On The Same Page: Five New Perspectives For The New Year

PUBLISHED January 7th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED January 18th, 2021 12:17 pm

We’ve finally stumbled our way into 2021, and while the adage “new year new you” is often accompanied by ambitious resolutions we find it impossible to keep, here’s a simpler way to self-improvement. These five books, fiction and non-fiction titles alike ranging from topics of philosophy to mental health, aim to help you look differently at what’s already there.

The Art of Rest: How To Find Respite In The Modern Age by Claudia Hammond

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 2020 has been an exhausting year — even if all most of us got up to was surfing Netflix on the couch and working from home in our PJs. But how many of us can say we felt truly rested? Claudia Hammond unpacks society’s glorification of busyness in this age of “hustle culture,” using a research-driven approach to help us figure out how to rest, and what it can do for us.

Hammond draws on results from ‘The Rest Test’, the world’s largest study on rest that surveyed 18,000 people across 135 different countries. Rather than focus on the already expounded-upon issue of sleep, Hammond looks at restful activities that help to unwind, calm our minds, and recharge our bodies. You’ll get a useful tip or two out of this book to start creating a more restful and balanced life for yourself.

The Art of Rest: How To Find Respite In The Modern Age is available at Book Depository and Blackwell’s.

Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson

Mark Manson made waves with his 2016 bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, which gave shape to the anxiety of modern existence. Now, he moves from the conflict within oneself to the conflicts that afflict the world, from political failures to collapsing economies and climate change.

Leaving no stone unturned in this riveting book, Mark discusses everything from religion and politics to our relationship with money, the internet, and challenges our understanding of central ideas in our lives, from faith to freedom. This challenging read will force you to face the hard parts of life and come to terms with yourself and the world in ways you probably haven’t before. But hey, whoever said that betterment was easy?

Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope is available at Amazon and Book Depository.

White: Behind Mental Health Stigma

For something a little closer to home, pick up White: Behind Mental Health Stigma. Mental health is a tough issue to navigate, exacerbated by a lack of education and resources, but this timely publication provides stark insights into the status of mental health in Singapore.

Drawing from a whopping 50 voices, ranging from academics like Dr Mythily Subramaniam (IMH) and institutions like Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) to personal narratives and testimonials, it provides a multi-faceted understanding of mental health. This is a book that’ll make you look twice at yourself and those around you, and leave you better equipped to navigate mental healthcare in Singapore.

White: Behind Mental Health Stigma is available here.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

This seminal 1967 novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez has certainly made its way onto every bookworm’s radar. Admired primarily for its brilliant magical realist style of writing, this book cemented Marquez’s presence in the literary canon.

Beyond the beautiful storytelling lies a heartbreakingly honest narrative about prosperity and tragedy, the growth and death of places and people. Above all, it’s an important reminder that we must live life in the moment. Worries, memories, hopes — these are fleeting and futile feelings that ultimately do not matter beyond death. What does matter is the relationships we share with our fellow humans.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is available at Book Depository.

Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder

This 1991 novel by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder is one part amusing, one part thought-provoking, and all around enjoyable. It follows the life of Sophie Amundsen, a Norwegian teenager introduced to the history of philosophy through a series of mysterious letters and encounters with Alberto Knox, a middle-aged philosopher.

Dip your toes into everything from Socrates to Sartre and question the little and big things in life as you follow the story of Sophie, which goes through a series of fantastical twists. While the story itself is a fantasy, its little lessons and messages are anything but, giving you a bite-sized introduction to Western philosophy, but more importantly, a rediscovery of childhood curiosity.

Sophie’s World is available at Book Depository.

Top image from White: Behind Mental Health Stigma.