📚 The Reading Journal #025

Welcome to The Reading Journal, your one-stop-shop for book recommendations that will make you want to cancel all your plans and curl up with a good book instead. Whether you're looking for the latest bestsellers, hidden gems, or classic literature, we've got you covered. So grab your favorite reading spot and a cup of tea, and let us guide you on your literary journey. Happy reading!

We are currently working on a project with Alex & Books and will be sharing more about it over on Alex's Instagram and Twitter early 2023. You won't want to miss it. 📚

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📝 Note

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📚 Staff Pick of the Week

How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil

How the World Really Works discusses seven fundamental realities that govern human survival and prosperity. It covers topics such as energy and food production, globalization, risks, the environment, and the future. The book argues that globalization is not inevitable and that societies have become heavily dependent on fossil fuels, making decarbonization by 2050 unlikely. It also explores the environmental impact of production processes, such as the carbon emissions associated with growing tomatoes and producing steel, cement, and plastics. Ultimately, the book aims to provide a data-driven, interdisciplinary examination of the world and consider both the potential for disaster and the possibility of a brighter future.

🎥 Reading Talk's

📈 Rising Quickly - Week of December 12, 2022

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Former slave, impassioned abolitionist, brilliant writer, newspaper editor and eloquent orator whose speeches fired the abolitionist cause, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) led an astounding life. Physical abuse, deprivation and tragedy plagued his early years, yet through sheer force of character he was able to overcome these obstacles to become a leading spokesman for his people. In this, the first and most frequently read of his three autobiographies, Douglass provides graphic descriptions of his childhood and horrifying experiences as a slave as well as a harrowing record of his dramatic escape to the North and eventual freedom. Published in 1845 to quell doubts about his origins — since few slaves of that period could write — the Narrative is admired today for its extraordinary passion, sensitive and vivid descriptions and storytelling power. It belongs in the library of anyone interested in African-American history and the life of one of the country's most courageous and influential champions of civil rights.

🪄 Most Talked About Fiction - Week of December 12, 2022

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Piranesi lives in a house that has infinite rooms and endless corridors, filled with thousands of statues. There is an ocean trapped within the house, and Piranesi is not afraid of it, as he understands its tides and the pattern of the labyrinth. There is another person in the house, known as The Other, who visits Piranesi and asks for help with research into a Great and Secret Knowledge. As Piranesi explores the house, he discovers evidence of another person and learns a terrible truth that reveals a world beyond the one he has always known. The house is described as a surreal and beautiful place, haunted by the tides and clouds. This book is similar to Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Madeline Miller's Circe.

📚 Most Talked About Non-Fiction - Week of December 12, 2022

Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell

Build is a book about personal and professional growth, written by Tony Fadell, a product designer and leader who has worked on the creation of products such as the iPod and iPhone. The book is organized as a series of short chapters, each building on the previous one to chart Tony's journey from a product designer to a leader, startup founder, and mentor. Each chapter is designed to help readers solve a problem they are facing, such as how to get funding for a startup, whether to quit a job, or how to deal with a difficult coworker. Tony shares insights and advice based on his own experiences, including working with mentors like Steve Jobs and Bill Campbell, and his belief that human nature doesn't change, so you don't have to reinvent how you lead and manage, just what you make. The book is meant to help readers make things worth making.

🆕 New and Noteworthy

8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go by Jay Shetty

In "Nobody sits us down and teaches us how to love," Jay Shetty presents a guide to developing skills for practicing and nurturing love in relationships. He draws on insights from Vedic wisdom and modern science to offer specific, actionable steps for navigating the entire relationship cycle, from first dates to breaking up and starting over. Shetty also provides guidance on avoiding false promises and unfulfilling partners, and offers eight rules for loving ourselves, our partner, and the world better.

👀 In Case You Missed It

✍️ Quote of the Week

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