5 Books That Made Me Stop Reading and Think Instead
Five books to tickle your brain with.
Sometimes, a book is a fun adventure to turn your brain off. We all enjoy following our favourite heroes to overcome insurmountable odds. We keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.
But sometimes, the books we read force us to stop and think. They force us to consider what we have just read and apply it to our everyday lives.
Despite being extremely busy as an athlete, I have read over 25 books within the last year. While I do enjoy almost all the books I read due to research ahead of time, some books are bound to leave a bigger impression than others.
Here are 5 of the very best books I read within the last year, in no particular order:
• The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Dune by Frank Herbert
• The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie
• The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene:
Genre: Psychology, Business, Personal Development
In one word: Enlightening
Favourite Quotes:
“You can die from someone else’s misery — emotional states are as infectious as diseases.”
“There is nothing more intoxicating than victory, and nothing more dangerous.”
“A person who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is unworthy of respect.”
My thoughts:
The 48 Laws of Power is an unmatched deep dive into human psychology and the dynamics of power that shape our society.
Here’s a simple but uncomfortable truth: Everybody wants power, and we will inevitably encounter people who are willing to do unethical things to obtain it. This book discusses dynamics that make one powerful and how one can exploit human psychology to obtain power. This book is a necessary read to understand how power works and how to protect yourself from charlatans and schemers who want to use these principles against you.
Using these laws is optional, but understanding them is essential.
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius:
Genre: Philosophy, Self Help, Psychology, Personal diary
In One word: Transformational
Favorite quotes:
“And why should we feel anger at the world? As if the world would notice!”
“To hear unwelcome truths.”
“Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or is impossible to see.”
“Disturbance comes only from within — from our own perceptions.”
“So other people hurt me? That’s their problem. Their character and actions are not mine. What is done to me is ordained by nature, what I do by my own.”
My Thoughts:
How can something written 2000 years ago be so applicable and relevant today?
Because our problems and ways of thinking haven’t fundamentally changed since before Antiquity, our environment has evolved, but we humans are still the same animals we were thousands of years ago. Thus, the lessons from a Roman Emperor are timeless and can help us work through problems we all face every day.
Struggling to get up in the morning?
Dealing with an annoying coworker?
Working through a tragedy?
This book addresses it all.
Thousands of people face the same problems every day, and it can take them 20 years to find a solution. You can solve your problems in a week by reading books like The Meditations.
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky:
Genre: Psychological Novel, Russian Literature, Philosophy
In one Word: Insightful
Favorite quotes:
“To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.”
“The man who has a conscience suffers whilst acknowledging his sin. That is his punishment.”
“It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.”
My Thoughts:
The best case study of a conflicted character and the society that created him.
What leads a person to commit murder?
How does it change him?
What kind of society breeds this kind of person?
Is redemption possible?
These are the questions Dostoyevsky forces us to ponder while following one of his most well-known characters, Raskolnikov. Upon committing a hideous crime, which he believes to be not only justified but also a benefit to society, Raskolnikov is forced to face his conscience and the consequences of his actions.
I was amazed at how Dostoyevsky can make me relate to Raskolnikov through his inner conflict. Our world isn’t black and white, and neither are the characters in this story. How can one sympathise with a murderer? Read this book to find out.
While not the easiest book to get through, should you put in the effort, you will be rewarded tenfold.
• Dune by Frank Herbert:
Genre: Sci-Fi Novel
In one Word: Belief
Favorite quotes:
“Any road followed precisely to its end leads precisely nowhere. Climb the mountain just a little bit to test that it’s a mountain. From the top of the mountain, you cannot see the mountain.”
“Greatness is a transitory experience. It is never consistent.”
“How often it is that the angry man rages denial of what his inner self is telling him.”
My Thoughts:
How does one become a Messiah, and what is the cost to the individual and the society?
I see Dune as a cautionary tale of what belief and propaganda can do both to society and to an individual. Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? Herbert seemed to think so, and he made a compelling case for it through Paul Atreides. The fact that the novel has a sci-fi setting is just a cherry on top for me. Even if religious themes and sci-fi settings aren’t your thing, I would still suggest you give Dune a try due to its many philosophical ideas.
Also, Dune is all the rage at the moment due to the success of the film adaptations, so there has never been a better time to see what this classic is all about.
• The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie:
Book 2 of the “Age of Madness” Trilogy, part of the “First Law World” Series
Genre: Grimdark Fantasy Novel
In one Word: Consequences
Favorite quotes:
“Winning teaches you nothing,” said Tunny. “You see what a man really is when he loses.”
“Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.”
“I find reputations rarely fit people all that well. What are they, after all, but costumes we put on to disguise ourselves?”
“You can’t change the fact the world’s full of arseholes. You can only change how you deal with them.”
My thoughts:
What is life but making decisions and dealing with the consequences?
When an author can make me root for the “bad guys”, he is doing something right. To say that Abercrombie is a master at crafting deep characters would be an understatement of the year. The characters and their decisions are what make this series so memorable. There are no real heroes and villains, just people. Some do bad things, some do good things, and some are just in it for the glory, money, or a drink.
But they all need to deal with the consequences of their actions, and it’s usually not pretty.
The Whole “First Law” series is an amazing adult fantasy story full of betrayals, questionable characters, and intense action. I would recommend it to anyone looking to get lost in a large, yet not overwhelming, fantasy world.
Have you already read any of the books mentioned above?
Did I convince you to add any one of them to your reading list?
What other books should I add to my reading list?
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