# June Roundup >[!example] 04 July 2023 #blog Each month I will be sharing a round-up of: - what I have been working on - what I've published (in case you've missed anything) - any extra bits and pieces that you may be interested in. --- It's been a quiet month on the writing front. I'm hitting summer mode. Hence I am dropping goals and intentions. Deliberately. And instead, I'm allowing myself to do what feels right in the moment. (I'm reading about Wu-Wei. Effortless action. The art of letting things happen. Google it.) The same is true for my fitness. Rather than forcing myself to go to the gym, I have listened to my body again. As a result, I am back moving my body in new ways and loving it. Anyway, I digress. Published posts this month include: [[Simplifying the Already Simplified]] → This is my explanation for the 2 articles that I wrote on the menstrual cycle (below). 1. [[Understanding the Menstrual Cycle]] → The full version, which describes the beautiful, complex and multifaceted process of the menstrual cycle. 2. [[The Menstrual Cycle Basics]] → The simplification of the (already) simplified menstrual cycle article above. [[The Impact of Immunomodulation during the Luteal Phase]] → How the immune system changes during the luteal phase. [[Notes to Myself - Lessons Learned & Shared Advice]] → Do not confuse capacity with capability. Fail quicker. Turn the spotlight. ## Book recommendations My goal for the last five years has been to read a book a week. Each year I have hit my target. 52+ books. And yet, I am letting go of my goal this year (7 months in). Why? Because I have realised that I am ploughing my way through books I don't even want to finish. All because I want to tick them off my list. I have let my goals take over. But now that I see what's happening, I want to drop my goals and read for the pleasure of reading. I want to read slower. Deeper. Immersing myself in all the beauty and lessons. Taking the time to reflect on what they mean to me. (Notice a theme?) %%[[read the great books twice]]%% Looking back at the books I have read this year, there are four that I will be re-reading again. As the philosopher Karl Popper said >"Anything worth reading is not only worth reading twice, but worth reading again and again. If a book is worthwhile, then you will always be able to make new discoveries in it and find things in it that you didn't notice before, even though you have read it many times." ### [Unbound by Kasia Urbaniak](https://amzn.eu/d/3ViNJXW) %%[[Unbound by Kasia Urbaniak]]%% I adored this book to the point where I read it twice within a week. I first listened to it on audiobook whilst painting my fences. Then, because I had heard so many valuable insights, I read the ebook version to highlight the key points (as usual). What I loved most about the book was that it helped me to understand my tendencies better. I tend to shy away from being in the spotlight. I freeze up when asked a question. And I dislike asking for things for myself. Scrap that; I hate asking for anything. Putting myself out there is something I genuinely struggle with. Yet, this book allowed me to see things in a different light. It gave me tips and tricks to deal with situations outside my comfort zone. I even convinced my husband to listen to it, which has helped improve our relationship. We've been able to identify what was holding us back. We've learned how to communicate better with one another. We can now ask for what we want, express our thoughts more clearly, and avoid misunderstandings. ### [Human Errors by Nathan Lents](https://amzn.eu/d/1pRYyPx) %% [[Human Errors by Nathan H Lents]]%% Many books focus on how amazing the body is - with some exceptions that delve into pathologies. So it's refreshing to read a book that examines the errors and imperfections in our bodies from a different perspective. It's fascinating to consider how these imperfections make us unique and add to our beauty as human beings. As the book states, there is beauty in our imperfections, whether it's pointless bones, anatomical errors, or runaway nerves. Despite these flaws, there is still something beautiful in the human body. Obviously! ### [Woman by Natalie Angier](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woman-Intimate-Geography-Natalie-Angier/dp/0544228103) %%## [[Woman by Natalie Angier]]%% I recently discovered Natalie Angier's work and am in awe of her writing style. Her book "Woman," published in 1999, has become one of my all-time favourites. The content, which focuses on the female body, is of great interest to me (obviously). But what I really love is her ability to present non-fiction information in such a poetic way. She has a way of making complex topics accessible and enjoyable to read. So as a writer, I aspire to recreate this same skill in my own work, especially when it comes to science. I can but try. ### [Death Interrupted by Blair Bigham](https://amzn.eu/d/auEPywt) %% ## [[Death Interrupted by Blair Bigham]] %% Birth fascinates me, yet death fascinates me more. I don't know why. Some morbid curiosity, perhaps. I've always thought about how incredible it would be to be a death doula. To be there for someone emotionally, physically, and spiritually at the end of their life. And yet, I'm not naive about how difficult this would be, especially after reading this book. Death is scary. But what's more frightening is not knowing what happens in that transition, in the grey zone between life and death. In the purgatory we may find ourselves in. But personally, I want to be prepared for death, for those I love and for my own. Again it may be morbid, but not knowing, well, that scares the shit out of me. This book has helped to answer many of the questions I had and a boatload of questions I hadn't even thought about.