What I’m Reading: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler

Similar to my favorite What Makes Sammy Run, (I seem oddly drawn to novels form the 40s and 50s), or Netflix’s The Politician, this book follows the life of Duddy Kravitz, who, in his misguided ambition, will do anything he can to “be somebody.” Inspired by his grandfather’s warning: “A man without land is a nobody,” Kravitz swindles, lies and cheats his way through his family and friends on his quest to buy up lakefront property to develop into a resort. I’m sure you can guess as to how it goes, but the beauty of this book is its personability. Unlike a lot of stories of this nature, Richler lets you see the journey as a whole, taking you into Kravitz’s mind with every rash decision. In the end, it becomes incredibly clear how someone (and many do) could come to believe in this kind of life. If other books from this era have seemed un-approachable, I would recommend you to take a look here, the story and its message punch through no matter the context. 

What I’m Struggling With: Work/Play Balance

I’m terrible at balancing work and play. While in practice, I can jump back and forth; rarely, my mind is ever able to switch so quickly. Chances are if I’m in work mode, it’s all I can think about when I’m at play and vice versa. The result is that I’m rarely ever able to focus on what’s at hand. While some schedule changes have helped (such as the “chunking” I discussed last week), it really does come down to a sense of presence and ease, something I am working towards every day. 

What I’m Cultivating: An Annual Reading List

One of the things I’ve come to love about my reading practice is stumbling on the one book that somehow wraps up and captures the ideals or lessons of a hundred. As my library grows (faster than I can read it), I want to be able to hold onto those books as they come along. So with this in mind, I’m going to start drafting an annual reading list, ten or so books for me to read every year that encapsulate the most important lessons I’ve learned along the way. I’m sure this list will change as time goes on, but at the very least, its an interesting exercise in keeping lessons at the forefront of your practice. When I finally get the bookshelf up on the running, I’ll be sure to include these top-reads on the list as well.