Tag: non-fiction

3 books that made me Self – Introspect

Rajashree1 Comment

Self Introspection is an inward-looking process where one tries to find what their own mind and emotions convey. Self Reflection and introspection differ in that, reflection often involves trying to understand the values and goals behind one’s actions whereas, introspection is about finding the inner desires and motivations. Introspection mostly involves looking inwards by meditation or sometimes having a time by self.

The books that encouraged me look inward, made me self reflect as well. Not all times, do our actions align with our selves.

1. Love for Imperfect Things: How to Accept Yourself in a world striving for perfection – Haemin Sunim

This book was very kind to me, starting with self-care and it later moves on to the other aspects of life, which we overlook at that moment, but return back to them in memories. I would say it all starts with self-compassion, when I read the first part of the book, I was completely hooked, it made me view myself in a different way. I tried to be more accepting of myself and I tried to push myself forward with a small nudge, rather than beating myself up in the process.

The fact that relationships require effort, and it is sometimes fine, if we end up hurting others, meaning, we can’t be the 100% always someone expects of us and that is how it is. But, we must value others in the same time, it is not about being indifferent to others, it is more of value others and ourselves to take in.

Life is short and the world is whole lot larger. It is good to fail, even more better to heal.

When we become kinder to ourselves, we can become kinder to the world

2. Don’t Believe everything you think – Joseph Nguyen

I saw this everywhere as a tonic to overthinking, and it was precisely that.

The book starts with explaining, how pain and suffering differ. Pain is something that occurs often out of our control, but the latter is always under our control. It’s we who choose to suffer the pain or not.

The interpretation of the events define our perception and hence we choose to suffer or let go. It is our thinking that leads to it, rather than the thoughts themselves. Thoughts occur, but the thinking is our interference of them. We don’t have to think positively. We simply need not think at all. The author goes on explaining his point, with few exercises as well.

Our feelings guide us. The feelings that come above the surface when we are tranquil, devoid of anxiety. When we reach a state of no thought, otherwise termed as flow state, what we feel is often the answer for the questions we might have in mind. And this is how, we take the decisions, eliminating the thinking.

To be honest, it is very hard to practice this. It might sound simple, but not easy. I do overthink at times, switching off when the thinking carries me somewhere is tedious. But it has paid off well, when I did try.

There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so

3. The Subtle Art of Not giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life – Mark Manson

This book’s tone is completely different from the above two, but meets them in the objective. I loved this book, because it was too straightforward at times. While the other books were gentle, this book calls you upon the wrong doings.

I have read Mark Manson’s blog before and liked some of those articles as well. Haemin Sunim said that suffering is your call, Mark Manson kind of meets at the same point and puts forward that it is because of the pain you learn and grow.

Being self-compassionate shouldn’t mean to keep you safe everywhere and be cautious. It is the opposite, it is the daring to do the things, choosing what you really value. When you can choose what you value, the other things become the last things on the planet and that’s how you eliminate giving a f*ck to them.

Mark puts forward five values – Responsibility, Doubts on self-beliefs, Failure, saying No, Commitment

These are kind of correlated if you try to elaborate. In that, taking responsibility to the actions and words, we might end up failing a lot. That only shows that we are trying and it is how you choose to take a hold on life. Failure makes us doubt what we believe, and hence we take those steps we hesitated before, assuming. Commitment and saying No go hand in hand. Getting a no, often leads to better things, or even if it doesn’t, it makes us see the world differently and better than before.

All in all, it was a packed book in itself and I loved every chapter of it.

In conclusion, self-help books are great when you need a piece of advice from someone. But the true impact lies in taking in and following them which you think might be helpful. If not, they are simply the rant of someone in a metro, you act like you care when you listen, but forget the minute you step out of the metro. It has got nothing on you.

Navigating Grief: A Candid Review of ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ by Joan Didion

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Do you remember that I had the goal of reading at least one of Joan Didion’s book in 2023, when the year began?

So here we go, let me embark on a heartfelt exploration of grief with Joan Didion’s ‘The Year of Magical Thinking.’ The book contained everything that a book on grief will venture upon, say the emotional depth, moments of reflection, but needless to say the narrative’s repetitive nature for emphasis, made me lose attention as well.

Compelling Introspection in Early Chapters

Didion’s eloquence invites readers to introspect on their own experiences of loss. The narrative skillfully captures the universal nature of grief, resonating with those who have navigated similar emotional landscapes.

In the opening chapters, Didion’s poignant prose captivates, into an introspective exploration of grief. Her raw and unfiltered reflections create a profound connection, making it a compelling read for anyone grappling with loss.

I was able to completely relate to her grief, it brought back my own memories, which I often wish, they were parts of a nightmare. The surrealness she describes, when she realizes her husband has passed away, not in the first night but in the upcoming nights, when she will be all alone, grappling the grief single-handedly is what the true form of grief seems like. One can not escape feeling sorry and heartbroken if they haven’t experienced such a personal loss.

Navigating the Labyrinth of Repetition

While the initial allure remains, the narrative encounters hurdles with repetitive content. The revisiting of certain themes may lead to occasional bouts of boredom, as the storytelling seemingly retraces familiar emotional territories.

Yet, as the narrative progresses, the recurrence of certain themes becomes apparent, posing a challenge to sustained engagement. The book revisits emotional landscapes, occasionally leading to a sense of monotony tested my patience.

An Unflinching Portrayal of Despair

As the story unfolds, a prevailing sense of hopelessness begins to overpower. Didion’s unflinching portrayal of grief can be emotionally taxing, making it a challenging read for those seeking a more uplifting perspective.

I read this book when I was reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin parallelly. In fact, the idea of reading this book was inspired by her book, which dedicates a chapter for gratitude and introspection. She explains how the grief memoirs made her feel the intensity of luck bestowed upon her. More on this book later…!

Hence, when I was reading with this mindset, the journey through ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ became increasingly challenging as a pervasive sense of hopelessness permeates the narrative. The emotional weight may be overwhelming for readers seeking a more balanced exploration of grief and healing.

‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ by Joan Didion offers a profound exploration of grief, prompting introspection and connection. However, the repetitive nature and the overarching sense of hopelessness may pose challenges for some readers, leading to moments of disengagement.

Rating: 3/5

Image credits: amazon

Oh! the books I want to read

Rajashree2 Comments

What books do you want to read?

WordPress gave me this daily writing prompt. I just scrolled through them and found this amazing prompt. Every one who can’t think of anything else, but books, when first asked for the things you do in your leisure time, can relate with the unending to be read list. Yes! So, my to be read list contains books from English as well as Thamizh.

Since, I have been posting only reviews of English books, I am going to share with the list of the same in my sinful list. Don’t be scared. I will give you a list of just 5 books from it. (I know a day won’t be enough if I am going to list them all, let alone read them all in my limited lifetime).

Ahem.. not me going through the Goodreads want to Read list…

  1. This changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate

I came across this book in Bill Gates reading blog. Let me tell you the story why I landed in that page. I was trying to read his book How to avoid a climate disaster. Before, you go to my blog and find its review, I confess, I am guilty of not being able to read the book completely. It was very interesting at first, coming to know all the things I never knew, and never knew that I never knew. But, later on, it became heavy and it deviated to show each of the element’s effect, rather than adhering to the title, which I was searching for.

Ok, coming back… this book written by Naomi Klein, what piqued my interest was the description of the book.

Forget everything you think you know about global warming. It’s not about carbon—it’s about capitalism. 

Here I am, trying to read this book on climate and now I hear this. It’s very hard to turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to this. So it is in my reading list and I am yet to discover what shocking truth I had to know.

2. Neanderthal Man: In search of lost genomes

The author Svante Pääbo (Thank goodness, I am writing a blog; I need not worry about the pronounication of his name) won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2022. The mild curiosity in knowing for what he was awarded landed me in a page, revealing this book.

I always believe there is not a thing in this world that anyone can’t understand. If said in the right manner, it will serve its purpose. And my love for books came in the same way. If I stumble upon something and find it difficult to understand, I pick a book, spend time with it, and there I go, from a beginner to a better beginner.

As far as I have seen the Nobel Prize site, I believe his research was with the ancient genomes with regards to human evolution and the book shed some light over it.

3. Any book of Joan Didion

Joan Didion’s site says she is a  journalist, novelist, memoirist, essayist, and screenwriter. I have come across some of her memoirs in the social media. And I love how the readers pointed out the subtlety, tenderness and how provocative thoughts were put forward with a bundle of words that everyone have in their disposal.

I am very excited to read any one of her books. Do let me know if there is anything in particular I should read of her works.

4. Good Economics for Hard Times

This book is again written by Nobel Prize winners. The couple had won their Nobel Prize for Economics in 2019.

This book deals with how Economics plays a crucial role in the major crisis and events that happen often around the world. Be it, immigration, technological advancement or climate crisis, there is nothing that occurs without the involvement of the markets and the underlying sciences. Hence, this is in my reading list with high expectations. I will let you know if it all worked out good 😉

5. A man called Ove

By this time, if you have lost interest that the list didn’t have any fictional works; Oh please don’t go, there is one left.

A grumpy old man whose solitude gets disturbed by a young family next door.

Don’t you think this is enough to get interested on this book ?

So, I have always loved my solitude and I have seen a couple of wholesome movies whereby lives of old people change when there is a sudden interaction with someone new and I have loved them all. They are mild and they rattle your heart with its amazing tenderness. No wonder, this book is on my list.

Coming to the end of my limited list, I am really interested to know what are all in your list. Let me know 😉

Image credits: goodreads

featured image credits: becausereading