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Books I read in May 2022

Dr. Joe Bathelt
5 min readJul 5, 2022

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On the hunt for something that can entertain or inform you? I’m sharing the books that I read last month, including a reimagined ancient myth, a writer’s way to learn almost anything, a philosophically inspired pep talk, and a commute-length novella.

Photo by Gülfer ERGİN on Unsplash

Jeanette Winterson: Weight — The Myth of Atlas

What can i tell you about the choices we make? Fate reads like the polar opposite of decision, and so much of life reads like fate.

This is a modern retelling of the myth of Atlas. In this modern version, we get an insight into the mind of the titan, who literally had to carry the weight on his shoulders. Jeanette Winterson weaves a multi-layered tail with beautifully evocative imagery. I was so engrossed in the narrative that I read the whole story in one swift sitting. Nevertheless, some images stuck with me in the following days. I especially liked that the role of fate was reflected in the repetition of elements in the beginning and the end. However, I also found some aspects a bit tedious. For instance, I found the characterisation of Heracles a bit tedious. Altogether…

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Dr. Joe Bathelt
Dr. Joe Bathelt

Written by Dr. Joe Bathelt

I’m a lecturer in psychology specialised in cognitive neuroscience. Topics: brain and mind, productivity, and academic work flows. More info: www.joebathelt.com

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