Category Archives: life

Mindset by Carol Dweck

Leave a reply

All teachers should know and apply the concept of a growth mindset (this opposed to a fixed mindset). The concept is fairly common among teachers, simple to grasp, and truly can be life changing if effectively applied and integrated.

I thought I sufficiently understood and applied the concept. However, I decided to read the whole book, Mindset by Carol Dweck, for some research I’m doing and gained a lot more by doing so. Yes, the concept is simple, straightforward, and easy to grasp, but the book includes many examples that illustrate different concepts, many of which really helped deepen my concept of what fixed vs. growth mindset can look like in different settings. It was enlightening!

This is a concept that is broadly applicable to all humans, not just teachers and (active) learners. (Hopefully we all never stop learning.

The Deep Places by Ross Douthat

Leave a reply

If you have ever been plagued by an illness that nobody could understand, and that no doctor could diagnose, that no medication could alleviate, and if you have ever had your otherwise reasonable self brought to the brink of insanity by said illness, then The Deep Places by Ross Douthat will likely be a good read and possibly even a comfort to you.

This book offers a tale of a man, and a family at the top of their game, who then are brought to their knees by a mysterious illness. The book offers insight into the experience of chronic illness, but it also takes an honest and stark look too, in that nerdy mix of insight, religiosity and theory that Douthat is known for.

If You’re Seeing This It’s Meant for You by Leigh Stein

Leave a reply

If you’ve found my corner of the internet, then you’ve likely found other odd little corners of the internet too, and that means Leigh Stein in If You’re Seeing This It’s Meant for You is going to sling some references your way that will feel intimate and weird and odd to be known, but also you will feel seen.

It’s a 21st century gothic novel, and definitely outside of my normal wheelhouse, but so far I’m liking everything by Leigh Stein, so to you I’d say, trust the process. This book has great, knowable characters, and the setting is a place where readers will want to spend some time.

In her bio, Stein writes that she “makes fun of the internet,” and she does. But I think her work goes much deeper than that too. There is some great social commentary, and the themes feel like they could sustain a level of inquiry that you find in a college classroom. Yes, I think you could teach this novel!

Audition by Katie Kitamura

Leave a reply

This is the first book I’ve read by Katie Kitamura, and I thought it was great! This is a 2025 release. I rarely read brand new books. In fact, this might be the only 2025 release on my reading list this year.

Audition is a very concept-y book. I assume this is Kitamura’s “thing” because it’s quite unique–this specific type of concept-driven prose, I mean–but can’t say for sure since I haven’t read her other works yet.

The book is, without doubt, very carefully and artfully written. The pacing is like a dictionary, and yet the characters all feel very human and knowable. The book’s takeaways and insights, always shown with subtlety, are profound.

The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter

Leave a reply

Here’s another of the self-help genre I’ve been reading lately: The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter. These books pump me up for exercising and following other habits that are healthy for me, but that I don’t naturally gravitate toward, and that’s exactly what this book is about–doing the hard but healthy things.

Some of the best ideas in the book had to do with healthy movement and being outdoors. Like many, most of my exercise is not necessarily natural, and while not completely ideal, it’s still better than nothing. The book reminded me why yard work, harvesting, and shearing sheep feels so good (afterward). This kind of work can be hard. It can be annoying. It can be uncomfortable, but I always feel better afterward. The impact is tangeable.

I don’t necessarily know what to do about the increasingly sedentary life that I live and/or what it will mean for my kids or society, but for now the book reminds me to get outside, go for walks, and continue to prioritize the seasonal rituals I grew up doing, even if and when they become obsolete or inconvenient.

The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom

Leave a reply

The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom landed on my tbr list after reading a slew of self-help, optimization, and investing books. I like reading these on the side, especially when I’m deep in routine (exercise, skin care, meal prep, work goals, etc.) and benefit from the encouragement these books can offer.

However, I started this book because I thought it was about investments. I unthinkingly thought it would offer some deep analysis of five different types of investing. I was wrong. This book is actually more of a self-help book. The emphasis is that you will die. So, you might as well optimize your life to achieve what you want while you can.

Overall, this book offers that good self-help pacing. And, there is information about one of the types of wealth, which is financial, and there is a good overview of that included. However, much of the book is about other types of wealth, like personal health and deep, rewarding relationships.

Spiral Staircase: A Meditation on Alchemy by Alyssa Spungen

Leave a reply

Normally I post these books in the order that I complete them, but looking back through my notes, it appears that I didn’t get around to posting about this one, which I also read this summer.

I initially bought Spiral Staircase: A Meditation on Alchemy by Alyssa Spungen because the publisher, White Stag Publishing, is just so intriguing. They are an indy press that specializes in the spooky, mystical, spiritual realm, but with literary quality. (This combo is RARE!) They also offer kits that go along with the books, which include things like candles, tokens, and charms that all align in some thematic way with each individual book.

This book, and the kit that came with it, offered such a lovely and meditative experience. The whole thing kind of felt like a spa day–to open a package, light a candle, look through the little treats, and then read a book of poetry. It was a unique experience, but one I would definitely treat myself to regularly whenever the press publishes works that catch my eye. Spiral Staircase is a beautifully woven tapestry of poetry with themes of spiritual alchemy artfully tied in throughout.

The Goodbye Kit by Daneen Bergland

Leave a reply

I keep seeing people posting about the “Sealey Challenge,” which is to make a point to read books of poetry during the month of August. I figured it was a good time to clear some poetry off of my tbr pile.

I found The Goodbye Kit by Daneen Berhland to be a completely clean and readable book of poetry, with beautiful imagery, some funs turns of language, and relatable themes throughout.

How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti

Leave a reply

I have a quick follow up after yesterday’s post because I just also recently finished How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti.

Lately, I’ve had a hard time telling if some main characters are intentionally or unintentionally insufferable, and this is one of those instances where I couldn’t always tell. The main character is supposed to be insufferable to a degree, sure, but to this degree? I’m not so sure.

That said, with books like these, I’m always glad they get published. I’m glad this was published. For most, this is worth the read. However, if you are feeling a bit on the sensitive side, maybe skip this one (for now). There is a wandering, an aimlessness, and unknowing that may be comforting, but there is also deep friendship and closeness, which I could imagine may feel alienating to some. There is also some short sections of depravity that may be better left unread by some.

For the average reader, acquainted with and able to stomach what I’ve mentioned above, do read this unique book.

Women We Buried, Women We Burned by Rachel Louise Snyder

Leave a reply

I can’t remember how Women We Buried, Women We Burned by Rachel Louise Snyder got on my reading list, but about half way through the book, I realized I was vaguely familiar with Snyder’s work from NPR. I could recall some of difficult human rights stories she reported on, especially surrounding women’s rights abroad.

In that regard, this books nearly reads like two books. First, there is the story of Snyder’s traumatic and tumultuous childhood. Then, there is her life and journey to motherhood, and finally there is the story with Barb at the end. To me these all feel like a cohesive whole.

This is an important book, with a main character that grapples with tough cultural questions, chief among them have to do with women having a right to understand and have control of their own bodies. The painful stories she recounts illustrate these issues and bring to light the ways in which social controls take away basic bodily autonomy.

At times I thought some of the details were strangely specific, without being clear as to why, the book too lengthy. By the end, I was convinced that most of it was necessary. The books is a beautiful and important book. Next, I’d like to see her write more about the middle part, about her life abroad, about motherhood and marriage. About relationships. I hope she does.