My mental health and reading updates
I know, I know, those two things don't seem related but just bear with me, k?
I had this whole post planned out about my 2018 reading goals. I even made a graphic buuuut it's already the end of February so I'm not going to pretend like it's still the beginning of the year and post it. Sum up that whole imaginary post by saying: I wanted to be more intentional about my reading this year, so I have planned out some goals and specific books that are more "intellectual" that I wanna read this year, which is a break from my post-college-reading-list life, where all I did was fly by the seat of my pants.
My goal is to read 50 books in 2018, and I think I can do it. I've read 8 books so far, halfway through my 9th, so I'm on track for it!
Here's what I've read so far, in order I've read them.
Amazon affiliate links ahead.
The Wind Through The Keyhole by Stephen King: 2 stars. It was a nice interlude (not part of the main story, for those who've read the series) but mediocre at best.
Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King: 5 stars, my favorite book of the series. So compelling. SK should drop everything else he's writing and stick to this genre forever, please.
Song of Susannah by Stephen King: 4.5 stars? I sped through this one and the last one so quickly to get to the end that it's hard to differentiate them in my head, but I remember wanting to know what happened next on every single page so that's always a good thing.
The Dark Tower by Stephen King: 5 stars. The finale, the coup de grace of this over 7000 page series. Whew. It was great and I actually really liked the ending - not going to spoil it for you, but it was worth it. If you've got time for it, pick the series up.
Breaking Night by Liz Murray: 5 stars! a memoir about a girl who was homeless but eventually went on to attend Harvard, and the story of growing up with parents with a drug addiction. This book was INTENSE. I felt so deeply for Liz, and was so compelled by her strength and stamina. Highly recommend.
Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey: 3.5 stars. This is book 3 in The Expanse sci-fi series, and although it was still really good, not quite as strong as the others I'd read. It's written by the personal assistant to George RR Martin of Game of Thrones, so it has a similar vibe, as in each book is somewhat interwoven with the others and there are repeat characters that show up throughout, but I just felt like the narrative was a little weaker in this than the previous ones. Still good!!!
What The Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell: 2 stars, from someone who normally likes Gladwell (I even listen to his podcast, Revisionist History). This just felt weird as a book -- it's a collection of his New Yorker articles, and there are some stunning ones in there, but it wasn't cohesive enough to work as a collection, and there were definitely some filler pieces in there. Unless you're a big Gladwell fan, you can skip this one.
Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey: 5 stars. GUYS. This next one in The Expanse was so dang good. Full of nuance and politics and really greatly-researched sci-fi. I couldn't put it down.
SO. Obviously looking at that list, you're like, Hannah -- none of those qualify as intellectual or intentional. The problem is, I'd already started those two series before I made this plan (like back in 2017, duh) so I can't just quit a series halfway through on a whim. I'm planning on finishing out The Expanse (I think I have two left?) but I incorporated them into my plan.
Right now I'm reading The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, which is really good. It won a Pulitzer so it's a little more intellectual...haha. It's about a communist spy in Vietnam and holy cow, it's good and funny and weird and I like it so far.
Mental health segue: reading is vital for my mental health, and sometimes I forget that. Being surrounded by small children who can't follow a single train of thought for more than 30 seconds at a time means that my brain is not exactly intellectually stimulated all day, every day. I do work from home but it's not exactly brain-bending work, either.
I'm trying to be kinder to myself when my mental health suffers. I'm prone to anger when my tank is empty -- anger at the girls, anger at David, anger at myself for not coping with difficulties or struggles the way I "should be." And then I'm just no fun to be around whatsoever.
I'm trying harder to identify things that really do fill me up and help save my sanity on a day-to-day basis. So far that short list includes:
-- Going outside, even if it's freezing out and just for a few breaths of clean air
-- Reading daily, even if it's only a page or two
-- Moving or working out, even if it's just getting my daily steps in
-- Having a little fun every day, even if it's just watching a silly video or dream house-hunting on Zillow
I know none of that is rocket science. But it's taken me awhile to remember that sometimes I do have to prioritize myself. We were in such a survival-only mode after David's cancer diagnosis, which was right and necessary and exactly what had to happen. But now he's feeling better, and it's been a few months, and I'm realizing I need some more breathing room to not lose my sh*t on a daily basis. (Harsh, but true. Little ones are exhausting.)
So as a reminder, both to myself and to you: if you're coming off of a survival mode period, or even if you're just in a mental or emotional slump, it is important and necessary and right to be kind to yourself. If what you need every week is a dinner alone, or a half an hour shopping by yourself, or whatever it is -- do it. Don't sacrifice unnecessarily because you're stubborn (like me) or don't like accepting help (also me).
I'm certainly not perfect at this yet, but I'm trying, and I'm getting better, slowly but surely.
I had this whole post planned out about my 2018 reading goals. I even made a graphic buuuut it's already the end of February so I'm not going to pretend like it's still the beginning of the year and post it. Sum up that whole imaginary post by saying: I wanted to be more intentional about my reading this year, so I have planned out some goals and specific books that are more "intellectual" that I wanna read this year, which is a break from my post-college-reading-list life, where all I did was fly by the seat of my pants.
My goal is to read 50 books in 2018, and I think I can do it. I've read 8 books so far, halfway through my 9th, so I'm on track for it!
Here's what I've read so far, in order I've read them.
Amazon affiliate links ahead.
The Wind Through The Keyhole by Stephen King: 2 stars. It was a nice interlude (not part of the main story, for those who've read the series) but mediocre at best.
Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King: 5 stars, my favorite book of the series. So compelling. SK should drop everything else he's writing and stick to this genre forever, please.
Song of Susannah by Stephen King: 4.5 stars? I sped through this one and the last one so quickly to get to the end that it's hard to differentiate them in my head, but I remember wanting to know what happened next on every single page so that's always a good thing.
The Dark Tower by Stephen King: 5 stars. The finale, the coup de grace of this over 7000 page series. Whew. It was great and I actually really liked the ending - not going to spoil it for you, but it was worth it. If you've got time for it, pick the series up.
Breaking Night by Liz Murray: 5 stars! a memoir about a girl who was homeless but eventually went on to attend Harvard, and the story of growing up with parents with a drug addiction. This book was INTENSE. I felt so deeply for Liz, and was so compelled by her strength and stamina. Highly recommend.
Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey: 3.5 stars. This is book 3 in The Expanse sci-fi series, and although it was still really good, not quite as strong as the others I'd read. It's written by the personal assistant to George RR Martin of Game of Thrones, so it has a similar vibe, as in each book is somewhat interwoven with the others and there are repeat characters that show up throughout, but I just felt like the narrative was a little weaker in this than the previous ones. Still good!!!
What The Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell: 2 stars, from someone who normally likes Gladwell (I even listen to his podcast, Revisionist History). This just felt weird as a book -- it's a collection of his New Yorker articles, and there are some stunning ones in there, but it wasn't cohesive enough to work as a collection, and there were definitely some filler pieces in there. Unless you're a big Gladwell fan, you can skip this one.
Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey: 5 stars. GUYS. This next one in The Expanse was so dang good. Full of nuance and politics and really greatly-researched sci-fi. I couldn't put it down.
SO. Obviously looking at that list, you're like, Hannah -- none of those qualify as intellectual or intentional. The problem is, I'd already started those two series before I made this plan (like back in 2017, duh) so I can't just quit a series halfway through on a whim. I'm planning on finishing out The Expanse (I think I have two left?) but I incorporated them into my plan.
Right now I'm reading The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, which is really good. It won a Pulitzer so it's a little more intellectual...haha. It's about a communist spy in Vietnam and holy cow, it's good and funny and weird and I like it so far.
Mental health segue: reading is vital for my mental health, and sometimes I forget that. Being surrounded by small children who can't follow a single train of thought for more than 30 seconds at a time means that my brain is not exactly intellectually stimulated all day, every day. I do work from home but it's not exactly brain-bending work, either.
I'm trying to be kinder to myself when my mental health suffers. I'm prone to anger when my tank is empty -- anger at the girls, anger at David, anger at myself for not coping with difficulties or struggles the way I "should be." And then I'm just no fun to be around whatsoever.
I'm trying harder to identify things that really do fill me up and help save my sanity on a day-to-day basis. So far that short list includes:
-- Going outside, even if it's freezing out and just for a few breaths of clean air
-- Reading daily, even if it's only a page or two
-- Having a little fun every day, even if it's just watching a silly video or dream house-hunting on Zillow
I know none of that is rocket science. But it's taken me awhile to remember that sometimes I do have to prioritize myself. We were in such a survival-only mode after David's cancer diagnosis, which was right and necessary and exactly what had to happen. But now he's feeling better, and it's been a few months, and I'm realizing I need some more breathing room to not lose my sh*t on a daily basis. (Harsh, but true. Little ones are exhausting.)
So as a reminder, both to myself and to you: if you're coming off of a survival mode period, or even if you're just in a mental or emotional slump, it is important and necessary and right to be kind to yourself. If what you need every week is a dinner alone, or a half an hour shopping by yourself, or whatever it is -- do it. Don't sacrifice unnecessarily because you're stubborn (like me) or don't like accepting help (also me).
I'm certainly not perfect at this yet, but I'm trying, and I'm getting better, slowly but surely.
Love this! I feel the same way about reading-- I feel so much more refreshed after reading than I do browsing social media or watching TV. Glad to hear you're figuring out ways to prioritize YOU too :)
ReplyDeleteMental health and reading is totally related for me too. It’s good to stop and evaluate how we’re doing every now and then because it’s sooo easy to put our health on the back burner! Love your thoughts. Prayers for you guys!
ReplyDelete