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5 Books That I Am Currently Reading – Part 2

By: EK13 March 20, 2020May 23, 2021

GeneralAudible, books, Kindle, photography books, women in businessLeave a Comment

Two years ago, I shared a list of books that I was reading to keep me motivated. You can find the list here.

I have to admit, since then, my reading habits haven’t improved, but I do try and read when I can. Or shall I say, listen to books when I can?

Seeing that a lot of us around the world are going through some form of isolation and quarantine due to corona virus, I thought I could share with you a few books that I have found to be interesting.

And the best thing is you can either listen to them using Audible or read them via your devices using Amazon Kindle, Rakuten Kobo, Apple Books, Googles Books, etc. You don’t have to have physical books delivered to you especially now that alot of places are on lockdown.

So, here goes my 5 books that I am reading:

Book #1 – Taking Up Space: The Black Girl Manifesto for Change by Chelsea Kwakye and Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi

I am reading the physical version of this book as part of my evening routine before I sleep. It is a book of young black girls finding themselves in white dominant academic spaces and the challenges they faced. It is a book about their experiences and how they navigated through these spaces. It is about finding ones voice and giving hope to those that follow, that it is ok to question and challenge in order to make the changes that are needed within these spaces.

Book #2 – Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o

I bought this book for my kids, my daughter especially. It is a well written book by Academy Award-winning actress, Lupita Nyong’o with illustrations by Vashti Harrison. This book is all about colourism and loving yourself despite what shade your skin is. A story about self-esteem and true love for oneself from within.

My daughter really loves this book, that she chose it as her book for this year’s World Book Day. She was so proud to take to school to show it to the rest of her class.

Book #3 – Little Black Book: A Toolkit for W orking Women by Otegha Uwagba

I can’t remember how I came about this book, but I can tell you it has certainly helped me navigate the world of working in the creative industry. From building my brand, public speaking tips, money management skills, going back to school to refresh or learn new skills, etc. are some of the gems this little black book has. It is one of those books that I keep referring too for ideas and as I have the kindle version of it, I get updated versions for free. It is more for UK readers, but I have sure there are a few things you may find useful even if you don’t live in the UK.

Book #4 – The Photographers’ Playbook: 307 Assignments and Ideas Edited by Jason Fulford and Gregory Halpern (No Kindle Edition)

As a photographer, I can sometimes feel like my mojo to take pictures wane. This book has a few tips and ideas on how to get you motivated with ‘new’ ideas for photographic projects. This is one book that I have decided to make up with notes and circle the ideas that I know I would like to attempt. It is a book full of photographers and photography professionals giving their ideas on improving on your practice as a photographer.

For example: Tim Barder’s topic Findings suggests you “Find someone else to take your photographs for you. Tell them what you are looking for, and see if you can find it in the photos they take.”

Book #5 – Studio Anywhere: A Photographer’s Guide to Shooting in Unconventional Locations by Nick Fancher

I really welcome this book seeing that I will have to result to working from home for the next few weeks. It has good examples of photographing in tight and weird spaces especially around your home to get the photographs that you want without have to spend so much hiring a studio. You can do so much with very little is more or less the gist of this book.

And there you have it. I hope this list inspires you to read or try new ideas.

What books will you be reading in the coming weeks?

Which books have you read that you would recommend I check out?

#ReadMore

A Little Disclaimer
I am an affiliate and I only affiliate with products and services I have used and would recommend. As I have used some affiliate links in this blog post, if you click on any products and services I recommend to make a purchase, I get a small commission on sales by referring you to these links at no extra cost to you other than the cost of the products and services – in some cases you can even get a discount.
I have purchased the products mentioned and you are not obliged to click on any of the links, but if you do, any revenue generated enables me to continue blogging as well as pay for my bills and I thank you for your support.

5 Books That I am Reading to Keep Me Motivated

Lately, I have begun to analyse how much I read and to be honest, I haven’t been reading as much as I should and that is about to change.

Over the years and this mostly influenced by doing an arts degree in the last five, I cannot fail to acknowledge that as a photographer, photography books are a good source of information to keep me motivated. Some may be hard to read especially when they, ironically, hardly contain any photographs and to be honest, I tend to shy away from those books unless I want to sleep.

Having said that and recovering from the shock of how intense some of these books can get, I am slowly getting back into reading and also listening to books via Audible using their app on my iPhone. As much as I like reading physical books, listening to books enables me to do something else, like take notes, iron, shower, wash dishes, eat, commute, etc. An experience I find quite enjoyable. I also signed up to my local library so I can borrow books I would not necessarily like to keep.

As I write this, I have already read and listened to 6 books this year already with 2 waiting for me to finish listening to on Audible and 5 more on my Kindle app. I know with some of these books I will be referring to them from time to time and I just thought I share 5 of my favourites.

Book #1 – The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson

Fellow photographer and friend of mine, Patricia Ng’ang’a, recommended this book and it is one of the books I listened to first this year. I am glad I did.

It’s one of those books that jolts you into the mindset of working out for yourself that things that matter the most and to stop literally f*cking around with your life. Stop sweating the irrelevant stuff and only give a f*ck to things that really matter and add value to your life.

If you are the kind of person that likes sweating the small stuff especially for no particular reason, you should definitely read this book.

Book #2 – You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero

I watched a vlog by Aileen (Lavendaire) on “How to Attract More Money into Your Life” and she mentioned Jen’s book. I quickly downloaded the audio version of the book as I am at a point in my life where I am ready to attract more money in my life. I am tired of constantly reminding myself why I cannot do or buy something due to limited funds. This book has certainly changed my attitude when it comes to how I deal with money, whether I have it, don’t have it or when I am ready to receive it.

Money is all around us and this book helps us understand that it is not a dirty word and should be embraced and talked about with positivity. Afterall, there is nowhere in this world, unless you are living under a rock, that you will not encounter money. This book helps you accept that and with a positive mindset about money, you can indeed attract it into your life to afford all the experiences you have dreamed of without breaking the proverbial bank. What I also like about this book is that with every chapter, there is a personal story, a case study and little exercises to engage/motivate you into being that money making badass and that the only thing that is stopping you is YOU.

Y ou Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, another of Jen’s book that is on my reading list and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into it.

Book #3 – Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being A Creative by Austin Kleon

I read this book in one sitting. It is a little quirky book with small chunks of information that makes you think about what you can do with your creativity that will make you stand out or just get out there and get creating. It an all-rounder of a book for creatives in this digital age. A book that makes you realise that “…nothing is completely original.”

Book #4 – Show Your Work: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Getting Discovered by Austin Kleon

Once you have read, ‘Steal Like An Artist’ as mention above, you have to read Austin’s follow up book. Just as it says on the cover, you cannot be creating all this awesome work and then keep it to yourself, you have to show it. Show the process, document, share, listen, ask, etc. are all mentioned in this book to get you as a creative to open your doors just enough so that people can see what you are all about and want more. Afterall, your work forms a part of your legacy that you will leave behind once you die. Basically, don’t be the Vivian Maier of the digital age.

Book #5 – The Doctor’s Kitchen: Supercharge your health with 100 delicious everyday recipes by Dr Rupy Aujla

Stumbled upon this book when I popped into the library and I have to say, it was a welcome read. I recently changed my eating habits and reading this book affirmed that I was on the right path when it came to my diet and relationship with food. What sold it to me was that it was written by an NHS doctor who with a lot of research especially as a medical profession confirms that food is the best medicine over prescribed medication anytime. I am not saying you go to your medicine cabinet and start binning your meds, no, I will leave it to the professionals to make that decision for you. What I am saying is that if you feel that something in your body does not feel right, first look at what is on your plate and rethink everything esp. if you feel you are not getting enough plant-based meals in your diet. And if a busy NHS doctor confirms that I am on the right path of adding more plant-based meals to my diet, then I am up for it. I would recommend this book to anyone struggling and wants to get healthy by eating right. And if you want more convincing, watch ‘What The Health’ on Netflix and then read this book. Come back and let me know what you think.

Bonus Book – Beyond the Lens Created by Association of Photographers (AOP)

This is more of a guide rather than a book and it has an arsenal of information for any professional photographer in the UK. As a creative, you can sometimes be confused when it comes to matters relating to the law, contracts, running a business, dealing with other businesses, etc. and Beyond the Lens becomes that reference guide that essentially helps you fight for your rights as a pro photographer. It is not easy finding something like it in the UK market and I am glad that the AOP saw this as an opportunity to produce Beyond the Lens. The one I have featured here is the 4th 2014 Edition. I understand that there is a new edition coming out soon and I will update you once it is published.

And there you have it. These are the books that I have read and will continue to refer back to apart from The Doctor’s Kitchen, which I have to return to the library.

If you haven’t tried Audible, you can sign up for a free trial which you can cancel before they start charging you for membership. Once you sign up, the first book is free and you can keep it even if you cancel your free trial or membership.
TIP: Don’t forget to set a reminder to cancel your free trial at least 2-3 days before the billing date. #NotAnAd

If you have reached this far into this blog post, thank you and I hope you enjoyed it/motivated you to read or listen to more books.

What books are you currently reading or would recommend?

Comment. Like. Share.

#ReadMore

A Little Disclaimer

I am an affiliate and I only affiliate with products and services I have used and would recommend. As I have used some affiliate links in this blog post, if you click on any products and services I recommend to make a purchase, I get a small commission on sales by referring you to these links at no extra cost to you other than the cost of the products and services – in some cases you can even get a discount.

I have purchased the products mentioned and you are not obliged to click on any of the links, but if you do, any revenue generated enables me to continue blogging as well as pay for my bills and I thank you for your support.