A&B #45

Hey friends,

If you're looking for some great books to read, boy do I have a lot of recs for you:

• Here are 30 books I think people should read in their lifetime (btw this post is now my most popular tweet of all time).

• Here are 10 amazing books you probably haven't heard of but are worth reading.

• And here's a thread of wonderful books by female authors. 

Alright, let's dive into this week's newsletter.

📚 Book Lessons:

This week's book is This Is Water by David Foster Wallace. David Foster Wallace's commencement speech is considered to be one of the best commencement speeches of all time. In it, he shares several important life lessons including his famous story about two fish asking "What the hell is water?" This book is the written version of his speech.Here are 3 lessons from the book: 1) Be Aware of Your LifeDavid starts his speech by telling a story of two fish swimming who encounter an older fish who asks, "How's the water?" The two younger fish look at each other and say, "What the hell is water?"The moral of the story is that just as the fish go about their lives without being aware of their surroundings, most people do the same thing. It's easy to go through life on autopilot, but it's not the path you want to take.Instead, pay attention to what's going on in your life. Know what you're doing and where you want to go. Be aware of your surroundings and live life consciously. We only have a short amount of time in this world, spend it purposefully. 2) Be Careful Of What You WorshipDavid argues that there is no such thing as atheism. Everyone, whether they're religious or not, worships something.People who worship money will always feel that they never have enough. People who worship beauty will always feel ugly as they age. And people who worship power will always seek to have more of it. We don't get to choose if we worship, but we do get to choose what we worship. So, choose good morals and values. Choose to worship kindness, justice, or something else that will allow you to live a good life.3) You Get To Choose How To Interpret The WorldImagine you just got done with your 9-5 job and have to drive to the store to buy groceries for your family. On your drive, you get cut off by a big SUV. You get to the supermarket and discover it's crowded with people. Because there are so many shoppers, you have to wait in the checkout line for almost an hour while a person close to you talks annoyingly loud.  Most people would interpret this as a dreadful day, and perhaps it is, but there's also another way to look at it.Perhaps the person in the SUV that cut you off was driving their sick father to the hospital and it's you who is in their way. Perhaps the people in the supermarket are also hungry and tired and need to pick up food for their families. And maybe the person on the phone is talking loudly because they're catching up with their grandmother who has bad hearing. Maybe that's not the case, but maybe it is. The point is that there are many ways to interpret the world, how you do so is up to you. Choose wisely. 

✅ Actionable Advice:

1) Be aware of your life.

• Don't live life on autopilot.

• Be aware of where you are in life and where you want to go.

2) Be careful of what you worship.

• Choose to worship values that will make you a better person.

  • Ex: Kindness, justice, wisdom, etc.

3) Try to interpret the world through multiple lenses:

• Give people the benefit of the doubt.

• When something bad happens to you, ask yourself if there's a situation that would justify it.

  • Ex: Getting cut off in traffic because a husband is rushing his pregnant wife to the hospital.

🎧  Podcast Update:

I've making clips from my podcast with Howard Berg (the world's fastest reader) and sharing them on YouTube.Here are a few you might enjoy:

• 5 Tips To Become A Better Reader

• 4 Bad Habits Stopping You From Reading Faster

• How To Understand A Book In 5 Minutes

📖  Reading Lesson:Always remember that it's much better to quit one book than to quit reading altogether.

⭐️  Weekly Quote:"Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." –Ian Maclaren

🙏  Support:This week's sponsor is Podcast Notes.They have notes on 1,000+ podcasts and have 100+ exclusive member-only articles, such as their Guide to Reading More & Becoming A Better Reader.If you aren't a member yet, use code "BOOKS" to save 10% on your subscription here.

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next Sunday!Read on,Alex W.