Here is part three of my look at December's reading- and there is still one more part to go. December turned out to be a big reading month!
I did suggest about two weeks ago that I would limit book posts to Sundays AND that I would limit such posts to one book at a time. The following breaks two commitments with one post. (No matter what anyone thinks about my inability to keep my word, I should be given credit for improving my efficiency.)
I decided, in this case, that the best way to transition into the new format was to apply the concept to 2017 reading projects. I do anticipate some 'cleanup' reviews, as well, for books I do not write about on Sundays. I'm not sure if those will go into posts like this one or if I will take care of them all during 'proper admin'.
But enough of all that. You are here to read about what I read.
So, thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the post. See you all again on Friday.
Tim
*The Quarter-Life Breakthrough: Invent Your Own Path, Find Meaningful Work, and Build a Life That Matters by Adam Poswolsky (12/18)
I received this as a gift from someone who was reminded of me while considering this book. Good thinking!
This book runs with one of my common reading themes- that of challenging assumptions and restoring connections within oneself. Specifically, it addresses the work required to do this in the context of considering one's own career.
Though this work was not written with a rigid A-then-B-then-C flow, it did organize itself around a loose structure. The early portion focused on examining one's natural assumptions about achieving success and finding meaning at work. Many enter the workforce and immediately link success with progression up a career ladder. Others seek meaning by comparing the 'meaningfulness' of various professions against each other in a quest to determine the most meaningful role. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with either approach, the early portion of the book does challenge the reader to define success or measure meaning on one's own terms.
The next section helped the reader establish definitions for success in ways that encourage the full commitment of self. A writer, for example, is someone who writes, not someone who sells books. And for the person who never could answer the question 'what do you want to be when you grow up?', Poslowsky helpfully suggests thinking instead in terms of how one wants to be as a grown up. And for those still unsure of what their passion is, I think the suggestion of serving the people or the organizations that you love is a very good piece of advice.
The final step here is alignment of one's personality, professional goals, and career. A strong indication that one is on the right path involves learning. If one learns each day on the job, that's a strong step. On the other hand, if everything needed for the role is absorbed within months of the start date, perhaps one is in a dead end job. As one develops skills and learns about the industries they are interested in, their ability to lead authentically is cultivated naturally by fusing personal and professional purpose.
The biggest lesson from this read is simply stated. If you are not constantly utilizing the qualities you like most about yourself, it is probably time to consider a change. That is good advice, personal and professional, both for those at the quarter-life mark and for those beyond it.
One up: A lot of the anecdotes I come across in this kind of read utilize 'famous' stories to illustrate some concept (note: shoot me the next time I read about Pixar's bathrooms). The stories shared here focus mainly on people in the author's network. I found this approach refreshing.
One down: Read the title again- invent, find, build- those all suggest action. The reader seeking to sit passively and learn steps one, two, and three, applied exactly to Poswolsky's specifications, will get very little from this book. There are exercises within to help kick-start the thinking process, if needed, but I think the reader who already holds a question or two about life and career will find this book more insightful than someone coming to the idea cold.
Just saying: This book is not to be confused with the self-published The Quarter-Life Breakthrough by the same author. The book I've just reviewed (well, 'reviewed') is an expanded version of the original.
*On Writing by Stephen King (12/23)
This 'memoir on the craft' examines the events, people, and projects that influenced King's development. The result is a detailed yet enjoyable exploration of the skills and attributes that King considers critical for any writer.
Despite never having read any of his bestsellers, I recognized almost immediately why he is considered such an excellent writer. The manner in which he tells his story is clear, consistent, and above all, entertaining.
The work offers advice both detailed and general for any level of writer. I enjoyed his distrust of pronouns and automatic dismissal of adverbs, citing the tendency of these parts of speech to generate confusion and encourage lazy description. I also thought his formula for second drafts- first draft minus 10%- combined with his recommendation to keep people who cannot articulate their thoughts about writing away from your revisions formed a good general guideline for the process of rewriting.
I valued most his insights into how writers can guide their own development. For starters, a writer must read often to gain the broadest possible 'toolkit' of strategies for forming sentences, crafting paragraphs, and developing arguments. Over time, the challenge is to write (and write and write) about what is true to the writer.
The most important thing, King notes, is that readers believe that the writer believes what has been written. Writers who stop and think about big picture too often will find this challenging. Before worrying about what the dream means, get the details of it down first.
One up: King follows his own rules throughout, which I do think is important. He states in one passage that his idea of good description is fresh images and simple vocabulary- in another, he puts this idea into practice by suggesting that telling an alcoholic to control his drinking is like telling someone with diarrhea to get their shit together.
One down: This book is definitely about writing, in general, but keep in mind that Stephen King writes a certain type of fiction. I should also mention that it seems his projects cover many months at a time. Thus, I suspect his recommendations will prove most useful to those who write fiction over a period of months.
Of course, in the same way that a sprinter might learn from a marathon runner, I think any writer can learn from another. But do not go overboard trying to apply everything to your writing.
Just saying: The sharpest idea in this book was that the idea of good writing is perhaps an enemy of good writing (or perhaps one's ability to produce good writing). It ties into a thought I had from The Quarter-Life Breakthrough that perhaps one's search for meaning can become an obstacle to finding it.
Write anything, King suggests, so long as its true. And if you can write in a manner that resembles play as much as work, you are likely on to something good.
This idea may not have been King's original thought. That's OK, because the first note I took down from the book warns the reader- 'Imitation precedes creation'.
*Champions League Dreams by Rafa Benitez (12/27)
*Belichick and Brady by Michael Holley (12/30)
With word counting running high in this post and a couple of drafts for other sports books sitting on my 'to complete' list, I am going to cover these in a future post. Both were enjoyable reads but I do not recommend them to anyone not already a fan of the teams profiled in these works.
*milk and honey by Rupi Kaur (12/31)
Combining poetry, prose, and simple illustrations, milk and honey covers Kaur's journey in four chapters- the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing. As always is the case when I approach poetry, I was unsure what my reaction would be.
The first poem (in addition to solving the 'mystery' of the title) sucked me right in:
how is it so easy for you
to be kind to people, he asked
milk and honey dripped
from my lips as i answered
cause people have not
been kind to me
A week after reading, I'm still not quite sure what to make of Kaur's collection. It's a short read, around an hour long, but I'm not guaranteeing that I'll read it again. But I think the truth of that first poem will stay with me for a long time.
One up: I was reminded of a favorite idea from Religion For Atheists here- that a strength of religion is its ability to reinforce messages through repetition and imagery in its artwork. Many of the pieces in this collection reinforce the theme of survival leading to strengthening. Over the course of the work, the pieces work together and the momentum of this theme builds.
One down: This book is very personal. That's not a problem for me. But if you come to this collection seeking new themes or often struggle to connect emotionally with a personal work, perhaps your time is better spent taking a short nap.
Just saying: Though I am entirely sure this is not the first book I've read from someone younger than me, I can confirm it is the first time I've realized this to be the case while I was still reading the work. (1)
Footnotes / imagined complaints
1. It's kind of silly that the footnotes is for the last sentence of the post, but, whatever...
I guess, technically, anytime you re-read something you wrote, it is a case of reading something by an author younger than yourself!
