I haven’t read a book for ages – not since Christmas. It seems the only time I get to do so now is on holiday, and I’m probably in a minority here, but I just don’t enjoy reading so much on my Kindle.
On my way to my Mum’s just before Easter I arrived early at Paddington so went to kill some time mooching around the bookshop. 10 minutes and £60 later, I’d bagged a haul of interesting new books to read.
I started with this biography of ‘Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin’, which I really enjoyed. I read it pretty quickly and it stayed with me for days after, in the way that a really well-told life story can. There was so much in here that explained the complex character of the brilliant designer – drugs, abuse and sensitivity, his complex relationships and the successes of his spectacular shows. I took to YouTube to find footage of the catwalk shows referenced and I’ve now become even more of a fan of the work. The story is so sad because all the way through reading it, I already knew how it ended, and that made it more powerful in a way. Definitely recommend.
I thought I’d try something lighter next, so have started the new Jenny Éclair novel, ‘Moving’. I’ve read the first part so far, and while it was okay, it’s not really grabbed me. I found the story of ‘Edwina’ too melancholy, maybe a story about a woman on her own following some apparent tragedy (I haven’t found out what it is yet) was not the right choice after the McQueen biog. I think I was expecting the book to be funny, which was a wrong assumption to make. I’ll stick with it, hopefully it will pick up a bit.
I also started a more work-related tome, with ‘HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Teams’. I am pretty fascinated by teams – what makes them work (or not) how to improve them, the psychology and emotions of them, and how create the conditions for successful teams. This is a key part of my work, something that is essential to my role but also something I have a great interest in developing my skills in. I’m hoping this book will be good insight. The book is a collection of 10 articles previously published in the Harvard Business Review, which is perfect length for a train journey to work, and much more productive than scrolling through tweets for an hour! I’m 2 articles in and so far really enjoying it – especially as I can dip in and out easily.
Lastly, I also bought ‘F**k It – Do What You Love’ and ‘Mindfulness’. I pretty much already do a job that I love, and have a life that I love, so I’m not looking for an earth-shattering revelations in this book, but I thought there might be some interesting ideas in here. And ‘Mindfulness’, well, I’m programmed to always think in the future with my mind on the next thing – my job is entirely dependent on it and I’ve operated that way forever, so it probably wouldn’t hurt to learn some techniques to slow down a bit. Apparently I’m in for ‘ideas, tips and techniques to help you enjoy a more mindful approach to life, you’ll learn how to:
- Adopt more positive ways of thinking and behaving
- Become calmer and more confident
- Break free from unhelpful thoughts and thinking patterns
- Bring about positive changes in your relationships
- Achieve a new level of self-awareness and understanding
That can’t be a bad thing, right? 🙂