a lifestyle blog for book lovers

WSIRN Ep 82: Obsessive readers and bookish kindred spirit angels

Today’s guest is Claire Díaz-Ortiz, who was an absolute delight to talk to and SO HARD to recommend books to! That’s because Claire has a Very Favorite Genre that makes her go “crazy with excitement”—and she’s read pretty much every title that falls under it’s umbrella. So when it came time to recommend what she should read next … well, you see the problem. 

In this episode, Claire tells me what she means when she says she’s an “obsessive reader,” and how she can always spot fellow obsessive readers aka “bookish kindred spirit angels”. We discuss the ways our personalities influence how we read. And of course we dive into Claire’s very favorite genre—the one that makes her heart sing—and I gotta tell you, I laughed out loud the first time she told me what it was.

Today’s episode was TOUGH for me, because Claire isn’t kidding when she says she’s read everything, but we made it through, and had a lot of fun—and a LOT of book talk—in the process.

What Should I Read Next #82: Obsessive readers and bookish kindred spirit angels with Claire Díaz-Ortiz

Connect with Claire Díaz-Ortiz:

Website | Twitter | FacebookInstagram | LinkedIn

A few of Claire’s books: 

• Design Your Day: Be More Productive, Set Better Goals, and Live Life On Purpose, by Claire Diaz-Ortiz
• Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time, by Claire Diaz-Ortiz
• Hope Runs: An American Tourist, a Kenyan Boy, a Journey of Redemption, by Claire Diaz-Ortiz
• Greater Expectations: Succeed (and Stay Sane) in an On-Demand, All-Access, Always-On Age, by Claire Diaz-Ortiz
 The Better Life: Small Things You Can Do Right Where You Are, by Claire Diaz-Ortiz

Books mentioned in this episode:

Some links are affiliate links. More details here.

• Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood, by Alexandra Fuller
• Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, Alexandra Fuller
• Leaving Before the Rains Come, Alexandra Fuller
• Euphoria, by Lily King
• The People in the Trees, by Hanya Yanagihara
• State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett
• Superbetter: The Power of Living Gamefully, by Jane McGonigal
• Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, by Amy Cuddy
• New Slow City: Living Simply in the World’s Fastest City, by William Powers
• Twelve by Twelve: A One-Room Cabin Off the Grid and Beyond the American Dream, by William Powers
• Hamlet’s BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age, by William Powers
• The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt
• Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng
• A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda, by Josh Ruxin
• What Falls from the Sky: How I Disconnected from the Internet and Reconnected with the God Who Made the Clouds, by Esther Emery
• The Need to Help: The Domestic Arts of International Humanitarianism, by Liisa H. Malkki
• At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe, by Tsh Oxenreider
• The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom
• Glory Over Everything, by Kathleen Grissom
• Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, by Trevor Noah
• Circling The Sun, by Paula McLain
• West With the Night, by Beryl Markham
• Who’s Your City: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life, by Richard Florida
• The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun, by Gretchen Rubin
• The House in the Sky, by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett
• Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother and Daughter Journey to the Sacred Places of Greece, Turkey, and France, by Sue Monk Kidd
• The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
• The Constant Gardener, by John le Carré
• In Other Words, by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Little Bee, by Chris Cleave
• Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds, by Kara Richardson Whitely

78 comments

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  1. Ginger says:

    I feel sure that Claire would know about the Blinkist app, but I just discovered it a few days ago. She said she’s reading less business non-fiction, and I’m always telling myself I wish I read more, but never seem to find the time. I’m not so much for the idea of cliff notes for books, but for non-fiction, there can be merit at times. I just listened to The Miracle Morning, which I had been meaning to read for ages. I still *intend* to, but in case I never get around to it, now at least I know his six principles that I can put to use right away, and it only took me 15 minutes.

  2. Lori says:

    Wow, I really related to this reader, having grown up overseas (with American parents) myself. She has probably already read up on “Third Culture Kids”, which is a fascinating way of looking at children growing up between 2 or more cultures and the unique opportunities and challenges they face.

    Book: Third Culture Kids – David Pollock

    I like her picks of books, too! AND books about folks immigrating to the US.

    Off the top of my head I thought of (a couple that you discussed!) and also the following:

    The Expats by Chris Pavone (fiction)
    Lion Eyes and others by Claire Berlinski (fiction)
    Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski (fiction)
    Swimming in the Congo by Margaret Meyers (fiction)
    Of course The Poisonwood Bible, but I’m sure Claire has read that.

    And any number of memoirs and biographies; let’s see:
    Nine Hills to Nambonkaha by Sarah Erdman (Peace Corps worker memoir set in a little village literally just “down the road” from the West African town where I grew up; maybe less interesting to other people)
    Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose
    Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

    I’ll probably think of more as I sit here… Wow, a lot of them come with controversy and/or politics you may not agree with – e.g., 3 Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.

  3. Annette says:

    Hi Anne and Claire~
    I’m curious how Claire googled audio vs. text versions of a book. Of course I want to get the best reading experience too!

  4. Annie says:

    Hi Anne and Claire,
    Wow! I really related to your “obsessive reader” description! 🙂
    Now that my children are grown, I fortunately have more time for reading. Great episode today! Annie

  5. Rachel E. says:

    Hi Claire,

    I figure you probably have read these books but thought I’d put them out there as I found them fun and inviting as someone who is also living abroad.

    A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi
    She has two follow-up memoirs, but this is my favorite as it captures not just the first thousand days of living in Venice, but the first thousand days of her marriage.

    Grape Expectations by Caro Feely
    I’ve met Caro and have taken her wine tour in Saint-Émilion so it was fun to read about her perspective as a South African couple with two young children who decide to purchase a vineyard in France.

    Thank you for all the great recommendations!

  6. Kris says:

    I too was going to say “Born a Crime” as well!! ALSO, if you haven’t yet – “Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World”. Travel, memoir, parenting twins, amazing author (Anthony Doerr of ” All the Light We Cannot See” fame!), and a great title to boot!!

  7. Jennifer Williams says:

    Claire, have you read any of Peter Allison’s books? I love his travel books. He was an African safari guide after college and has lots of funny stories to share.

  8. Sarah M says:

    I LOVE travel memoirs, so this was so fun to listen to, also, maybe the only reader so far on your show that has read so many of your recs! I’m super impressed, Claire!

  9. Kate says:

    Claire, you may want to check out Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden, a novel about a adolescent girl marooned by circumstances with her eccentric siblings at a tourist hotel in France. Her writing is lovely, and she was actually raised in colonial India. Many of her adult works are about expats, but I’ve only read this one, A Candle for St. Jude (ballet) and her children’s books so far.

  10. Rissie says:

    I haven’t listened to the whole episode yet but I’m ready with a recommendation. Claire, have you read KISSES FROM KATIE by Katie J. Davis? I loved it!

  11. Kelly says:

    Hi Claire and Anne,
    Thanks for another great episode. In recent years I have totally become a obsessive reader. Claire you have me beat with 3 kids under 3… but there was a point I had 4 kids under 5!! It’s a crazy awesome life! I look forward to exploring some of your picks! I love a good memoir. And I am more of reading traveler than an actual one love the vicarious experience. Have to endorse the Kitchen House was a great fiction pick! And I have Born a Crime in my Audible shopping cart!

  12. Susan says:

    I enjoyed Claire’s book, Hope Runs — which I picked up at the library without knowing anything about it. It is great to unexpectedly find a good book! Enjoyed the podcast — I completely relate to being an obsessive reader. I keep books everywhere so I am never without one.

  13. Milka says:

    Claire, I bet the you haven’t read the travel memoir Fast Times in Palestine by Pamela Olson! She’s a Oklahoma girl who graduates from Stanford, goes backpacking and has her life changed in Palestine.

  14. Kyla says:

    I may be the odd one out here, but I read far more now that I am a mom (4 year old and twin 2 year olds), than I did before I had kids. It started with being bored while breastfeeding/pumping and discovering that I can breastfeed and hold a Kindle at the same time! I think the main reason I read more now is that I can’t fit any of my pre-parent hobbies in – movies, parties, travel, exercise, etc., so now I just read. Although I miss my more active and social lifestyle, I love that I’m able to really embrace reading for the first time in years.

    Oh, and I define “obsessive reading” as having to put limits on myself about reading – like I can’t sit down to read until after I fold the laundry, or I can’t start another book until I cross off a certain number of things on my domestic to-do list 🙂

    • Laura says:

      Yes! I’m exactly the same way. Reading has taken the place of most of my old hobbies (knitting, dancing, backpacking…) that are hard to do with kids. I think that’s why I’m so obsessive about it. I treat it like a reward also! Addiction would be another word for it….

  15. Caitlin says:

    I have a novel that Claire might like – I think it fits the “stranger in a foreign land” criteria twice. It is about a woman and her experiences in Malay during the second world war and then when she settles in Australia several years after the war. It is one of my favourite books of all time and if I was ever lucky enough to be on the podcast it would definitely be one of my 3 books I loved. I was given this book by my Mum for my birthday one year when I asked everyone to give me a copy of their favourite book (which gave me a very very varied year of reading).

    Title: A Town Like Alice
    Author: Nevil Shute

    • Susan says:

      I enjoyed this book too! I read it several years ago but still think of it. And good description of “stranger in a foreign land” twice! I read Nevil Shute’s book On the Beach (nuclear cloud heading for Australia when the rest of the people in the world are presumably already dead) when I was in eighth grade, and I still think of that one too. Good author!

  16. Maria says:

    Can I tell you, I really enjoyed this episode! I feel like Claire’s reading style and preferences match my own to a certain extent. Although I don’t read about White folks in Africa specifically, I enjoy memoirs very much. All the books that Anne recommended, I’ve read and enjoyed tremendously.

    Also loved legitimizing being an obsessive reader, loved that she finished books that she didn’t like. I just really enjoyed feeling like there are other readers out there like myself.

    Looking forward picking up at least 4 of the books mentioned on this podcast. I’m sad that these only happen once a week – but do look forward to them eagerly.

  17. Amanda says:

    Great episode! I’m also a compulsive reader who loves travel memoirs. Claire, I recommend It Happened On the Way to War: A Marine’s Path to Peace by Rye Barcott if you haven’t read it. Much of it takes place in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya.

  18. Cara says:

    This episode may be my favorite.
    As a fellow INFJ, travel lover (who came verrrry close to also being married in another country), and obsessive reader I related to much of what Claire said. If I like a book I read it ‘in one breath’ if at all possible. An Afghani friend once told me that the Persian for reading a book in one sitting is to read it in one breath and I have loved that turn of phrase ever since. I too have tried to slow down and view my speed reading as both blessing and curse – one way that I have helped my own retention, or at least can retain more of the feeling that each book evoked, was to start a book of books where I list each book that I read and occasionally note quotes or takeaways.

    My particular niche of travel memoir is the Middle East/Eurasia/some Mediterranean (though stereotypical memoirs of Italy often annoy me) and I really enjoyed the aha moment of realizing that I also have an obsession with stranger in a strange land books… along with an obsession with P.G. Wodehouse and anything that reminds me of him, refugee/immigration accounts, witty romances with substance, and epistolary novels, but I digress.
    Anatolian Days and Nights was a favorite, as was Traveler On Horseback in Eastern Turkey and Iran by Christina Dodwell. For a positive American woman in Egypt story- The Butterfly Mosque by G. Willow Wilson was amazing. I also very much enjoyed her novel Alif the Unseen, a fast paced book that was like the Thousand and One Nights modernized and a suspense thriller all in one and unlike any book I’ve ever read.
    A novel set in Africa that I somehow missed until recently was Under the Udala Trees – like the above mentioned books it was one that I read all in one breath and one that I am sure to return to many times. It’s not stranger in a strange land but it is woman growing up and coming to terms with herself and her family and her country, which is almost a sub-genre of stranger in a strange land.
    Also, the Trevor Noah audiobook is on my holds list so it made me laugh a bit to hear it recommended.

    • Elzabeth says:

      Wow, this may have been my favorite episode, though like good books, it would be difficult to choose just a couple of favorite episodes (this is definitely my favorite podcast!). I had to keep pressing rewind to gather info and make sure I caught every word/idea/comment! I especially enjoyed the guests relatability to my own reading life. It was just a lot of fun to listen to.

      I’ve read a few memoirs set in Iran, or by travelers to Iran, or by Iranians outside of Iran, as my husband is Iranian and we have visited together several times since 2005 (I’ve been 4 times to Iran and twice to Dubai to meet family there). It’s enjoyable to read about some of the beautiful places and people that I have seen and met in that country.

      I quickly messaged my sister-in-law in Tehran, on What’s App, about this Persian saying, but she didn’t know if off the top of her head. I will edit here, with the exact wording, if she comes up with it. She is a reader too, but I took her by surprise.

      My library hold list grew by about 5 today! Thanks for a great listen!

  19. Sarah K says:

    I loved this episode! It was a fascinating discussion and as a side note, I thought Claire, like Anne, has a great voice for podcasting!

    A couple of ideas for Claire in the wider “stranger in a strange land” category: Have you read Black Lamb and Grey Falcon by Rebecca West? It’s a mammoth of a book that I was assigned to read years ago in college bc one of my English profs declared it the best book written in English in the 20th century. It’s a memoir/travelogue of a journalist’s travels in Eastern Europe and the Balkans between the world wars. It really illuminated the history of that East-meets-West area, and the Christian/Muslim conflicts and issues that conitue there and elsehwere, and it still lingers with me.

    Also, there is a book coming out late this month (already published in the UK) that you might love: Golden Hill by Francis Spufford. It’s about a mysterious stranger who arrives in the very early years of New York City, when it’s still just a hamlet on the edge of a British colony, and he is hiding a subversive secret and a clandestine mission. It’s incredibly written, and without giving spoilers I would say it’s a big twist on your “white person in Africa” genre, with race issues that reveal themselves gradually as the book progresses. One warning: a few surprisingly specific sentences of sex scenes in a novel that otherwise models its style and tone on 18th century novels. I gagged a little but I was still wowed by the book.

  20. LOVE the show … look forward to it each week. LOVE hearing others describe “myself” and knowing the kindred spirits that are out there. I especially love hearing what people have enjoyed reading and what they and Anne recommend. I too love non-fiction – especially memoirs. Given a couple of the books Claire mentioned oOne of my all time favourites – which I read many years ago – is Paul Hawken’s Ecology of Commerce and one I’d recommend that I am currently reading is The Case Against Sugar. Wish I had read this last one when my children were little. From a fiction perspective one of my favourites is Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach. Again one I read many decades ago but still go back to it and it is still on one of my many bookshelves despite having to cull many books during our recent move to a condo. And a fun fiction read – that I so enjoyed is Gil Adamson’s The Outlander.

  21. Gretchen says:

    Not an African memoir, but Claire might enjoy When in French: Love in a Different Language by Lauren Collins, a New Yorker writer who falls in love with a Frenchman while living in London, moves to Switzerland and then begins to learn French. Surprising thoughts about being a stranger in a strange land, both in North Carolina where she was born and then in Switzerland and France.

    If Claire has exhausted African memoirs, then she might consider a pivot to Chinese travel memoirs. If you haven’t already explored this area, some books to get you started would be Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman or River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler.

  22. Heather says:

    I thoroughly enjoyed this episode! I lived as an ex-pat in East and Central Asia for over 15 years. For a while, I read travel memoirs but I became frustrated with the writing of people who blew in and out of places and didn’t put down roots. I feel like there is so much more out there now and I need to check out the genre again. I’ve got a couple recommendations for Claire that I haven’t seen listed above. Sadly, I’ve never been to Africa but I absolutely loved the film Out of Africa. A few years ago, I came across the book at Goodwill and gave it a try. The writing is gorgeous and it was fascinating to get the real story of Isak Dinesen’s years in Kenya from 1914-1931. It’s now one of my favorite books.

    While living in Central Asia, I was enthralled to learn about the adventures of the various international spies and explorers throughout the region. It’s not exactly a travel memoir but The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk is an amazing read for any adventurous ex-pat. The story of the British-Russian power play and political intrigue throughout the “-stans” – particularly Afghanistan – is incredibly relevant today. Happy reading!

  23. Claire, I was downstairs making the bed when the first podcast started. I kept thinking, “She would like Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight.”

    How fun that it was the first book you mentioned. I just read that book and have now ordered used copies of Alexandra Fuller’s books.

    I’m an obsessive reader as well. I’m a counselor so mostly read self-help and memoir.

  24. P.S. So my book suggestion for you is Paula Butterini’s “Keeping the Feast.”

    She is an AP reporter when her reporter husband gets shot in the eastern block. She stay in Rome to heal, and she leans on shopping and cooking as a catalyst for her own emotional healing. I got to meet her when I was in Paris.

  25. I read Superbetter and couldn’t get into it. I got the gist of it and it was helpful but I didn’t need to read it all. I liked Presence. I have not heard of New Slow City. Thank you.

  26. Jamie says:

    As I type out this recommendation, I’m pretty certain that Claire has read it…but Poisonwood Bible fits her niche of “stranger in a strange land” while also being a novel. Barbara Kingsolver is a magician with words.
    But in another direction, how about Yes, Chef by Marcuss Samuelson? He is a James Beard nominee and has become more well known lately with his roles on food tv, but this book tells his story of growing up as an Ethiopian child with adopted parents in Switzerland. He travels and trains all over Europe and the US, as well as eventually going back to Ethiopia in attempt to reconnect with his family. It deals with issues of identity, ‘place in the world,’ and it’s a bonus if you’re at all into food writing. 🙂

  27. Helen says:

    Thank you for another great episode. A couple books that came to mind as I listened …
    The Darling by Russell Banks
    What Is the What by Dave Eggers

  28. Jennifer C-L says:

    Claire, you might enjoy Teacher by Sylvia Ashton-Warner an account of her time working with young Maori children in New Zealand earlier era. I loved New Slow City and 12×12!

  29. tdgl says:

    Just getting around to commenting on Tuesday’s show:
    1. You made me miss my exit. 🙂
    2. Thank you for defending “Everything I Never Told You,” one of my favorites. As you pointed out, it’s really not about what happened to Lydia. It’s about how people come to be the way they are, trying to stand out or trying to fit in.
    3. I never would have considered the Trevor Noah book. Now it’s on my library hold list (in audio).

  30. Jenny Warren says:

    Claire, have you read, “If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It Isn’t Big Enough” written by Kristine K. Stevens? I picked this up at the SCAD store in Savannah, GA. I loved the title❤️ I am really enjoying it!

  31. Gretchen says:

    A stranger in a strange land story with a reverse African twist is An African in Greenland by Tete-Michel Kpomassie, a Togolese man who dreamed of travelling to Greenland once he heard about it as a boy and wrote about his adventures.

  32. Shannon says:

    I loved this episode and reading through all the comments! I’ve been looking to diversify my reading, and my TBR just exploded! I tend to read about British ex-pats in a strange land and have a few recommendations for Claire. Penelope Lively’s Dancing Fish and Ammonites covers some of her childhood in Cairo, and I’ve heard good things about her other book Oleander, Jacaranda. Related to your interest in Beryl Markham, The Bolter by Frances Osborne takes place in Kenya. For my last recommendation, it covers a lot of British monarchy but also living in India as they transitioned to independence, Pamela Hicks: Daughter of Empire is an interesting look at India.

  33. BJ says:

    I really enjoyed this podcast. My favorite subgenres are foodie memoirs and memoirs of stranger in another land although I usually like France, Italy and Greece but I immediately googled the Josh Ruxin book and put it on my TBR list. Nothing could be better than a mix of my two favs. Also added the mother/daughter travel book by Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter.

  34. Brian says:

    First WSIRN podcast I’ve listened to, thanks to a recommendation from my sister. Was happy to hear Born a Crime discussed, which is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Even though I was looking forward to it, it easily exceeded my expectations (am now tempted to listen to the audio version that was mentioned). Since Noah’s childhood overlapped with South African apartheid, I also thought of The Bang Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War, by Greg Marinovich & Joao Silva. The authors are photo journalists who covered the final days of apartheid.

  35. Mary Holland says:

    Have you read Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube by Blair Braverman? It’s not exactly a travel memoir, but it’s about woman finding herself in a foreign land (the great white north) and the process of making it her own. It’s definitely a journey and reads a bit like a novel. I just finished it and have some mixed feelings, but I learned a lot about Norwegian men and a bit about dog sledding.

    Also, I love this podcast! I am a librarian that doesn’t read enough (don’t tell the others!) and can’t wait to hone some speed reading skills so I can check titles off the list (that is growing faster than ever).

  36. Jessica says:

    LOVED this episode.

    Claire– Have you read Love, Africa by Jeffrey Gettleman? He’s the NY Times Bureau Chief for East Africa (based in Nairobi). I haven’t read yet, but it’s a very new Mzungu in Africa book that you may not have heard of yet!

  37. Molly says:

    One book I thought of while listening to this episode is Jungleland by Christopher S. Stewart. It’s not set in Africa, but I think it would count as a travel memoir. It’s about a man’s journey into the Amazon exploring the river and the rain forest while also recounting a previous explorer’s attempt to do the same. Definitely a “stranger in a strange land” sort of book. I also second The Kitchen House. I started reading this not quite sure I liked where it was going, but it has become one of my top favorites.

  38. Karen Allen says:

    I haven’t finished listening to the episode yet, but was happy to hear Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight mentioned! I just finished it 4-5 days ago and enjoyed it a lot.
    There is an older series of books by Elizabeth Warnok Fernea – Guests of the Sheik (Iraqi village), one set in Egypt (I can’t find it in print anymore) and A Street in Marrahkesh: A personal view of urban women in Morocco – which are very good. The ease with which she became a participant of village life in Iraq vs. the long struggle to become a member of the community in Marrahkesh was fascinating.

  39. Claire says:

    I knew I was going to love this episode when I heard it was with someone called Claire who was an INFJ – a namesake who speaks my language! Loved hearing Claire gasp in shock when Anne nailed a book she hadn’t even heard of – with the amount of books that you’d already read, I was pretty shocked too! Goes to show that even for the most specific and avid readers, there are always new titles waiting to be discovered.

    I’m not a big reader of travel memoir but some of these books sound so interesting. My Amazon wish list is getting awfully expensive – roll on Christmas!

  40. Kate says:

    I’m surprised nobody has recommended Cutting for Stone by Abraham
    Verghese. It’s not nonfiction, and it’s not exactly a stranger in Africa, but it’s about illegitimate half-European twins being raised by Indian doctors in Ethiopia and embarking on medical careers there. It’s an amazing book.

  41. Sarah says:

    Listening to this episode, I wondered if you’ve considered historical travel memoirs? There are so many amazing one – a quirky one that immediately came to mind was Embassy to Constantinople: The Travels of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (memoir of an 18th century British ambassador’s wife on their posting to Constantinople).

  42. Lisa says:

    The Weight of Heaven By Thrity Umrigar just came up in my book bub email this morning. Anyone read it and if so what did you think?

  43. Celeste Huntington says:

    Fabulous episode! While listening to you all talk about non-fiction, I thought of a book for Claire by Maryanne Wolf – Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. Don’t be intimidated by Wolf, a cognitive neuroscientist. She has such a clear and boundless love of literature. It’s a book that I find myself coming back to think about constantly.

  44. Anne M says:

    Hi Claire! If you’re interested in a travel memoir that’s a LOT further from home (as in SPACE), then you might enjoy this one as something a bit different for you: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18170143-an-astronaut-s-guide-to-life-on-earth
    Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut, he’s got a great sense of humor, he’s known for his fun guitar-playing/singing music videos from space (see youtube) as well as awesome pictures from space (see twitter). Even if you’re not into all the space stuff, much of the book is his humble reflections on lessons he’s learned from his experiences, such as “do sweat the small stuff!.. it’s the small stuff that makes life more fulfilling”. He narrates his own book, so this is a good one for audio!

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