Reading List 2011

Completed:

  1. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book by Don Miguel Ruiz (2/5)
  2. Wisdom of Meerkats by Rachael Lanicci (2/5)
  3. The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World by Chris Guillebeau (4/5)
  4. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (5/5, review)
  5. The ABCs of Choosing a Good Husband: How to find and marry a great guy by Stephen Wood (3/5)
  6. My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D. (4/5, review)
  7. Preschool in Three Cultures: Japan, China, and the United States by Joseph Tobin, et al (5/5, review)
  8. Tao Te Ching: A New English Version by Stephen Mitchell (4/5)
  9. 365 Ways to Live Happy: Simple Ways to Find Joy Every Day by Meera Lester (3/5)
  10. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño (4/5, review)
  11. Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out by Marci Shimoff (5/5)
  12. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (5/5)
  13. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (3/5, review)
  14.  The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra (4/5)
  15.  Talk of Love: How Culture Matters by Ann Swidler (2/5)
  16. Sex, Self, and Society: The Social Context of Sexuality by Tracey L. Steele (4/5)
  17. The Final Testament of the Holy Bible by James Frey (3/5, review)
  18. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (4/5)
  19. The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology by Robert Wright (4/5, review)
  20. The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman (4/5, review)
  21. Mirage by F. Paul Wilson (2/5)
  22. Go For It! A Celebration of Your Dreams by Gift Books from Hallmark
  23. The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World by Marti Olsen Laney Psy.D. (4/5, review)
  24. First Day of School by Patricia Relf (4/5)
  25. Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women by Christine B. Whelan (3/5)
  26. The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin (4/5, review)
  27. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister (5/5)
  28. The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs (5/5, review)
  29. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (5/5)
  30. Book by George Ella Lyon (5/5)
  31. What Color Is Your Parachute? 2003: A Practical Manual for
    Job-Hunters and Career Changers
    by Richard N. Bolles (4/5)
  32. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (3/5, review)
  33. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (5/5, review)
  34. Antwerp by Roberto Bolaño (3/5)
  35. Crooked Little Hearts by Anne Lamott (4/5, review)
  36. The Insufferable Gaucho by Roberto Bolaño (5/5)
  37. Everything is Going to Be OK by Anonymous (3/5)
  38. Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and
    Well-being
    by Martin P. Seligman (3/5, review)
  39. The One-Week Job Project: One Man, One Year, 52 Jobs by Sean Aiken (3/5, review)
  40. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (3/5)
  41. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (5/5, review)
  42. The Hungry Thing Goes to a Restaurant by Ann Seidler and Jan Slepian (4/5)
  43. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (4/5, review)
  44. Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman (3/5)
  45. A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs (3/5, review)
  46. 1984 by George Orwell (5/5, review)
  47. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (2/5, review)
  48. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcom Gladwell (5/5, review)
  49. Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year by Anne Lamott (4/5, review)
  50. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle (5/5, review)
  51. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (5/5, review)
  52. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore (4/5, review)
  53. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown (5/5, review)
  54. It’s Kind of a Funny Story by New Vizzini (4/5, review)
  55. A Brief Guide to World Domination: How to Live a Remarkable Life in a Conventional World *and other important goals (free e-book, PDF) by Chris Guillebeau (5/5)
  56. 279 Days to Overnight Success: And Unconventional Journey to Full-Time Writing (free e-book, PDF) by Chris Guillebeau (5/5)
  57. Focus: A Simplicity Manifesto in the Age of Distraction (free e-book, PDF) by Leo Babauta (5/5)
  58. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (5/5, review)
  59. Unwind by Neal Shusterman (5/5, review)
  60. Enjoy Every Sandwich: Living Each Day as If It Were Your Last by Lee Lipsenthal (5/5, review)
  61. Catching Fire  by Suzanne Collins (5/5)
  62. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (4/5)
  63. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline (5/5, review)
  64. Post Grad by Emily Cassel (3/5, review)
  65. The Tower (free e-book, PDF) by Chris Guillebeau (5/5)
  66. Spirit Junkie: Radical Road to Self-Love and Miracles by Gabrielle Bernstein (2/5, review)
  67. The Third Reich: A Novel by Roberto Bolaño (4/5, review)
  68. A Profound Mind: Cultivating Wisdom in Everyday Life by H. H. the Dalai Lama (2/5, review)
  69. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (5/5, review)
  70. The Christmas Note by Donna VanLiere (4/5)

38 thoughts on “Reading List 2011

  1. I think we were separated at birth…I love you blog but when I saw your reading list I thought wow! I am reading or have read some of the same books. Do you have a favorite so far this year?

    • I’m glad you’re enjoying my blog! My favorite so far is probably Man’s Search for Meaning. The Savage Detectives is decent, but slow moving compared to 2666 (Bolaño’s other book, which I read last year). I’ve barely started Integral Consciousness, but it comes highly reccomended by a friend, so I’m looking forward to it. Do you have any favorite books or any good ones you’re reading now?

  2. I have read three truly spectacular books about music which you might want to add to your reading list:
    -”This is Your Brain on Music” by Daniel J. Levitin
    -”How Equal Tempermant Ruined Harmony (And Why You Should Care)” by Ross W. Duffin
    -”Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music” by Greg Kot

    These books explore the psychological and mathematical aspects of music, save for the last title. “Ripped” covers everything from Napster to I-Tunes and also explores incredible bands like Arcade Fire and Death Cab for Cutie.

    • It depends what you’re interested it. I would say that Man’s Search for meaning has the widest appeal – it’s a Holocaust survivor’s story of how he was able to hold on to hope and survive the terrible ordeal.

  3. John Talbot’s “Holographic Universe” is a great read on constructing the reality within which we live at a micro and macro level.
    “The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World,” by Lewis Hyde is about living a creative life in a society the commodifies everything and views everything as though it is an object for consumption. Beautifully written – I just love this man’s integrated mind.
    I might also suggest readings (or classes in tai chi, ba gua, chi gung) from the Tao for you. Taoists have always been independent persons in dependent cultures. The heart of taoist meditative, martial and medicinal arts is to teach one how to lead an authentic, contented and fulfilled life – emphasis on authentic, which leads to the latter two.
    Good luck in your readings and writings.

    • Wow, those all sound amazing! Thank you so much for the reccomendations. I will definitely look into them. I’ve read the Tao Te Ching and can appreciate so many of the ideas; I will have to check out more of the Taoist readings because one of my primary goals in life is to be and independant and authentic person. Thanks again, I really apprecaite your suggestions. :)

  4. I wish I liked to read.. if I did, it would definitely be non-fictional books! Thanks for your comment on my blog.. I hope you come back! I love finding my aged girls with blogs.

    Saludos!

    • Reading is a great learning opportunity, but so is traveling and photography! :) Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed, you deserve it! I will definetly keep an eye on your blog. I also love finding people my age who are blogging!

    • I actually read that several years ago (at 13, maybe?) and it was an instant favorite. I’ll have to read it again…I bet I could take even more away from it. Thanks for the reminder and keep reading! :D

  5. Hello Erin, I came across you blog from a mutual pingback. Some of my all-time favorite life changing books are: “The Road Less Traveled,” by M. Scott Peck, M.D.; “Passionate Marriage,” by David Schnarch, Ph.D. (it’s not just about marriage, but about intimacy in any long-term committed relationship); “Intimacy & Desire,” also by David Schnarch; “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” by Stephen Covey; “The Art of Loving,” by Erich Fromm; “Letters to a Young Poet,” by Rilke; and “The Wisdom of No Escape,” by Pema Chödrön (or Chodron). My degrees are in psychology and philosophy, so that tends to be where my interests are, as well as in poetry and spirituality. I hope this finds you well and good luck in your endeavors in 2011. (And feel free to browse my blogs–www.aweektolive.wordpress.com and http://www.realtruelove.wordpress.com. Perhaps there may be some ideas or posts that might interest you there.)

    • Wow, I’m really impressed with your blog and look forward to reading more of it! I’m really interested in figuring out what lends to fulfilling relationships and spiritual expereinces and it looks like you’er pretty knowledgable in those areas. I’m about to graduate with a degree in pscyhology and I’m also interested in philosophy and the self-improvement/help books. All of those sounds great and I’ll be sure to check them out. Thanks so much for the reccomendations and the link to your site! :D

  6. Hey! Thanks for liking my post on education. I see you are reading the Moral Animal. Would you like to contribute a book review onto my blog? (I’ve been trying to get around to reading that, but gotta finish The Selfish Gene first haha.)

    • When I finish it, I’ll let you know. I’ll be posting a review on my own site, but you’re more than welcome to reblog it. Thanks for stopping by. :)

  7. Hi Erin,
    thank you for the like on my blog!
    I like your reading list and I see that many of us (you, your readers, I) share some of them. Makes me confident!
    All the best and enjoy the journey!

    • Thank you Tanja! (What a beautiful name!)
      It really is wonderful how much overlap there is – they do say that great minds think alike and that birds of a feather flock together, so it seems we’re all found our counterparts.
      All the best to you as well! :)

  8. Have you ever been to the site GoodReads? It’s an amazing resource for avid readers like yourself. If you haven’t already, I recommend you check it out.

    Also, one of the best books I have ever read that put life in a real perspective for me was “Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: 30 True Things You Need to Know Now” by Gordon Livingston.

    • Yes, in fact I love GoodReads! It’s wonderful for tracking what I have read and for keeping track of my to-read list.

      That book sou ds like it would be right up my alley. I’ll be sure to check it out!

      Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. :)

  9. What a fascinating blog. Thanks for sharing your musings and reading list, the world would be a brighter place if more people would take the time to realise what an amazing impact they could have, if only theyn tried.
    As for an interesting option for your “to read” list, how about “The Rare and the Beautiful: The Lives of the Garmans”, there’s nothing quite like this on your list yet.

    • Thank you for your kind words, Lynda. It really is true – we each have so much potential to make a difference, but many don’t even realize it. Thank you for the book suggestion; I’ll be adding it to my to-read list. :)

  10. If you’re still looking for suggestions I’d highly recommend “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” (Michael Pollan) it’s an insight into modern American food processing and the alternative methods of acquiring food. It’s a real eye-opener. I’m sure you’ve read “Brave New World” by now, but if not, then definitely give it a shot. You’ve probably also read “Light in August” by William Faulkner.

    Also, I must say, I just stumbled upon your blog and it is wonderful. I’m 19 and I share so many of the exact same thoughts that you do. It truly is a gift to find such driven and inspirational people close to my age as many of them are not. Good luck on your 2011 goals, I wish you the best in achieving all the things you want to do in life!

    • Thank you so much for the suggestions – I actually haven’t any of those either, but I’ve added all to my to-read list. :)

      It truly is wonderful finding people who share your thoughts and aspirations. Keep living life beyond the standards of society, find inspiration in everything, and continue to believe in and reach for your dreams. 19 up through the early twenties is a diffiult age and so many people get lost along the way, but I believe that people who choose to live their own life are happier and more successful. Stay true to yourself.

      Thank you for your well wishes and I wish you the best as well. :)

  11. Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You is one of my favorite books. I’m studying Psychology so I picked it up a few years ago and I’ve read it once a year ever since. Since Snoop is in your list you may like Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. Definitely my favorite book :)

    • I’m studied Psychology, as well – it’s a fascinating area! And I actually worked in the lab of Matthias Mehl (who is mentioned in Snoop). I’ve read Tipping Point and liked it and I’ve heard Blink is good, so I will definately check it out. Thanks!

  12. Very interesting. thank you for sharing! You see, I’m currently working on my blog on similar subject to “Reading List 2011 | Analyfe” and I might quote this post in it. I hope you don’t mind

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