Hacking the Reading Downtime and a ✨ surprise giveaway ✨
Caught in a whirlwind of changes this season? Don't sacrifice reading, instead, find the right format and make it fit seamlessly in your routine.
“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
Pablo Neruda
Historically, Spring has been the season of rebirth and renewal; this year, changes are more than welcome with life rapidly catching up to pre-isolation speed. If you’re finding it hard to balance the whole working + social life + responsibilities + downtime combo, don’t rush to sacrificing your reading goals just yet. Instead, try to find a format that fits your routine and stay on track:
Home, car or the gym: Audiobook
For people on the move squeezing in time to read can be hard, but with audiobooks and listenable versions of classics and best-sellers alike, there’s no excuse. Just pop your earbuds in to listen from your phone, or connect to your Bluetooth radio/speaker and let the amazing narrators bring the words to life while you do you.
Some great options to explore: Libro.fm, LibriVox, Audiobooks.com, Audible, or your local library.
Public transportation, planes, and trains: eBook
That commute will go flying with the company of your favorite (or newly acquainted) author. If you’d rather travel light and don’t want to be bothered carrying around a bulky tome, eBooks will change your life.
You can download them on devices you already have (phone, tablet, computer); or invest in an eReader. With all sorts of models and features, you’ll find one that covers all your needs. Their also available for all budgets, and you can even get a used one if you’re testing the waters (I recently got a Kindle Paperwhite for my skeptic mom on eBay for $15 USD and she LOVES it).
You can buy and download eBooks from: Ebooks.com, BookBub, Kobo, Project Gutemberg, Open Culture, or (you know this next one) your local library!
🔥 tip: Search for the author’s website/socials and order directly from them or their preferred seller.
Check out these options for devices: Kobo, Kindle, Nook. And check out this article on what features you should consider when buying one.
Cafes and parks (and basically anytime): Paper
Good old paper, everyone’s favorite. There’s not much else to add besides the fact that enjoying a good book under the sun, or in a special nook is pretty hard to beat.
Also, books are great conversation starters to broaden your friend group in post-isolation times (just don’t be creepy about it).
Final words: Mix and match however and whenever your want. The point is to enjoy the reading experience, no matter the format. 🖤 📚
What we’ve been reading*:
*Listening on Libby because we’re on the move.
April: The masterpiece that is Mediocre by Ijeoma Oluo
When we say this book should be a mandatory read in schools, we’re not exaggerating. Oluo takes on patriarchy, and specifically white cisgender maleness, head on through an illuminating analysis of how it has designed a society where everyone is set up to fail except for (you guessed it) White Men™ no matter their actual skills/abilities.
Through her unique voice, the author creates a path that is both complex and extremely easy to understand, making readers come to their own conclusions while shining a light on issues of culture and representation, with the special appearance of all-that’s-wrong Buffalo Bill; education, the story of desegregation busing and its effects (or lack thereof) on today’s school systems; and the workplace, forget the glass ceiling, women have been in a glass box; just to mention some.
When the reader reaches the end of this maze, the systemic conditions that work as dams for our current economic, political, and social systems are stripped raw — even if we knew they were there all along.
Our brief synopsis of this book doesn’t do it justice, so check it out ASAP! (and buy a couple of extra copies to gift everyone you know). Also, the audiobook is read by herself, so extra points!
“Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man."
Sarah Hagi’s quote that inspired Ijeoma Oluo’s book Mediocre.
May: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
When Chris Voss says “everything in life is a negotiation” he knows what he’s talking about. From his time learning about human interaction at a suicide prevention hotline, to being a top international negotiator for the FBI, and consulting in the business side of things… he has earned his stripes when it comes to understating how negotiating really works.
If you’re looking for an aggressive “take what you want, whatever means necessary” approach, this is NOT the book for you. Voss puts forward techniques that are based on empathy and collaboration, in ways that even the most amateur negotiators can apply from day one. He also addresses the elephant in the room: how awkward negotiating really is… at first. This IS the book for you if you’re looking to be more assertive and smart about how you approach day-to-day dynamics and opportunities (getting a raise, working up to a better deal for that coffee table you’ve been eyeing, dealing with your landlord…) while exercising your confidence and having fun while at it.
If you want a preview of the book’s content, check out Voss’s TED Talk or his MasterClass.
“However your life is now, you can do better!”
Chris Voss
Join the #Bookchallenge and enter a ✨ surprise giveaway ✨
We’re halfway through 2021, it’s time to shake things up a bit. The book of the month is 🥁 🥁 🥁 the most popular book in the USA the year you were born.
Inspired by the list from Twenty two words, with almost a century worth of titles, this walk down literary memory lane is a great opportunity to tune in with the cultural ins and outs of your ~birthyear~.
What was the most popular book the year you were born? Find it here!
Now for the interesting part, enter the giveaway and get July’s Book of the month as a gift. (The book will be announced July 3rd).
How to enter
1. Subscribe to the newsletter.
2. Follow us! @12booksclub on Instagram.
3. Like the Giveaway post on IG and leave a comment mentioning 1 book-loving friend 👯 and what you think about YOUR book of the month. Was it a sign of the times?
The fine print
Ends Saturday, July 3rd at midnight EST. Check out our stories on the 4th for the winner💥 . US/CANADA/LATAM/EU only (Hopefully soon we’ll expand 🌎🌍🌏 ). Only those who completed all the above steps will enter the giveaway. The prize will be given in the form of a gift card redeemable in selected book stores based on the winner’s location. Extra expenses -such as shipping- won’t be covered by 12 BOOKS CLUB or selected book store.
In the meantime, tell your friends about 12 BOOKS CLUB and help them stay on track with their reading goals for 2021!