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OUR TOP 20 BOOKS TO READ DURING SELF-ISOLATION

Created
December 21, 2021
| Updated
December 21, 2021
|
7
min read
By
Better Nature
Better Nature
Better Nature
A man sitting down on a bed with a book on his lap and a mug in his hand.

Our team’s favourite reads

Losing yourself into a good book with a cup of tea and some biscuits or chocolate is definitely an activity that brings us joy - especially nowadays. Diving into a captivating book can help you forget the worries of the world for a while, and then surface again recharged and refreshed. So, instead of talking about tempeh, plant-based diet or ways to go green, we wanted to do something different today and share some of our favourite reads with you.

If you’re craving for some reading time but nothing on your bookshelf appeals to you, perhaps getting an e-book or audio book could be an option at this time? However, we do recommend rummaging through your own shelves first - you might just find some forgotten gems that are worth a second read! But now, without any further ado, let’s get to our recommendations.

Elin’s (Co-Founder & Head of Marketing) recent faves include:

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

This book helped me look at the world in a whole new way, reflecting on how ego drives us as a society and how to rid myself of this - so eye-opening and life-changing!

How to Fail by Elizabeth Day

This book is a refreshing take on failure and how necessary it is for us to learn and grow - Elizabeth is so open and honest, and encourages us as readers to be the same.

Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon

In this book Bryony talks about her history with mental illness, particularly OCD, anxiety and depression, giving an honest, eye-opening and moving account of what it’s like to live with these conditions and how as a society we can better support our mental health.

Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness

While JVN is best known for being fabulous in Queer Eye, in this book he discusses less happy times in his life, covering everything from traumatic incidents he experienced as a child to being diagnosed with HIV. It is as moving as it is inspiring.

Body Positive Power by Megan Crabbe

In this book Megan discusses her body positivity journey, specifically how she recovered from many years of anorexia to grow to love, respect and honour her body, despite society’s best efforts to ensure she didn’t. Such an important read for us all.

If you’re in the mood for engaging non-fiction that inspires you these books are the way to go!

A woman picking a book off a bookshelf.
Image credit to Christine Hulme.

Our Designer Ursa, in turn, would recommend reading:

The Art of Peace by Morihei Ueshiba

The book might be tiny, but the words are mighty. It’s about facing life challenges with wisdom and love – not with violence. Motivational quotes for a ‘warrior ‘going through life and its obstacles - you can pick it up and read it whenever, multiple times.

The Answer by Allan & Barbara Pease

A book that talks about RAS (Reticular Activating System) and its amazing effects on a person’s life when you reprogram your mindset. The book talks about how to work on RAS and achieve anything you literally put your mind to.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Binge-worthy Swedish crime novel (you have to read the whole trilogy also known as Millennium), that follows two main characters, the journalist Blomkvist and a young rebellious lady Lisbeth. The pair joins forces to unveil the history and horrendous crimes of the Vanger family that owns the Vanger Corporation…

Bed of Bones by Cheryl Bradshaw

Bed of Bones is yet another fiction thriller (what can I say, I love detective stories), one of many from the Sloane Monroe series. This time private detective Sloane gets involved in a murder at the Sundance Film Festival and unexpectedly has to dig deep into the past in order to solve the crime in the present.

The above crew is a mixture of non-fiction and fiction - a bag of mixed nuts as Ursa described her list!

A woman reading a book with her back on a bed.
Image credit to Nicole Wolf.

Chris' (Co-Founder & Business Development) list of recommendations looks a bit different from the others and includes:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Shoe Dog is an autobiography written by Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, and chronicles how he built what is one of the world’s most recognisable brands from essentially nothing but a deep love for running and shoes. It’s incredibly well written and is an honest account of how great (and painful) running a business can be! Would 100% recommend it to any budding entrepreneur out there.

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

This book is a biography (I do love my biographies) about Jeff Bezos and how he built Amazon - the world’s most valuable company. Though not as heart-wrenching and riveting as Shoe Dog, it’s still a great read nonetheless!

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

For those that need some cheering up, this book is the one. Though it is hard to believe that we, Humans, have made much progress over the years, after reading this book you will find that the world is much better off than the media would have us think.

Abundance by Peter Diamandis

Abundance is the only book that I have read more than once and is a true eye-opener. It is a detailed account of how technologies that exist today can make any of our basic human needs completely abundant if applied properly. The perfect combination of optimism and geeky science :D

What Chris said when asked for book recommendations “You can imagine that I don't read a lot of fiction haha” So, don’t go looking for any heartbreaking love stories or nail-biting thrillers among that factful group! :D

A book on a bed with a pair of glasses on top of it.
Image credit to Sincerely Media.

Noora’s (Head of Social) some recent and old favourites include:

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

This book explores everything from eradicated black history to the inextricable link between class and race, and sheds light on the race relations in Britain today. The book is so eye-opening and provides a lot of food for thought - a must-read for sure!

Educated by Tara Westover

This book is a memoir that tells the story of Tara who was born to Mormon fundamentalist parents in Idaho, the youngest of seven. Her father doesn’t believe in sending his children to school, or in Western medicine. Tara gets regularly beaten and abused by an elder brother, which is hard to read. However, despite having no formal education Tara manages to self-study her way to college and into a new life. This book gets you hooked from the first pages!

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book is such a joy to read and in it Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of e.g. “Eat, Pray, Love”,  shares her wisdom and perspective on creativity. If you think you don’t have a creativity bone in your body, you need to read this book. Are you an artist who is feeling stuck? This book is for you, too. In fact, this book is for everybody!

Basically all the novels by Carol Shields!

The late Carol Shields had an exceptional ability to write about ordinary lives in a way that feels anything but mundane. In a beautiful way she really managed to make the characters feel real and relatable.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

This is like the most incredible novel, but it’s in fact true. Truth certainly can be stranger than fiction! Jeannette’s father was an alcoholic and her mother an eccentric artist, the family lived in poverty and Jeannette and her siblings had a very unconventional upbringing. This truly is an amazing (true) story!

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown

This wonderful book is based on years of social research and it argues (rightly so) that vulnerability is not weakness, but a strength. Worth a read!

What Noora wants to read:

The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac

It’s all in the title! ;)

This list certainly is a mixed bag as well including fiction, memoirs, ‘self-help’ and educational reads.

Now we’d like to hear from you: What are your fave books?

P.S. If you’d like to hear more about any of these books, just drop us a message at hello@betternaturefoods.co or DM us on Instagram (@betternature_ ), and we’ll forward the message to the person who recommended the book :)

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