Five favorite books

Today is the first "theme day" for this year's blogathon. The group (more than 150 bloggers, I understand) is supposed to write about "five favorite books." Since my theme for the month is about joy, today's post features five favorite books that bring me joy. In no special order, they are:

1)  Holy Bible (King James version, because I like accents, and this one lets you play around with that)

2)  Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (because I love his fun-loving, childish poetic voice)

3)  Backroads & Byways of Arizona (because I wrote it, duh)

4)  Anything written by Edgar Allan Poe, but mostly the short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher," (He's the only "mystery" writer I've ever enjoyed. His words keep me on the edge, and I love the imagery. His work brings me joy to the extent that it works my imagination--always a good thing.)

5)  The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (just read muy blog, and you'll know why)

What are your top five?

What are you reading right now?

I always have several books on my nightstand, on my coffee table, on my office desk that I'm reading. It used to be that I'd read one at a time, but I've learned to muti-task even my reading. The thought of this makes me want to know from you: What are you reading?

Are you delving into any of the books from my book list I posted again last week while I was out of town? Are you interested in self-help, history, biographies? What really sustains a high level of interest for you? Do you read the daily newspapers--your local one, regional pubs, the nationals?

My interests run the gamut, but I'm always reading consumer and travel magazines. I love the news weeklies, but I don't subscribe anymore. I generally read my news online these days. And, of course, I'm a big fan of books. I buy them by the armful, and some I get for free because of the type of work I do.

Most recently, I completed a colleague of mine's book: Am I Hungry? by Michelle May, M.D. (with Lisa Galper, Psy.D. and Janet Carr, M.S., R.D.). She gave me the copy so I could complete my research on a story I'm writing about her for a publication expanding into Phoenix called Better Health and Living.

I've also opened up and begun several more books, some of which I'm reading to review, some are for research I need to do, some are for pure pleasure. For the most part, these books are just recently published, a few of them were referrals, either directly or indirectly, the others are about topics I just need to know more about for various reasons. I'm not sure when I'll finish them. I'm sure one of them will sustain my interest more than another, and I'll finish it first and then move on to the next. But I flip through pages of books constantly. I am not a Kindle girl. I prefer the real book. And here's my current list:

Indignation by Philip Roth
The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide by Amy Shuen
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
Blogger: Beyond the Basics by Lee Jordan
The IT Girl's Guide to Blogging with Moxie by Joelle Reeder & Katherine Scoleri
The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Law of Attraction by Diane Ahlquist
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Mindfulness by Anne Ihnen and Carolynn Flynn
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Psychology of Happiness by Arelene Matthews Uhl
How We Lead Matters by Marilyn Carlson Nelson
You're Broke Because You Want to Be by Larry Winget
The Compassionate Samurai by Brian Klemmer

I'll be reviewing some of these books in the coming weeks or months ahead here. If you've read any of these, let us know what you think.

More about books...

The list of 12 books I mentioned in yesterday's post was just a small number of books I've read. I have an entire library full of books I read and continue to read during my recovery. For as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to self-help, self-improvement, and memoirs, for example. One of my first was the Rev. Robert H. Schuller's Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do. The title says it all. There's a lot to learn from other people's challenges. Not to overwhelm my students, however, I kept their list down to 12. It's a start for them. If you'd like to know what my full list is, post a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks,
Jackie AKA The BIKE Lady

A BIKE and a book...or two

I wanted to report that my class at Homeward Bound is going well. I had compiled a list of about 12 books that I read in my early days of recovery from my divorce, well, even before that, and distributed it in class. I was thrilled to hear that this non-profit is trusting in my work so much that it has ordered all 12 for the on-site library. I'm thrilled because the ladies will have these resources so easily accessible. They won't have to buy them themselves, and they probably couldn't afford them anyway.

I've mentioned a few of those books here already, and will continue to mention them. In your own recovery, from whatever past trauma or turmoil or just the everyday challenges you're dealing with today, you'll decide what you need. You'll create your own list, I'm sure. But be open to the books and authors I mention here. They've helped me; they could very well do the same for you.

My point is that books are merely a starting point. To live a life of joy takes a lifetime. Every day, you must decide to seek it. A book with new ideas is just the starting point. You have to take action to make things happen. That's where those BIKE rides come in. They help move you forward. You consciously become aware of where you are and where you're going, and you move accordingly. It's no secret. It's not magical. It's really a natural progression, but it's very individual. And only you really know the path you need to take.

Maybe this weekend, you can visit the library or bookstore nearest you and find a book that offers lessons you could benefit from learning right now. Your progress can start there, with a book. It doesn't have to be self-help. It can be a travel book of essays. It can be a travel guide. It can be a book of fascinating facts or quotable quotations. It can be anything that speaks to you at this moment, anything that provides you with a message that you need to hear. You'll know if you need to hear it, because it will draw you in, most likely without you even recognizing it.

However, you want to get to the point where you do recognize, because then you'll be open to the greatest amount of learning. Julia Cameron mentions this in her book The Artist's Way. She calls it part of the spiritual path to higher creativity. I used her book over and over again as part of my spiritual path to a better life. You can, too. That's on the list.

Happy reading!
Jackie