I gave this book a listen after hearing Leena Norms rave about it. I listened to this as an audio book and I would highly recommend consuming it in that format. This book is essentially a women debating with herself about whether or not to have children. It raises so many important questions about societal expectations, what it means to be a mother and whether that is an essential part of life or not. I recommend this book for anyone who doubts whether they want to have children but I would also recommend that everyone else, including men, read this book so that they can better empathise with women who don't want to have children. I also really loved the way that the author used coin flipping as a thought exercise and I think it would make a great journaling exercise for any topic.
I am a huge fan of Earthling Ed, his YouTube channel is a huge part of the reason why I changed my diet to be mostly plant based. This might not be the best book for someone who is new to veganism or wanting to start learning more about it because it assumes some knowledge but this book is perfect for anyone who has adopted a plant based diet and is struggling to articulate their reasoning to their family and friends. This book lays out responses to the 30 most common arguments used against veganism in an extremely clear way that will help you to respond to those arguments yourself. This book also helped me to argue against the voices in my head that resisted change.
I listened to this book after hearing Ali Abdaal talk about it. This book is so important and I have added it to my list of books that I wish everyone had read. This book will change the way you feel about giving to those in extreme poverty and persuade you to give more. It calls our morals and current standards into practice in such a full way that it leaves no stone unturned. I think anyone who is interested in ethics and morals will also enjoy the philosophical aspects of this book but at the same time it is put simply enough that it can be understood by someone with no background in those subjects.
I somehow never read this book as a teen but after hearing from a couple of people how great the BBC adaptation was I decided to read the book and watch the show. The basic premise is that it is set in a world where racism is reversed and white people, or noughts, are discriminated again. The author uses this to show how insane discrimination on the basis of skin colour is and that is why it makes for a great YA book as it explores racism in a very accessible way. However, I still found a lot of value in reading it as an adult. The TV show is also incredible, and explores the general culture in this universe a lot more than in the book, giving it value in a completely different way. I thought that the costume design was fascinating, as it tries to explore how people would dress in this world. For example a lot of the clothes have a western shape and fit but with bright African prints and patterns. My only complaint is that I tried to read the rest of the series but I only got through 2.5 books before giving up. The sequel focused too much on certain characters and didn't have the same value for me. I didn't find them as exciting and struggled to get through them. However, you could definitely read this book as as a stand alone as it does not finish on too much of a cliff-hanger and seemed to make sense as a single novel.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Everything is F*cked - Mark Manson
These books offer some amazing food for thought about minimalism and the philosophy of living an intentional happy life. They explain that struggles in life are unavoidable and even says that it is the process of overcoming challenges that gives us fulfilment rather than the idea that we will be happy once we complete a tick list of life objections. Therefore we should welcome challenges into our life but choose ones that we are excited to tackle. I did find the author a little judgment or harsh at times but it is worth looking past that for what this book has to offer.
After the BBC adaption was so hyped, I finally decided to read (listen to) this book before watching the show. Everyone warned me that it involved a lot of sex, but no one warned me how sad it is! So I am warning you. This book is sad, but it is also beautiful. The characters are loveable and you will be rooting for them through a journey that will seem tragic but in a cosmic unavoidable sort of way. This story feels very real and the cinematography in the BBC adaptation is incredible.
I will admit that I personally struggled to get through this book and put it down a couple of times but I think that was because I am such a big Marie Kondo fan that I already knew most of what she had to say and nothing seemed revolutionary to me. However, one after I decided to just sit down and read it and I managed to get through it in a couple of sittings. Minimalism has genuinely changed my life and what Marie Kondo brings to the table is the HOW of minimalism. She teaches you how to declutter and decide what to keep as well as how to store your belongings in a way that bring them to life and make them much easier to access. If you have only just becoming your minimalism journey, I would probably point you to The Minimalists first, who discuss the WHY of minimalism much better but if you are an intermediate minimalist, looking to up your game, this is a must read.
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