I didn't think I'd get around reading that much last month — mainly due to the move. But I ended up inhaling five books in four days during my off-time. It shows you what not using a phone for a few days can achieve.
The focus of December has been money. I have been thinking about some financial changes I want to introduce to my life, so I figured it would be a good idea to refreshen my knowledge of the financial world and learn a thing or two. I read four books on money, all very different (and yet very similar).
In the future, I might do this more often. Have a particular month turn around a single topic and read non-fiction books based on this. But I will still read fiction books. It's my way to wind down in the evening.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
This book is... challenging. It's anything but a happy, feel-good story. And yet it keeps you hooked. The gist is: Due to a dream, a woman turns vegetarian, impacting her family and everyone around her. However, it's not about vegetarianism, and frankly, it doesn't even go into the topic at all. Trigger-warning: It talks of abuse.
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
I read every book on Greek mythology I can find. Thus, I have heard of most of the bigger storylines already. This was still somehow new, though. A Thousand Ships is a retelling of the Trojan War from the women's point of view. What happens to them after the war ends? What do the widows feel? What happens to the losing side? This book tries to answer that question.
Happy Money by Ken Honda
Happy Money was the first book in my money deep dive. It shares its same name with another famous money book, but it is by Japanese author Ken Honda. In it, he focuses on our relationship with money and tries to help the reader heal from untreated wounds. From time to time, the book is a little weird. Honda tells us to thank our money for every transaction and keep having a positive attitude. These parts were a bit too esoteric for my liking.
The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco
The Millionaire Fastlane focuses on getting rich quickly (quickly, not easily!). The author believes there is no way to get rich by investing only while still young enough to take advantage of your wealth. Instead, DeMarco wants to teach you how to get rich while young and what it takes to get there (a company). And yes, I know how this sounds. But believe me, this is not a money-grabbing scheme by the author. Frankly, it's not really about money but rather a guide on entrepreneurship. What makes a company successful, how do you deliver value to your clients, what different types of company structures are better suited for wealth, etc.? I can recommend this to anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit.
Die With Zero by Bill Perkins
This book resonated the most with me. In Die With Zero, Bill Perkins teaches you to use money to maximise life quality. According to the author, different life periods are better suited for specific experiences than others. So, instead of saving when young, you should use some of it to go skiing, for example. Because at a particular time, you'll be too old to have this experience despite now having money to burn. The book also tries to uncover the exact moment you should stop saving and start using your money. The goal? Die with a zero on your bank account.
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
This might have been the book I should have started my deep dive with. When I ended up reading this one, I've already known most of what this book talks about. Still, I believe it was a great way to summarise what I've learned. If you want to follow in my footsteps and reread the mentioned books, I suggest starting with this one.
