Especially during these times, it is nice to have some distractions, unplug for a while and fill your mind with interesting information that brightens up your brain. Because I have more time I can finally catch up on the books that have been sitting on my bookshelves for a while. During quarantine, reading is helping me to make my study routine more fun. Since lectures, tutorials and self-study happen all in one and the same place it is nice to have some variation through picking up a book in between the studying. For this book list, I chose four titles that I think you’ll also enjoy reading. You can order all of these books online at Bol.com. The stories are uplifting and positive, just what we need right now. Let’s dive in, I hope they will spark your interest!
Factfulness, by Hans Rosling. If there is only one book I could recommend, it would be this one! This book really changes the way you see the world. At this point we may worry about the world and the state it’s in but over the long run, it is actually in a much better state than we think. It can be both bad and better. It’s very refreshing because the book talks about a worldview based on facts and not on threats that show up in the media 24/7. It explains why we don’t see: ‘poverty rates drop incrementally’ in the morning paper. There is an explanation of why we as humans look at the world in a certain way and which ten instincts blur our perspective. It teaches us how we can see positive progress in the world and focus on the facts.
Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. Outliers focuses on high achievers and geniuses throughout history. The stories are diverse ranging from plane crashes, the 10,000-hour rule to rice paddies and math tests. Through these stories, he explains why some people lie so far out of the ordinary. While reading this book you find out that success is far more surprising than you would think.
Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book is all about creativity. Sometimes you just can’t find the inspiration when you are working on a project, trying to write something or come up with a new idea. Gilbert talks about inspiration and creativity and how to approach it. It’s not only about creativity in your work life but also about creativity as a hobby, to spark up your life and give you joy. Everyone is using their creativity in some way or form and it helps you to look at creativity in a very different way.
The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson. Have you ever tried to achieve a goal and just got stuck along the way? Then this book is for you. This book teaches you that achieving your goals is not an overnight thing and how you can put in the work every single day. It shows that putting in a little effort every day consistently can have an enormous impact in the future. Consistency is key if you want to get anywhere and doing a little every day can get you very far. So if you want to become better at reaching your goals this is definitely a book I recommend.
For now, I would say, make some tea or coffee and start reading. What is the next book you’re going to read?
Author: Dieke van Ede
Editor: Kat Nivera