my mind on books

A Significant Life: Human Meaning in a Silent Universe by Todd May (University of Chicago Press, 2015)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk), (UK kindle ed.)

Book description from the publisher:

What makes for a good life, or a beautiful one, or, perhaps most important, a meaningful one? Throughout history most of us have looked to our faith, our relationships, or our deeds for the answer. But in A Significant Life, philosopher Todd May offers an exhilarating new way of thinking about these questions, one deeply attuned to life as it actually is: a work in progress, a journey—and often a narrative. Offering moving accounts of his own life and memories alongside rich engagements with philosophers from Aristotle to Heidegger, he shows us where to find the significance of our lives: in the way we live them.

May starts by looking at the fundamental fact that life unfolds over time, and as it does so, it begins to develop certain qualities, certain themes. Our lives can be marked by intensity, curiosity, perseverance, or many other qualities that become guiding narrative values. These values lend meanings to our lives that are distinct from—but also interact with—the universal values we are taught to cultivate, such as goodness or happiness. Offering a fascinating examination of a broad range of figures—from music icon Jimi Hendrix to civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer, from cyclist Lance Armstrong to The Portrait of a Lady’s Ralph Touchett to Claus von Stauffenberg, a German officer who tried to assassinate Hitler—May shows that narrative values offer a rich variety of criteria by which to assess a life, specific to each of us and yet widely available. They offer us a way of reading ourselves, who we are, and who we might like to be.

Clearly and eloquently written, A Significant Life is a recognition and a comfort, a celebration of the deeply human narrative impulse by which we make—even if we don’t realize it—meaning for ourselves. It offers a refreshing way to think of an age-old question, of quite simply, what makes a life worth living.

Google Books preview:

The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction by Matthew B. Crawford (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2015)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk), (UK kindle ed.)

Book description from the publisher:

A groundbreaking new book from the bestselling author of Shop Class as Soulcraft

In his bestselling book Shop Class as Soulcraft, Matthew B. Crawford explored the ethical and practical importance of manual competence, as expressed through mastery of our physical environment. In his brilliant follow-up, The World Beyond Your Head, Crawford investigates the challenge of mastering one’s own mind.

We often complain about our fractured mental lives and feel beset by outside forces that destroy our focus and disrupt our peace of mind. Any defense against this, Crawford argues, requires that we reckon with the way attention sculpts the self.

Crawford investigates the intense focus of ice hockey players and short-order chefs, the quasi-autistic behavior of gambling addicts, the familiar hassles of daily life, and the deep, slow craft of building pipe organs. He shows that our current crisis of attention is only superficially the result of digital technology, and becomes more comprehensible when understood as the coming to fruition of certain assumptions at the root of Western culture that are profoundly at odds with human nature.

The World Beyond Your Head makes sense of an astonishing array of common experience, from the frustrations of airport security to the rise of the hipster. With implications for the way we raise our children, the design of public spaces, and democracy itself, this is a book of urgent relevance to contemporary life.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website

The Little Book of Clarity: A Quick Guide to Focus and Declutter Your Mind by Jamie Smart (Capstone, 2015)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk), (UK kindle ed.)

Book description from the publisher:

Imagine what you could achieve if you could only clear your mind

The Little Book of Clarity shows you how to clear your head and get things done. Based on bestselling book, Clarity, this new edition has been distilled to the essentials, getting right to the point. With no vague theory or superfluous anecdotes, this book gets you right to work reducing stress and boosting productivity by uncovering your mind’s in-built “self-clearing” capacity. As you begin to understand the concept of innate thinking, the benefits will start emerging in every corner of your life. As you think less, you’ll win more at work, at home, and at the game of life as a whole. You’ll rid your mind of clutter for good as you focus on what matters, and finally free up the time you need to pursue your dreams.

Life’s constant bombardment of “to-do” and “urgent” pushes your own priorities clear off the radar. Before you know it, you’re always busy, but not getting very much accomplished. Personal goals fall by the wayside as you struggle just to keep up with day-to-day life. This book shows you how to cut the noise and clear the fog, and start working on what matters to you. * Harness the power of insight and principles * Discover your true identity and innate wisdom * Build better relationships and stronger connections * Discard toxic goals and pursue authentic desires

Clarity is the mind’s natural state, a state to which it will always return if given the chance. Although it’s evident in children, most adults have had this ability conditioned out of them by our “go-go-go” society, leaving them mentally muddy, stressed, and ineffectual. The Little Book of Clarity helps you erase that conditioning and gain the peace of mind to live a life you love permanently.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website

$4.99 kindle ebook on Amazon: 'Rationality: From AI to Zombies' by Eliezer Yudkowsky http://t.co/hzFmGq6AZO via @amazon

— Debbie A Foster (@mymindonbooks) March 23, 2015

Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin (Crown, 2015)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk), (UK kindle ed.)

Book description from the publisher:

The author of the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, tackles the critical question: How do we change? 

Gretchen Rubin’s answer: through habits. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.

So if habits are a key to change, then what we really need to know is: How do we change our habits?

Better than Before answers that question. It presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits—and to change them for good. Infused with Rubin’s compelling voice, rigorous research, and easy humor, and packed with vivid stories of lives transformed, Better than Before explains the (sometimes counter-intuitive) core principles of habit formation.

Along the way, Rubin uses herself as guinea pig, tests her theories on family and friends, and answers readers’ most pressing questions—oddly, questions that other writers and researchers tend to ignore:

• Why do I find it tough to create a habit for something I love to do?
• Sometimes I can change a habit overnight, and sometimes I can’t change a habit, no matter how hard I try. Why?
• How quickly can I change a habit?
• What can I do to make sure I stick to a new habit?
• How can I help someone else change a habit?
• Why can I keep habits that benefit others, but can’t make habits that are just for me?

Whether readers want to get more sleep, stop checking their devices, maintain a healthy weight, or finish an important project, habits make change possible. Reading just a few chapters of Better Than Before will make readers eager to start work on their own habits—even before they’ve finished the book.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website