WEBVTT - Second Cup: Commit to a 2020(3) must-read

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to commit to a must read for

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<v Speaker 1>I am sure many people listening to this have a

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<v Speaker 1>long list of books you would like to read it sometime,

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<v Speaker 1>So why not choose one of those books and make

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<v Speaker 1>the time as long time Before Breakfast listeners know. I

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<v Speaker 1>have spent the past year reading slowly through War and Peace.

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<v Speaker 1>I read Leo Tolstoi's epic for the first time in

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<v Speaker 1>and really enjoyed it. But I also read it quite quickly,

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<v Speaker 1>probably to get through it. I decided I wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>re read this book so I could understand it's complex

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<v Speaker 1>characters and the way Tolstoy weaves together philosophy and history

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<v Speaker 1>and narrative action. If generations of book lovers have identified

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<v Speaker 1>War and Peace as one of the best novels ever written,

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<v Speaker 1>then I wanted to make sure I really enjoyed it.

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<v Speaker 1>There are probably classics that you keep meaning to read.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you read them once in school but you think

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<v Speaker 1>you missed some of the nuances, or maybe you just

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<v Speaker 1>keep hearing how profound these books are and you want

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<v Speaker 1>to experience that yourself, Moby Dick, Ulysses, Beloved, Middle March,

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<v Speaker 1>The Brothers, Karamazov. The list is long of classics we

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<v Speaker 1>just can't miss, and yet we inevitably have missed some

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<v Speaker 1>of them. Or maybe you want to read the Bible

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<v Speaker 1>or another sacred text all the way through. There are

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<v Speaker 1>lots of online study plans that provide a roadmap for

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<v Speaker 1>reading through the whole Bible in just a few minutes

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<v Speaker 1>a day. That is totally doable. And if you profess

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<v Speaker 1>a certain faith but have not read the sacred text

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<v Speaker 1>associated with it, well it's probably worth doing. Why not

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<v Speaker 1>in or perhaps you must read? Isn't something that's lasted

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<v Speaker 1>through the generations. Rather, it's something more recent. Other people

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<v Speaker 1>keep talking about it, and you want to join in

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<v Speaker 1>the conversation. Are you the only person in your circle

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<v Speaker 1>who hasn't read Kel Newport's Digital Minimalism or Emily Aster's

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<v Speaker 1>The Family Firm or Oliver Berkman's Four Thousand Weeks? Or

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you haven't read your partner's favorite novel. If your

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<v Speaker 1>partner's favorite book ever is Cormac McCarthy's The Road, don't

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<v Speaker 1>you want to read that as a window into his

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<v Speaker 1>or her in her life. Whatever it is that you

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<v Speaker 1>have been meaning to read, commit to act truly reading

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<v Speaker 1>that one particular book in the coming year. If you

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<v Speaker 1>commit to one must read and focus your energies on

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<v Speaker 1>that one book, you will finally be able to check

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<v Speaker 1>it off your list. Yep, even if it is something

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<v Speaker 1>long like War in Peace or the Bible, and then

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<v Speaker 1>you will become the kind of person who has read

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<v Speaker 1>that book. For something long and intense, you could certainly

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<v Speaker 1>spread your reading out across a few months or even

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<v Speaker 1>the whole year. For something shorter or lighter. Maybe all

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<v Speaker 1>it will take is putting the book on your nightstand

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<v Speaker 1>and actually opening it or packing it into your carry

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<v Speaker 1>on the next time you travel. You could cross this

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<v Speaker 1>new year's resolution off your list in the first two weeks.

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<v Speaker 1>As long as you focus and do it, then who

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<v Speaker 1>knows what that sense of reading momentum will lead to next.

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<v Speaker 1>If you decide on a two must read, I'd love

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<v Speaker 1>to hear what it is. You can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 1>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart

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<v Speaker 1>media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with

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<v Speaker 1>all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit

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