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Cover of Meditations for Mortals by Oliver BurkemanMeditations for Mortals
New · Nonfiction, Philosophy, Self Help

Meditations for Mortals

by Oliver Burkeman
2024 · 169 pages · Nonfiction
Reserve shelf
≈ 4 hours to read · about 8 days at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks, offers a four-week course of short daily readings on how to live with our limits: accepting that we'll never get everything done, letting go of perfectionism, acting before we feel ready, and finding meaning in the present.

Why it's worth reading

It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's wise, practical and freeing.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's a self-help book of short chapters.

By the numbers

68.5Must-Read Score
  • Readers78 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller19 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.

Why it made the list

Shortlisted
Goodreads Choice (nonfiction) finalist (2024)

Reads as

Practical, Thought-provoking

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Quick answers

Is Meditations for Mortals worth reading?

It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 68.5 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is Meditations for Mortals about?

Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks, offers a four-week course of short daily readings on how to live with our limits: accepting that we'll never get everything done, letting go of perfectionism, acting before we feel ready, and finding meaning in the present.

How long does it take to read Meditations for Mortals?

About 4 hours (169 pages), or about 8 days at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after Meditations for Mortals?

If you liked it, try The Comfort Book by Matt Haig, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey or A Grief Observed by CS Lewis.