Whenever I share what I’ve been reading and recommending, it’s always well received. For me, how I’m going with reading tends to align with how I’m feeling and where my energy is in general. Maybe you notice the same thing?
I’ve said it before, but reading is hard work. It’s often romanticized as a passive or ‘easy’ task, but it’s not. Training your brain to focus, switch off and ideally, have fun and do something purely for the sake of it is really hard work. For me, being able to focus, find flow and fun are skills I want to take with me well into my Octogenerian years, so I know I need to practise.
In no particular order, here’s the mothering/business books (and a few wild cards) I’ve been delving into lately, and where possible, I’ll outline HOW I consumed them. I like multimodal reading, so I use Audible, e-readers and physical books. I like to make a note about where I was in life.what I was doing when I read a particular book.
Graft: Motherhood, Family and a Year on the Land, Maggie MacKellar
Set in my island home of Tassie, I picked this up a few weeks after my dog died. I read it outside under the gum trees while looking at the seasons changing and it has really showed me (a) how little experience I really have of death and (b) how truly bloody cruel and beautiful nature is. I’m used to reading about motherhood in the phase I’m in, or the phase that I’m coing out of. Maggie’s reflections about the seasons on the farm, and what it’s like to mother in the season when your children have grown and left home where really insightful.
Six Figures in School Hours, by Kate Toon
There were some valuable exercises in here. Instead of filling gaps with ‘busy work’, I make an effort to read a chapter of a book. This one was useful to review – why did I start my business? What values did it align with and is that still true or have my values and goals changed?
I’m reccommending this one not just for the content (there’s some good business skills explained in here) but also the process. For those of you who worry about being perfect, I’d reccommend listening to the audio of this book. Kate Toon is a ‘done rather than perfect’ type person. She’s also hysterical and reminds me so much of comedian Miranda Hart. I want you to listen to the audio version because it’s full of mistakes. Slightly off pauses, mispronunications and I think she may have stifled a burp at one point. It’s not distracting, just quite human. We’re so used to listening to word-perfect productions from big publishing houses that we can forget that we are allowed to be unique.
Fearless, by Trinny Woodall
It’s probaly desgined as more of a coffee table visual book, but again I prefer to listen to a book when I know the author’s voice. It sounds just like she’s chatting rather than reading. I like to keep my eye on women who are doing amazing things in business, and I also learned a lot about my personal colour pallette. The perfect book for “I feel like a pinch of self development, but I don’t want to go to deep”
You Are a Badass at Making Money, by Jen Sincero
There is a lot of ‘ick’ energy about money in the air at moment. It will pass. I’ve been in business for over 14 years now and I’ve seen the scarcity energy ebb and flow. This is another good book to come back to when you want to learn or re-learn some of the practical things about money in business.
The Woman in Me, by Britney Spears
I listened to Michelle Williams read this one in a day while I planted out dahlia tubers and my seedlings for spring. Unashamedly, I was hoping to learn more about Britney’s diagnostic history. As a Clin Psych and a mother I’m ever curious about “how”. How did this happen? It all went by in a bit of a surreal blur and I still haven’t worked out what I think. Have you read it? Thoughts?
The Things you Can See Only When You Slow Down, by Haemin Sunim
I mostly looked at the pictures while at an event that I didn’t really want to be at! It was a useful practise in just noticing what was going on around me, rather than getting swept up in it. I think this would be a useful book to just have out around the house when you need a moment of mindfulness.
Joyful, by Ingrid Fetell Lee
A really interesting read about our surroundings and mental health. We have been rennovating all year and no matter how much gratitude I practice, living in a home that feels like a tip has really impacted my mood. There’s some really cool info about understanding colour and mood.
Once Upon a River, by Diane Setterfield
It’s no secret that I struggle to read fiction, but I picked this up after hearing some rave reviews. It’s taken me over 6 months to get through this book. I struggled to keep track of characters, and I didn’t really understand the ending. I also Googled to see if there is a movie version (there isn’t!). It reminds me of books I read for a Middlebrow fiction course I took at uni. The kind of book I didn’t mind reading, but I feel like I didn’t really ‘get it’ and needed someone else to explain it to me! Perhaps I’d get more joy from a book club? I’ve never actually been in one.
What are you reading at the moment? I’m always happy for shares on books about motherhood or business or mental health, or none of these things!
Hope there was something useful in that list and that you are having a good week
