What have I been reading this month and why has it been such a struggle?
7 Minute Read
It’s been a tricky month with a lot of new things to adjust to! In the first couple of weeks, I was grappling with multiple interviews which thankfully culminated in a new job. However, this also meant that I was busy, stressed, and pretty exhausted most of the time. As a result, I found myself slipping focus off my own projects to dedicate time to my new job.
This led me into a fairly unsatisfying cycle of not being happy because I wasn’t writing and not writing because I wasn’t happy. It also meant that my reading habits dropped off (hence the smaller list of books this month than the prior). But to be honest, I needed to give myself a bit of a break! It’s obviously going to take time to adjust to this new lifestyle and that’s okay!
I took some pressure off myself and found things began to slot into place naturally. I’m getting settled into the new job now and finding a better work-life balance too. And as the month nears to finishing, I’ve transitioned back to a writing/reading routine in my free time that allows me to keep producing these blogs!
Although to be completely transparent – and to avoid a tone of doom and gloom – I have also been spending close to nine hours a weekend watching the Six Nations Rugby – so I can’t feel too sorry for myself. The lack of reading on the weekends was entirely self-inflicted!
Now to the books! This February book review includes:
- The Body: A Guide for Occupants – Bill Bryson – ★★★★★
- Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas – Adam Kay – ★★★★
- Moby Dick – Herman Melville – Review Pending
This page contains affiliate links. This means I make a commission if you buy a product I have recommended (at no extra cost to you). All recommendations I give are genuine and my own. Thanks for the support!
1. The Body: A Guide for Occupants – Bill Bryson
Bryson has yet again done something quite remarkable. He’s made an immensely broad and challenging subject not only accessible but downright fascinating. I’ve been excited about this book for a little while now. I loved his book on science and the cosmos: A Short History of Nearly Everything. So when I heard he was doing another science-related book about the human body, I knew the project was in safe hands.
Bryson is known for his soft humour, dry wit, and wonderfully down-to-earth storytelling. It’s what makes him so beloved the world over. What makes this book that much more impressive, is how he uses all these attributes to take an immensely difficult subject and produce an edition for the layman. Having studied biology myself I was interested to see how he would tackle some of the downright baffling aspects of genetics or molecular biology. And I must say, he delivered impeccably. Even to the point where he covered topics I was still getting to grips with in my third-year lectures. And I found myself slightly vexed I didn’t have this book around during my studies to act as a refresher on these topics!
I believe this book is a must-read for anyone studying science or simply someone wanting to learn more about what makes us, us! It’s probably considered a relatively tricky read because of some of the terminology and complex subject matter, but Bryson beautifully walks the fine line between not pandering to the audience nor patronising them either. There is so much to learn from this book and in the most engaging manner.
Any Negatives?
My only criticism would be that due to the scale of topics covered, there are moments when it teeters on becoming an exhaustive list of information. I only mention this because in Bryson’s previous books he constructs a wonderful flowing narrative that truly immerses you in a story. And in this case, the book felt a lot more matter-of-fact. Having said this, it is by no means dull, and this critique pales in comparison to the immensity of his overall achievement.
2. Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas – Adam Kay
Yes, it’s a Christmas themed book. No, I’ve not gone senile. I was mooching around my flat on a very rainy Saturday morning trying to do anything other than read Moby Dick. I scanned through my stack of books by my bedside: a thousand-page Cormac McCarthy trilogy, an old and decidedly hefty copy of Grapes of Wrath, and another Penguin writing guide. Not exactly easy Saturday morning reads. So, I turned to my long “To Read” list on my iPhone notes and scanned down the page before hovering over this title.
It was exactly what I felt like. A light-hearted yet miserable collection of journal entries so sad you can’t help but laugh. Adam Kay’s first book, This is Going to Hurt, was brilliantly funny, and so well written I literally couldn’t put it down. And no I’m not misusing that term as I got through it in one sitting. I’d found out he had released a sequel – of sorts – but only after Christmas was already over. And, not bearing the thought of waiting a full year to read it in some attempt to achieve seasonal acceptance I thought, why not?
I’m happy to say, it’s more of the same. In fact, many of the extracts were removed from the original book. So, it’s written in the same style and with his similar witty humour, just with a lot of new anecdotes! I can’t think of a time before these two books, where I have laughed out loud whilst reading. Not just a chuckle or a humphing exhale of air, but genuine chortling. That is quite a remarkable feat. If you can bear the gristly stories, and the underlying misery of such a tragically broken healthcare system, then you will too.
Moby Dick – Herman Melville
Why am I finding this so difficult? In the last few years, this book still remains the only one that I’ve picked up and put down again unfinished. I waited a couple of years before trying to take another stab at it. Yet here I am again, floundering about in its 18th-century pages. This isn’t really a book review as I’ve not finished reading it yet. I suppose it’s more of a status update, which is probably more relevant to today’s audience anyway. And I guess it’s in some way me trying to come to terms with my resounding failure. The failure of being beaten by a load of black scribbles on a host of pale pages.
I’m finding the narrative about as elusive as the white whale I’m supposed to be looking for. I sit down at my desk, or on the sofa, prepped with a cup of tea, and open the book. But I start to drift. So, I shut off all social media, move rooms, and I try again to focus on the words with abject concentration. And finally: I read, and I read, and I read. I’ve gone through a handful of pages and yet still have next to no idea what’s actually gone on. What’s happening? Where am I?
Maybe a large part of me – after getting home from a long day of work – just want’s to relax on the sofa with my girlfriend and watch an episode of The Office, rather than battling with this archaic tale of adventure. That would be the easy option, sure. But, this ain’t about the easy option. I am determined. I will finish this book. It’s like a mind game, If I keep telling myself it will happen, who knows, maybe, just maybe, it will!
Review Pending
Anything Else?
As I mentioned, I’ve been getting accustomed to a new routine. My commute to work now takes up about an hour of my day. How could I use this dull time productively? I wanted to spend it reading, but It involves 5 minutes of walking, a 10 minute metro, change to another metro for a couple of minutes, then 10 minutes of walking at the end. Of course, when it’s this broken up, I would look absolutely insane trying to read whilst doing all of this.
Also, I’m thinking of transitioning to a bike instead of the metro (being in Copenhagen it might be time to do as the locals do)! This of course poses the same reading problem. I decided to try and take my own advice from my How to Read a Book a Week blog, and download some audiobooks. It took a bit of getting used to as I don’t think you can engage with the story as much as reading. But who cares, it works! And my commute just got a lot more interesting 😄.
So I’m listening to the Jordan Peterson “12 Rules to Life” audiobook which is fascinating and very stimulating. You can look forward to a review of that in March. I’m also about halfway through reading Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, which I’m finding exceptionally brilliant. Not to mention that damned Cetacean story. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish any of these by the end of the month, but that means in March the list will likely be a lot more extensive!
Last Words
I’m changing style. Last month’s book review was boring. I felt bored writing it and I’m sure as hell because of that, you felt bored reading it. The reviews ended up feeling like a chore. I couldn’t really describe how I felt about the book in a way that was interesting or engaging. But that’s the great thing about running my own blog. I don’t have to answer to anyone – other than myself… and I guess that’s the harshest critic? And so, if I want to change something, I can!
So this month I tried to write longer reviews, that are more detailed, and hopefully more involved for you, the reader! Hopefully, this came across and you enjoyed this February book review. Stay tuned in March for some exciting new blogs, more book reviews, and… maybe a couple of big social media announcements too!
Comment below if you have any questions or if there are any books you would like me to read and review!
Happy reading! 📚
