Updating my 2021 Reads page and reflecting on some excellent books I have read this year, both fiction non-fiction. I am grateful that I was able to make space for myself to keep reading while on parental leave for the past seven months. 📚
Updating my 2021 Reads page and reflecting on some excellent books I have read this year, both fiction non-fiction. I am grateful that I was able to make space for myself to keep reading while on parental leave for the past seven months. 📚
📚 Finished reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin, the first book in the Inheritance Trilogy
I am declaring these three months “THE MOVE” since we moved out of the old place in September and into the new house at the end of October. Even a well-orchestrated move is stressful and disruptive. Spending weeks driving back and forth house hunting then weeks in a hotel was exhausting. I took two days off of work on either end and otherwise worked full time throughout. In hindsight, this was a mistake and I should have taken more time. Live and learn.
I tried to stick with my healthy habits and partially succeeded, at least with reading and spending time outdoors. Here are the slightly condensed results:
📚 Finished reading The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu. I enjoyed his other collection, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, a bit more. But this collection had a handful of super interesting stories that explore the idea of uploading human conciousness.
Finished reading Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie📚 my 37th book of this year and 21st Hugo Winner out of 75.
August was another challenging month with long work hours, poor balance, and the stress of an upcoming move.
Finished reading The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu 📚 book 2 of the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. Looking forward to the third book which, like the first, is translated by Ken Liu.
July was a tough month for me. I worked +50% more than normal. The long work hours were disruptive to the healthy habits I have worked so hard for: sleep, exercise, meditation, yoga, balance, sanity….
My Kindle Paperwhite 2 is starting to show its age. I want to get out of the Amazon ecosystem and switch to Kobo, but I’m weary of taking on the project of file conversion. Anyone have experience with switching? 📚
Finished reading: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 📚 my 31st book of this year and 20th Hugo Winner out of 75.
Finished reading: Endymion by Dan Simmons 📚 I love this series and am glad I chose to go to the re-read this year!
I am focusing on intentional living to better align how I spend my time and energy with my values. Creating and tracking goals are helping me feel like myself through the pandemic. Here is my (belated) June update!
Finished reading: The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos) by Dan Simmons 📚
Finished reading: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski PhD & Amelia Nagoski DMA 📚
I’ve been feeling emotionally exhausted lately so this topic was relevant. Two key takeaways were: (1) differentiate between dealing with the stressor and dealing with the stress. Oftentimes, we deal with the stressor but not the physical effects of stress which are driven by our fight-or-flight instincts. After we get through a high stakes meeting (stressor), the stress doesn’t fully dissipate on its own. Movement is the best way to release stress. (2) 10 hours of rest is critical for recovery and balance. This is not limited to sleep but includes waking rest time as well. The authors recommend:
📚 Finished reading The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, book three in the His Dark Materials series
📚 Finished reading Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang, a fantastic collection of short speculative fiction. Check out “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” on LeVar Burton Reads as a two part episode (Part 1, Part 2)