8 February 2023|Thoughts about
This year I have made a commitment to finally tackle my leaning tower of books. I've also made the commitment to read more than just golf-related books! During my first year of retirement I only read about four books, which was a pretty poor effort - especially when one of the books was read on holiday! My aim for this year is to read at least one book a month and to get a mix of fiction and non-fiction. In addition to my daily stretching and exercise routines, I now aim to read for at least 30 mins a day. The brain needs exercise and stimulation too!
Limitless by Jim Kwik
I wish I'd made an effort to read this book sooner. I wish it had been written before I went to university! Looking back at my Amazon orders I bought this when it first came out in the UK back in September 2020. I stumbled across Jim Kwik when listening to a podcast and heard him being interviewed. His own story is both fascinating and inspiring and made me want to read this book. When I was working I never seemed to have the time, but that was actually when I could have used the skills from this book the most! While many of the concepts are not new, the way Jim pulls them together and puts them into his system makes them much more accessible. There's information in here that I think will be really helpful for my girls to learn too and valuable to them as they move through education.
I like the way Jim dismisses the excuses we all make for why we "can't" do things or why we "just aren't good at them". This book is not a magic bullet where you can read it once and apply for a spot on Mastermind! It requires commitment and motivation to use the tools it offers and that is something I plan to do this year. I'm sure I will go back and re-read certain sections of the book and I will also tap into the web resource he offers too. My main reason for reading it was to get to the "methods" section, specifically the tips on memory and speed reading. I thought if there was ever going to be a chance to get through my list of books then speed reading was a must-learn skill!
For speed reading my practice text will be 1984 by George Orwell, another book I started last year and never finished. Watch for a review soon!
So Help Me Golf by Rick Reilly
This was recommended by a friend last year and added to my Christmas list. Rick is an American sportswriter who has written several books about golf and other sports (fiction and non-fiction). There are definitely a few on the list that I will look to read once I've gotten through my pile of others, "Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump" is top of that list. If his other books are anywhere as good as this one then they are must-reads.
This book is a collection of short stories about golf and the strained relationship Rick had with his father. There is a comment in the sleeve note that says "This is Reilly's valentine to golf, a cornucopia of stories that no golfer will want to be without". I couldn't agree more with that sentiment. This is a really engaging and easy-to-read book. We are introduced immediately to the troubled relationship Rick had with his father, how that relates to golf and how it influenced his early views on the game. We come back to this relationship throughout the book in quite a moving and personal way.
This is not an instructional or coaching book, it is about all the mad things in golf that drive us wild yet make us love the game so much. The stories cover almost every aspect of this amazing game, the impact it has on people and some of the crazy things it can make us do. I found it hard to put down at times and thoroughly enjoyed the read. It ranks up there with "Final Rounds" by James Dodson and "The Greatest Game Ever Played" by Mark Frost as my favourite golf-related reads.
Comments