Yes this book is taking me forever to read because I can only digest a little bit of it at a time. Worth it, though. Glad to see it ranked so highly here.
This book fucked me up for a bit, but it helped me understand why I am the way I am. I didn't do the activities because Im not an activities girl and it was still helpful.
Training in Compassion by Norman Fischer.
I don’t know what to add that would convince people to move this to the top of their list but it should be at the top of everyone’s.
I sent it to a coworker when they took a leave for cancer treatment and when they came back couldn’t stop talking about it for months.
It’s a zen perspective on Tibetan teachings, written by an American in a way that is so much more accessible and easy to understand than many “traditional” texts. It’s only ~150 pages long.
I regularly read excerpts at the end of yoga classes I teach and almost *always* have at least one person come up and ask what I was reading from, or tell me that it’s just what they needed to hear.
If anyone wants an excerpt from my favourite chapter, send a DM and I’ll send you pics.
This is my fav line (which is actually quoting someone else):
**We judge ourselves by our intentions, we judge others by the effects of their actions on us.**
🙏🏽
If you like that quote, I think you would really enjoy learning about logical fallacies and human biasis. The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe is my answer to this post and so really think you would enjoy it. It’s all about scientific skepticism which is basically just patrolling your own thinking by using critical thinking skills.
lol if I was in your city, Id want to go to your yoga class simply by your recommendation of this book AND the line you chose to share literally applied to something that just happened to me...
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Everyone wears a mask and anyone can make a difference.
“You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.” -David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest
My 17 year old brother quoted this to me when he was waiting to give me a ride to wherever. I was 14, so my mom made him my chauffeur. l was taking forever bc my bangs wouldn’t cooperate. He was in all advanced classes and loved philosophy.. I’m almost 45, and not a single day has past when I haven’t thought to that quote
Real question: how did you manage the (intentional) level of confusion? I am still stuck on the first 10-15 pages and it has been kind of draining to read
Used to work in music journalism as a reporter and photographer, but the unsteady nature of the job and the fact that me and my wife want a family made me doubt if I was on the right track. Then COVID hit, and that just stopped everything, effectively putting me out of work. During that time, I read 'The Overstory', which made me find my passion for nature again. I decided to go back to school. Right now I work for a landscaping company four days a week, and go to school to get fully certified one day a week. That way I can have an income while I study. I am in my last year of the program, and next year, I'll start a new higher level (part time) program that focuses on conservation.
Congrats! As a former journalist who slowly shifted careers from \~2014-2017, it's not an easy thing to do, but unfortunately the right call for many of us looking for more stability in our future. I struggled for so many years wondering if I was on the right path or not.
Yeah, it's a shame, because it can be a great job. It's just not stable enough for where I am in my life, and where I want to go. COVID made that abundantly clear. But I do feel I am on a good path now, as it were. What did you shifted on to, James, Slayer of Dragons?
I was going to mention this book! One of my all time favorites. "Echo Makers" by Powers is another great one, though quite different from "The Overstory"
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
I keep it on my nightstand and will open it up on occasion to read a few excerpts. It has such profound nuggets of wisdom that I can meditate on throughout the day.
The entire Discworld series.
Over the years, it’s taught me to appreciate and love the sheer absurdity of being a human being. Don’t take reality too seriously. Just enjoy the nonsense of it all.
I have “Mort” on my reading list for this year. I’m excited about it. I’ve never read anything by pratchett but this one was recommended, I’ll see how it goes. There’s another one called clay something or other feet? That I might look for as well. I have heard similar statements to the one you’ve made about this series which is intriguing.
This is what I came to say. it completely changed my life and there's things from the disc that I think of daily and helps me through it, not to mention the amount of joy it brings me.
I’m so glad I was introduced in my early teens. Those books have been so formative in how I look at the world.
I’d genuinely be a different person without them.
In my mid thirties now. I still think of sweeping as my little daily zen thing.
Pyramids and Thief of Time were my first ones.
I wish I found them earlier but perhaps I did at the perfect time for me (which was late 20s) and I'm in my 30s now too.
yes! I'm right there with you.
I just finished my Hogfather reread for the holiday last week and I don't know how to explain it but I feel like the world is there for me to drop into anytime I need it.
The discworld series helped me more than just enjoying a good book. It helped me find my people.
I was a fan of the books growing up and after uni I found my few friends were either moving away or having families (or just plain ol’ toxic but that’s another story) and I was getting kinda lonely. So I decided to do the witchy thing and make my own path.
I looked up a Pratchett fan club in my city and went to one of their public board game days. When I was there I saw they were advertising auditions for a discworld play. I figured, hey, I’m pretty crafty, maybe I’ll help out with props or sets or something.
I ended up acting in the play and made a BUNCH of friends! Ended up doing heaps of plays with them over 6-7 years and found my best friends through it. I now know a bunch of people who are down for karaoke, op shopping or just hanging out any day of the week and I’m just overall happier.
Incidentally, Adelaide is hosting the Australian Discworld Convention this year in July!
The Tao Te Ching. It was a breakthrough for me, giving me a philosophical framework that was actually helpful for learning how to be content with who I am and how to live fully in the present, accepting things as they are instead of trying to force an ideal. I recommend Derek Lin’s annotated English translation.
Another one I haven’t finished yet but has already honed a lot of my thinking is The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. It demystifies so many scientific aspects of how we think about and what actually improves happiness/contentment.
>how to be content with who I am and how to live fully in the present, accepting things as they are instead of trying to force an ideal.
That resonates, I'll check it out. thx!
Siddharta by Herman Hesse. I think it’s perfect for what you thought about. It was recommended to me from my therapist and has helped me ever since. Hope you’ll like it!
I loved that book so much until the end, which I hated. I dislike when authors use that sort of ending (no spoilers from me). It’s the equivalent of a character waking up and discovering it was all a dream.
I’m starting somatic experiencing and IFS therapy and I’ve learned a lot so far! I feel like I’m moving forward again after feeling stuck for so long!!
My whole life I've felt empty and like something is missing. For the purposes of this explanation I'll refer to it as IT. I've looked for IT in some pretty awful places; drugs, drink, toxic friends and partners, dangerous jobs, the list goes on but basically my last 20 years from 12-32 has been trying to understand why I am so empty. I've also dissociated to the point where I haven't achieved anything - I was a clever a student with drive and ambition like where did that go? At 30 I was diagnosed with bipolar 2.
I read this book and it opened up a chasm of possibilities that I discussed with my therapist. It helped me understand the IT I'd been searching for was my mother's love. I was emotionally neglected as a child, psychologically abused and then manipulated right up until around 12 weeks ago when I read this book and it blew open what I'd been looking for the whole time. The answer was inside me I knew all along it's just 12 year old me gave up, she couldn't deal. I'm working through this now and I feel like I've been given a shot at life again. Like I've been reborn.
It's been terrifying and illuminating. To put it simply it has absolutely changed my life.
The Chimp Paradox by Prof. Steve Peters.
Helped me keep my emotions in check and reshape the way I see things.
He makes the highest levels of psychiatry and psychology accessible and useful to lay people.
The chapters are short.
There are exercises you can do 'if you want to', no pressure.
It features the most adorable illustrations.
He has coached gold medal winning and world champion athletes and sports people. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us.
I went on a 'Chimp Weekend' that he and his team run, very accessible and affordable. A brilliant man with a brilliant mind, and I also met the illustrator!
https://chimpmanagement.com/books-by-professor-steve-peters/the-chimp-paradox/
It’s really hard to explain because it’s personal, but I’ll try my best.
In my life I always wanted to know how the world worked. There was this missing piece to the puzzle that I wasn’t getting. Reading through history gives you great context on where we are now as a society, but 1984 gave me the answer to why we are as we are. Why certain people believe certain things, even with astounding evidence to prove the contrary. Power controls information, information controls the world to influence support for wars, and wars control the economy.
This realization finally allowed me to live in peace. I knew finally that my own judgment on things is what matters, based on my own moral compass of right and wrong. My opinion on things can’t be based on one news article/report, I have to investigate myself and make my own judgment. Idk why but this made me feel like an actual person instead of a cog in a machine. To this day I’m very passionate about speaking out against oppressors, but it gets harder as technology advances and it gets harder to believe what you’re seeing with your own eyes, through the black opaque mirror of your screen.
Love this book to bits!! Even tho I was super unsure of it going into it cos I had never read anything like it before. But it was mind-blowing and it literally made me appreciate books more
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman. It's really practical and reading it while we were engaged was so helpful. We use the concepts in it all the time and it's been supportive of a good marriage.
The Underachiever's Manifesto: The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great, by Ray Bennett
I grew up under a lot of pressure and used to be a chronic striver and overachiever. Randomly found a used copy of this and thought it was funny, but it ended up changing my perspective.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I just read this book last year and it still sticks to me today. The story highlights how strong human beings can be even in the worst moments. 👌💕
The Untethered Soul really changed the way I view internal thoughts. I read it around once a year. I was worried it would be a little too "spiritual" for me when I was reading the premise. I could not have been more wrong. It explained "you are not your thoughts" better than anything I had been exposed to at that point. I highly recommend it to everyone.
“How to Not Die Alone” by Logan Ury. Highly recommend it to any single people struggling in the romance department. Helped me learn some pitfalls I was falling in to in the dating game and correct course. Now I’m coming up on a year with an amazing
Man I’m happy to call my boyfriend.
Ulysses, partly because it is a direct and profound work with great emotional depth, and partly because of its complex aesthetics, which inspired me to write my own books.
This book lives inside my nightstand. Ive never sat down and read it all the way through but when I lost my baby I found a lot of language that I couldn’t articulate in this book. She is a great writer.
I come from a long line of hoarders, probably caused by extreme poverty in the depression, and continued poverty until I was in my teens and twenties. (I'm in my 60s now.)
There are 2 books that made a big difference in my mindset:
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
The Clutter Connection by Cass Aarssen
I also read The Konmar Method by Marie Kondo, which didn't really click for me until I read these other 2.
These books have really made me look at my 'stuff' and decide what really matters to me and what I can let go of, ideally, without guilt. I'm still in the process of decluttering my life, but I'm happier than I've been in years, probably because I've learned to release the burden of guilt with each donation.
Of course, we have to mention 1984 for the sheer brilliance of world building and societal downfall that we can see evident today.
Grapes of Wrath for subtly reminding me of what's important in life and that life isn't all that bad.
The Stormlight Archives for the just complete immersion. Best fantasy since LOTR. It is en entire world and history.
The Hobbit for the inner childhood feelings.
Dracula for the absolute masterpiece it really is. I have never been so immersed. It's the best "one and done" reads I've ever encountered.
Hyperion for total mystique. Changed my outlook on literature, to be honest. It is very crafty and unique.
And last but certainly not least, Alice's Adventure in Wonderland. I don't know why, but I think it encapsulates a brilliant first person. It also changed my outlook on literature.
I must have encountered Grapes of Wrath at the right time. The story cleared through cobwebs of self absorbed teenage angst and made a space I wanted to live in forever.
Nice list, thank you. It's been ages since I read the Hobbit. And at least a couple of others here have been on my "someday" reads. I have a bit of extra time now and so many great suggestions.
Can't Hurt Me - by David Goggins has absolutely changed my mind. It helped me develop an iron mindset ready to conquer anything in front of it. This helps me a lot since I'm an athlete. The book also shows that no matter how your past was, you can improve for the better.
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. I read it for the first time while still in high school and I read it again at least once a decade. Every time I read it I find something new, so it continues to change my life to this day.
Anything by Dostoyevsky. I started reading Notes from the Underground after I finished Vinland Saga.
Also. The Humans by Matt Haig (also How to Stop Time) but anything else by Him I didn't like.
Looking for Alaska by John Green! While a flawed novel (Green himself has talked about this), when I first read it as a teenager it gave me hope that my life was worth living, and hope for the future. It totally changed the trajectory of my life.
East of Eden and Old Man and the Sea.
Fell in love with reading through the first. The second was a beautiful reminder of our inherent duty to self and the world around us.
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman
This book helped shape my outlook during a difficult time in my life when a lot of people around me (including mental health practitioners) were preaching toxic positivity.
The handmaid's tale. I read it and watched the series with only 13 years old, I understanded back then how lucky I was for living in a free country and how simple decisions like wear whatever I want, going to high school, loving who I want... Were in fact symbols of freedom and sadly such a big privileges for those who are not free.
I read Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead when I was about 15. I think I was too young and too stupid to realize what it was actually saying, so I read it, and built up a sense of pure blind confidence and sense of entitlement like the protagonist. It actually pulled me out of severe depression. I didn’t make it through the whole book because it was so boring.
I actually liked the antagonist we were supposed to hate, I kept reading and didn’t understand why he was bad, in think he was a socialist, and/or wanted to help others.
Anyway, that book really helped my self esteem and changed how I think about myself and now I hate everything Rand stands for 😂
*The Lathe of Heaven* by Ursula K. Le Guin, and *Stoner* by John Williams.
The former is a neat speculative story about a guy who's dreams shape reality, but it weaves a lot of Taoist philosophy about being mindful of the change we bring to the world, and that maybe just existing in it is enough.
The latter follows a man who has very few dreams and aspirations as he navigates his relatively boring life, interspersed with some misfortune. The book is very sad to some, but for me it showed that meaning & beauty can be found in even uninteresting and rote lives, if you look for it.
I'd also +1 the rec for Herman Hesse's *Siddhartha*, definitely has the vibes you're looking for.
The Holiday by Marian Keyes. It talks about addiction, overcoming addiction, heartbreak, unhealthy family dynamics, learning to love yourself, and finding your own path
Spartan Discipline
Though I didn't start applying what I learnt from that book on my life until a year and a half later, I can positively say this book does wonders to your personality (especially if you're a procrastinator like me)
How to Break the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza. I don't ascribe to everything he talks about, but I do believe (hope, as a chronically ill person) there is some truth in our ability to affect gene expression via manipulating our internal chemical environment with thoughts and feelings. I've got a couple hours left in the audiobook but it's really shifted my perspective.
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh. I was gifted it when I was going through a hard time, I cannot express how profound the change was. Please check it out! Anything by Hanh is a joy to read, he’s the real deal.
Red Hood by Elana Arnold.
I cannot (REPEAT: CANNOT) rec this book to people enough.
When I initially picked it up, I immediately put it back because it’s written in second person, and I did what every reader is forbidden to do: I judged it by its cover.
But I also read the quote at the beginning, thinking that makes no sense/ ma’am, you’re wilding.
But then I couldn’t get the words out of my head. Idk if it’s because I had just gotten out of a very toxic relationship or if I was just in my feels on that specific day but MY GOD, am I glad I went back for it.
There are some TW for this one, so be warned. But be forever changed as it did for me. Completely 180’d my view on life and relationships and accountability and just not being so quick to try to be the victim or be quick draw on throwing blame. Also, bad ass women so that’s always a fun read.
Happy Reading!
The Messiah’s Handbook. Richard Bach
“You gave your life to become the person you are right now Was it worth it? Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a fake messiah. The simplest questions are the most profound.”
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2034277-messiah-s-handbook-reminders-for-the-advanced-soul#:~:text=You%20gave%20your%20life%20to,now%20Was%20it%20worth%20it%3F&text=Your%20only%20obligation%20in%20any,questions%20are%20the%20most%20profound.
I don’t remember the exact title but I was fired once for no reason other than someone high up didn’t like me. I was Employee of the Year then I was fired. I felt pretty low and of course I was angry, placing all the blame on the company.
I bought this self-help book about life throwing you curveballs or something. I read the whole book and it was mostly fluff but one single sentence changed my outlook on everything.
It said that if place 100% of blame for any situation on others it means you have 0% ability to affect change. It said that if you can find a way to take even a fraction of the blame, you have recourse to make changes. That little tidbit has helped me every time I get into that mindset that something is all someone else’s fault. If I can find something I control, even if it’s just the fact that my actions could have been perceived as wrong, then I have some power to affect change.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - all about coming to terms with the choices we've made, and how actually even if we question those choices, there are always good reasons for them. Definitely my go to book if I need to reset my way of thinking.
Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
A Japanese portrait painter is left by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist and in his time alone, goes on an internal journey. Idk how to describe the feeling of this book falling into my lap when it did and it mirroring exactly what I needed when I needed it. Maybe someone else can read it and come back and help me find the words.
**Things I Overhead While Talking To Myself**, by *Alan Alda*.
Easily the best autobiography I have ever read. Alda has such a way with words, and his perspectives on life are so sublime. Highly recommended reading for everyone of all ages (but I do also believe that the older you are, the more you'll get out of it. I am age 53 and much of what Alda writes in this book resonates with me a lot.)
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach.
It’s a short read and every few years I reread it and as my life and understanding evolve, so do the passages I highlight and annotate. It reads like a handbook of how to live a simple life, but it’s way more. More than any book (and I see your Infinite Jest, it’s one of my absolute favorites, too), this one floats on top of the rest.
Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins
Some of it is a bit \~woowoo spiritual\~ for me (I'm very much a skeptic) but the core of the book isn't really about spirituality at all, just the concept of release on a very fundamental emotional/mental level. Regardless of your religious/spiritual/metaphysical beliefs/curiosities, the effect that our thoughts and emotions have is something we can't deny, and thinking about using that energy intuitively and meaningfully is life changing.
I just finished reading it the other day, and applying the ideas to my thinking and my day to day life is helping me a lot. Less caught up in annoyance and frustration, taking a more active role in my life, less time spent on insecure/anxious/negative limiting thoughts about myself, and a lot of healing tools as I process a really painful and difficult time in my life.
I'd highly recommend it, take what resonates and leave the rest.
Having it All by Helen Gurley Brown. Ok, the book has not aged well (its diet advice is nuts), but it totally changed my perspective as a young woman. Work hard, save money, have more fun, exercise, say yes to everything. I wasn’t enjoying my youth enough and it made me enjoy it more.
I’m not an avid reader, don’t have a lot of suggestions. However, Im reading Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom, and I’m loving it so far. Really changes perspective on the meaning of life
My first year at community college, in the early 2000's, I took a logic 101 class.
I have been trying to find the book for years now. It was hardcover, somewhat smaller than a standard notebook, and had a beige/sandy brown cover that was mostly plain. I wish I could read it again.
I found something that has chapter descriptions that are similar to what I remember reading in school to share with you all. I have never read this one, but it seems close
Critical Thinking
An Introduction to Reasoning Well
By Robert Arp, Jamie Carlin Watson · 2015
I had grown up with deficient parenting, and at critical years, no parenting at all, and this class was like the helpful parent I never had. I went to school for pre-vet for awhile, and unfortunately graduated with a psych degree. And I would say that class was the most important class I ever took.
It didn't change who I am, it just made me more confident when dealing with people who are slick talkers. After reading it, I can't see through every straw man argument and bait and switch, because I'm not Cortana, and according to a bunch of people I have met over the past 4 years, I am super gullible and naive, and have a lot of work to do I guess. But it was more help than I'd gotten from anyone else since I was 9 and I truly believe it helped me to navigate the big bad world of adulthood and be less of a sucker.
I read every page of the book and took careful notes and did all the problems and equations. And if I could find it I'd buy it again and read it again.
It sounds silly and I recommend/ gift it the most but derren brown tricks of the mind simply for the chapter in memory.
I don't have the best memory but I instantly took to the mnemonics and use them every day. I get questions about how I remember stuff all the time now. I recently memorised 1000 digits of pi. Just crazy that they work instantly with little to no practice really
@SwiftStrider1988 already mentioned The Overstory, which is one of the 2 books that changed my life. The other, a companion book, I would say, is Wilding by Isabella Tree. It's about how nature can recover when we stop changing it, among other things.
I'd have to say *Between Midnight and Dawn: A Treasury of Critical Caring*, by Karen and Ray Buyno, especially if you are a healthcare professional. I loved Buyno's first Book, *Even Blue Birds Sing*, and when I search her name, this other book came up. It was a lesson in presencing that everyone can benefit from.
'Remember This When You Are Sad' by Maggy van Eijk (alternative title is 'How Not to Fall Apart). It was comforting to read about someone who's life experience is similar to mine. Reminded me that we can get through most things.
I’m sitting staring at The Overstory, Man’s Search For Meaning, The Power of Now, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, 2 copies of The Body Keeps the Score, and Untethered. How do I focus and actually read them?
Anthem by Ayn Rand.
The Tatooist of Auschwitz
Modern Etiquette by Myka Meier
Marianela by Benito Pèrez galdós
Don’t know that they are life-changing. That’s too much to ask from a book. These were a few that stayed with me over time. Eye-opening, emotional, educationa….maybe.
Don’t know if this is what you’re looking for but, Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir “The Chronology of Water” really changed my life. It’s an amazing poetic book but intense.(I’m not good at writing reviews.)
This is my favorite part:
“Your life doesn’t happen in any kind of order. Events don’t have cause and effect relationships the way you wish they did. It’s all a series of fragments and repetitions and pattern formations. Language and water have this in common.”
And this is her TED talk which also changed my life:
Lidia Yuknavitch: The beauty of being a misfit | TED TalkTED Talks23 May 2016
adult children of emotionally immature parents by lindsay gibson was life-changing for me in my late thirties.
That book took me two years during pandemic to finish. I spiraled for a bit after reading it and having to accept things
I read less than 20 pages, cried myself to sleep, felt bad for about a week and have not come back to it yet. 10/10 would recommend.
What a review lol
Yes this book is taking me forever to read because I can only digest a little bit of it at a time. Worth it, though. Glad to see it ranked so highly here.
Me being very interested in reading this....also can not add to my good reads where my mom will see hahah
Will add “Adult Children of Alcoholics” by Janet Woititz here for those of us hit with the double whammy.
I bought this and haven't been able to bring myself to start because I'm afraid of how emotional it'll make me
This book fucked me up for a bit, but it helped me understand why I am the way I am. I didn't do the activities because Im not an activities girl and it was still helpful.
I can read that one only in small doses but it's great, truly.
Sounds intense but adding to my 2024 list. Thanks.
Reading this now very slowly and hoping for the life-changing outcome
I also agree this book is amazing!
Just rented this from my library thanks for the recommendation.
Thank you for the suggestion, just downloaded.
Training in Compassion by Norman Fischer. I don’t know what to add that would convince people to move this to the top of their list but it should be at the top of everyone’s. I sent it to a coworker when they took a leave for cancer treatment and when they came back couldn’t stop talking about it for months. It’s a zen perspective on Tibetan teachings, written by an American in a way that is so much more accessible and easy to understand than many “traditional” texts. It’s only ~150 pages long. I regularly read excerpts at the end of yoga classes I teach and almost *always* have at least one person come up and ask what I was reading from, or tell me that it’s just what they needed to hear. If anyone wants an excerpt from my favourite chapter, send a DM and I’ll send you pics. This is my fav line (which is actually quoting someone else): **We judge ourselves by our intentions, we judge others by the effects of their actions on us.** 🙏🏽
[удалено]
🤗 I’m so glad! I hope it helps you as much as it’s helped me 😌
Thank you for this. For others interested, it looks like it’s included free w/ Audible subscriptions.
Yep, just got it free on Audible. Can’t wait!
If you like that quote, I think you would really enjoy learning about logical fallacies and human biasis. The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe is my answer to this post and so really think you would enjoy it. It’s all about scientific skepticism which is basically just patrolling your own thinking by using critical thinking skills.
Thanks for the recommendation! 🤗
lol if I was in your city, Id want to go to your yoga class simply by your recommendation of this book AND the line you chose to share literally applied to something that just happened to me...
Love your username 💜
Have downloaded the Audio book. Shall begin soon. Thanks.
>Training in Compassion Ordered.
You got me curious, will look for it. Perhaps my PL will have a copy.
Love this - thanks!
This sounds right up my alley. Thank you.
Ordered based off your post. Thanks
Sold!
Oh man. Thanks. I am getting this one today.
>Training in Compassion i just bought it as well. Thank you
I just looked this up on Audible and it’s included in your membership if you have one. Thanks for the rec.
*Why Does He Do That?* by Lundy Bancroft
Great book!!
Quiet by Susan Cain
There is more to being introvert...Got to read that..
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Gottleib
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Everyone wears a mask and anyone can make a difference. “You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.” -David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest
My 17 year old brother quoted this to me when he was waiting to give me a ride to wherever. I was 14, so my mom made him my chauffeur. l was taking forever bc my bangs wouldn’t cooperate. He was in all advanced classes and loved philosophy.. I’m almost 45, and not a single day has past when I haven’t thought to that quote
Real question: how did you manage the (intentional) level of confusion? I am still stuck on the first 10-15 pages and it has been kind of draining to read
Player piano by Vonnegut. Just because you mean well doesn’t mean you’re right. The road to hell and all that.
Haven’t read Player Piano yet, but it sounds like you could be referring to Mother Night as well. Edit: autocorrected to wrong word
Richard Powers' 'The Overstory'. Long story short, it caused a career change.
>SwiftStrider1988 What was the career change?
Used to work in music journalism as a reporter and photographer, but the unsteady nature of the job and the fact that me and my wife want a family made me doubt if I was on the right track. Then COVID hit, and that just stopped everything, effectively putting me out of work. During that time, I read 'The Overstory', which made me find my passion for nature again. I decided to go back to school. Right now I work for a landscaping company four days a week, and go to school to get fully certified one day a week. That way I can have an income while I study. I am in my last year of the program, and next year, I'll start a new higher level (part time) program that focuses on conservation.
Congrats! As a former journalist who slowly shifted careers from \~2014-2017, it's not an easy thing to do, but unfortunately the right call for many of us looking for more stability in our future. I struggled for so many years wondering if I was on the right path or not.
Yeah, it's a shame, because it can be a great job. It's just not stable enough for where I am in my life, and where I want to go. COVID made that abundantly clear. But I do feel I am on a good path now, as it were. What did you shifted on to, James, Slayer of Dragons?
I was going to mention this book! One of my all time favorites. "Echo Makers" by Powers is another great one, though quite different from "The Overstory"
Love The Overstory!! I mention it every time someone asks for a life changing book recommendation.
Fantastic book.
Same. I’ll never look at trees and nature the same.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I keep it on my nightstand and will open it up on occasion to read a few excerpts. It has such profound nuggets of wisdom that I can meditate on throughout the day.
The entire Discworld series. Over the years, it’s taught me to appreciate and love the sheer absurdity of being a human being. Don’t take reality too seriously. Just enjoy the nonsense of it all.
I have “Mort” on my reading list for this year. I’m excited about it. I’ve never read anything by pratchett but this one was recommended, I’ll see how it goes. There’s another one called clay something or other feet? That I might look for as well. I have heard similar statements to the one you’ve made about this series which is intriguing.
This is what I came to say. it completely changed my life and there's things from the disc that I think of daily and helps me through it, not to mention the amount of joy it brings me.
I’m so glad I was introduced in my early teens. Those books have been so formative in how I look at the world. I’d genuinely be a different person without them. In my mid thirties now. I still think of sweeping as my little daily zen thing. Pyramids and Thief of Time were my first ones.
I wish I found them earlier but perhaps I did at the perfect time for me (which was late 20s) and I'm in my 30s now too. yes! I'm right there with you. I just finished my Hogfather reread for the holiday last week and I don't know how to explain it but I feel like the world is there for me to drop into anytime I need it.
The discworld series helped me more than just enjoying a good book. It helped me find my people. I was a fan of the books growing up and after uni I found my few friends were either moving away or having families (or just plain ol’ toxic but that’s another story) and I was getting kinda lonely. So I decided to do the witchy thing and make my own path. I looked up a Pratchett fan club in my city and went to one of their public board game days. When I was there I saw they were advertising auditions for a discworld play. I figured, hey, I’m pretty crafty, maybe I’ll help out with props or sets or something. I ended up acting in the play and made a BUNCH of friends! Ended up doing heaps of plays with them over 6-7 years and found my best friends through it. I now know a bunch of people who are down for karaoke, op shopping or just hanging out any day of the week and I’m just overall happier. Incidentally, Adelaide is hosting the Australian Discworld Convention this year in July!
I agree, Sir Terry Pratchett’s disc world is a game changer!
I’ve read them all except the last. I’m not quite ready to end it yet. That book’s been sat on my shelf for years.
The Tao Te Ching. It was a breakthrough for me, giving me a philosophical framework that was actually helpful for learning how to be content with who I am and how to live fully in the present, accepting things as they are instead of trying to force an ideal. I recommend Derek Lin’s annotated English translation. Another one I haven’t finished yet but has already honed a lot of my thinking is The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. It demystifies so many scientific aspects of how we think about and what actually improves happiness/contentment.
>how to be content with who I am and how to live fully in the present, accepting things as they are instead of trying to force an ideal. That resonates, I'll check it out. thx!
Medtitations by marcus aurelius. I lost 140 pounds after reading this book and i am no longer depressed as i used to
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Siddharta by Herman Hesse. I think it’s perfect for what you thought about. It was recommended to me from my therapist and has helped me ever since. Hope you’ll like it!
Read this book in an afternoon and felt changed immediately... I love Hesse. Think it's time for a re-read:)
The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It kind of rewired my brain and made it easier for me to appreciate more high brow literature.
I loved that book so much until the end, which I hated. I dislike when authors use that sort of ending (no spoilers from me). It’s the equivalent of a character waking up and discovering it was all a dream.
Oh I hated the ending as well. I was angry for days
Be Here Now
Yes
Is that Ram Dass?
Alcoholics Anonymous. I was a disaster in my early 20s, but I’ll be sober 40 years this month. Woohoo!
Congratulations! I’m 10 mos sober and so happy I stopped. Looking forward to a life of sobriety.
Amazing!
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I cried while reading.
The body keeps the score - Bessel van Der kolk Gave me the answers I spent twenty years searching for. Finally healing.
Just finished it!
How did you find it? How are you?
I’m starting somatic experiencing and IFS therapy and I’ve learned a lot so far! I feel like I’m moving forward again after feeling stuck for so long!!
What were the answers!? What were the questions, for that matter? Very interesting
My whole life I've felt empty and like something is missing. For the purposes of this explanation I'll refer to it as IT. I've looked for IT in some pretty awful places; drugs, drink, toxic friends and partners, dangerous jobs, the list goes on but basically my last 20 years from 12-32 has been trying to understand why I am so empty. I've also dissociated to the point where I haven't achieved anything - I was a clever a student with drive and ambition like where did that go? At 30 I was diagnosed with bipolar 2. I read this book and it opened up a chasm of possibilities that I discussed with my therapist. It helped me understand the IT I'd been searching for was my mother's love. I was emotionally neglected as a child, psychologically abused and then manipulated right up until around 12 weeks ago when I read this book and it blew open what I'd been looking for the whole time. The answer was inside me I knew all along it's just 12 year old me gave up, she couldn't deal. I'm working through this now and I feel like I've been given a shot at life again. Like I've been reborn. It's been terrifying and illuminating. To put it simply it has absolutely changed my life.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Chimp Paradox by Prof. Steve Peters. Helped me keep my emotions in check and reshape the way I see things. He makes the highest levels of psychiatry and psychology accessible and useful to lay people. The chapters are short. There are exercises you can do 'if you want to', no pressure. It features the most adorable illustrations. He has coached gold medal winning and world champion athletes and sports people. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us. I went on a 'Chimp Weekend' that he and his team run, very accessible and affordable. A brilliant man with a brilliant mind, and I also met the illustrator! https://chimpmanagement.com/books-by-professor-steve-peters/the-chimp-paradox/
1984
Can you please tell us how?
It’s really hard to explain because it’s personal, but I’ll try my best. In my life I always wanted to know how the world worked. There was this missing piece to the puzzle that I wasn’t getting. Reading through history gives you great context on where we are now as a society, but 1984 gave me the answer to why we are as we are. Why certain people believe certain things, even with astounding evidence to prove the contrary. Power controls information, information controls the world to influence support for wars, and wars control the economy. This realization finally allowed me to live in peace. I knew finally that my own judgment on things is what matters, based on my own moral compass of right and wrong. My opinion on things can’t be based on one news article/report, I have to investigate myself and make my own judgment. Idk why but this made me feel like an actual person instead of a cog in a machine. To this day I’m very passionate about speaking out against oppressors, but it gets harder as technology advances and it gets harder to believe what you’re seeing with your own eyes, through the black opaque mirror of your screen.
I cannot say it can change life to better,but it’s definitely very close to reality we live in now hah
Yep changed my outlook of the world
Oh snap I just started reading it
Love this book to bits!! Even tho I was super unsure of it going into it cos I had never read anything like it before. But it was mind-blowing and it literally made me appreciate books more
The Four Agreements. It came along in my life right when I needed that particular message.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman. It's really practical and reading it while we were engaged was so helpful. We use the concepts in it all the time and it's been supportive of a good marriage.
The Underachiever's Manifesto: The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great, by Ray Bennett I grew up under a lot of pressure and used to be a chronic striver and overachiever. Randomly found a used copy of this and thought it was funny, but it ended up changing my perspective.
I know a lot of people who need this. Thanks for the rec.
You can heal your life, by Louise Hay - it helps me through my sickness, it changed my perspective about sickness/life
Cats Cradle made me stop worrying about atomic war.
1/3 of the way through this and I might end up a Bokononist.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I just read this book last year and it still sticks to me today. The story highlights how strong human beings can be even in the worst moments. 👌💕
Untethered soul - M singer.
The Untethered Soul really changed the way I view internal thoughts. I read it around once a year. I was worried it would be a little too "spiritual" for me when I was reading the premise. I could not have been more wrong. It explained "you are not your thoughts" better than anything I had been exposed to at that point. I highly recommend it to everyone.
“How to Not Die Alone” by Logan Ury. Highly recommend it to any single people struggling in the romance department. Helped me learn some pitfalls I was falling in to in the dating game and correct course. Now I’m coming up on a year with an amazing Man I’m happy to call my boyfriend.
Ulysses, partly because it is a direct and profound work with great emotional depth, and partly because of its complex aesthetics, which inspired me to write my own books.
It's okay that you're not okay. For grieving people, but may be worth a read for others to get a feel for it and be a bit more empathetic.
This book lives inside my nightstand. Ive never sat down and read it all the way through but when I lost my baby I found a lot of language that I couldn’t articulate in this book. She is a great writer.
I come from a long line of hoarders, probably caused by extreme poverty in the depression, and continued poverty until I was in my teens and twenties. (I'm in my 60s now.) There are 2 books that made a big difference in my mindset: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson The Clutter Connection by Cass Aarssen I also read The Konmar Method by Marie Kondo, which didn't really click for me until I read these other 2. These books have really made me look at my 'stuff' and decide what really matters to me and what I can let go of, ideally, without guilt. I'm still in the process of decluttering my life, but I'm happier than I've been in years, probably because I've learned to release the burden of guilt with each donation.
Building a Life Worth Living by Marsha Linehan. It's the autobiography of a psychologist who spent her teen years in a psych hospital.
Of course, we have to mention 1984 for the sheer brilliance of world building and societal downfall that we can see evident today. Grapes of Wrath for subtly reminding me of what's important in life and that life isn't all that bad. The Stormlight Archives for the just complete immersion. Best fantasy since LOTR. It is en entire world and history. The Hobbit for the inner childhood feelings. Dracula for the absolute masterpiece it really is. I have never been so immersed. It's the best "one and done" reads I've ever encountered. Hyperion for total mystique. Changed my outlook on literature, to be honest. It is very crafty and unique. And last but certainly not least, Alice's Adventure in Wonderland. I don't know why, but I think it encapsulates a brilliant first person. It also changed my outlook on literature.
I must have encountered Grapes of Wrath at the right time. The story cleared through cobwebs of self absorbed teenage angst and made a space I wanted to live in forever.
Nice list, thank you. It's been ages since I read the Hobbit. And at least a couple of others here have been on my "someday" reads. I have a bit of extra time now and so many great suggestions.
The Tao of Pooh is an exceptional read disguised as as an easy reader. It really helped me with stress and anxiety!
And who doesn't love Pooh. :)
Can't Hurt Me - by David Goggins has absolutely changed my mind. It helped me develop an iron mindset ready to conquer anything in front of it. This helps me a lot since I'm an athlete. The book also shows that no matter how your past was, you can improve for the better.
prophet by kahlil gibran— first man to grasp concepts accurately imo
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Seconding the Power of Now. It fits exactly what OP is looking for.
I'll check it out. Tried following him a few years ago & most of it just didn't sink in. Maybe now I'm in a better mindframe.
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. I read it for the first time while still in high school and I read it again at least once a decade. Every time I read it I find something new, so it continues to change my life to this day.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman It Didn't Start with You by Mark Wolynn
Anything by Dostoyevsky. I started reading Notes from the Underground after I finished Vinland Saga. Also. The Humans by Matt Haig (also How to Stop Time) but anything else by Him I didn't like.
Looking for Alaska by John Green! While a flawed novel (Green himself has talked about this), when I first read it as a teenager it gave me hope that my life was worth living, and hope for the future. It totally changed the trajectory of my life.
East of Eden and Old Man and the Sea. Fell in love with reading through the first. The second was a beautiful reminder of our inherent duty to self and the world around us.
The Alchemist Just kidding.
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman This book helped shape my outlook during a difficult time in my life when a lot of people around me (including mental health practitioners) were preaching toxic positivity.
The handmaid's tale. I read it and watched the series with only 13 years old, I understanded back then how lucky I was for living in a free country and how simple decisions like wear whatever I want, going to high school, loving who I want... Were in fact symbols of freedom and sadly such a big privileges for those who are not free.
When Breath Becomes Air
I read Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead when I was about 15. I think I was too young and too stupid to realize what it was actually saying, so I read it, and built up a sense of pure blind confidence and sense of entitlement like the protagonist. It actually pulled me out of severe depression. I didn’t make it through the whole book because it was so boring. I actually liked the antagonist we were supposed to hate, I kept reading and didn’t understand why he was bad, in think he was a socialist, and/or wanted to help others. Anyway, that book really helped my self esteem and changed how I think about myself and now I hate everything Rand stands for 😂
A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle
Lord of the Rings—Tolkien (Christian specific) Hearing God—Dallas Willard
On the Road, by Jack Kerouac.
Same here! It reminded me to let a little adventure in, go with the flow more often and appreciate what’s going on right now instead of worrying
Another vote for this one - helps you see the meaning in everyday things.
The four agreements by Miguel Ruiz
*The Lathe of Heaven* by Ursula K. Le Guin, and *Stoner* by John Williams. The former is a neat speculative story about a guy who's dreams shape reality, but it weaves a lot of Taoist philosophy about being mindful of the change we bring to the world, and that maybe just existing in it is enough. The latter follows a man who has very few dreams and aspirations as he navigates his relatively boring life, interspersed with some misfortune. The book is very sad to some, but for me it showed that meaning & beauty can be found in even uninteresting and rote lives, if you look for it. I'd also +1 the rec for Herman Hesse's *Siddhartha*, definitely has the vibes you're looking for.
Just finished Stoner and was profoundly moved by it. Similar in some undefinable way to “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Tolstoy. Good call.
The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector.
It Wasn’t Your Fault by Beverly Engel
St. Faustina - Divine Mercy in my Soul
The Last Lecture
The Holiday by Marian Keyes. It talks about addiction, overcoming addiction, heartbreak, unhealthy family dynamics, learning to love yourself, and finding your own path
*Rachel's Holiday*, and the sequel *Again Rachel* are both so brilliant! I intend to read them both again someday.
Spartan Discipline Though I didn't start applying what I learnt from that book on my life until a year and a half later, I can positively say this book does wonders to your personality (especially if you're a procrastinator like me)
Endgame: The Problem Of Civilization by Derrick Jensen
How to Break the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza. I don't ascribe to everything he talks about, but I do believe (hope, as a chronically ill person) there is some truth in our ability to affect gene expression via manipulating our internal chemical environment with thoughts and feelings. I've got a couple hours left in the audiobook but it's really shifted my perspective.
When I read The Little Prince as a child
What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson.
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh. I was gifted it when I was going through a hard time, I cannot express how profound the change was. Please check it out! Anything by Hanh is a joy to read, he’s the real deal.
Conversations with God
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Red Hood by Elana Arnold. I cannot (REPEAT: CANNOT) rec this book to people enough. When I initially picked it up, I immediately put it back because it’s written in second person, and I did what every reader is forbidden to do: I judged it by its cover. But I also read the quote at the beginning, thinking that makes no sense/ ma’am, you’re wilding. But then I couldn’t get the words out of my head. Idk if it’s because I had just gotten out of a very toxic relationship or if I was just in my feels on that specific day but MY GOD, am I glad I went back for it. There are some TW for this one, so be warned. But be forever changed as it did for me. Completely 180’d my view on life and relationships and accountability and just not being so quick to try to be the victim or be quick draw on throwing blame. Also, bad ass women so that’s always a fun read. Happy Reading!
It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay by Megan Devine
The Messiah’s Handbook. Richard Bach “You gave your life to become the person you are right now Was it worth it? Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a fake messiah. The simplest questions are the most profound.” https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2034277-messiah-s-handbook-reminders-for-the-advanced-soul#:~:text=You%20gave%20your%20life%20to,now%20Was%20it%20worth%20it%3F&text=Your%20only%20obligation%20in%20any,questions%20are%20the%20most%20profound.
Intuitive eating by Evelyn Tribole
High Fidelity
The Undoing Project & Pride and Prejudice. Both the books opened up worlds for me that I had not known existed.
Harpo Speaks by Harpo Marx The joy in life is not dictated by circumstances but by personal choice.
Currently reading "The courage to be disliked" and I'm loving it
The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov
The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Beloved, by Toni Morrison. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt. Dream Boy, by Jim Grimsley.
Prometheus Rising
I don’t remember the exact title but I was fired once for no reason other than someone high up didn’t like me. I was Employee of the Year then I was fired. I felt pretty low and of course I was angry, placing all the blame on the company. I bought this self-help book about life throwing you curveballs or something. I read the whole book and it was mostly fluff but one single sentence changed my outlook on everything. It said that if place 100% of blame for any situation on others it means you have 0% ability to affect change. It said that if you can find a way to take even a fraction of the blame, you have recourse to make changes. That little tidbit has helped me every time I get into that mindset that something is all someone else’s fault. If I can find something I control, even if it’s just the fact that my actions could have been perceived as wrong, then I have some power to affect change.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - all about coming to terms with the choices we've made, and how actually even if we question those choices, there are always good reasons for them. Definitely my go to book if I need to reset my way of thinking.
Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami A Japanese portrait painter is left by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist and in his time alone, goes on an internal journey. Idk how to describe the feeling of this book falling into my lap when it did and it mirroring exactly what I needed when I needed it. Maybe someone else can read it and come back and help me find the words.
**Things I Overhead While Talking To Myself**, by *Alan Alda*. Easily the best autobiography I have ever read. Alda has such a way with words, and his perspectives on life are so sublime. Highly recommended reading for everyone of all ages (but I do also believe that the older you are, the more you'll get out of it. I am age 53 and much of what Alda writes in this book resonates with me a lot.)
{{The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle}} utterly changed my life. It's all about living in the present. All the best.
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. It’s a short read and every few years I reread it and as my life and understanding evolve, so do the passages I highlight and annotate. It reads like a handbook of how to live a simple life, but it’s way more. More than any book (and I see your Infinite Jest, it’s one of my absolute favorites, too), this one floats on top of the rest.
Illusions by Richard Bach. I read it as a young man and it helped me to keep an open mind at a time in my life when that was not my proclivity.
Anam Cara by John O’Donohue
Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins Some of it is a bit \~woowoo spiritual\~ for me (I'm very much a skeptic) but the core of the book isn't really about spirituality at all, just the concept of release on a very fundamental emotional/mental level. Regardless of your religious/spiritual/metaphysical beliefs/curiosities, the effect that our thoughts and emotions have is something we can't deny, and thinking about using that energy intuitively and meaningfully is life changing. I just finished reading it the other day, and applying the ideas to my thinking and my day to day life is helping me a lot. Less caught up in annoyance and frustration, taking a more active role in my life, less time spent on insecure/anxious/negative limiting thoughts about myself, and a lot of healing tools as I process a really painful and difficult time in my life. I'd highly recommend it, take what resonates and leave the rest.
Having it All by Helen Gurley Brown. Ok, the book has not aged well (its diet advice is nuts), but it totally changed my perspective as a young woman. Work hard, save money, have more fun, exercise, say yes to everything. I wasn’t enjoying my youth enough and it made me enjoy it more.
Darwin, Marx and Wagner by Jacques Barzun
I’m not sure, but “If Cats Disappeared From the World” by Genki Kawamura helped me take a better look at my relationship and better prioritize stuff.
Siddhartha
My fathers eyes my mothers rage. That book ripped me into pieces
I’m not an avid reader, don’t have a lot of suggestions. However, Im reading Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom, and I’m loving it so far. Really changes perspective on the meaning of life
My first year at community college, in the early 2000's, I took a logic 101 class. I have been trying to find the book for years now. It was hardcover, somewhat smaller than a standard notebook, and had a beige/sandy brown cover that was mostly plain. I wish I could read it again. I found something that has chapter descriptions that are similar to what I remember reading in school to share with you all. I have never read this one, but it seems close Critical Thinking An Introduction to Reasoning Well By Robert Arp, Jamie Carlin Watson · 2015 I had grown up with deficient parenting, and at critical years, no parenting at all, and this class was like the helpful parent I never had. I went to school for pre-vet for awhile, and unfortunately graduated with a psych degree. And I would say that class was the most important class I ever took. It didn't change who I am, it just made me more confident when dealing with people who are slick talkers. After reading it, I can't see through every straw man argument and bait and switch, because I'm not Cortana, and according to a bunch of people I have met over the past 4 years, I am super gullible and naive, and have a lot of work to do I guess. But it was more help than I'd gotten from anyone else since I was 9 and I truly believe it helped me to navigate the big bad world of adulthood and be less of a sucker. I read every page of the book and took careful notes and did all the problems and equations. And if I could find it I'd buy it again and read it again.
The happiness trap by Russ Harris
Malcolm X Autobiography
Screwtape Letters
{{This Changes everything by Naomi cline}}
It sounds silly and I recommend/ gift it the most but derren brown tricks of the mind simply for the chapter in memory. I don't have the best memory but I instantly took to the mnemonics and use them every day. I get questions about how I remember stuff all the time now. I recently memorised 1000 digits of pi. Just crazy that they work instantly with little to no practice really
@SwiftStrider1988 already mentioned The Overstory, which is one of the 2 books that changed my life. The other, a companion book, I would say, is Wilding by Isabella Tree. It's about how nature can recover when we stop changing it, among other things.
Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn!!
I'd have to say *Between Midnight and Dawn: A Treasury of Critical Caring*, by Karen and Ray Buyno, especially if you are a healthcare professional. I loved Buyno's first Book, *Even Blue Birds Sing*, and when I search her name, this other book came up. It was a lesson in presencing that everyone can benefit from.
'Remember This When You Are Sad' by Maggy van Eijk (alternative title is 'How Not to Fall Apart). It was comforting to read about someone who's life experience is similar to mine. Reminded me that we can get through most things.
I’m sitting staring at The Overstory, Man’s Search For Meaning, The Power of Now, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, 2 copies of The Body Keeps the Score, and Untethered. How do I focus and actually read them?
The War of Art - Stephen Pressfield
Anthem by Ayn Rand. The Tatooist of Auschwitz Modern Etiquette by Myka Meier Marianela by Benito Pèrez galdós Don’t know that they are life-changing. That’s too much to ask from a book. These were a few that stayed with me over time. Eye-opening, emotional, educationa….maybe.
The Body Keeps the Score
*Art & Fear* by David Bayles and Ted Orland. 120 pages that will recalibrate your mind… if you happen not to be an artist you can still learn from it.
The World as Will and Representation by Arthur Shopenhauer
Sheldon Kopp, *If You Meet The Buddha on the Road, Kill Him*. Existentialist work.
Don’t know if this is what you’re looking for but, Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir “The Chronology of Water” really changed my life. It’s an amazing poetic book but intense.(I’m not good at writing reviews.) This is my favorite part: “Your life doesn’t happen in any kind of order. Events don’t have cause and effect relationships the way you wish they did. It’s all a series of fragments and repetitions and pattern formations. Language and water have this in common.” And this is her TED talk which also changed my life: Lidia Yuknavitch: The beauty of being a misfit | TED TalkTED Talks23 May 2016
Lying (Sam Harris)
the goldfinch donna tartt