5 Book-Gifts To My 20 Years Old Self

Hi you. It's been like, what? Four years? I'm sure you want to know what the future holds. Well, to start with, reading has become one of your favourite activity. Who would have thought? I'm here to gift you five books. They'll help to make you worry less about the future.




Before that, keep these in mind.

1. You know that advice that people shout? Read books! Forget it. It's good advice. But don't let it dictate your life. It turns out, you can have a life and still have a first class. Yes! Even in UNIBEN. Read books you find interesting. Remember how you read Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code? How you forgot to eat through out that day? It took Bery's knock on the door to make you realise night had come, and eating something would be a great idea. It turns out there are over a billion other books (even non fiction) that can pull your interest in that way. So, don't waste one second forcing yourself to finish a book you find boring. 


2. Always read with a dictionary. I know. It sounds like work. But you have to do it. You avoid dictionaries because you feel compelled to finish the book you are reading. Expel that feeling. Your understanding of the material is far more important than the number of words you run your eyes across. Meeting unfamiliar words creates gaps. These gaps are like holes that perforate understanding. Knowing what words mean will inform you on what the author is trying to tell you. It fills the gaps so that you can make mental connections - this is the fun part of reading. 


3. Discuss what you read. If you don't feel like talking (Yes. You still get that way), write about it. It's ok to sound stupid. You are writing for only you. Ask all the questions you have. But don't expects answers to come flying straight to you. The answers will come.


These five books treat a lot of the questions you have. Each is breathtaking.


Here they are:


The History of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russell)

Your love for philosophy and your concern about western influence will continue. This is the best place to start gaining some clarity. 

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Yuval Hariri)

Besides music, you'll find insights about every topic that ever caught your interest in this book: Astronomy, culture, biology, chemistry, anthropology, sociology, sexuality, it goes on. Interwoven into magnificent prose by an author who has divine command of narrative. 

The Collection of Cal Newport's Books (Cal Newport)

Okay. I'm cheating here. This collection has four books (another is to arrive in Jan. 2016). The first three are what you need. They tell you how to make the best of your stay in University.

The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) 

Life is a journey. This book tells you what to make of the journey. 

Purple Hibiscus (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

You fall in love with fiction after this book. All her books are divine. All her write up's are equally excellent.

On a final note, I can't close without telling you to look out for Sam Harris's Waking up. I have not read it but an audio rendition of chapter one, which is available for free, is sublime. 


Recommend these books to your friends. Most of them need it more than you (or they) think. 


Enjoy! 

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Post Author: P. W. Uduk
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Photo Source: www.healthycrush.com


Question: What book would you gift to a loved one, or a younger version of yourself? Please share in the comments

10 comments:

  1. Think and grow rich.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Think and Grow Rich is a fascinating read. A beautiful companion to the book is Laws Of Success (also by Napoleon Hill). I read Law of Success before I was twenty. It did an amazing job in shifting how I saw the world.

      Delete
  2. The Prophet - Khalil Gibran
    That's an interesting book

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Prophet is a short delightful read. You have the option of reading each stand alone essay and gaining so much. Compliment it with Alain de Botton's Essay's On Love.

      Delete
  3. Picking from your list, I wish I had read the alchemist at 20, a whole lot would be different about my life right now. Also reading books to understand the words is great. Using a mobile device with inbuilt dictionary in the reader is also an easier form of achieving this

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jowho. Thanks for adding that! I use UB reader for my andriod. It's great especially with epub files. The inbuilt dictionary option makes things easier. Thanks again.

      Delete
  4. I'll start by downloading all the listed books. But from my experience, I'll suggest "the Alchemist"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't recommended the Alchemist highly enough. Some people are turned off by it's mystical tone. However, I'm drawed to the style of writing used by the author. It's a great read.

      Delete
  5. Battlefield of the mind by Joyce Meyer

    ReplyDelete

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BasicPulse is written by Paul Uduk.


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