Summer Book Series: ISO Guest Reviews
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Have you ever had an experience you just can’t find the right word to describe? You try to explain the feeling, but you end up just confusing people and wondering if you’re crazy? That’s me in bookstores: I love them, but I also get sad when I’m in them, and I’m also usually in something of a state of awe. I think it’s so beautiful that some people have the gift of creating stories that speak to us, yet I get this wistful feeling when I think about how many good stories I’ll never have the time to read, or all the books that could have been my favorite but I’ll never even know exist. This feeling then leads to a whole existential reflection on all the other what-ifs and could-have-beens in my life… and so, there you have it. I don’t have a word for all that, and I probably never will.
While I make peace with not reading all the books ever written, I do want to set aside some time this summer to reflect on some of the best ones I’ve read so far this year. I’d also like to hear about some of the books y’all are reading (who knows, maybe one of them will be one of the best I’ve ever read, and if it wasn’t for you, I might never have found it). Each time, over the next however many weeks this ends up being (maybe through August? I’m feeling noncommittal here—we’ll go with what feels right), I’ll share a brief summary and some key takeaways from one or two of the books I’ve found value in, and an additional one or two guest reviews from your submissions.
If you’re interested in sharing about a book you’ve read, here’s what I’d love to hear from you:
1) Title and author of the book, and when you read it (recent is better but it doesn’t have to be this year).
2) A few sentences to let us know the general premise of the book. Genre/target audience would be helpful here, too. (Fiction and non-fiction are both welcome!)
3) What made you pick it up, and why was it worth finishing?
4) What is your “One Thing Differently” from the book? It can be a tangible change you’ve made to your life as a result, or simply something you look at differently or more deeply than you did before reading it.
5) Share a couple of sentences about who you are, and how you found your way to The Next Step.
Please feel free to send these to me via message here on Substack, or if you’re reading in your inbox, hit reply to send via email. If you have any questions about what to share, happy to answer those from those same channels or drop a comment below!
I can’t guarantee I’ll publish everything I receive, but I look forward to learning from each of your personal libraries this summer. Whether you read books in the flesh, turning pages as you go, or you’re swiping pages on your Kindle or you listen as you drive, I think there’s something beautiful about taking in someone else’s words. Even if you’re not a big reader yourself, I hope you find value in what others have taken away from the books they’ve read. Who knows, maybe a book you hear about from another reader will help give words to the feelings you’ve been struggling to explain.
One Thing Differently
What’s one way you could approach reading differently this summer? If you’re not usually into reading, is there a new format you could try? If you do read a lot, are you actually getting value out of what you consume, or could you be more intentional about reflecting and retaining?