I absolutely love to read, and I love to share the books I like best with other people. Every few months here on the blog I choose my favourites from what I’ve read lately and write about them. As always, you can see everything I’m reading on my Goodreads profile. You can also check out what I’m reading at #stephlovestoread on Instagram.
Life changes fast, man! When I wrote my last post in this series, life looked a lot different than it does today. Just a couple months later and I live in a new city, in my own apartment, and am learning new things every single day. During this big transition, I watched a lot of TV, but I also happily read some truly excellent books! Here are my faves from the past couple months.
Small Move, Big Change by Caroline L. Arnold
An easy read about the idea that your life is changed in teeny-tiny steps that the author calls microresolutions. She argues that these microresolutions should be so small that we cannot fail, and make us feel better immediately – ie. not at some distant far-off date when we’ve “changed our lives”. A great example might be: let’s say you want to have a cleaner, neater home. The microresolution might be to make your bed every day. It’s an explicit, measurable goal and you get the benefit instantly after doing it, because the whole room looks neater. There are lots of great ideas in this book for all areas of life and I found it really inspiring! Fans of Gretchen Rubin will like this one.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
I know, I’m so late in reading this. It’s amazing, it won the Pulitzer, not much more needs to be said. But in case you need a tiny push: it’s beautiful. The characters are beautiful, the story is so sad and honest, it makes you feel all kinds of things. I just talked with a friend about this book on the weekend and we both had so much to say because it’s a really wonderful story. Go get it! Definitely my favourite novel of the year.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Another stunning book. I read this right before I watched the documentary 13th, which is likewise heartbreaking and infuriating. This book is a collection of essays from the writer to his son about what it is to grow up as a black man in America: about violence, about race, about fear and anger and brutality. It’s an important book.
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
This is such a lovely book, it immediately made me want to write my food memoirs (which, of course! Why didn’t I think of that sooner!?). I loved Molly’s second book Delancey, which is about opening a pizza restaurant with her husband (literally, my dream), and I’m happy to report I liked this, her first book, just as much. It’s so fun to read about the meals and recipes that have meaning in a person’s life and in their stories. Molly is an amazing writer and I plan to buy a copy of this memoir/cookbook soon.
You can see all my book recommendation blog posts here.
What’s the best thing you’ve read lately?? Tell me your recommendations!
