The Ana Edit Issue #8: Favorite Books
My Top 5 Favorite Books: Nonfiction and Fiction Books That Make My Heart Flutter
Ana's Corner
I am going to do something a little bit differently for Ana's Corner this week. Instead of the usual anecdote, I am going to spotlight some of my favorites including favorite youtube videos, books, hacks, etc. To be candid, I do not have much to say regarding this week because I have seeped into a monotonous routine of getting up, "going" to school (Virtual), doing some assignments, following up with some light reading, community service functions, and going to sleep. What a riveting week, I know! Despite the insipid nature of my week, I have uncovered some fantastic content that has made nerdy old me quite euphoric.
My Favorite Youtube Videos
My Favorite Quotes
"Life’s impermanence, I realized, is what makes every single day so precious. It’s what shapes our time here. It’s what makes it so important that not a single moment be wasted" (The Other Wes Moore).
"He who believes that new benefits will cause great personages to forget old injuries is deceived"- Niccolo Machiavelli
"Stop allowing your mind to be a slave, to be jerked about by selfish impulses, to kick against fate and the present, and to mistrust the future" (Meditations).
My Favorite Applications
Airr. Airr is an application that allows its users to take notes during podcasts and access transcripts from podcasts so that one can salvage insightful aphorisms or save information for later use. Airr allows users to pair their podcast app of choice, effectively eliminating the need to manually search up your podcast subscriptions
Readwise. Readwise is incredibly useful for the avid reader and anyone trying to better themself, albeit it does this in an untraditional way. Although due to my description one may assume Readwise is a self help or mental health app, it is actually an app to save highlights. Readwise pairs with your kindle, if you have one; pocket, an app that allows you to save articles; and other platforms so you can integrate all of your saved highlights into one location. Then, the app creates a daily review where they spotlight a few of your saved quotes and popular quotes that others have saved. I personally love going on this app first thing in the morning for my daily dose of inspiration.
Favorite Tip
Since school has begun, I have had considerably less time without a decrease in the amount I have to do, of course. Thus, I have learned how to salvage every moment because time is of the essence. If you have a few minutes between classes, read an article. If you are eating lunch by yourself, listen to an informative podcast. I take this advice to an extreme extent because I am never without some form of stimulus, but it doesn't necessitate much sacrifice. We have nothing to lose from turning the few moments we have here and there into time well spent.
My History As A Reader
When I was a mere 6 years old, I had developed a profound love for reading. My brother, having been pushed by my mother to take up a hobby, had a large array of books in his room which he ended up passing down to me. To say these were gifts I cherished would be a vast understatement. Although for most of my life I loved to read, I no longer have that visceral desire to curl up with a book and immerse myself in another realm. Over time, I have become distracted by all the stress in my life and responsibilities that I have fallen out of love with reading because I have viewed it as an activity that is time consuming and would sap all of my attention. Irrespective of this new perspective, lately I have been reading frequently. Like I mentioned before, a love for an activity can, I believe, be rediscovered with a simple paradigm shift. In layman terms, if I actively pursue reading and remind myself of the benefits rather than dwelling on negative attributes, I will once more find myself infatuated with it. Here are the list of books that invigorate my passion for reading.
My Favorite Books
The Nightingale While World War Two is a popular topic for media, Germany's occupation of France is seldom discussed. The Nightingale proffers this unique vantage point through the lens of two sisters who take different approaches to the perilous times. Although readers will be quick to label one sister as heroic and the other as cowardly, this novel encourages empathy through immense detail of the characters choices and the inherent risk of their situation, irrespective if they take the prudent route or the moral one. When I read the book, I was moved to tears, a phenomenon which rarely, if ever, occurs.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind History is by far one of my favorite subjects, so I will admit I am not a neutral liaison linking perspective readers to the novel. However, I strongly attest to the quality of this book for everyone, history buffs and the layperson alike. Usually, history can be daunting and convoluted. The nuances, cultural clash when studying civilizations from the past, and the lack of education for the adult make studying history or at the very least understanding it no easy feat. This novel manages to circumvent all the traditional issues with history books by its nature of concision and analogies that even the people with a rudimentary understanding of history can understand. However, that is not to say staunch history addicts will not reap major benefits by indulging in this book. The author, Yuval Noah Harari, offers a unique take on the topics a history major or fanatic has learned. Moreover, Noah concisely summarizes the most pivotal points of human history so that readers can place the pieces together and have a comprehensive understanding rather than a visceral understanding of segregated events. I highly recommend this book to those who feign ignorance, love knowledge, and yearn to understand the enigma that is mankind.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe I truly can not encapsulate the surge in joy I have whenever I pick up this book. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe exceeded my expectations, albeit they were low at first. The story is not the introspective and ruminative, but it will warm your heart and boost your mood. The story is of two boys, Aristotle and Dante, who are seemingly polar opposites but complement each other quite nicely. When the two converge, they are precisely what the other needs and the friendship blossoms into one of legends. The novel is a quick read and well worth the time.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I have never been a self help type of person. So called "gurus" are, in my opinion, spewing common sense packaged as revolutionary insight. Despite myself, I decided to read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People because of the enormous traction it gained. I was curious as to if the hype was warranted. After reading and engulfing myself in every word on the page, I can earnestly say the hype is not only warranted, but it would be a shame if the book was not extolled. Not only are the 7 habits discussed useful, but the ideas are expressed in such an articulate manner that makes it easy to incorporate in one's life. As I read the novel, I found myself seeing the larger picture as a whole since the ideas are interwoven, a reality that makes the novel like a song, an effortless continuation of thought. In the hypothetical scenario commonly presented of who one would want to have dinner with, living or dead, I would without hesitation choose the author, Steven Covey.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. The stylistic methods employed in Meditations are disparate from those in every other book mentioned above. Whereas the other 4 choices are novels, be it fiction or nonfiction, Meditations is the published journal of the roman senator Marcus Aurelius. This format allows readers to pick up the book any time they please and read however much they can afford to at the moment without fretting that they will forget what they have read if there is a discontinuation in reading. Aurelius was born and raised in a time of pugnacity and war, yet managed to be level headed and appreciative of the gifts upon which he was bestowed. For this reason, he is often hailed as the father of stoicism, a philosophy that exalts being a virtuous person over caring about the doings of someone else. For more information about Stoicism, a philosophy that gave strength to senators, politicians, prisoners, and more, please refer to my prior blog post linked here: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/analicollari/issues/the-ana-edit-issue-5-274946
Conclusion
In the hustle and bustle of quotidian life, reading can be forgotten and other tasks can take priority. However, this should not be. It has been proven on countless occasions that reading yields remarkable benefits such as strengthening neural connections in brains, builds vocabulary, reduces cognitive decline, and minimizes stress, according to https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-reading-books#prevents-cognitive-decline. This is not meant to be supercilious or patronizing, because I am guilty of putting it off, as well. Rather, I hope it gives you the extra spurt of motivation to make a conscientious effort to incorporate as much reading as probable. Whether it be replacing a daily netflix show with a book or simply reading the newspaper instead of listening to the radio, reading will improve the quality of your life. If you have made it this far, thank you and I bid you adieu.
