MY "HEAPS" DON'T LIE

Photo by Matias North on Unsplash

Well, I confess: lie a little.

I actually own a humble heap of 8 books that I collected over 4 years living in Ireland. The lack of space and the invention of e-book readers was the perfect duo for this little pile of books to stop growing.

But virtually it's another story.

For a few years now, I've developed a strong appreciation for digital books and reading has become one of my favorite hobbies. And I would like to share with you some titles that touched my 💜 and expanded my mind:
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1. The Reader (Bernhard Schlink) - My favorite. It was one of the first books I read in English and I'm crazy about the simple and straightforward writing. As controversial as it may seem, I do consider it an unconditional love story.



2. Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor E. Frankl) - One of the most needed books I've ever read. Frankl was a Holocaust survivor and brings in his words meaningful lessons.



3. Lessons (Gisele Bündchen) - Speaking of lessons, this book also brings important insights into life from a different point of view. It was one of the first books I read at the beginning of my journey and I have a special affection for it. And no, Gisele is not German, she's Brazilian.



4. The Body Keeps The Score (Bessel van der Kolk) - Flying back to Europe, this book was key for me to understand how trauma works. We often grew up with the illusion that our childhood was perfect, but Bessel explains clearly how our brain works as a child, bringing light to a delicate and painful subject.



5. Loving What Is (Byron Katie) - This book gave me work both ways. Both in the exercise proposed by the author and in the idea outlined in the book. Being aware that problems are stories we create in our heads is no easy task. I plan to read it again.



6. The Untethered Soul (Michael A. Singer) - A must read. This is another manual on how to deal with the chatter that lives inside our minds and how meditation is key to accessing our true self.



7. The Yellow Wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman) - Lastly, a feminist short story of great importance for the time it was published, in 1892. Here, the author distills into the way women and their psyches were treated in the past, while watching the yellow wallpaper of her bedroom.

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There's more where these books come from, but I like short lists. Size only matters when it comes to love. So it doesn't matter how small your stack of books is, only what they mean to you. Well, beacuse you know your "heaps" don't lie.


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Check out my latest readings here.