The Genius Life is Max Lugavere’s follow-up to Genius Foods, which I have recommended in the past. Genius Foods focused on a detailed breakdown of nutrition and how our diets impact our bodies and, more importantly, our minds. The Genius Life looks at other factors alongside nutrition that may be hindering our physical and mental health and is split into seven chapters that cover food, our circadian rhythm, the importance of sun and sleep, exercise, the various chemicals found in day-to-day products that disrupt our body, depression and anxiety, and how to incorporate some or all of the suggestions found in this book into your life and make them habits.
Like Genius Foods, this follow-up is chock full of great information broken down for easy reading. All data and research referenced in the book is cited if you want to dive further into any specific area. Many statistics were surprising to me. For example, the average person spends approximately 93% of their time indoors thanks to our modern lifestyle. I thought there was no way this could be correct, but then I examined my own time. I currently have a job where I work from home. Many of my hobbies are sedentary such as reading, writing, playing video games, or watching movies all of which often take place indoors (I do try to read outside when possible). Even most of my exercise is inside, at least for weight training, though I do try to get outside to go for long walks. The 93% of time spent indoors has subsequently led to 42% of the U.S. population being deficient in Vitamin D. So get out and spend at least a little of every day getting some of that beautiful sun.
I really enjoyed Genius Foods which helped me become more conscious of my eating habits and how my diet impacted my health, physically and mentally, and I believe I’ve come a long way with improving both since first reading it. Naturally, I picked up The Genius Life to learn even more and help refocus my attention on ways to be even healthier. The benefits are invaluable. I have much more room to improve, but I already have more energy, feel better mentally and physically, and hopefully will maintain great health and extend my life as long as possible so I can spend it with my family. I say this now having been exercising regularly for 3-4 months and losing almost 30 pounds in the past year (not including the 10 pounds I had put back on last holiday season, whoops!).
We only get one life and I think books like these help us realize how much better off we can be if we paid more attention to our environments and what we put into our bodies. It is never too late to get on a better, healthier path in life. This book has helped me do just that, and I hope it can do the same for you.
Happy Reading.
I have been focusing on my physical health quite a bit lately and this lead to learning more about how food influences our physical and mental health. Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life by Max Lugavere and Paul Grewal is a great resource and overall interesting book that delves into nutrition and health.
Ursula K. Le Guin won the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2014. This collection was originally gathered and published in 2016. Words Are My Matter: Writings on Life and Books consists of essays, book introductions, and book reviews written throughout Le Guin’s lifetime. The book is split into the three categories and only minor editing was done to the original pieces.
I had no idea who Malcolm Gladwell was until I took his MasterClass last year (2019). I have since read every book he has written. I’ve read a handful of articles. Granted, he as been working as a staff writer for the New York Times since 1996, so there are tons of pieces he has written and I doubt I’ll ever read them all. Several have been included in some of his books. I found Mr. Gladwell fascinating. Both as a person and as a writer.
The newest book on the list is About Writing: A Field Guide For Aspiring Authors by Gareth L. Powell. This little pocket book is filled with insights about everything from beginning the writing process to how to build a following and market your published book. It has a bunch of useful tips about social media, outlining a novel, tips for attending conferences or conventions, and overall how to be a present-day author. Gareth is a powerhouse of positive energy and I highly suggest you follow him on Twitter for daily inspiration. I also recommend keeping this book on hand to pick up from time to time and review whatever part of the writing journey you are currently on. One thing I’ve taken into my own practice is Gareth’s suggestion about how to outline a novel. I may end up tweaking it a bit to better suit my needs, but it is proving immensely useful so far.
The second book is the first book on the craft of writing I ever read and the first book I had read by this author. The book in question is one of the most popular: On Writing by Stephen King. I picked this one up shortly after finishing my undergraduate degree and felt the need to keep educating myself on the craft. Admittedly, it has been a minute since I’ve read this book, but I do remember a lot from it. First, this book is split basically into two parts. One half is focused on King himself giving some background to his journey as a writer and the other half is about the craft. Both are incredibly interesting and worth your time. One thing I have always kept with me from this book is King’s habit of always having a book on hand no matter where you are. I’m not sure why this particular thought stuck with me, but he was right that you should always keep a book on hand because you can get reading in with all the “in between” time we have in life. Waiting in line for coffee? Read a few pages. At the doctor? Read some more. Nowadays you can do this with your pocket computer if you prefer an ebook and have the willpower to stay off social media. Physical books don’t have distracting apps. I think I may need to give it another read soon since I have grown a lot as a writer and a person since I last read it.
Next is another “classic” on the craft and another small, pocket-sized book. The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. This is a craft book specific to the actual grammar and syntax and overall use of language and it is useful for writing in general and not just creative writing. It is a great book that can help you bolster your writing and form good habits, but like all the others, it isn’t a rule book. It may be the closest thing to one, but writing is again personal and you have your own style. This is simply one of the better resources to help you stay away from rookie mistakes and improve your prose. I think King mentions this book in his own and had some comments about Strunk and White’s thoughts about adverbs.
This next book I happened to discover while perusing the shelves of my local library. Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. This book was such a fun find. I was surprised to find so many great essays about writing that were simply inspirational. I plan to get a copy of my own to have on hand because you can pick this book up and read any essay and get that spark to start a story or continue whatever you are working on. He has such a great way of reminding you what a joy and privilege it is to write. Any self-doubt will disappear as you read. He definitely puts the zest and gusto into his thoughts about the craft. Bradbury wrote one thousand words every day since he was a kid. I’m hoping I can build a habit like his, to write every day so I am always progressing toward my goal of finishing a novel or short story. I’m still working on this though. I don’t need a thousand words. For now, any amount will do. I just need to build the good habit.
Reflections: On the Magic of Writing by Diana Wynne Jones is another collection of essays. This collection contains a large amount of biographical content about Diana and several essays repeat the same small tidbits about her life as they were written over the course of her career. She led a very interesting life and had some strange things happen to her. You’d almost think she were truly a witch. A good-natured one though. Did you know she had C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as professors? It does contain a lot of practical advice about writing, the market, agents, editors, and publishers. However, a lot of what she is describing is from a few decades ago and much has changed since then. I’ve no doubt some of the changes were due to her influence. Many things haven’t changed much at all unfortunately. The literary landscape may have changed since the writing of the essays, but she has plenty of relevant information in this book, especially about writing for younger audiences.
Ryan Yarber 