Because yesterday I talked about The Book of Awesome, I started thinking about other books I love and talk about with people so I’m just listing them here as some other books you might enjoy for your reading pleasure (besides Epiphany, of course) – some are new, some are old news, and some are classics (some in the true and trashy sense, but nonetheless…). And one, some, or all of these are certain to spark some kind of epiphany.
List of Favorite Books for Learning, Healing and Pleasure (In No Particular Order or Preference)
1.) Bossy Pants by Tina Fey – LOL funny and smart. Brilliant even. Also, quick read.
2.) The Paris Wife by Paula McLain – took a while to get into it, but if you are interested and love Hemingway (it’s about his first wife and their relationship and experience in Paris, aka: The Moveable Feast years), it’s a must-read. Beautiful.
3.) An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin – I liked Shopgirl better (love Shopgirl), but this was interesting and you learn about the art world.
4.) The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – Sparked by an epiphany, Gretchen Rubin began this journey and recorded her year of studying how to get and stay happy. I adore this book and always talk about it. Funny, smart, very helpful. Was even optioned to be made into a television show starring Kristen Davis of Sex and the City fame. Her blog/website from whence the book was born is fab.
5.) Just Kids by Patti Smith – poetic and fascinating, personal look into the (in)famous era of the Chelsea Hotel in NYC in the 70’s and her growth and journey as an artist.
6.) The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan – funny, moving, very different from the other auto-bios I’ve listed. Mom, wife, family and cancer. Very cool woman. Love her voice.
7.) A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway – good to read before or after The Paris Wife too – I think I’m now going to reread. Makes you want to visit Paris, read more Hemingway and everything about that era, and see Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” and appreciate them all that much more.
8.) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand – unbelievable true story about WWII hero(es). I couldn’t put it down.
9.) A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux – one of my trashys and a really oldie but goody. If you like romance, fantasy and time travel, complete with a true knight in shining armor (with a sense of humor no less), this is an absolute classic – everyone who reads it is a fan…you’ll see, trust me. Dougless (heroine) and Nicholas…sigh.
10.) A Kept Woman by Louise Bagshaw – another trashy but great beach read if you like Jackie Collins-ish books. (I don’t read these types or romance novels but this one and “Knight…” were given to me ages ago and lived up to the recommendations.)
11.) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – pop culture touchstone, as are his others, Tipping Point and Blink. Worth reading and always fascinating. Diane Warren talks about this book and concept in her epiphany, in fact.
12.) You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay – I think EVERYONE should have this book. Louise healed herself from cancer and has gone on to revolutionize alternative healing and growth and the self-improvement arenas. She is also the founder of Hay House Publishing. This short book started it all. It has a list of almost every physical ailment you could think of, the possible underlying emotional causes, affirmations to help heal them and contains enormous amounts of other invaluable information. If you haven’t read it, you must – at least once.
13.) PostSecret by Frank Warren – okay you have to go the blog and you’ll see why. http://www.postsecret.com/ – gorgeous, moving, funny – collections of the anonymous postcards sent in to this project of people’s deepest and darkest secrets. The books are an in between-size coffee table book. Very unusual and great gifts for the right people – and for you!
14.) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison – changed my life. Beyond powerful. Huge epiphany.
15.) Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl – Viktor Frankl’s account of enduring years in Nazi death camps and the ways he triumphed over it, let him to develop a psychotherapy approach called “logotherapy.” Quick, beautiful, important read for everyone.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
And as this list continues to grow, I will assuredly update it.
