Good Material by Dolly Alderton, Arthur Darvill and Vanessa Kirby (Narrators)

Audiobook 10%. I enjoyed Alderton’s memoir. I have found that if an author is good in nonfiction, I may not like them as much in fiction or vice versa. The main character Andy was going through a breakup and was quite unlikeable for most of this novel. I realized that it was a satire of a millennial dating early on which made it a tad easier to consume. The other characters were fine and somewhat amusing. I liked Jen’s perspective at the end and there was some good writing flipping how each character were in the relationship. I found Jen more interesting and wished we had more from her, but that would be a different kind of book. I preferred Alderton’s nonfiction and may consider reading more fiction from her in the future.

1.5x. June 26-28, 2025.

Thank You, Everything by Icinori

A really lovely children’s book about gratitude with fantastic art. Beautiful. I do gratitude journaling and this was inspiring.

June 29, 2025.

French Conversation with Paul Noble: Learn to Speak Everyday French Step-by-Step by Paul Noble

This was the most advanced of the Paul Noble French courses I could find. I listened to it slowly in the morning after waking up. It was good except there was an odd story about zombie attacks in the second half. I’ve found the second book in the series most useful for me because of the past tenses. This one had some good points, but I preferred the first half more.

1.25x. May 8-June 18, 2025.

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

The protagonist David is so unlikable. He treated Giovanni, Hella, and his father so poorly and yet the prose is very compelling. It was written extremely well and reminded me of JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, but better in every way. The prose was not excessive and immediately you got a sense of David’s closeted self-hatred. I did not like the character but I did not dislike him either since Baldwin really captured how messed up he was so well. This was a short novel but it packed so much in. Looking forward to reading more Baldwin in the future.

June 17-23, 2025 on Kobo Libra 2.

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

I began meditating for 20 mins a day in July 2023. After two months, I increased to 40 minutes a day by listening to two 20 min guided meditations. Some days I can only get one 20 minute meditation. I have only missed one day where I forgot to meditate completely. I learned about these meditations during CBT-I. I do think it has helped me sleep better. I have also become an occasional napper due to the meditations which was a revolution since I struggled to nap before even when I was a child. Before this, I meditated or did active chanting meditations as a uni student and meditated more after my mum passed away in 2021. The most consistent I have ever been is the last couple of years. I will continue this practice for life. Reading this book is preaching to the choir. I did not find anything too revelatory in it. I really enjoyed it because it was relaxing to listen to someone discuss meditation and its benefits. I liked the tone of the book and the wholesome vibe of it.

1.75-2.0x. June 17-25, 2025.