The 5 Best Books I Read in 2019
When I was working, I didn’t have time for many hobbies. For a while, when my daughter was a baby, my hobby was sleeping. I need sleep - at least 9 hours - and used to even be able to do 12 in one go. Those were the days. I suppose watching Netflix is not a hobby? So my only real hobby has been reading, which I have been doing since I was five and thanks to Jeff Bezos I can continue to do even in countries with few English bookstores.
I got my first Kindle in 2014, and it has been almost as life-changing for me as my Lasik surgery or my IUD - suddenly I wasn’t stuck with whatever paperback I could trade with other travelers or the one random classic novel in the tiny bookstore that sells mostly textbooks. The whole world of books was right there, and it hardly takes up any space in my suitcase. Even better, I can check out books from my local library in the US from anywhere, for free!
My second Kindle…the first was lost after 5 years the first time the Man who Works took it on a business trip…
I read a lot of books last year- I don’t know exactly how many, maybe this year I’ll keep track but it’s not something I feel the need to monitor since I know I will keep doing it. In general, I prefer non-fiction, because I’m a nerd, and especially ones that are about human behavior or health. In 2019 my favorite books were all related to the brain - purely coincidental, although maybe a sign I should become a neuroscientist? Too bad I can’t stand being stuck in a lab… #LessonsFromMyUndergradChemDegree
Incognito by David Eagleman (2011)
This book blew my mind. Did you know that schizophrenics can tickle themselves? Is there such a thing as free will? So much of what goes on in the brain is unknown. Eagleman is a great writer who makes neuroscience understandable and fascinating.
2. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker (2018)
It’s crazy to think that science has only recently understood anything about sleep when sleep is such a basic life need. As I have mentioned, I love sleep. This book is full of the latest research on the purpose of sleep, as well as scary facts about the relationship between sleeping pills and life expectancy (spoiler alert: sleeping pills are bad) and fun facts like dolphins’ brains sleep one hemisphere at a time to keep them from drowning. This book will make you rethink your habits, plus offers interesting recommendations for public health and child development.
3. How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan (2019)
When I put this on my holds list on the library app, I thought this was going to be a book about decision making - but if you read the full title it is clearly not! I love books about food (as you can see below), and Michael Pollan is one of my favorite authors. The history of psychedelics and clinical trials was something I was totally unaware of, as it seems to be for most people. Pollan recounts his own journeys with different psychedelics as well. One of the most interesting tidbits for me in this book is that the mind on LSD has electrical connections going all over the brain, similar to a young child - which has made me more patient with my four-year-old, whose entire life has basically been one long acid trip. I had never even considered trying psychedelic drugs before reading this book, but now, maybe?
4. Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power by Lisa Mosconi (2019)
A shout out to Dr. Lisa Mosconi for being the only woman on this list- I suppose driven by the general lack of women in the hard sciences (sorry for quitting you, chemistry!). She’s even coming out with a new book next month specifically for women’s cognitive health which I’m excited to read. I read a lot of these how-humans-should-eat books, and I suppose I liked it even more because she recommended pretty close to what I’m already eating (vegan-leaning with some eggs and seafood, plus wine!). She also includes interesting points about human evolution and debunks the ‘paleo’ diet fallacies. Plus, at the end there is a quiz to see how brain-friendly your diet is, and I scored higher than the Man who Works, which made me like the book even more.
5. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv (2008)
I also read a lot of how-not-to-ruin-your-child books, and this one particularly resonated with me. As a kid, I spent a lot of time playing on my own in the woods behind my house - until they cut them down to build yet another neighborhood. In an ideal world, I want my daughter to have that freedom outdoors as well, although in a large African or Chinese city it is harder to make it a regular occurrence. This book was written right as smartphones were coming out, making it even more difficult to get kids away from screens and out into nature. I need to make more of an effort to get nature into her acid-tripping brain!
Just looking on Amazon for the links to these books gave me a whole new reading list - at least I’ve got the time!