With summer’s end and kids back to school – I feel like I am back in school,  turning in a book report on the last day it’s due! Nothing like getting this in on the last day of the month.  😉 All kidding aside, not by design – but the selections this month were more on introspection/self-awareness and looking within.  Surprisingly, no fiction.  The titles below are hyperlinks to each book on Amazon, if you want more info on it.  Also Did you read any books worth recommending this month? Please let me know!  Happy reading. xo

1)  The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
by Michael Singer

“The mind is a place where the soul goes to hide from the heart.”

This book opened my heart and soul to a new level of living life from a place of higher consciousness.  If you are looking for peace and peace of mind in your life, look no further. A real eye-heart-mind opener.  In a clear, articulate and down-to-earth manner, Michael walks you through the true nature of consciousness, the nature of our physical mind,  explaining how our mind gets “stuck” with worries, thoughts and “impressions” of past events. He gives do-able, practical daily ways to turn off our spinning brains and open our hearts.   The process of taking down walls and blockages in our lives is both challenging and painful.  Often the most profound lessons in life are the most painful.  So thought-provoking and an excellent manual for living a fulfilled and happy existence. One of the most important books you may ever read.  The only question is, are you ready for it?

2) Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

What better way to end summer than with a “vacation for the soul”? A wife and mother of 5 contemplates the shape of her busy New York life during a two week beach retreat in Florida by herself.    “What a circus act we women perform every day of our lives.  It puts a trapeze artist to shame.”   Anne understood the importance of finding peace and happiness within yourself, before you cam share those qualities with others.  She explores how a woman fulfills the roles of wife/mother/career person/friend/sibling and balance all of that with the time and self-commitment for spiritual/emotional nurturing of oneself.  Beautifully written, she fully articulates the struggles so many women today come face to face with on a daily basis.  Anne was the wife of Charles Lindbergh, you might recall  reading about their public tragedy of their kidnapped and murdered son.  She wrote this book  in 1955–when women’s roles in life and society were so different–yet the messages are still completely relevant all these years later. Clearly a woman ahead of her time. A short, quick read.

3)   Eat |Pray | Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I confess I have NOT seen the film of this book.  This memoir was recommended a few years back by my friend Cassie, who said I would love it.  And oh, I did.  I recently picked up again and could NOT put it down.  She writes about the inner workings of a woman on the brink of so many things….fear, loss, misery, hope, self discovery in a story about post-divorce healing and transformation. I love her style of writing.  It’s like sitting down and catching up with a good friend — chatting about the journey we are all on and trying to make sense of our purpose in this life.  Her humor and ability to laugh at herself in the face of adversity is authentic and endearing. I could relate to many of her idiosyncrasies – like taking meds as an absolute LAST resort after you have tried EVERYTHING else.  It’s hard to look within, but this is an insightfully articulated journey into self.  She appreciates culture  and both the differences around the world and the universal sameness we all share.  Her experiences in the “three I’s” – Italy, India and Indonesia, give her an astounding perspective on growth, travel, history, religion and getting to know yourself.

4) Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

“Every freedom may be taken away from a man but one; the freedom to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”   This might be one of the most transformative, powerful and important books you will EVER read.  Dr. Frankl was a prominent psychiatrist pre-WWII suddenly stripped of everything – and ultimately, his family – including his pregnant wife.  He lived in several concentration camps and ended up in Auschwitz, which became his teacher.  Despite every attempt to rob them of everything, including their dignity – Dr. Frankl reminds us that prisoners living the worst of circumstances still had a choice.  We can never be robbed of our attitude about life and our ability to find meaning in the most dire of circumstances.  This is completely applicable to life today  in 2014.  Life is full of challenges. Those challenges eventually cause a person to question who he is and what he stands for – forcing us to determine the meaning of our life.  No matter what the circumstances, you must have a purpose to move forward.  This book is a reminder that what we do and how we think about our challenging situations actually matters. He has affirmed (and was living proof) that above all,  meaning is what makes life worth living.

A few links worthy of  your time:

Our Final Anniversary

What my old-ass Dog taught me about Everything

How a Password Changed My Life

The Ultimate Guide to Solving iOS Battery Drain

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