Do you enjoy reading? What have you been reading recently? What sorts of books do you like and why? Real ones, with paper smells and feels, or digital ones? Or perhaps audio books are your bag? I had a partially sighted great aunt and have happy memories of spending time together, sitting either side of the fire in her sitting room, listening to her talking books. 

I confess to having a bit of a book habit. There are books in every room of my house, apart from the bathrooms, and none within sight of Zoom. Sometimes in Zoom meetings my mind wanders, wondering whether the people with the perfectly curated shelves behind them ever use their books. And then there is the colour and size curation. Each to their own, I guess.

Every so often, a long-owned book suddenly stands out from the others on my shelves, usually when I need to read them. A case in point, I have finally found and begun reading my old copy of Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to win friends and influence people’. It has been sitting invisible on my shelf for a couple of decades. It was written almost a century ago, having been developed during the preceding decades and in much the same way that we currently reference decisions and behaviours in the Second World War, there are references to the American Civil War. And the ancient philosophers. It is fascinating how humans don’t change that much... Now I run an online business, it is interesting to see the influence and inspiration (and direct wording, in some cases) for so many marketing coaches with a ‘unique thought leadership’ message.

Would it hurt to refer to sources? I don’t know about you, but I rather admire people who do.

The very best book I ever bought for my Dad literally answered my call. I was standing by myself in the very wonderful Stroud Bookshop and had just let out an exasperated thought about not having a clue about what to get Dad for Christmas. There was a thump on the floor behind me, and there it was. It had thrown itself off the shelf. I have no idea how that happened. Gravity is one of the weakest forces in the universe, so perhaps it was just a very slow tumble from an inept placement some minutes before I arrived... who knows? But it was perfectly serendipitous.

Having recently enjoyed a leisurely wander around bits of Scotland with my tent in between client work, I have enjoyed reading a few books. One of my very favourite camping activities is to make a pot of tea and return to bed to read on a rainy morning. There is something about being snugged up under a duvet, reading to the sound of rain on canvas.

But sadly, it didn’t rain, so I had to make do with sunny days instead. Such is life. And on one morning I did allow myself to be diverted into watching dolphins as I drank my morning tea in my tent side chair. Anyway, that passed, as all things do… that week, I finished ‘The Old Ways’ by Robert MacFarlane, a book which I had somehow missed reading years ago. It was the perfect set up for a bit of a walkabout in the landscape where five of my great grandparents originated. Since coming home, I have been reading ‘The Living Mountain’ by Nan Shepherd. I find that the timing has to be right for books. Sometimes I can’t read more than a page or so before falling asleep, but when the timing is right, they become page turners. ‘The Living Mountain’ is one of those, and whilst being deliciously slow reading now, it is one for re-reading in the future.

The book that has affected me most deeply in recent weeks is ‘This is Dyslexia’ by Kate Griggs. I have been suspecting for some time that I have dyslexic coping strategies for reading (please don’t ever send emails in Courier New or Arial Narrow – it affects the word shape and will deeply affect the dyslexic, provoking seemingly irrational emotional responses). 

The subtitle for Kate’s book is ‘The definitive guide to the untapped power of dyslexic thinking and its vital role in our future’. Dyslexic thinking. That’s a thing! What a revelation!

Firstly, it is great to have an explanation about why I am a systems thinker; why I often come up with odd suggestions; and why I am so good at finding clarity in patterns. I also didn’t realise that my spatial awareness (and why I love driving vehicles, steering canal boats, flying gliders etc) was a dyslexic thing.

Secondly it is wonderful to have dyslexia re-framed as a positive. Most people know about Einstein and Jackie Stewart, but they’re pinnacle people, and there isn’t much space up there for us more normal, valley dwelling people. Dyslexic thinking is rich, diverse and multidimensional and something that quite a lot of us have access to. There are so many flavours of it, and with it there are so many possibilities. Best of all, it turns out that people who are a bit dyslexic are often avid readers.