Book Review: February 2024
Short month with long nights means some solid books. Although I started to climb out of personal development into non fiction, I still wasn’t totally in a fiction mindset. Do I just like to learn in winter and giggle in the spring and summer? Maybe, kinda. Perhaps my book preferences, like food preferences change with the season.
Anyone else? No? Just me? Cool cool, circle back to me on that ;)
What are books are you reading / listening to right now? You know I love your suggestions!
"How To Do The Work" by Dr. Nicole LePera
5 stars
If you're on IG and look at anything other than dog videos (which I love!) you probably follow "The Holistic Psychologist" (she has over 8 million followers). I have shared her content and it really resonates with me. As such, I was super pumped to dive into this book. I didn't cry through the whole book, just most of it. It's deeply spiritual at the intersection of mental health which is, indeed, holistic. I've been doing the work and I felt like I was ready for more. I'm working on understanding where, why and how I self-soothe. How my past trauma impacts my current health. The role of booze, busyness and boredom in my healing journey. I'm in therapy with my husband, I'm reading the books, doing the meditations, and still working on it. And I will be for many years, and that's okay. More information about Dr. LePera can be found here.
"The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self" by Michael Easter
5 stars
This book came highly recommended by many friends and I devoured it. The stories from Easter's travel and hunting in Alaska juxtaposed with history and interviews with experts in diverse fields of study was really neat. It felt a bit like Michael Pollan where I was equally entertained and educated. I love learning while being told a good story. I'm trying to find ways each day to get a little bit more comfortable with being uncomfortable. I absolutely love the Misogi and I'm thinking about what mine should be for 2024 (but when I do decide, I won’t actually tell you…per the guidelines.) We can do hard things, humans are made to be challenged and this is how we grow and evolve. We think of evolution as something in the past, something that our ancestors did, but we are evolving (hopefully) all the time. Fascinating! More information about Easter's work can be found here.
“Broken Horses" by Brandi Carlile
5 stars
Poverty, addiction, music, sexuality, coming of age, religion and family, so many themes to explore and a damn good read. Brandi is not only a kickass musician but an activist for many different groups including LGBTQ+, Women, Immigrants and others. A beautiful voice, a creative force and just a total badass. I laughed at the mishaps and was moved to tears with the depth of her love for music. Music is a big part of my life and traveling to shows is a true joy. I felt like I was behind the scenes with Brandi on her adventures and overcoming obstacles. I love documentaries, biographies or memoirs of musicians / bands and this one was epic. I'm seeing Brandi at the Anthem in DC in 3 weeks and I'm so glad I listened to the book ahead of time, it makes me even more excited. If you're going to the show, let me know, I'd love to connect with you there.
"The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, A Temptation and the Longest Night of the Second World War" by Malcom Gladwell
4 stars
I have missed Malcom Gladwell's brilliant research, story telling ability and enthusiasm for his subject matter. And his voice, I could just listen to him talk all day. WW2 was, and in some ways still is, a defining cultural saga for many countries across the globe. The technological innovations spurred by war have revolutionized how we live (think: radar for weather patterns) Daytime bombing, a new part of warfare in WW2 totally changed how wars were fought, impacting our tactics today. If you're a history nerd, interested in tech or just love a detailed story with twists and turns you'll especially like this book.
Monthly book total: 4
Annual book total: 9