Reading Strands
In general, I like to keep two "reading strands" going at once. Two different genres of books that follow two different themes. Having more than one book in progress allows me to pick what I want to read according to my mood, and following a "strand" of reading lets me follow one good book with another related book.
For example, I'm on the third book in my "happiness" reading strand. I started with the insightful and wry The Geography of Bliss, and followed that with the haunting and yet gentle The Lost Horizon, and am now on the immensely practical The Happiness Project. I can honestly recommend all three.
The Geography of Bliss follows an ex- war reporter as he travels to the happiest places on Earth in order to find what the formula for bliss is. Is it amount of chocolate consumed per capita? Money? Freedom? Philosophy? Environment?
The Lost Horizon was the first paperback book ever published and is the fictional account of a plane crash in the 1930s in mythical Shangrila. It's a mysteriously haunting discourse on moderation, the longing for contentment, and leaps of faith.
Finally, The Happiness Project sets out one woman's plan to focus on improving her happiness level, even though she's already a perfectly happy person. The way that she stresses getting done all the little things that we know we should do and that nag at us from the edges of our mind makes a lot of sense for increasing our calmness and contentedness. Something I like very much here too is the stress on making connections with the world and people around us.
My second current reading strand is a series of 4 novels (in French) by playwright and Academie francaise member Marcel Pagnol.
I love how these book rock you through all the stages of growing up and meeting the world. They start with his early life in the hills surrounding Marseilles and the characters that he knew that were at once so unique and yet such products of their era. Reading these memoirs makes me think how my own life could possibly be viewed. As Mark Twain said, no one has ever lived an uninteresting life.
My final reading strand is a bit more personal and abstract. I greatly admire the monk Thich Nath Hanh, and I'm working my way through all of his writings. He's a philosopher, humanitarian, and man of faith who sees the world clearly, compassionately, philosophically, and yet very pragmatically. Every bit of advice or explanation that he gives for mindful living, non-duality, and meditation is followed up with practical advice for how to do these things in a daily life that involves doing the dishes, peeling oranges, family arguments, etc. So far, here's this reading string:
1. Peace in Every Step
2. True Love: A Practice for Awakening The Heart
3. Living Buddha, Living Christ
For example, I'm on the third book in my "happiness" reading strand. I started with the insightful and wry The Geography of Bliss, and followed that with the haunting and yet gentle The Lost Horizon, and am now on the immensely practical The Happiness Project. I can honestly recommend all three.
The Geography of Bliss follows an ex- war reporter as he travels to the happiest places on Earth in order to find what the formula for bliss is. Is it amount of chocolate consumed per capita? Money? Freedom? Philosophy? Environment?
The Lost Horizon was the first paperback book ever published and is the fictional account of a plane crash in the 1930s in mythical Shangrila. It's a mysteriously haunting discourse on moderation, the longing for contentment, and leaps of faith.
Finally, The Happiness Project sets out one woman's plan to focus on improving her happiness level, even though she's already a perfectly happy person. The way that she stresses getting done all the little things that we know we should do and that nag at us from the edges of our mind makes a lot of sense for increasing our calmness and contentedness. Something I like very much here too is the stress on making connections with the world and people around us.
My second current reading strand is a series of 4 novels (in French) by playwright and Academie francaise member Marcel Pagnol.
- La Gloire de mon pere
- Le Chateau de ma mere
- Le Temps des secrets
- Le Temps des amours
I love how these book rock you through all the stages of growing up and meeting the world. They start with his early life in the hills surrounding Marseilles and the characters that he knew that were at once so unique and yet such products of their era. Reading these memoirs makes me think how my own life could possibly be viewed. As Mark Twain said, no one has ever lived an uninteresting life.
My final reading strand is a bit more personal and abstract. I greatly admire the monk Thich Nath Hanh, and I'm working my way through all of his writings. He's a philosopher, humanitarian, and man of faith who sees the world clearly, compassionately, philosophically, and yet very pragmatically. Every bit of advice or explanation that he gives for mindful living, non-duality, and meditation is followed up with practical advice for how to do these things in a daily life that involves doing the dishes, peeling oranges, family arguments, etc. So far, here's this reading string:
1. Peace in Every Step
2. True Love: A Practice for Awakening The Heart
3. Living Buddha, Living Christ
Happy reading!
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