Last year, I had a fast paced reading schedule where I zoomed and devoured through books. This year, I knew I was going to have a slower pace for reading because I am a parent. However, I also wanted that opportunity to really think about/ enjoy what I am reading. Instead of writing reviews by quarters like I did last year, I’m just going to write them in batches of quantity like what I’m doing here with the last five books I’ve read.
This post includes affiliate links which help support Autumn All Along. The affiliate links I attribute to different books are in the same format that I enjoyed them in.
THE LAST FIVE BOOKS I’VE READ
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
I read this book from book club and it is one I never would have thought about picking up myself. The book was well narrated and I enjoyed listening to the book so much that I zoomed through it in about three days. The book is biography of sorts of Christopher Knight, a man who at 20 years old, went to live in the woods of Maine without contacting society for 27 years. Knight’s behavior is definitely eccentric as he was eventually found because he would raid summer homes for supplies that he needed to survive. I found Knight’s family fascinating, but a sense of me also feels that he was exploited as this book was written (I felt similarly about this undercover story written by Suki Kim called Without You, There Is No Us that I wrote about here). The book is super fascinating though and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Additionally, the book was extremely family friendly and I would easily recommend it to any age group high school and on.
The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions by Christpher K. Gerner
I would easily place this book into one of my top five mental health books that I’ve ever read. I originally read this book for my book club and brushed it off as something I probably didn’t really need. I do love myself, but at the same time, I realized self-compassion is defined very differently than self-love. With my PTSD, I have many behaviors like ruminating or dissociating that are the exact opposite of self-compassion. Mindfulness, or a practice of accepting and allowing what is now has been a really different though paradigm that I’ve really enjoyed exploring. After listening to this book (I loved the book so much that I also bought the eBook version), I made note to find a counselor in our area who could help me develop more techniques on mindfulness in my life. I’m seeing more progress with strategies from this book + my new therapy styles than I have in a few years of a more traditional talk therapy based counseling.
The One Hour Content Plan: The Solopreneur’s Guide to a Year’s Worth of Blog Post Ideas in 60 minutes and Creating Content That Hooks and Sells by Meera Kothand
I read this book through my Kindle Unlimited subscription, but you can buy the eBook here. I have hit a writing slump since having a baby in that I just don’t have as much time. I read this book in hopes that it would help me organize my thoughts better so I can write faster. I recommended this book in several different blogging groups I’m in. Kothand did a wonderful job writing a no fluff book that was informative as it was easy to read. I felt I received a lot of different writing strategy tips and found myself saving a lot from the book to read later.
Babyproofing Your Marriage: How to Laugh More, Argue Less, and Communicate Better as Your Family Grows by Stacie Cockrell
I listened to this book and was thoroughly entertained and related to so much! I can’t say that it is especially church friendly, but it is appropriate for a married couple in the audience of other adults. The authors of this book interviewed men and women with a varying number of kids to share their relate-able experiences about being parents. The topics presented covered everything from lack of sleep, the sensitivity of a new mother when people make different comments about their child, to nurturing physical needs in a marriage when recovery is still happening. This book had me nodding my head, laughing, and I often rewound things if I didn’t fully get the whole gist of something. I’d recommend this book to give to someone about to have a child. People already get so much advice on how to be parents, but it is just nice to have someone relate to on being one.
Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find- and Keep- Love by Amir Levine
This book has been on my list forever! This book focuses on attachment theories and how they apply in a dating and marriage relationship. I loved what I learned about myself, my husband, and about other relationships I have in my life. Often times, when I have found there is a disconnect with someone else I find it is either a bread and butter difference (personality and preference) or a different way about going through intimacy needs (more attachment based). This book had several different inventories to help someone understand their attachment style and actionable ways of evaluating attachments in a constructive way. I’d recommend this book to anyone who is seeking better understanding of relationships in their lives.
The last five books I’ve read were all really amazing. I don’t have as much time to read now so I feel I am more discerning on what I want to dedicate my time to. I am more willing to stop a book now than I was before. Is this a season of slow, intentional reading for you or is this a faster paced reading time for you?
