I don’t read books as much as I would like. I don’t have a great excuse, I suppose I just haven’t made it a priority.
So this summer, I picked up a Kindle Oasis and started reading.
I began with 10% Happier, written by Dan Harris. Dan’s story is a fascinating one, about his life as a television host/journalist and his various adventures. As his career was accelerating, he turned to some pretty hard drugs and which eventually led to a panic attack on air. In a search for answers he ends up discovering meditation and takes it on as a skeptical journalist. While the title of the book is a humble one, Dan clearly is moved by the meditation practice and has inspired so many others with his incredible story. Including yours truly!
The next book I downloaded was The World As It Is by Ben Rhodes. Ben worked for Obama for eight years in the White House and shares an incredible set of experiences and moments in the room when things happened. It’s a powerful personal account of someone who has a unique relationship with Obama and all the challenges that the administration faced during those two terms: domestically and globally. It’s a great read regardless of your politics.
As I was reading the last few chapters of The World As It Is, Lauren bought me a copy of The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by John Meacham (hardback edition). I came away with a set of of conflicting emotions and thoughts after I read this book. On one hand the book makes it very clear we have had darker moments in America before these days of divisive politics, corruption in government and extreme nationalism and racism. And with that perspective you come away with hope and optimism that as a country we endure, we push forward, make progress and find a way. On the other hand, the book also makes it clear that it wasn’t that long ago we had a Civil War in this country and the sentiment that led to war is still persuasive in our current day.
I am back on the Kindle Oasis and now reading, American Kingpin by my good friend Nick Bilton. I am about halfway through this book at the moment. It’s an amazing story of Silk Road (the amazon of illegal drugs). The book reads like a movie with such rich characters and drama. I am loving it.
I must say what countless others have already experienced. Reading on a Kindle is fantastic. I love the form factor, the screen, the lack of apps and 24×7 access to a bookstore. My only nitpick with the Oasis is the battery life isn’t great. It lasts a few days of solid reading but I would have expected more from an e-ink device.
I also (re)joined Goodreads and searching for my next book.