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★★★★★
Trust was one of my top-ranked books for 2022, and I’m republishing this review because it just won a Pulitzer. Congrats to Hernan Diaz!
It’s hard to describe this novel without giving away the thing that makes it so great. But here are a few clues: 1920s, finance, marriage, mental illness, high society, writing, WTF, and seriously WTF. In some ways, this book is straightforward with simple narration—easy to read, even! Yet, all the while, you never know what is real or whom to trust. I loved Trust, and when you read it I would like to discuss, please. This one definitely deserves a book club.
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“While grateful for it, he was suspicious of the American notion of freedom, which he viewed as a strict synonym of conformism, or, even worse, the mere possibility of choosing between different versions of the same product.”
★★★★
In Rituals Roadmap, Erica Keswin outlines what makes a ritual, how rituals at work enhance performance, and the moments in the employee life cycle where rituals make sense. What makes this book especially helpful are the many, MANY examples of team rituals that promote a sense of belonging and shared purpose. Together, the examples illustrate the habits and behaviors that mark a strong and positive work culture. And, they draw a picture of how great culture feels to employees. (If you don’t have time to read the book, I strongly recommend Keswin’s appearance on Ideo’s Creative Confidence Podcast.)
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“Rituals help us pulse our attention, pause, and prevent burnout.”
★★★★
In Out of Office, Anne Helen Peterson and Charlie Warzel take on the future of work, primarily the sea change in knowledge labor that was sparked by the pandemic shift to home offices. A guiding question seems to be: how can professionals make the experience of work—especially remote work—suck less? The primary reason to make work better, they say, is not to produce more and more for our companies, but to become liberated and live fuller lives for ourselves. Peterson and Warzel emphasize flexibility, positive org. culture, and the thoughtful application of technologies as a way through the morass. I found the chapter on culture and the discussion of middle managers to be particularly helpful.
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“A healthy work culture creates the circumstances for all employees to do their very best work. But a sustainable, resilient one understands and eagerly invites them to have lives outside it.”
★★★½
Listen Like You Mean It is a solid resource on communication. I was impressed by both how thorough and how accessible the book is…even skimming it will provide a good framework for the listening skillset. I’ve been through a lot of training on listening, so I didn’t find a lot of new-new information here. However, I did flag exercises for clients and took notes on how Vengoechea organizes and then demystifies a complicated “soft” skill. I’m glad to add this title to my professional quiver. (This review was originally posted in August 2022.)
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“Too often, we “solve” for miscommunication by focusing only on what we say and how we’re saying: if only we could get our message across, things would be much easier. As a result, we may decide to adjust our messaging or turn up the volume. But when we focus solely on our capabilities as speakers, we risk turning our conversation partners into an audience rather than equal collaborators.”
★★★ ½
Parker has written a modern guide for gatherings that is opinionated about hosting, brimming with examples, and full of heart. At times, I noticed myself bristling at the prescriptive tone, which taunted my inner rebel. However, I can’t argue with Parker’s passion for creating special experiences that deepen the connection between everyone present. One thing I loved about this book is that it can apply to gatherings of all shapes and sizes. From status meetings to family reunions to formal affairs, you’ll find something here that transcends.
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“Ichi-go ichi-e. The master told me it roughly translates to “one meeting, one moment in your life that will never happen again.” She explained further: ‘We could meet again, but you have to praise this moment because in one year, we’ll have a new experience, and we will be different people and will be bringing new experiences with us, because we are also changed.’”
Book One: A Psalm for the Wild Built
★★★★★
This incredibly tender book is the first in Becky Chambers’s newish sci-fi series, Monk and Robot. It is thick with longing for discernment, purpose, and meaning, and it gently suggests that we hold these desires more lightly. The theme comes to life as a quest in a world where robots are wild and humans have hope of being more than brutal extractors. I cried through the final scene. Just beautiful.
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“You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.”
Book Two: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
★★★★½
Book 2 in the Monk and Robot series develops the friendship and adventures of Dex (Monk) and Mosscap (Robot). Like Book One, it uses tender prose and gentle pacing to create a reading experience that feels like sanctuary. I love how Chambers advances slow-burning tension in a peaceful world where nearly all conflict is inner conflict. It’s a interesting narrative challenge, and not many writers could pull it off. This special magic opened me to consider subtler questions of what it means to be alive. Book Three of this series can’t come soon enough for me.
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“The thing about fucking off to the woods is that unless you are a very particular, very rare sort of person, it does not take long to understand why people left said woods in the first place.”
★★★★
I could never have imagined that a book about gaming and coding would hook me so completely. But it’s a love letter to creative process, collaboration, and story-telling—and I ate it right up. If you’re into creativity, you will enjoy this one. Creative nerd or not, you will find a beautiful story about relationships, chosen family, success, failure, and the many ways people make meaning from their suffering.
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“‘So what do I do?’ she asked. ‘You go back to work. You take advantage of the quiet time that failure allows you. You remind yourself that no one is paying any attention to you and it’s a perfect time for you to sit down in front of your computer and make another game. You try again. You fail better.”
★★★ ½
This is a helpful book that outlines the questions and core habits of coaching. It is easy to skim, and I think that’s fine. Written for managers, its core wisdom is: Give less advice; ask more questions. Done well, this teaches and empowers your team—which in turn frees your time for high-value activities. I landed on 3.5 stars because I wanted even more on listening skills. These questions will fall flat if they are not matched by attentive, open ears. Otherwise, however, this guide is solid. If you suspect the coaching habit would be good for you and your team, grab a copy. This book could also be illuminating for parents, particularly those with older kids.
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“The real secret sauce here is building a habit of curiosity.”
★★★★
This book is a survey of various chaplaincy roles and the throughlines between them in one city (Boston). I found it helpful, but I wish workplace/office chaplains had been included. I'm trying to make my way in that particular space post-CPE, and I feel quite alone. That being said, Cadge named and provided context for major thematic issues I'm encountering, and which the profession must navigate: invisible labor, liminal spaces, code switching, improvisation, institutional vs. entrepreneurial possibilities (and limitations), ethics, financial models, and the tension between presence and outcomes. While this book didn't answer my specific questions, it did reinforce my connection to the profession as a whole. Most of all, it helped me remember that not-knowing and inhabiting "the spaces between" are core to the chaplain's endeavor. All in all, I feel stronger for the discernment ahead of me. Seems fitting for a book about chaplaincy, now that I think of it. :)
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“There is a tenderness and a kind of noticing that chaplains do that can make a world of difference.”
★★★★½
I tore through this 4-book fantasy series over the holidays. (It’s a trilogy, yes, with a bonus novella #4.) I enjoyed the worldbuilding, characters, mythology, and mystery-soaked plots. And I loved Jemisin’s thematic work on power, especially the delicate necessity of balance and the urgency of laying down long-held privilege. The reading experience was also plain fun and had a strong element of mischief. It had been a while since I embraced a new series, and I’d forgotten how satisfying it can be to become fluent in another person’s imagination. I’m excited to explore more of Jemisin’s writing.
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“I can’t be what everyone wanted me to be. I can’t even be what I want to be. I’m going to have to find a way to live with what I am, I guess.”
★★★★
I loved and needed this small but mighty book. Parker Palmer describes a true self that is hiding in plain sight amid cultural conditioning, others’ expectations, and the ego. He invites readers to listen with intention, to consider both the light and the shadow of their souls, and to know they are whole. He also shares his personal learning journey, which winds through his work, his spiritual life, and his struggle with depression. In the end, Palmer prompts a quiet faith that each person’s purpose is simply to become exactly who they are. 🎧
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“Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already posses."
★★★★½
This book recounts Nawal El Saadawi's arrest and imprisonment for the crime of having an opinion in Anwar Sadat's Egypt. In it, El Saadawi explores the essence of democracy and free speech within the nitty gritty, day-to-day experience of life as a political prisoner. *Memoirs From a Women's Prison* took me to new places geographically and politically. And, it taught me how beauty can take root in bleak environments. Stirring and strong.
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“The most dangerous shackles are the invisible ones, because they deceive people into believing they are free.”
I could live a thousand years and still be reading. It’s a sad fact of being mortal: there simply isn’t enough time. Meanwhile, I add books to my to-be-read list much faster than I can actually read them. And so it goes, year after year.
Nevertheless, I keep track. One trick for reading more is to always have your next book ready. And you never know when a particular mood or research need will strike. So, I diligently record interesting titles as I discover them—which could be while reading another book, in conversation with a friend, at an event, or mid-scroll.
Here’s how I keep them organized. 👇🏼
(1) I throw them into Goodreads.
The quickest way I’ve found to track books, whether finished or aspirational, is on Goodreads. I use the basic shelves (read, want to read, abandoned), but it’s possible to add genre tags and customize. You can follow me and peruse my lists here.
Goodreads is a gem, as far as social media goes. It’s a user-friendly engine for searching, flagging, and tracking books. Every user is a reader, the pace activity is slow, and trolling is rare. Also, it’s fascinating to see what other people are reading, and it’s fun to discover bookish kindred spirits.
The downside is that Goodreads is owned by Amazon, and you might want to resist the empire. It’s a struggle. Some big bookers use spreadsheets, blogs, or other project management tools instead.
The main thing at this stage is to to have a place where you can capture links and titles efficiently, without interrupting the flow of whatever else you’re doing.
(2) Every few months, I copy those titles into my book journal.
This is where I dig in to organize my list by categories. Goodreads offers some of this functionality, and they updated shelving features recently, but so far I prefer the flexibility of analog.
My system is simple: I track the books I read each year, along with the titles on my want-to-read list. There’s a table of contents on page 1, and each page is dedicated to a category like fiction, science, or spirituality. When I fill a sheet, I add a second page for that category on the next available sheet.
In addition, I use basic symbols to mark which books I own, which books I finish, and any re-categorizations along the way. Because I want to be intentional about reading more diverse voices, I also note which titles were authored by BIPOC, global, and LGBTQ+ writers.
Long story short, my book journal helps me understand my reading preferences, remember older titles, and be more intentional about what and whom I’m reading over time. Yes, I know this step is inefficient, and I don’t mind. I enjoy the slow process and the chance to reflect.
(3) I list books I’m currently reading in my monthly planner.
I’m not a one-book-at-a-time kind of girl, and sometimes my stack gets unwieldy. So, I keep a list of current titles in my monthly planner. I lean on this when I sit down to read, to decide which book to pick up. It also helps keep me in check when I want to start yet another new title. This way, I don’t get too scattered. Also, I generally use journals for a mix of forward planning and retrospective. It’s fun to glance back across the months to see how my reading flowed and remember the literary worlds I visited.
Finally, I use Trello to organize reading and notes for specific projects.
The materials I organize in Trello aren’t all books, and the books aren’t always on my other lists. However, I typically add them to my currently reading and finished lists.
I also use Zotero for tracking research, but only when a project requires formal citations. (It has Word integration and can export formatted footnotes and endnotes.) That kind of writing is less frequent for me at present, so it’s overkill for what I need. Also, I prefer the user experience and visual aspect of Trello.
That’s it for now! How do you organize your reading? I’d love to hear.
★★★ ½
An entertaining story of old Hollywood, love, ambition, and self-revelation. This was a satisfying vacation read that kept me turning pages and delivered at the end.
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“Do yourself a favor and learn to grab life by the balls, dear.”
★★★★
An accessible and hopeful outline of the possibilities and practices of forest healing, from the founder of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs. Part guidebook, part romance, part call to ethics, this book will give you a solid 101. Note that this is a Western, modern, therapeutic application of an ancient tradition with roots in Japanese culture.
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“To bathe in the forest is to be immersed in a grace that permeates the world, to feel an immanent power and beauty that is everywhere, whispering.”
★★★ ½
I liked this Stephen King quest novel, which to me reads like a love child of his Dark Tower series and 11/22/63. It’s longer than it needs to be, and at times the prose is sloppy. But this story and the (wild!, imaginative, flawed but likable) characters kept me on the edge of my seat. A really enjoyable read.
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“A brave man helps. A coward just gives presents.”
Older Review Titles
These lists aren’t pretty (sorry), but they do help with archiving and search.
2022: ★★★★★ Emergent Strategy, adrienne maree brownLetter From a Region in My Mind, James Baldwin | Matrix, Lauren Groff | Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel | Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan | Trust, Hernan Diaz | Warmth, Daniel Sherrell | We Are Not Free, Traci Chee ★★★★ Appalachian Elegy, bell hooks | Chasing Utopia, Nikki Giovanni | The End of Burnout, Jonathan Malesic | The Galleons, Rick Barot | Inspired: Understanding Creativity, Matt Richtel | Listen Like You Mean It, Ximena Vengoechea | Our Band Could Be Your Life, Michael Azerrad. | Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler | Radical Candor, Kim Scott | The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Deesha Philyaw | Severance, Ling Ma | Squeeze Me, Carl Hiaasen | Strength to Love, Martin Luther King, Jr. | The Swimmers, Julie Otsuka ★★★ The Art of Eric Carle, Eric Carle | Atomic Habits, James Clear | Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, Emily & Amelia Nagoski. | Caleb’s Crossing, Geraldine Brooks | Golden Girl, Elin Hilderbrand | Help Thanks Wow, Anne Lamott | I’d Rather Be Reading, Anne Bogel | Operating Instructions, Anne Lamott | Traction, Gino Wickman. | The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett | When Women Were Dragons, Kelly Barnhill | The Widest Net, Pamela Slim ★★ Apples Never Fall, Liane Moriarity | The Female Persuasion, Meg Wolitzer
2021: ★★★★★ Bartleby the Scrivener & Benito Cereno, Herman Melville | The Book of Joy, Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams | Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson | Felicity, Mary Oliver | Letters to a Young Poet, Ranier Marie Rilke | Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris | Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia | My Monticello, Jocelyn Nicole Johnson | No One Is Talking About This, Patricia Lockwood | See No Stranger, A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, Valarie Kaur | Thick: And Other Essays, Tressie McMillan Cottom | We Should All Be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | What It Is, Lynda Barry | Wholehearted Faith, Rachel Held Evans | Wintering, Katherine May ★★★★ Against White Feminism, Rafia Zakaria | Boom Town, Sam Anderson | The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy | Brag Better, Meredith Fineman | The Chosen, Chaim Potek | The Color of Magic, Terry Pratchett | Dusk, Night, Dawn, Anne Lamott | Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman | Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art, Stephen Nachmanovitch | Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, Diana Gabaldon | How Music Works, David Byrne | It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, Jason Fried | Libertie: A Novel, Kaitlyn Greenidge | Make Your Art No Matter What, Beth Pickens | Minor Feelings, Cathy Park Hong | Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within | Rules of Civility, Amor Towles | Steal Like an Artist + Show Your Work + Keep Going, Austin Kleon | A Thousand Ships, Natalie Haynes | Transcendent Kingdom, Yaa Gyasi | Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino | Vesper Flights, Helen MacDonald | Who Is Maud Dixon?, Alexandra Andrews | A World Without Email, Cal Newport ★★★ | The Back of the Napkin, Dan Roam | The Book of Longings, Sue Monk Kidd | Bring on the Blessings, Beverly Jenkins | A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas | Dearly, Margaret Atwood | Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport | The Hummingbird’s Gift, Sy Montgomery | The Lost Apothecary, Sarah Penner | Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit | Mrs. March, Virginia Feito | No Cure for Being Human, Kate Bowler | The Power of Ritual, Casper Ter Kuile | The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, Seth Godin | Very Important People: Status and Beauty in the Global Party Circuit, Ashley Mears ★★ Billy Summers, Stephen King