Return of Reading!

Somewhere in my college career I quit reading for pleasure.  The love of reading I had as a child must have turned into the terror of text as my BA History degree killed my enjoyment of books.  It took over 10 years but I want to read again - yay!!

So, I'm hoping lots of people will participate so I can get some good leads on reading material but I want to hear what people are reading right now.  I've been on sort of a pseudo self-improvement phase and you can see that focus in my list.  However, I also love mysteries, suspense, urban-fantasy (a work I just learned yesterday from my cousin), etc., etc!

I'll start it off.  Here is what I'm currently reading:

Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Caroline Myss  

My friend Cheryl recommended this book and I ran out and read it right away.  Alot of it was pretty mind-blowing for me and I think I'll need to read it another few times in order for it to sink in.  If you are interested at all in anything holistic, etc., you would enjoy this book.  I was slightly squeamish about all the "God" talk but if you put it into whatever terms you are comfortable with, it still works.  At the very least it will make you more aware of the health of your spirit and your body's energy systems.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

I'm in the middle of this book and so far have found it to be quite intriquing.  Gladwell's basic assertion is that "often snap judgements (what he calls "thin slicing") can be more accurate than well researched, careful analysis."  (I lifted that part from a review).  It is a concept that is fun to ponder since as Gladwell points out, we've been taught that decisions should be carefully weighed and calculated and researched.  He argues that isn't always the case and often our "gut" reaction, is the best reaction.  I now have justification for the fact that I never spend much time thinking about my life's "most important decisions."  For me, everything just seems to work out.  Maybe I am just a good "thin slicer!"

Freedom Flight - The Origin of Mental Power Lanny Bassham 

I had already read many times over Lanny's Mental Management book and love it but have to admit to feeling pretty disappointed when this book arrived.  It is tiny!  It will take you like 40 minutes to read - seriously!  However, I found that it is super efficient at helping you change your attitude and perspective immediately.  It challenges you to ask yourself some tought questions about whether you are truly free or if you are living in a self-imposed prison.  A few items in the book should be repeated over and over throughout life.  The first is that you can't find a solution to a problem if you are stuck focusing on the problem itself.  The other concept is that you can't control what happens to you in life, but you can control your perception of what happens to you.  Of course the story illustrates these lessons through a fascinating tale.  Definitely worth 40 minutes of your time!

   

And here are a few of "oldies but goodies" that I read over and over again:

Tao of Pooh Benjamin Hoff   
 I love this book.  I read it every couple of years and it never fails to reset my brain to a more peaceful place. 


Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 


It has been long enough since I read this book that I can't quite remember why I love it so much.  Time to pick it up again!  I remember it being dark and sad and beautiful.

That is all I have time for at the moment.  I really hope everyone else will share their favorite books so I can get a good reading list together!!