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I started off really liking this book, and to be fair by the end I still feel that there were some great messages. What intrigued me the most was the start, which refreshingly challenges our obsession with how two people "fall in love" rather than "stay in love". Then the story takes off, alternating between… Continue reading book review || The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
It’s been a while since I’ve read or seen something that I genuinely can’t stop thinking about. I finished watching Normal People (the TV show) last week and on the surface, it was a decent show with some strange parts. But somewhere beneath that, it must have seriously muddled up my thoughts or emotions or… Continue reading Normal People
Our first Mistral Spirit Book Club virtual meetup! Join us with a warm cup of coffee or tea to get to know each other and chat about all things books. I solemnly swear to bring a warmer cup of tea than the one in this picture. Date and Time The time is this Friday, December… Continue reading join us for our first virtual book club meetup this Friday at 2 pm EST!
EDITED 05-17-21: Our Facebook book club now exists! You can join it here: Join the book club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mistralspiritbookclub Original Post: Would you join a Facebook book club? Let me know… because I really, really want to start one for us! Some of my favourite moments from this past year have been chatting about a book… Continue reading QUESTION: would you join a book club?
As thought-provoking as this book was, I am GLAD to be done reading, discussing, and thinking about it. "When Breath Becomes Air" was written by Paul Kalanithi after he was diagnosed with cancer at 36. He was in his last year of neurosurgery residency (read: he had his whole career ahead of him) at the time. The book is interesting in many ways. First, he's both the doctor and the patient, and he shares that perspective. Second, his writing is unique in that he was a huge literature lover and just all-around a very well-read person! Third, it puts the onus of answering some of the book's big questions on you: the reader. The odds of getting cancer in a lifetime are something around 1 in 3 right now. So it reads like a simple, universal story: this is his story, but it’s just as much your story, my story, everyone’s story. Really heavy stuff. I recommend it, but be mentally ready when you read it!
I got back into reading a lot more this summer, and from July to September I read these 5 (technically 7) books! Really enjoyed filming short reviews and summaries immediately after each one, so I decided to compile them and make this into a recurring series. As is classic Mistral Spirit style, I'm focusing on… Continue reading ideas || 5 books i read this summer | july – september 2020
Let me be honest for a second. I find it hard to read non-fiction. Even though I love learning new things, non-fiction loses my attention quickly! It can be challenging to get out of your comfort zone and read about something completely new. Here are some strategies I'm currently using to get the most out… Continue reading lifestyle || how to read non-fiction (faster)