You are currently viewing The ever-shifting book stack

The ever-shifting book stack

This photo shows the stack of books I intended to read in January. This month I was determined to shop my own bookshelves and read some long-neglected titles. But as is often the case, books lead me to other books, and my best-laid reading plans are left by the side of the road.

I did read and recommend

  • Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger. If you enjoy weightlifting, thank Arnold. He was responsible for making bodybuilding and weightlifting mainstream.

  • And Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by David Kelley and Tom Kelley. An extensive outline of the book is available online. This book finally helped me understand the value of mind maps (and why having AI create mind maps for you won’t help your creative process.)

    David Kelly also has a TED Talk: How to build your creative confidence.

I followed threads to these three books:

  • The Tools: 5 Tools to Help You Find Courage, Creativity, and Willpower–and Inspire You to Live Life in Forward Motion by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels. If there’s a third option between holding space and advice-giving it’s sharing tools. Tools give you a way to be present and face what’s in front of you without unpacking the why of it. This book offers some amazing tools all geared toward easing suffering.

    Check out the documentary Stutz on Netflix.

  • Secure Relating: Holding Your Own in an Insecure World by Sue Marriott and Ann Kelley. This is a book one of my former student workers posted as part of his 2024 reading list. It was a great find. I’ve been switching back and forth between it and The Tools.

    If podcasts are more your thing or help you go deeper, check out their podcast, Therapist Uncensored.

  • 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life by John Kralik. I’m not sure what led me to this book this time around–maybe Arnold? (When he was governor of Califonia, he appointed John Kralik as a judge.) I heard about it when it first came out but hadn’t read it. This book also dovetails with The Tools and illuminates WHY a gratitude practice is important and how it changes your life. More thank-you notes are on my list for the year. I don’t know if I aspire to 365, but I hope to send a lot of them.