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bookeysnewsletter · 2 months

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Ikigai: Finding Purpose and Fulfillment in Everyday Life

Chapter 1 What's Ikigai by Hector Garcia Puigcerver

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that translates to "a reason for being" or "a reason to wake up in the morning." It is a philosophy that emphasizes finding joy and purpose in life through activities that bring fulfillment and satisfaction. In his book, Hector Garcia Puigcerver explores the concept of Ikigai and how it can help individuals live a more purposeful and content life. He looks at the intersection of four elements: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. By understanding and aligning these elements, individuals can find their Ikigai and live a more fulfilling life.

Chapter 2 Ikigai by Hector Garcia Puigcerver Summary

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being" or "a reason to wake up in the morning." It is a philosophy that encourages individuals to find their purpose in life, pursue their passions, and live a fulfilling and meaningful life.

In his book Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, author Hector Garcia Puigcerver explores the concept of ikigai and how it can be applied to our daily lives. He shares insights from interviews with residents of the Japanese village of Ogimi, known for its high number of centenarians, who attribute their longevity and happiness to having a clear sense of purpose and passion.

Garcia Puigcerver breaks down the concept of ikigai into four components: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. By finding the intersection of these four elements, individuals can discover their own ikigai and lead a more fulfilling life.

The book also explores practical ways to incorporate the principles of ikigai into our daily lives, such as practicing mindfulness, finding joy in small moments, nurturing relationships, and staying active and engaged in meaningful activities.

Overall, Ikigai offers valuable insights and advice on how to cultivate a sense of purpose, passion, and fulfillment in our lives, drawing inspiration from the wisdom of the Japanese culture and the secrets of longevity and happiness.

Chapter 3 Ikigai Author

Hector Garcia Puigcerver is a Spanish author known for his book "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life," which he co-authored with Francesc Miralles. The book was first released in 2016.

Aside from "Ikigai," Hector Garcia Puigcerver has also written other books such as "A Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country" and "The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons From the World's Happiest People."

"Ikigai" is perhaps the most popular book by Hector Garcia Puigcerver in terms of editions, with multiple printings and translations in different languages. It has been well-received by readers around the world for its insights on finding purpose and joy in life.

Chapter 4 Ikigai Meaning & Theme

Ikigai Meaning

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that translates to "reason for being" or "purpose in life." It is the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Finding your ikigai means discovering a sense of fulfillment and meaning in your life by pursuing activities that bring you joy, use your skills, and contribute to the greater good. It is about finding the sweet spot where your passions, talents, and the needs of the world align.

Ikigai Theme

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being" or "a reason to wake up in the morning." The theme of Ikigai centers around finding and pursuing one's passion, purpose, and meaning in life. It encourages individuals to discover what they love, what they are good at, what the world needs, and what they can be paid for, and then align these four elements to find fulfillment and satisfaction.

The theme of Ikigai emphasizes the importance of living a life that is balanced and harmonious, where one's work and personal life are integrated and aligned with one's values and goals. It encourages individuals to live with intention and purpose, and to seek out activities and relationships that bring joy and meaning to their lives.

Overall, the theme of Ikigai is one of self-discovery, personal growth, and finding fulfillment in both work and personal life. It highlights the importance of living authentically and in alignment with one's true self, in order to lead a happy and meaningful life.

Chapter 5 Quotes of Ikigai

Ikigai quotes as follows:

1. "Ikigai is your reason for being; the thing that gets you out of bed in the morning and gives you a sense of purpose."

2. "In order to find your Ikigai, you must search for the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for."

3. "Ikigai is not something you find, it is something that emerges as you live in alignment with your values and passions."

4. "Living in alignment with your Ikigai can lead to a longer, happier, more fulfilling life."

5. "Ikigai is about finding balance in your life, between work and play, between passion and practicality."

6. "In order to find your Ikigai, you must first take the time to reflect on your values, passions, and strengths."

7. "Ikigai is not a destination, but a journey; it is about constantly striving to improve yourself and live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling."

8. "In order to live in alignment with your Ikigai, you must be willing to make sacrifices and take risks."

9. "Ikigai is about finding joy in the little things, in the everyday moments that make life worth living."

10. "Ultimately, Ikigai is about living a life of purpose, fulfillment, and happiness."

Chapter 6 Similar Books Like Ikigai

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - A captivating story about following your dreams and the path to self-discovery.

2. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle - A transformative guide to living in the present moment and finding inner peace.

3. Educated by Tara Westover - A powerful memoir about the author's journey from a dysfunctional childhood to self-empowerment through education.

4. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson - A refreshing take on self-help, encouraging readers to prioritize what truly matters in life.

5. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert - A motivational guide to embracing creativity and living a fulfilling, inspired life.

Book https://www.bookey.app/book/the-alchemist

Quotes https://www.bookey.app/quote-book/ikigai

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON9ZN6bgRW4

Amazom https://www.amazon.com/Ikigai-Japanese-Secret-Long-Happy/dp/0143130722

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/62929329-ikigai-the-japanese-secret-to-a-long-and-happy-life-the-little-book-o

#Personal Development

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rusgirloriginally · 2 years

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Hello, world! ❄️

It is 11 days left until New Year🎄To be honest I don’t have Christmas mood. So I’ve decided to go out more to visit beautiful places and read books with winter vibes.

So, I made lists of special books, films and activities to create festive mood!🐇

Books 📚:

“The tea house on Mulberry Street” Sharon Owens

“Skipping Christmas” John Grisham

“Gift of the Magi” O.Henry

“Hercule Poirot’s Christmas” Agatha Christie

“Christmas Holiday” Somerset Maugham

“Christmas shopaholic” Sophie Kinsella

“The little book of hygge” Meik Wiking

“The year of living danishly” Helen Russell

Films 🍿:

❄️Home Alone

❄️The holiday

❄️Bridget Jones Diary

❄️It’s all about love…Actually

❄️Four Christmases

❄️Harry Potter, ofc

❄️Jingle all the way

❄️Curly Sue

❄️Miracle on 34th street

❄️Dash & Lily(series)

Fun activities ☃️:

-Bake ginger cookies

-Buy cool planner and set goals for future year

-Take a bubble bath and drink hot chocolate

-Go ice-skating

-Put up decorations

-Write a letter to Santa

-Create a Christmas bucket list

-Have a holiday lunch with friends

-Go to the library and get the vibe of holidays

-Clean and tidy everything

I am finishing for now. If you have some ideas text below👇🏻and share your New Year traditions✨

Bisou💋

#books #book blog #christmas #holiday #films #motivation #literature

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jdwrpdfo · 2 years

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The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country - Helen Russell

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readreadbookblog · 4 years

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The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

https://www.amazon.com/Year-Living-Danishly-Uncovering-Happiest/dp/1785780239

Denmark is often cited by many polls and studies as the happiest country in the world. With it’s low poverty rates, high academic success, low crime rates, high living standards, massive wealth/GDP, and socialized healthcare, Denmark is one of the Nordic countries that is often cited as a ‘socialist paradise’, often a knock to the chaotic United States. But is it really all that perfect as it seems to? Writer Helen Russell found out by living in Denmark for a year.

Helen’s husband gets an invitation to work in Lego headquarters located in the Jutland of Denmark. But this requires moving from London to Denmark. After some convincing, Helen agrees and they move to this new country in the middle of winter. They end up living in the Jutland, a country like area of the country. Where is this place? Who knows, Helen never tells us beyond that they live near Lego HQ. This habit of Helen not knowing things is a theme throughout the book.

Helen is a very unlikable character. I know that she exists in real life, since this is a book written from her experience living in Denmark but she still comes out very unlikable. She bitches about minor things that is just ‘Karen’ like behavior. I was surprised that she didn’t yell at the Danish for not accepting British pounds at the shop. Seriously, Helen starts out by not wanting to learn the Danish language and is surprised Danish culture is not the same as English. Her surprise and cultural shock comes out as more her refusal to integrate rather than actually struggle with Denmark customs. I mean, she is surprised that winter occurs in Denmark!

Helen also doesn’t explain much beyond what he wants to write about in a certain chapter (example: ch. 2 talks about Danish work schedule/life, but what about Helen’s personal conquest to join clubs and make friends, oh she just randomly does it off screen, okay). Helen doesn’t even seem to want to learn the names of her friends, calling them names such as viking, Helen c. Mr. breads, red child, or her husband Lego Man. Thank god she never met any black people.

Helen for all her bitching does somehow get interesting information. She randomly somehow gets in touch with various Danish experts and they explain in good detail and with facts about various aspects of Danish culture. This is mainly about hygge and the surrounding Danish people’s respond to it. Helen doesn’t conclude her book with the fact that Denmark is a very large Danish speaking white population, which could explain the so call ‘happiness’ which Helen is trying to figure out. Also what is that “out of ten” thing she keeps asking random people? Why not explain that?

This book is a mix of travelog, short pocket size informational, inside view of an unhealthy struggling marriage, and a Karen-fest. If you want to know about Denmark or Danish culture, I think that you can do much better by watching YouTube videos or reading online content, almost regardless of it’s quality. The lack of actual culture learning and attempting to understand Denmark beyond the click bait style articles that Helen does really makes this book suffers. Helen’s life here isn’t interesting for anyone beyond the tourist who goes to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and eat American food at American restaurants during their stay. Skip this book and skip Helen’s terrible life style.

#year of living danishly #helen russell #danish #denmark

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nerdsassemble · 3 years

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Nerds Assemble 289 - No, none of us have installed Windows 11 (yet)

This week, join Emily, Paul and Paul as they discuss:

3D printers (and the Creality Ender Pro 5)

Windows 11 launch

PlayStation 5

Justice League Synder Cut

What If?

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Black Widow

Sex Education season 3

The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country by Helen Russell

Hannibal, Hannigram fanfic “it never sings vain” by chaparral_crown

Squid Game

Midnight Mass

Famicon shenanigans

Russell T Davies coming back as Doctor Who showrunner

So, are you sitting comfortably?

Click here to listen in your browser.

Find the podcast on Stitcher here.

Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Find the podcast on Spotify here.

Find the show on Amazon Music here.

RSS here.

Any feedback or questions? Let us know via the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter.

#Windows 11 #3d printer #hannigram #shang-chi #famicon #Nerds Assemble podcast

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colemckenzies · 3 years

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Books I read in August ranked best* to worst

Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin

If Only They Could Talk (acgas 1) by James Herriot

Half A World Away by Mike Gayle

The Year Of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

#the reason i forgot is bc i didnt really like any of them #book list

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matildasbooks · 4 years

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hibernation months

Lockdown #3 feels interminable. Today, I explained to my mother the meaning of ‘pathetic fallacy’ as the rain drummed around us. Storm Christoph is on its way and the river is fit to burst its banks again, the waters so ice-cold the dogs won’t swim. In the bluebell woods which are only russet and bronze right now, no hint of cobalt yet, I slid like a silverfish over the water-logged ground, blinked fat raindrops from my eyes. The dog’s red coat frosted with rain freckles. I’ve read a lot as always, but have enjoyed it less than usual. I put novels down for a few days and forget where the story’s going. Non-fiction is gentler; I can read a chapter as a snapshot stand-alone essay.

A friend recommended ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ by Helen Russell to me years ago when I was in Edinburgh for the book festival and it’s only now I’ve got around to it. Reading a travel memoir might sound an odd choice when it’s unlikely anyone will be travelling for a while yet, but moving to a new place, as Russell does, can be extremely isolating. She and her partner, who works for Lego and is therefore referred to in the book as ‘Lego Man’, move to Denmark during the winter months. Spring, they are told, officially starts in March, but doesn’t normally appear before May. The streets are so deserted Russell proleptically wonders if there’s been some kind of viral outbreak (the book was written long before the word ‘corona’ - sadly not the beer - became a part of our daily lexicon). Denmark was meant to be an escape for Russell from the rat race back home and the constant questioning from strangers as to when she’d be having a baby; their arrival in the midst of winter appears, at first, to ensure the opposite. Russell feels trapped in a new town that greets her like an ice box. Through windows, she sees little movement, only glittering candlelight. A neighbour explains that the Danes “hibernate” over winter, staving off the darkling hours with glimmers of flame and hygge (Danes burn more candles per head than any other country in the world (Russell 2015, p. 10)). Although in the UK, hygge is a word most people will recognise, sold as a concept in self-care magazines and scrawled across the “perfect-Christmas-gift”-books such as ‘The Little Book of Hygge’, when I asked my French university students what it might mean, they had no idea. Apparently in the UK it’s a more attractive and marketable idea than in France, at least for now. In Russell’s book, however, it’s clear that hygge is not just a lifestyle one strives towards to achieve a better version of themselves or a fleeting fashion, its a means of survival. The Danes fight Seasonal Affective Disorder by, as one local puts it, ‘holing up for winter’ (p. 12).

Despite my reluctance to buy into (quite literally) the hype around hygge, reading Helen Russell’s witty account of a year in the “happiest nation in the world” has been comforting in these dark and dreary months. The only candlelight in my room is the blue glow of my computer screen as it whirrs like a plane taking off to keep up with the amount of work I’m using it for - it was on its last legs before lockdown #1. I haven’t changed much about my routine - I’m still halfway through the book - but perhaps there’s something to be said for some elements of hygge in this Covid world. I’ve rediscovered a childish joy in stickers (literary ones, of course) which I’m affixing to every notebook I own and I’m trying to journal - there’s a good video by @TheOxfordPsych on how to use journalling as a tool to improve your mental health, rather than just a performative exercise, which I found useful. I’m beating myself up less about getting through my growing pile of books and reading slowly, as if I’m a university student again, annotating my books with a pink pen.

My favourite read so far this month has to be ‘Field Notes’ by Anna Selby, published by Hazel Press and sold by The London Review of Books Bookshop. Written under water on transparent notebooks, her poems are electric. With an epigraph from Joan Didion - ‘what it is like to be a woman, the irreconcilable difference of it, the sense of living one’s deepest life underwater, that dark involvement with blood and birth and death’ - Selby dives deep into waters where she can become a creature apart from the murky subterranean existence of a woman, catcalled and pregnant and un-pregnant, something more like a fish that’s soldered its wounds with kintsugi, with the golden threads of a lit wick. Her blog (on her website http://annamariaselby.co.uk/) also serves as a wonderful introduction to her work as a poet, PhD student and naturalist, with descriptions of night gardens crowded with Japanese wisteria and moonflower vines.

For now, the hibernation months continue. I wonder how we’ll look back at these years, as we begin to reckon with the effects it has wrought on countries and individuals, but I may as well in the meantime take Selby’s advice, via Thomas Merton, to listen to the rain: ‘nobody started it, nobody is going to stop it. It will talk as long as it wants this rain. As long as it talks, I am going to listen’.

More non-fiction perfect for lockdown in the vein of Russell’s The Year of Living Danishly;

Bleaker House by Nell Stevens

Names for the Sea by Sarah Moss

Fiction books I might read next:

A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

Childhood by Tove Ditlevsen

#books #poetry #nonfiction #memoir #denmark #travel #joan didion #annaselby #helenrussell #theyearoflivingdanishly #fieldnotes #indiepublishers #reading #lockdownreading #bleakerhouse #nellstevens #namesforthesea #sarah moss

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birdlord · 5 years

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Every Book I Read in 2019

This was a heavier reading year for me (heavier culture-consumption year in general) partly because my partner started logging his books read, and then, of course, it’s a competition.

01 Morvern Callar; Alan Warner - One of the starkest books I’ve ever read. What is it about Scotland that breeds writers with such brutal, distant perspectives on life? Must be all the rocks.

02 21 Things You Might Not Know About the Indian Act; Bob Joseph - I haven’t had much education in Canada’s relationship to the Indigenous nations that came before it, so this opened things up for me quite a bit. The first and most fundamental awakening is to the fact that this is not a story of progress from worse to better (which is what a simplistic, grade school understanding of smallpox blankets>residential schools>reserves would tell you), in fact, the nation to nation relationship of early contact was often superior to what we have today. I wish there was more of a call to action, but apparently a sequel is on its way.

03 The Plot Against America; Philip Roth - An alternative history that in some ways mirrors our present. I did feel like I was always waiting for something to happen, but I suppose the point is that, even at the end of the world, disasters proceed incrementally.

04 Sabrina; Nick Drnaso - The blank art style and lack of contrast in the colouring of each page really reinforces the feeling of impersonal vacancy between most of the characters. I wonder how this will read in the future, as it’s very much based in today’s relationship to friends and technology.

05 Perfumes: The Guide; Luca Turn & Tania Sanchez - One of the things I like to do when I need to turn my brain off online is reading perfume reviews. That’s where I found out about this book, which runs through different scent families and reviews specific well-known perfumes. Every topic has its boffins, and these two are particularly witty and readable.

06 Adventures in the Screen Trade; William Goldman - Reading this made me realize how little of the cinema of the 1970s I’ve actually seen, beyond the usual heavy hitters. Ultimately I found this pretty thin, a few peices of advice stitched together with anecdotes about a Hollywood that is barely recognizable today.

07 The Age of Innocence; Edith Wharton - A love triangle in which the fulcrum is a terribly irritating person, someone who thinks himself far more outré than he is. Nonetheless, I was taken in by this story of “rebellion”, such as it was, to be compelling.

08 Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis; Sam Anderson - Like a novel that follows various separate characters, this book switches between tales of the founding of Oklahoma City with basketball facts and encounters with various oddball city residents. It’s certainly a fun ride, but you may find, as I did, that some parts of the narrative interest you more than others. Longest subtitle ever?

09 World of Yesterday; Stefan Zweig - A memoir of pre-war Austria and its artistic communities, told by one of its best-known exports. Particularly wrenching with regards to the buildup to WWII, from the perspective of those who had been through this experience before, so recently.

10 Teach us to Sit Still: A Sceptic’s Search for Health and Healing; Tim Parks - A writer finds himself plagued by pain that conventional doctors aren’t able to cure, so he heads further afield to see if he can use stillness-of-mind to ease the pain, all the while complaining as you would expect a sceptic to do. His digressions into literature were a bit hard to take (I’m sure you’re not Coleridge, my man).

11 The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences have Extraordinary Impact; Chip & Dan Heath - I read this for work-related reasons, with the intention of improving my ability to make exhibitions and interpretation. It has a certain sort of self-helpish structure, with anecdotes starting each chapter and a simple lesson drawn from each one. Not a bad read if you work in a public-facing capacity.

12 Against Everything: Essays; Mark Greif - The founder of N+1 collects a disparate selection of essays, written over a period of several years. You won’t love them all, but hey, you can always skip those ones!

13 See What I Have Done; Sarah Schmidt - A retelling of the Lizzie Borden story, which I’d seen a lot of good reviews for. Sadly this didn’t measure up, for me. There’s a lot of stage setting (rotting food plays an important part) but there’s not a lot of substance there.

14 Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy; Angela Garber - This is another one that came to me very highly recommended. Garber seems to think these topics are not as well-covered as they are, but she does a good job researching and retelling tales of pregnancy, birth, postpartum difficulties and breastfeeding.

15 Rebecca; Daphne du Maurier - This was my favourite book club book of the year. I’d always had an impression of...trashiness I guess? around du Maurier, but this is a classic thriller. Maybe the first time I’ve ever read, rather than watched, a thriller! That’s on me.

16 O’Keefe: The Life of an American Legend; Jeffrey Hogrefe - I went to New Mexico for the first time this spring, and a colleague lent me this Georgia O’Keefe biography after I returned. I hadn’t known much about her personal life before this, aside from what I learned at her museum in Santa Fe. The author has made the decision that much of O’Keefe’s life was determined by childhood incest, but doesn’t have what you might call….evidence?

17 A Lost Lady; Willa Cather - A turn-of-the-20th century story about an upper-class woman and her young admirer Neil. I’ve never read any other Cather, but this felt very similar to the Wharton I also read this year, which I gather isn’t typical of her.

18 The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months of Unearthing the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country; Helen Russell - A British journalist moves to small-town Denmark with her husband, and although the distances are not long, there’s a considerable culture shock. Made me want to eat pastries in a BIG WAY.

19 How Not to be a Boy; Robert Webb - The title gives a clue to the framing device of this book, which is fundamentally a celebrity memoir, albeit one that largely ignores the celebrity part of his life in favour of an examination of the effects of patriarchy on boys’ development as human beings.

20 The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (And Your Children Will be Glad that You Did); Philippa Perry; A psychotherapist’s take on how parents’ own upbringing affects the way they interact with their own kids.

21 The Library Book; Susan Orlean - This book has stuck with me more than I imagined that it would. It covers both the history of libraries in the USA, and the story of the arson of the LA Public Library’s central branch in 1986.

22 We Are Never Meeting in Real Life; Samantha Irby - I’ve been reading Irby’s blog for years, and follow her on social media. So I knew the level of raunch and near body-horror to expect in this essay collection. This did fill in a lot of gaps in terms of her life, which added a lot more blackness (hey) to the humour.

23 State of Wonder; Ann Patchett - A semi-riff on Heart of Darkness involving an OB/GYN who now works for a pharmaceutical company, heading to the jungle to retrieve another researcher who has gone all Colonel Kurtz on them. I found it a bit unsatisfying, but the descriptions were, admittedly, great.

24 Disappearing Earth; Julia Phillips - A story of an abduction of two girls in very remote Russia, each chapter told by another townsperson. The connections between the narrators of each chapter are sometimes obvious, but not always. Ending a little tidy, but plays against expectations for a book like this.

25 Ethan Frome; Edith Wharton - I gather this is a typical high school read, but I’d never got to it. In case you’re in the same boat as me, it’s a short, mildly melodramatic romantic tragedy set in the new england winter. It lacks the focus on class that other Whartons have, but certainly keeps the same strong sense that once you’ve made a choice, you’re stuck with it. FOREVER.

26 Educated; Tara Westover - This memoir of a Mormon fundamentalist-turned-Academic-superstar was huge on everyone’s reading lists a couple of years back, and I finally got to it. It felt similar to me in some ways to the Glass Castle, in terms of the nearly-unbelievable amounts of hell she and her family go through at the hands of her father and his Big Ideas. I found that it lacked real contemplation of the culture shock of moving from the rural mountain west to, say, Cambridge.

27 Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of Lusitania; Erik Larson - I’m a sucker for a story of a passenger liner, any non-Titanic passenger liner, really. Plus Lusitania’s story has interesting resonances for the US entry into WWI, and we see the perspective of the U-boat captain as well as people on land, and Lusitania’s own passengers and crew.

28 The Birds and Other Stories; Daphne du Maurier - The title story is the one that stuck in my head most strongly, which isn’t any surprise. I found it much more harrowing than the film, it had a really effective sense of gradually increasing dread and inevitability.

29 Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Faded Glory; Raphael Bob-Waksberg - Hit or miss in the usual way of short story collections, this book has a real debt to George Saunders.

30 Sex & Rage; Eve Babitz - a sort of pseudo-autobiography of an indolent life in the LA scene of the 1970s. It was sometimes very difficult to see how the protagonist actually felt about anything, which is a frequent, acute symptom of youth.

31 Doctor Fischer of Geneva or The Bomb Party; Graham Greene - Gotta love a book with an alternate title built in. This is a broad (the characters? are, without exception, insane?!) satire about a world I know little about. I don’t have a lot of patience or interest in Greene’s religious allegories, but it’s a fine enough story.

32 Lathe of Heaven; Ursula K LeGuin - Near-future sci-fi that is incredibly prescient about the effects of climate change for a book written over forty years ago. The book has amazing world-building, and the first half has the whirlwind feel of Homer going back in time, killing butterflies and returning to the present to see what changes he has wrought.

33 The Grammarians; Cathleen Schine - Rarely have I read a book whose jacket description of the plot seems so very distant from what actually happens therein.

34 The Boy Kings: A Journey Into the Heart of the Social Network; Katharine Losse - Losse was one of Facebook’s very earliest employees, and she charts her experience with the company in this memoir from 2012. Do you even recall what Facebook was like in 2012? They hadn’t even altered the results of elections yet! Zuck was a mere MULTI-MILLIONAIRE, probably. Were we ever so young?

35 Invisible Women; Caroline Ciado Perez - If you want to read a book that will make you angry, so angry that you repeatedly assail whoever is around with facts taken from it, then this, my friend, is the book for you.

36 The Hidden World of the Fox; Adele Brand - A really charming look at the fox from an ecologist who has studied them around the world. Much of it takes place in the UK, where urban foxes take on a similar ecological niche that raccoons famously do where I live, in Toronto.

37 S; Doug Dorst & JJ Abrams - This is a real mindfuck of a book, consisting of a faux-old novel, with marginalia added by two students which follows its own narrative. A difficult read not because of the density of prose, but the sheer logistics involved: read the page, then the marginalia? Read the marginalia interspersed with the novel text? Go back chapter by chapter? I’m not sure that either story was worth the trouble, in the end.

38 American War; Omar El Akkad - This is not exclusively, but partially a climate-based speculative novel, or, grossly, cli-fi for short. Ugh, what a term! But this book is a really tight, and realistic look at the results of a fossil-fuels-based second US Civil War.

39 Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation; Andrew Marantz - This is the guy you’ll hear on every NPR story talking about his semi-embedding within the Extremely Online alt-right. Most of the figures he profiles come off basically how you’d expect, I found his conclusions about the ways these groups have chosen to use online media tools to achieve their ends the most illuminating part.

40 Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm; Isabella Tree - This is the story of a long process of transitioning a rural acreage (more of an estate than a farm, this is aristocratic shit) from intensive agriculture to something closer to wild land. There are long passages where Tree (ahem) simply lists species which have come back, which I’m sure is fascinating if you are from the area, but I tended to glaze over a bit. Experts from around the UK and other European nations weigh in on how best to rewild the space, which places the project in a wider context.

FICTON: 17 NONFICTION: 23

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