This year, I am trying to read more books that I pick out for myself. Last year, I felt as though I was losing touch with my love of reading. The entirety of what I read was assigned for school. Because of this, reading became something that I dreaded and felt like I had to do, rather than something I wanted to do.

It’s only been one month since making this change, but I am already seeing the results. I have begun to love picking up books again. I read on the shuttle to class, as well as those last few moments before I shut off the lights to fall asleep. It has helped me balance my own personal self care with the stresses and obligations of school.

I have also found that my curiosity and inspiration are reignited. It is honestly so refreshing to learn about topics that genuinely interest me through books I have personally selected.

The books I read in January come from a good mix of topics including science fiction, entrepreneurship, survival, and romance.

On my shelf this month:

• The Circle // Dave Eggers

• The Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days // Jake Knapp

• The Mountain Between Us // Charles Martin

Here’s what I thought of each book (no worries, there aren’t any spoilers):

The Circle

By: Dave Eggers

I came across this book from a movie trailer I saw awhile back and only recently got around to reading it. The movie has Emma Watson in it, so I definitely wanted to see it. However, before I let myself see the movie, I had to read the book first. Yes, I am one of those people.

The premise of the book was a good balance of futuristic while also being incredibly relatable to the present day. It touches on the topic of technology and what its limits should be, if any at all. It raises the question of digital privacy, which is definitely an issue pertinent to our current day and age.

Even though I found the overall setting and context of the book extremely interesting and thought-provoking, the execution of the storyline was not as captivating as I was hoping. The book, while incredibly creative and forward-looking, felt incredibly drawn out at several points. Let’s just say it wasn’t a book that I could sit down and read for hours on end if the opportunity presented itself.

Aside from that, my least favorite part was the way it ended. It left me angry and made me lose all trace of the hopeful attitude that had been built up inside me throughout the book.

If you are into science fiction or even just interested in watching the movie made from it, I would say go ahead and read it. Otherwise, it wasn’t one of my favorites. I think I had too high of an expectation going into it and it fell short. Nonetheless, it wasn’t bad and the subject matter was definitely intriguing.

 

The Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

By: Jake Knapp

THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I loved every second of it. Granted, it isn’t fiction so if you are looking for that kind of book this probably isn’t for you, but I seriously learned so much from this book.

If you are new to my blog, then you should know that I have dreams of starting my own business. Even though this book can be applicable to just about any industry and profession, I feel like it is especially pertinent to entrepreneurship.

Basically, it is a step-by-step guide to testing a big idea in order to see if you should move forward with it. The overarching concept is that testing an idea while it is still in its beginning stages can provide powerful insight and save significant money.

The thing I love about this book is how it is divided up. Each chunk of reading is a day of the week, spanning Monday-Friday. It outlines the “Sprint” process that was developed by Jake Knapp. The best part, in my opinion, are the examples provided throughout the book that show how each step was actually applied to real companies who used the process. Not only does it help with understanding how the process works, but it’s also fun to gain behind-the-scenes insight into real companies.

I would 100% recommend this book. It helps get the creative juices flowing and shift the approach to brainstorming new ideas and solving difficult problems.

 

The Mountain Between Us

By: Charles Martin

This book is a fantastic mix of survival and romance. I have to admit, however, there were a few parts in the first half of the book that I felt dragged on a bit too much. There were just times that it seemed like every day was relatively the same cycle of the two survivors waking up, looking for food, and trying to stay warm.

What I really liked, on the other hand, was the fact that the main storyline was interjected every now and then with flashback accounts that gave insight into the past. I thought this was very refreshing and added a lot to the book as a whole.

My favorite part, hands down, and the number one reason why I would recommend this book to everyone, is how it ends. I’m not going to give anything away, obviously, but let me just say it kept me reading to the point where I could not put it down until I finished it. Everything was tied together quite beautifully.

There were so many positive and uplifting messages weaved throughout the entirety of this book. It is honestly something I think anyone would enjoy reading.