Hey, I'm Nicolas
When I was young, I was probably the only kid in the world who looked forward to bedtime, not because I enjoyed sleeping but I loved my bedtime stories. Every night, my parents will tuck me in to bed with a hearty book from the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. While its been quite some time since I read a book from that series, I remembered that I loved every single one of the uplifting and inspiring books from the series(which thus inspired the name of this blog).
Unfortunately, I drifted away from reading as I grew older and turned to other forms of distractions in the online world instead(urgh). Though I managed to do pretty well in school, I simply felt empty inside as my knowledge is only limited to what is contained inside the pages of Algebra 101 or Physics 101. This level of unfulfillment peaked when I first enlisted for National Service(a mandatory conscription service for all Singaporean males). For the first time in my life, I have no exams to study for, no textbooks to memorise and regurgitate and no assignments due. I had nothing to do during my free time, except to resort to doomscrolling.
Everything changed when one of my bunkmates passed me the heartbreaking, yet deeply reflective memoir When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. I was enthralled by his writing, which conveyed so much emotion: pain, regret, and at the same time, optimism for a man who knows that his time on earth is limited. I came to appreciate the brevity of life and the importance of making the most of my brief walk across the eternal timescape.
The ancient Greeks had a vision for the ultimate form of human flourishing. They called it Eudaimonia. To live each day to the fullest, they believed that humans have to hone their critical thinking skills consistently through reading. When you read, you become a doctor, detective or politician. You gain years of life experiences and lessons which would have been impossible otherwise. Reading well and Living well are therefore synonymous with each other.
Being able to read is a tremendous privilege for me. A good book nourishes my soul more than a $1000 shopping spree, a $10,000 life coaching seminar or a $100,000 vacation. I hope to share my love for reading with you and perhaps, you will agree with me that the reading life is a beautiful life :)
Frequently asked questions
What is the purpose of this blog?
For context, when I first started this blog, I was serving my mandatory 2 years of National Service in Singapore. I realised that I had a lot of free time going to waste so I decided to set up this blog as a side project of mine to spend my time more productively. I love reading but I have never been a good writer. I hope that through writing different book summaries, reviews and blogs, it can hone my writing skills and writing discipline. Both skills are extremely important as I pursue my tertiary education.
Do you have a favourite book?
I do not have a favourite book per se because I learn very different lessons from different books and each book speaks to me differently when I'm in a different stage of my life. Hence, I enjoy re-reading certain books as I always learn something different, though the words on the pages are the same. However, two books in particular left a very big impression on me. The first is Can't Hurt me by David Goggins. The book inspired me to constantly challenge myself and push myself to my limits so that I won't have any regrets once I'm older. After reading the book, I started to focus on improving on my physical fitness. Aside from reading, I'm also an avid long-distance runner. I've ran several half-marathons since then and I'm planning to race a full marathon at the end of the year! The second is Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. The book recasted my idea of what it means to live a meaningful life and encouraged me to rise up and face my responsibilities and challenges in life to find meaning. I was having a difficult time in the Army back then so this book inspired me to treat Army as a learning opportunity and to fulfill my duties to the best of my abilities.
What makes your blog stand out from the tons of the other Book blogs?
Every book blog is unique in its own right. However, I noticed that reading is not such a commonplace habit in Singapore, where I reside in. I write in a very personal voice, so I hope that I may inspire more Singaporeans to pick up reading through sharing my own personal experiences of how a particular book has impacted me.
How many books do you read every month?
The honest answer: not much. Usually around 1 -2 books and 3 if I'm on a reading streak. I still have my full time commitments as a soldier so as much as I would love to, I simply do not have the time to read every single moment of my waking time. Next, I'm also a slow reader by nature. I hate rushing through good books. Reading fast will cause me to miss out on several important pieces of information or advice in a book. It is better to sit and grapple deeply with one good book than it is to superficially browse through 10 books. Hence, I apologise if I'm unable to upload book reviews as frequently as other BookTokers. However, I do post about my books recommendations as well as my general thoughts about reading too. Stay tuned for that!
What kind of books do you review?
I mainly review non-fiction books related to psychology, health and science. While I do occasionally read fiction books, (a) I have no idea how to review them lol and (b) they do not really pique my interest as much as non-fiction books.
Do you ever not finish a book?
The short answer is yes. I used to make the mistake of buying whatever books is popular at that time without doing my own research as to whether it is something that I'm actually interested in. If I'm halfway through and I find myself losing the motivation to carry on reading about the subject matter which I have no interest about, I simply put down the book and make a mental note to review it another time. Sometimes the book may not be inherently bad, but it may just not be suited to me at that stage in my life. One caveat though. I am notoriously bad at distinguishing between"bad" books and challenging books. When I'm reading a particularly challenging book, I'm no longer reading for leisure, but I'm actively learning new information. Learning something new is always difficult so I may find myself losing motivation as I progress through it. Thus, I've implemented two rules for reading for myself. (a) Do not buy books on a whim. Do proper research first to ensure that I am actually interested in it. (b) If I ever find myself losing the motivation to carry on with a book, I will review the notes I have made so far. If I have made extensive notes, it is more likely that the book is challenging and I will force myself to carry on reading.