Meditation Is Not What You Think
- Falling Awake
- The Healing Power of Mindfulness
- Mindfulness For All
My Rating: 5/5
Read it as: Book
Category from Book Bingo: A book of my choice
The Wealthy Renter – Alex Avery
I have never formally read about buying, selling and renting houses and this book was a fantastic introduction. Even better, it was based on the Canadian house market where I live! The book sheds light on the difference between renting and housing and how owing a house has extra costs that a renter does not pay. Though the book might seem pro-renting, Alex does mention that ultimately, buying or renting a house has a lot to do with the kind of lifestyle we want to lead, our family situation, our career, and many other factors.
He gives a breakdown of the key players in the housing market, why they would suggest someone to buy a house and how influential they are in the decisions we make. If you do not know anything about buying or renting apart from what you have experienced or heard bout, this is a great book to learn more about the financial, social and political aspects of the market.
My Rating: 5/5
Read it as: eBook
Category from Book Bingo: A book on personal finance
Everything I never told you – Celeste Ng
This novel was set in the 1970s and followed a family where the dad was Chinese and the mom was American. When their favourite child, Lydia, is found dead by drowning at the local lake, the parents go down memory lane, thinking of how this came to be. The story is well-written and perspectives of the other siblings, Nate, the oldest on his way to Harvard, and Hannah, the youngest who is 5 years old, are also shown.
This novel made me think deeply about how we see what we want to see. Maryanne, the mom, ad wanted to be a doctor but she wasn’t able to realize that dream. In Lydia, she saw how her dreams could come try. However, Lydia did not want those things and at 16 years of age, was struggling with her grades. In this case, the parents projected their own dreams on Lydia, without realizing what the child really wanted. I feel that is a good lesson to be aware of.
My Rating: 5/5
Read it as: Audiobook
Category from Book Bingo: A book I meant to read in 2018
Zastrozzi The Laster of Discipline – George Walker
Zastrozzi is a play about the man of the same name who is a well renown criminal in Europe. He is on a quest to kill an artist, who has somehow been able to keep ahead of him for 3 years. I don’t read plays often but this one game highly recommended and I really enjoyed it. The setting, the sarcasm, the characters and the story were interesting and engaging.
My Rating: 5/5
Read it as: Book
Category from Book Bingo: A play
January ended up being a fantastic month for reading, in spite of school work. I loved each of the books I picked up, but that isn’t going to be the case for every month. You will see in February. I think the mix of book, audiobooks and ebook really helped make it such a successful month in reading! I hope this continues for the rest of the year! More about February book next month. 🙂
Tweet to me at @_armedwithabook and tell me which books you read in January!
Be First to Comment