My October 2018 Reading List
What have you been reading over the last few weeks? I’ve had a good run of reading in October and finished a few books – ones that I’d started a while ago.
Reading when you have young kids takes discipline. If you’re single or child-free and reading this, take every opportunity you have to read and particularly further your knowledge. You will never have a better time (I’ve written blog posts on this).
I’d also like to say a big thank you to those of you who recommend books to me. More often than not, I buy these and read them. You have great taste in books and seem to know what I’ll love.
Here’s what I’ve been reading recently:
American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
I remember watching the Hollywood adaptation of American Psycho (2000) starring Christian Bale in the lead and one of his true breakthrough and best pre-Batman roles. But, the book could not be further from the movie.
I don’t want to spoil it too much for you but I will say it’s not for the faint hearted. I found myself skipping over some of the murder scenes and questioning whether I wanted to continue reading.
At the end of the book I felt empty and unfulfilled by the lack of ending. But then reading Easton Ellis’ afterword, it became clear what the book was really about.
People finally read the book, and they found out that it wasn’t four hundred pages of torture and mutilation and advocating the death of women. It’s just some boring novel.
– Easton Ellis, being interviewed in 2003.
What I can’t figure out is if the whole book is a practical joke with the punchline being the time you spend reading it for very little gain.
Mountains of the Mind – Robert MacFarlane
This book was released in 2009 and has sat on my bookshelf for some time. I was attracted to it as it seems to encapsulate much of my own thinking and personal romanticism about mountains and the outdoors.
MacFarlane starts with the very early days of mountaineering in the French Alps and finishes with the ultimate prize – climbing Everest.
The men and women who’ve climbed Everest are true hardcore individuals – it’s not just a ‘big mountain’ but a peak that can (and will) take your life if you’re not careful. And sometimes even if you are.
Reading this book was like holding up a mirror to my own sense of spiritual connection with mountains and made me long for my next trip to the hills.
Boomerang: The Meltdown Tour by Michael Lewis
This was recommended by a Twitter follower (thanks!) and is a tour around some of the countries who suffered in the 2008-2009 financial crash. But these places have their own stories of how (and sometimes why) they became to be financially bankrupt. These are:
- Iceland
- Greece
- Republic of Ireland
- Germany
- The State of California
Each one has some jaw dropping stories and accounts – like the Greek government workers who can retire after a few years service aged 55.
Or the Icelandic approach to banking:
I have a dog and I sell you it for a billion dollars. Then you sell me your cat for a billion dollars. Then we both have assets valued at a billion dollars and are billionaires.
I enjoy reading these modern history books as it brings the stories to life if you remember the actual events themselves.
Lewis, who wrote The Big Short and Liar’s Poker is an excellent story teller and his commitment in actually visiting these places and speaking to real people would put mainstream ‘journalists’ to shame. Highly recommended.
Whatever you’re reading, I hope you enjoy it. Keep the recommendations coming and if you’ve ready any of these books, leave a comment below and let me know what you think
Neil
P.S. I’m now working on my new book. In the meantime you can buy all of these titles (and my own) on Amazon.
