If you read great books, you will gain a fuller understanding of the world.~ The Art of Writing by Peter Yang
Cold weather has rolled in. I keep my mind and body warm by snuggling under the throw blanket while ruminating ideas on both hands. How are you spending your days during the winter season? Or, for that matter, the year 2020 while the pandemic is ravaging lives?
Sure, travel isn't practical. But did you know it's probable to go somewhere while you're stuck at home? Seriously, I've been to Puerto Rico, Chicago, England, Africa, Alaska, Europe, breaching the boundaries of seasons and time, simply by reading books.
I find it amazing that readers can vicariously experience someone else life by immersing in other people's narratives, fiction, or real. Or penetrate deep inside a brilliant mind's thoughts, dead or alive, through the words they've penned on paper.
Lately, I've expanded my interests in novels and memoirs but most of the hard copies in my library are faith or personal development books.
"Collect evergreen books." The husband advised. "Accumulate words that preserve its relevance with time like those conifer trees which retains their foliage all year long."
He's always pushing me to be the version of myself. In fact, it was he who sparked the fire for my love words. And the habit stuck. Now, I no longer have shelf control. Haha.
Do you have someone like that in your life?
Anyway, if you're looking for ideas for your next read, my Fall/Winter 2020 Reading List might stimulate you to fix coffee or tea and curl up on your couch.
Here they are:
I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power by Brene Brown
I've learned of this author referenced by a couple of books I've read. Enough to pique my interest! She talks about a different kind of pandemic, shame, which inhibits many to be the most awesome version of themselves. This book will show you how to free oneself from shame's debilitation that you've never even thought possible.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
My first book from this author is Outliers: The Story of Success. I love it so much I had to rally his other works. Malcolm is an engaging storyteller, a skilled wordsmith. He's that good he can turn lackluster statistical data into an enthralling narrative.
According to the book's cover, The Tipping Point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses the threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.
Act Like a Success Think Like a Success: Discovering Your Gift and The Way to Life's Riches by Steve Harvey
I truly believe that each and every individual is a blessing from above. You hold something explosive inside you, a gift, one that could change your cosmos, like dynamite that changes and affects your sphere of influence, marking a footprint in time.
This book is your roadmap to identifying that gift, a guide on how you can hone it, transforming your world around.
I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart
Unwanted. Disadvantage. Beaten down. But is an overcomer. If you're alive and reading this, high are the chances you've gone through a dysfunction at some point in your life, unless, you exist in dreamland or simply blessed with the good life. But there's hope and Hart invites you to come with him on a journey through his life, to show you how he has defied the odds, one challenge after the other, to become who he is now.
The author is a comedian so I'm expecting this to be a hilarious read packed with life lessons everybody could glean from.
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
I've read this book in 2017 on Kindle. The financial advice communicated in the book is still relevant up until today that I decided to grab my own hard copy. Remember, the hubby's suggestion to gather evergreen books? I want my posterity to read them someday too. And it doesn't hurt that I saw this on sale.
The advice is given in a story format, compelling yes, you'll get hooked.
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
I've been crushing hard on this book for months until I got it for a bargain at $3 CAD at Walmart. Yay! A friend rated it 5 stars, book clubs rave about it, even Bill Gates recommends it. It must be awesome!
Can you believe she was 17 when she stepped inside a classroom? Her father is a survivalist, unceasingly planning and equipping his children for the end of the world. He also forbade his family access from modern medicine, so the children never saw doctors and nurses.
No, this is not some third world country tale, this happened in the US soil.
Tara's beginnings might be at a handicap, but guess what? she fought for a better future and emerged on top.
Mastering the Art of Quitting: Why It Matters in Life, Love and Work by Peg Streep and Alan B. Bernstein
How do you quit to get the most out of life?
According to the book,
- Quitting permits growth and learning, as well as the ability to frame new goals.
- Quitting is healthy.
Hmm... I guess I'll have to crack it open then to discover what other treasures I can find.
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What book/s will you most likely pick up from the list?
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