6 Books I Read In May
4 were great, 1 not so good, 1 incomplete...
One of my main goals this year is to read a book a week. So far it’s going great, I’m well on track!
Here are six books I read in May:
The Art and Business of Online Writing by Nicholas Cole
Goodreads rating: 4.5
My Rating: 4.5
Nicolas Cole is one of the most viral columnists on the internet, his writing has accumulated over 100 million views. His book The Art and Business of Online Writing is a detailed guideline of how, what and where you should be writing online. For example Cole tells you why starting your own website/blog is a bad idea (whoops!), the habits you need to master to become a successful online writer and how to never run out of ideas about what to write about.
As someone who is still pretty new to the online writing game, it’s given me some invaluable lessons for the future. It’s a book I will definitely be revisiting again.
Obviously it’s a book that isn’t applicable to the vast majority of people, but if you are interested in writing online, I would highly recommend it.
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
Goodreads rating: 3.9
My rating 2.5
In a nutshell, The Miracle Morning is a book encouraging you to start waking up an hour earlier and use that time to develop yourself. The book outlines the 6 Life S.A.V.E.R.S:
S = Silence e.g. Meditation (10 minutes)
A = Affirmations e.g. uplifting thoughts (10 minutes)
V = Visualisation e.g. imagining your achievements (10 minutes)
E = Exercise (10 minutes)
R = Reading (10 minutes)
S = Scribing e.g. journaling (10 minutes)
There are some good points and principles within the book, but for me, the book is a bit too ‘self-helpy’ and a bit cringey. If you’ve never read a morning routine book, then I would highly recommend it, but if you have, you’re not really missing anything.
The Art of Resilience by Ross Edgley
Goodreads rating: 4.4
My Rating: 4.5
In The Art of Resilience, Ross Edgley documents his journey to becoming the first person to swim around the whole of Great Britain, in a time of 157 days, swimming a total length of 1,796 miles in the process. Swimming for up to 12 hours a day, brutal jellyfish stings to the face and even suffering from a rotting tongue. It’s an immense story of resilience and perseverance through some truly unbearable conditions.
An incredible story by an incredible man. It’s also the perfect book to listen to on Audible, Ross is the perfect narrator.
Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Goodreads rating: 4.3
My rating: 5
Long Walk To Freedom is the autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Mandela tells his amazing life story from very humble beginnings growing up in a remote rural village in the South African countryside, to receiving an education to becoming a lawyer and freedom fighter. After spending 27 years incarcerated, he eventually became the first black head of state in South Africa and breaker of the racial apartheid.
It’s an unbelievable story from one of history’s most controversial yet brilliant leaders. For me, it’s the best and most gripping autobiography I’ve ever read. An absolute must read.
It’s the best book I read in May.
The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
Goodreads rating: 3.8
My rating: 5
The Catcher in the Rye is an all time classic novel published in 1951. 16 year old Holden Caulfield (the main character) narrates the reader through two days in his life after being expelled from school. After Holden leaves school early, he spends two days exploring New York before returning home. Along the way he comes into contact with some of his teachers, prostitutes, an ex girlfriend and his little sister in a very eventful couple of days.
Throughout the book, it makes you think that Holden may be suffering from some forms of trauma, depression and/or PTSD, probably as a result of his brother passing away and being neglected by his parents. He also seems to be struggling to find his place in the world and is struggling to grow up.
Thoroughly brilliant, I couldn't put the book down.
Waking Up by Sam Harris (didn’t finish)
Goodreads rating: 3.9
My rating: N/A
In Waking Up, Sam Harris discusses a wide range of topics such as meditation, spirituality and mindfulness. I bought this book on Audible… bad choice. Personally, I found it really difficult to follow on Audible and I think I’d be better off just buying it on Kindle or as a hardcopy. Perhaps, I needed to have the words in front of me instead of listening to them. It would allow more room for thought and time give time to digest the content.
My rating: N/A
That's all for now, folks. Happy reading!
See you next time,
Yours Sincerely,
Tom