I spend half of my time writing and the other half reading so it’s no surprise that for World Book Day I want to celebrate by writing about reading! I’ve read 10 books so far this year (no I don’t have a life) and the following 3 are ones that stood out above the rest so I want to give a special shoutout to them.

Write It All Down by Cathy Rentzenbrink

Everyone who knows me, knows I’ve been trying (really hard) for the last 2 years to write a memoir. It’s not been the easiest journey and I took a break at the end of last year to come back with fresh eyes in the new year so when I saw this book about writing a memoir in Waterstones in January, I knew immediately that I would exchange my Christmas book voucher for it. It’s been dubbed the self-help book for writing a memoir and I can definitely accede that. This book was like a sign from the universe for me, a true blessing in a book and I am now inspired to continue honing my craft.

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

I bought this book after watching The Diary of a CEO podcast episode on How to Fix Your Focus & Stop Procrastinating on Youtube with Johann Hari. Again, this was another attempt at getting back into my flow-state (as Johann Hari says) after feeling like I was stuck in a bit of a rut with writing my own book. Little did I know that reading the book would take me on a journey across the world. Hari travels to various locations to interview the leading researchers and scientists about attention and what we can do to regain (some of) it. Hari is committed to the idea that we can solve our Stolen Focus crisis and passionate about seeing us become refocused. If you enjoyed watching The Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix, then you will enjoy this book. P.S. I’m actually in love with Johann Hari and if you don’t read the book, you must go and watch him on YouTube (I recommend his famous Addiction TedTalk).

The Lip by Charlie Carroll

I don’t often read fiction but recently I have joined (another) book club where we have chosen to start reading books by Cornish authors and The Lip by Charlie Carroll was our first book (picked by me!). I struggle with fiction because I’ve convinced myself that I must only read non-fiction books which require me to learn something to make up for dropping out of university and the years I spent killing my braincells on drugs (my no1 genre is probably self-help). But, this book is truly great. I’ve lived in Cornwall for almost 5 years now and reading something set along the coast (the best coastlines in the UK) of where I live is quite special, the book isn’t just about a beautiful place, it is a beautiful place that is also personal to me and this gave me a greater sense of pride for not just my hometown but the whole of the duchy. The story is gripping and the twists are shocking – I can’t wait to talk to more people about this book.

I LOVE hearing what other people are reading so if you’ve taken the time to read this blogpost (thank you) do let me know what some of your favourite books are so I can add them to my shelf (along with the other million books) so I can never get round to reading them!

Peace and love – xoxo