Len Deighton passed away a few days ago, in Guernsey, at the age of 97.

Reading his obituary took me back to my late teens and early 20s, when I first discovered his books. I recall what joy his writing brought me.

I loved his Cold War spy novels. He wrote his characters so beautifully, and his scenes so evocatively.

My first Deighton books? The Game, Set, and Match trilogy. I later discovered the second trilogy – Hook, Line, and Sinker. All six are very captivating books.

As for the third trilogy – Faith, Hope, and Charity – somehow I didn’t get round to reading these books. However, that’s going to change in the coming months.

Deighton was an excellent storyteller. I want to revisit the beauty of his writing, and so I’ve decided to complete his “trilogy of trilogies”.

I’ve read the first two trilogies, so it’s only the third left for me to complete. However, I am filled with nostalgia for the first two trilogies, and I would like to read them again.

Although the books can be read in any order, and each book is complete in itself, here is how I plan to approach this: I will start by re-reading the first two trilogies. Then, after that, I will read the third trilogy (Faith, Hope, and Charity) for the first time.

Tonight I started my re-read of the first trilogy (Game, Set, and Match). I am now reading Berlin Game. Next up, Mexico Set, and then London Match.

These are now being added to my March reading list. I’d even say they’re right at the top of that list.

Truly grateful for the good gifts Len Deighton left us. Looking forward to getting reacquainted with his work.

Here’s what’s on my (digital) reading table during this month:

• The way of excellence, by Brad Stulberg. I have this on both kindle and audible. I read Stulberg’s previous book, Groundedness. It was an excellent read. This one is also very good.
• Entitled – the rise and fall of the House of York, by Andrew Lownie. Very timely read, given recent developments in the British Royal Family.
• Jump! A new philosophy for conquering procrastination, by Simon May. Came across a good review of this book in the Times Literary Supplement, and that led me to buy it.

I’ve been reading quite slowly this month. However, now that I’ve binned my social media habit, I expect to get through my reading lists quicker than before.

I’ve been reading Kendra Adachi’s latest book, The Plan. (Actually, I’ve been listening to it on Audible.)

It’s a great book, truly insightful.

I first heard about Kendra Adachi when she was interviewed by Cal Newport on his podcast, Deep Questions.

In that episode, Adachi talked about the value of striving for contentment, rather than for greatness. She also explained how, in our quest for maximum productivity, we often forget that we are just human. Sometimes, it’s okay not to strive for greatness, but to stay grounded and to feel complete and balanced in every area of our lives. Sure, being ambitious and wanting to achieve great things is important, but it shouldn’t take away from living one’s full life, and from staying true to oneself.

Something else Adachi points out, both in the podcast and the book: a lot of productivity books are written by men, but most of the readers of these books are women. However, these books often don’t consider women’s lived experiences, and so give advice that can be unsuitable for their female readers. For example, if a productivity book does not even consider the fact that women bear a disproportionate share of the work in the home, the writer will proffer advice that would be simply unworkable for the average woman with a family and small children.

Adachi also mentions that not everyone is cut out to follow a strict plan. We are not all created in the same way. Some people thrive on having everything mapped out clearly in front of them, while others prefer a more flexible approach.

Also, these productivity books don’t often recognise the fact that life seldom goes according to plan. To Adachi, one key skill is the ability to pivot when a plan does not go as intended. (I think perhaps we should talk more about pivots and less about plans.)

All told, this is a great book. Heartily recommended.