2,400 years ago, Sophocles wrote a play that still grips us today. It’s powerful, philosophical, tragic, and fascinating. The drama is called Antigone, and it took me about an hour to read. Did I love it? Yes, I did. There are two characters to pay attention to: Antigone and Creon. Antigone wants to bury herContinue reading I Dare You to Read Antigone by Sophocles
Let’s do a thought experiment. Assume you’ve just come back from your doctor who’s given you 30 days to live. You decide to make the most of your time on earth by being with loved ones, learning to taste your food before you gulp it down, going outside to feel the sunshine on your face,Continue reading How to Pick Your Next Book
I love our reading rituals. Many of you share with me your morning routine of enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee. Maybe you’re like Cal Newport, author of “Deep Work” and “Slow Productivity,” who enjoys munching on crackers while reading. Or perhaps you read while walking on a treadmill, commuting to work,Continue reading Reading Rituals
We had a car blow up yesterday. Well, it didn’t blow up, but the engine seized. Somehow, all the oil leaked from the engine while my son was driving, and now the car is headed for the junkyard. We towed it to a mechanic, who couldn’t explain how it happened. We changed the oil regularly,Continue reading Having “One Thing” Helps Me
This is nerdy, I know, but I love it. Check out the app Loud Typer for your Mac. I’ve been using it for over a year now. When you download it to your laptop, you can tell it what sounds to make when you press a key on your keyboard. From the dropdown menu, selectContinue reading Turn Your Mac Into a Typewriter
Reading is my favorite way to spend the day, but I have a limit. After so many pages, my brain turns to mush, and I have to go for a walk, listen to music, and make a cup of coffee. Then again, there are days when the reading mood strikes, and I can sit inContinue reading When the Reading Mood Strikes
Give in to your book. Stop forcing it, stressing out about it, or squeezing it into predefined boxes. Stop getting through it, inflating it, or hiding from it. Just be with your book. Let it lead you by the hand. Give it space to teach you, excite you, and surprise you. Reading is not aContinue reading Give In to Your Book
I live in Utah, surrounded by the majestic Rocky Mountains. Every time someone visits from out of state, they marvel at the breathtaking landscape. It’s undeniably beautiful and incredibly inspiring. I’ve climbed several peaks and have come to appreciate the value of flat ground. Climbing is exhausting—Utah’s desert heat, dryness, and unforgiving terrain add toContinue reading A Reading Break
My daughter plays the saxophone every day for more than five hours. Marching band is a big deal around here, and it’s her first year in the show, so she’s working hard to earn her spot. The problem is that this year’s music selection clocks in at 168 beats a minute, and she has toContinue reading The Phrenetic Saxophone
I recently got a new espresso machine for my reading room, which motivated me to tidy up and organize my bookshelves. In the chaos of pulling all my books off the shelves and reorganizing them (an activity any good book nerd would embrace), I realized something: I had little piles of books all over theContinue reading The Joy of a Messy Bookshelf