"She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live."
Annie Dillard
I remember the day when JFK, Jr spoke outside Jackie Onassis's brownstone after she had died, and he said "she was surrounded by those she loves, and of course, she was surrounded by her
books." For some reason that statement (while it may not be his exact words), stuck with me. I can not imagine a life without books. They surround me too.
Like all the life experiences we have, so much of the books I have read are pieces of me. So I thought, what would be a list of the books that moved me the most. How does one pick those books?
As I was driving around, these 10 (okay 12) popped into my head, and once I got home, I went through my bookshelves (actually
most were on my nightstand), and the list was just right.
Full disclosure: While I love self-development, there have been
LOTS of times that I can NOT read another! A little burnt out
perhaps, or as the quote below implies, we all need the time to just be and not try to figure it all out.
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy" ~Guilaume Apollinaire
These books speak the words that have lingered. The ones I would replace if I ever lost one of them.
They are the ones that stay by my side. If you are dear friend, I am sure that I have gifted
you a copy of one or more of these books. Some of these books I have read more than once, and in many cases, I can open one of these and the words I need for the moment appear….the PERFECT PAGE at the PERFECT MOMENT.
1. The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle. I have read this book twice, but I truly got so much more out of when I listened to it on audiobook. As I am constantly trying to get my wild mind
into the moment, I think of Eckhart's reminder that we are not our minds.
2. The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz. As he writes, "Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are
in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make assumptions that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world." Awesome!
3. The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown. It is amazing book of how to live wholeheartedly,
and with all our humanness. It changed my life, and I was fortunate to hear Brené speak this fall.
And I have a signed copy, so NO ONE can borrow it, for sure.
4. A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids, Margot Datz. I found this book on my travels to Kripalu, and I bought 10 copies. It really truly reminds me how I feel about my powerful feminine attributes, especially when I forget. And my darling 8 year old said it best, "Why wouldn't we all want to be mermaids?!"
5. The Desire Map, Danielle LaPorte. I can not get enough of this woman. She is a goddess with a soulful message! It's a life-altering book. Hip and juicy! And if you want some of her message without doing the work of her book, subscribe to her TRUTHBOMBS. Good stuff.
6. The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer. I've read this book twice. It is deeply spiritual, and of course, we don't judge a book by it's cover…but truly, the cover sucked me in the first time. It is a very beautful cover.
7. A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson. If you know anything about Marianne's work, she needs
no write up. The thing she says that sticks with me the most is that whatever we do is "out of love
or an absence of love (or fear)." This helps me make sense of my choices and to be more understanding of others.
8. I will not Die an Unlived Life, Dawna Markova. A woman who spends 6 months alone in a cabin
in Utah makes for a deep and poetic read. I love this book so much that I might read
it again soon.
9. Simple Truths, Kent Nerburn A valuable little book of wisdom that just makes sense. It somewhat reminds me of a more modern day version of the Prophet by Kahlil Gabran, just true wisdom.
10. The Invitation, Oriah. Have you read her poem? Wow, everytime I read it, something
different comes up for me. In this book, she goes into how the poem came about for her. Treasures for all of us.
11. The Way of the Happy Woman, Sara Avant Stover. A lovely book of women's wellness and self-care. As I already lead my life much of the way Sara advocates (or as best I can with a husband and 3 kids), I found her book laid out a doable plan to living a healthy, soulful life. I often suggest to
women who have forgotten how to care for themselves. I've heard she is working on a book about the Dark Goddess in us…now that's something I can't wait to get my hands on.
12. Broken Open, Elizabeth Lesser. This book was given to me in 2005, where it sat unread until 2009. And five years later, I have probably read it FIVE times. It is a go-to book, when I am in a dark place, or just getting beyond that place, when I need to make sense of it all. Meeting Elizabeth in the summer of 2013 at Omega was a highlight of that year. She, like me, is a absolute word lover. All of her own original writing, and her quotes are perfect….but one of the best is by the clown Wavy Gravy, "We're all bozos on the bus, so we might as well sit back and enjoy the ride."
Pretending we're NOT bozos is a very sad part of life!
books." For some reason that statement (while it may not be his exact words), stuck with me. I can not imagine a life without books. They surround me too.
Like all the life experiences we have, so much of the books I have read are pieces of me. So I thought, what would be a list of the books that moved me the most. How does one pick those books?
As I was driving around, these 10 (okay 12) popped into my head, and once I got home, I went through my bookshelves (actually
most were on my nightstand), and the list was just right.
Full disclosure: While I love self-development, there have been
LOTS of times that I can NOT read another! A little burnt out
perhaps, or as the quote below implies, we all need the time to just be and not try to figure it all out.
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy" ~Guilaume Apollinaire
These books speak the words that have lingered. The ones I would replace if I ever lost one of them.
They are the ones that stay by my side. If you are dear friend, I am sure that I have gifted
you a copy of one or more of these books. Some of these books I have read more than once, and in many cases, I can open one of these and the words I need for the moment appear….the PERFECT PAGE at the PERFECT MOMENT.
1. The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle. I have read this book twice, but I truly got so much more out of when I listened to it on audiobook. As I am constantly trying to get my wild mind
into the moment, I think of Eckhart's reminder that we are not our minds.
2. The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz. As he writes, "Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are
in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make assumptions that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world." Awesome!
3. The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown. It is amazing book of how to live wholeheartedly,
and with all our humanness. It changed my life, and I was fortunate to hear Brené speak this fall.
And I have a signed copy, so NO ONE can borrow it, for sure.
4. A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids, Margot Datz. I found this book on my travels to Kripalu, and I bought 10 copies. It really truly reminds me how I feel about my powerful feminine attributes, especially when I forget. And my darling 8 year old said it best, "Why wouldn't we all want to be mermaids?!"
5. The Desire Map, Danielle LaPorte. I can not get enough of this woman. She is a goddess with a soulful message! It's a life-altering book. Hip and juicy! And if you want some of her message without doing the work of her book, subscribe to her TRUTHBOMBS. Good stuff.
6. The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer. I've read this book twice. It is deeply spiritual, and of course, we don't judge a book by it's cover…but truly, the cover sucked me in the first time. It is a very beautful cover.
7. A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson. If you know anything about Marianne's work, she needs
no write up. The thing she says that sticks with me the most is that whatever we do is "out of love
or an absence of love (or fear)." This helps me make sense of my choices and to be more understanding of others.
8. I will not Die an Unlived Life, Dawna Markova. A woman who spends 6 months alone in a cabin
in Utah makes for a deep and poetic read. I love this book so much that I might read
it again soon.
9. Simple Truths, Kent Nerburn A valuable little book of wisdom that just makes sense. It somewhat reminds me of a more modern day version of the Prophet by Kahlil Gabran, just true wisdom.
10. The Invitation, Oriah. Have you read her poem? Wow, everytime I read it, something
different comes up for me. In this book, she goes into how the poem came about for her. Treasures for all of us.
11. The Way of the Happy Woman, Sara Avant Stover. A lovely book of women's wellness and self-care. As I already lead my life much of the way Sara advocates (or as best I can with a husband and 3 kids), I found her book laid out a doable plan to living a healthy, soulful life. I often suggest to
women who have forgotten how to care for themselves. I've heard she is working on a book about the Dark Goddess in us…now that's something I can't wait to get my hands on.
12. Broken Open, Elizabeth Lesser. This book was given to me in 2005, where it sat unread until 2009. And five years later, I have probably read it FIVE times. It is a go-to book, when I am in a dark place, or just getting beyond that place, when I need to make sense of it all. Meeting Elizabeth in the summer of 2013 at Omega was a highlight of that year. She, like me, is a absolute word lover. All of her own original writing, and her quotes are perfect….but one of the best is by the clown Wavy Gravy, "We're all bozos on the bus, so we might as well sit back and enjoy the ride."
Pretending we're NOT bozos is a very sad part of life!
My signed copy.
What are your perfect pages?
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who never reads lives only once."
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