Tag Archives: book lover

Elon Musk Says Read These Books

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Here’s a quick article from medium.com by Matt Lillywhite about Elon Musk and his reading habits. He gives three books (series) that are must-reads. I was excited to say I’ve read them all 🙌🤩

Photo by Cody Board on Unsplash

3 Books Elon Musk Thinks You Should Read In 2021

A reading list that will inspire you to think differently.

Elon Musk is undoubtedly one of the most inspiring and ambitious people on the entire planet. He’s launched rockets into space, built tunnels under Los Angeles, and created one of the world’s most recognizable car brands. And if those aren’t incredible achievements, I don’t know what are.

Elon recently became the richest person in the world. And unsurprisingly, he credits a lot of his success over the past few decades to a passion for reading new books.

“I read books and talked to people. I mean, that’s kind of how one learns anything. There are lots of great books out there & lots of smart people.” — Elon Musk

That quote got me thinking. If several books inspired Elon Musk to change the world, perhaps they could inspire other people as well. So after reading some of his book recommendations, I’ve decided to share my favorites.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adam.

I read this for the first time during my teenage years. I remember being yelled at by my mom because I was reading at 3am — a few hours before I was supposed to get up for school. It’s the book that initially inspired me to develop a passion for science-fiction and astronomy.

In the book, aliens destroy Earth to make way for an intergalactic highway. But seconds before the planet’s annihilation, the main character (Arthur Dent) hitches a ride on a spaceship to travel throughout the universe while seeking the meaning of life or something close to it.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is an excellent read for anyone wanting to discover an entirely new way of thinking about the world. Quoting Elon Musk:

“I read Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, which is quite positive I think, and it highlighted an important point, which is that a lot of times, the question is harder than the answer. And if you can properly phrase the question, then the answer is the easy part. So, to the degree that we can better understand the universe, then we can better know what questions to ask.”

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

My English teacher screamed at me for reading a “Lord of The Rings” book during class. She wasn’t happy. But being totally honest, I don’t regret reading when I was supposed to be working. It’s one of my favorite book series of all-time as it reminded me of the importance of friendship and the beauty of life.

In essence, The Lord Of The Rings is a fantasy novel set in Middle-Earth. Published in three separate volumes, it’s considered one of the best-selling pieces of literature ever written — with over 150 million copies sold. Quoting Elon Musk:

“The heroes of the books I read, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and the ‘Foundation’ series, always felt a duty to save the world.”

The “Foundation” Trilogy by Isaac Asimov.

I want to be totally honest with you. I wasn’t expecting to love these books as they’re entirely different from the type of stuff I’d usually read. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed them.

Set in the distant future, the books describe the various challenges that humankind could face while conquering the stars. For example, tribalism, barbarianism, and many other things that are deeply rooted in human psychology.

This book became the catalyst for learning more about rocket science, artificial intelligence, and other things that will be useful to humanity in the future. So if you’re someone who loves space and science fiction, this book is certainly something you’ll want to read in 2021. Quoting Elon Musk:

“Given that this is the first time in 4.5 billion years where it’s been possible for humanity to extend life beyond Earth, it seems like we’d be wise to act while the window was open and not count on the fact it will be open a long time.”

Over the past few months, I’ve noticed that I have a lot of things in common with Elon Musk. Unfortunately, I’m not talking about owning an aerospace company or inspiring millions of people to think in completely different ways.

Instead, I’m referring to a passion for reading that changes the way I see the world. I enjoy learning new things and discovering what’s truly possible when I put my mind to something.

Each of the above books has been recommended by Elon Musk. And if you enjoy reading about a variety of subjects, you’ll probably enjoy every single one. So what are you waiting for?

Start now.

Reading is Good For You

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Another fantastic book lover article I came across. This time on weight watchers blog. Weird, right?

Reading is good for you. If you routinely stay up late turning pages, nearly miss your train stop because you’re this close to finding out whodunit, and your name has practically worn off your library card, you probably know this intuitively. What may surprise you is that reading doesn’t just make you smarter—it may make you calmer.

“Reading has long been known to help us relax,” says Jephtha Tausig, PhD, a clinical psychologist in New York City. “In fact, quiet reading is often recommended as an activity to do right before light out as it helps our brains prepare to shut down for sleep.”

Consider this: Research published in the Journal of Teaching and Learning followed graduate students as they were given 30 minutes of reading, yoga, or humor as ways to ratchet down stress. Reduction was determined via a standard survey as well as measures of heart rate and blood pressure. At the end of the study, researchers concluded that all three were equally effective.

Finding out that reading a novel has as much stress-lowering benefit as yoga? That’s an interesting story! Read on to find out the reading’s power.

How Reading May Calm You

It compels you to be still.

The very act of sitting or lying down and reading a book means your body is at rest. Physical stillness (you can’t read while you’re dashing around the house, right?) invokes calm, says Tausig, by allowing your muscles to let go of tension.

It can be a form of meditation. 

Reading requires you to focus your mind on what’s right in front of you, says Steven Levine, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and founder and CEO of Actify Neurotherapies. “By engaging the parts of the brain required to read words, comprehend the subject matter, and relate it to personal experience, reading may ‘crowd out’ stress.” In short, losing yourself in a story actually may promote a sense of meditative calm.

It may ease anxiety.

Becoming absorbed in a diverting story does two things simultaneously: it takes your mind off an anxiety feedback loop when you’re worried about things in your own life that you can’t control (work pressures, financial issues, problems with children or family); and it gives you a whole new set of people and places to think about. You may find that reading a novel about someone who overcame a problem that makes you anxious helps you feel calmer and more in control. At the very least, for the time you’re actually reading your book, “your mind is off whatever’s making you anxious,” says Tausig.

It reduces blood pressure and heart rate.

When you’re stressed, your body responds physiologically: blood pressure and heart rate rise. The very act of reading often reduces those reactions. “You automatically breathe slower when you’re reading,” says Tausig, which slows your heart rate and relaxes your blood vessels, allowing blood to flow more easily.

Get the Most Out of Reading

Be sure to choose books that speak to you. Sure reading about mindfulness, stress reduction, or other self-improvement topics may alleviate stress, but that may not work for everyone, says Dr. Levine. A book of spiritual or inspirational vignettes could become your go-to, as can the latest in a series of beach reads or romance novels. Others may find delving into history or biography diverting. Counterintuitively, you may find an edge-of-your-seat thriller or murder mystery weirdly calming.

“Personal preference should dictate what reading material you turn to, though it stands to reason that you may wish to avoid anything really gruesome or scary,” says Tausig. If you’re not sure, experiment with different types of reading material. Long or short, you should give yourself enough time to get involved (or re-involved, if you’re in the middle of a book) for the stress-busting benefits to kick in.

Reading is the ideal indulgence—it’s guilt-free, calorie-free, even free free if you avail yourself of library books—and a great way to reduce stress.