
Last week I was asked about the oodles of books I've collected to read this summer. The reality is they are to be read through Christmas and beyond because I don't know that I could get through them in a mere few weeks!
This recent curation started with a few events: the summer reading list that came out for my kids and then a creative writing course I signed up to explore, then there was the influence of Brain Pickings, Hay House, Danielle LaPorte, Susannah Conway and conversations with my friends and I was overwhelmed with the need to read.
YOUNG ADULT READING
Mandatory Summer Reading:
THE GLASS CASTLE Jeannette Walls (Claire)
IN COLD BLOOD Trueman Capote (Cole)
LORD OF THE FLIES William Golding (Chloé)
THE OUTSIDERS S. E. Hinton (Caden)
Hopeful-Mama's List of Summer Reading for her children:
ELEANOR & PARK Rainbow Rowell
LOVE IS A MIX TAPE Rob Sheffield
THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO Patrick Ness
THE ASK AND THE ANSWER Patrick Ness
MONSTERS OF MEN Patrick Ness
THE SUMMER PRINCE Alaya Dawn Johnson
HIS FAIR ASSASSIN: GRAVE MERCY Robin LaFevers
HIS FAIR ASSASSIN: DARK TRIUMPH Robin LaFevers
CODE NAME VERITY Elizabeth Wein
THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER Megan Shepherd
MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH Bethany Griffin
DANCE OF THE RED DEATH Bethany Griffin
Pre-ordered:
THE UNIDENTIFIED REDHEAD Alice Clayton
THE REDHEAD REVEALED Alice Clayton
THE READHEAD PLAYS HER HAND Alice Clayton
I love that my kids enjoy reading. For every book on the list that has a counterpart on Audible, I order that version so Caden can read and listen at the same time. This has proven to be very good strategy for him. He is no longer frustrated and his attention is held through more than a few pages at a time. The list includes a good mix of girl-focused and boy-focused fiction. Like me, the kids read anything.
FICTION - AKA, IT'S TIME TO START READING MORE OF WHAT I WANT TO WRITE!
THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED Jonas Jonasson
SKYLIGHT CONFESSIONS Alice Hoffman
A BEAUTIFUL TRUTH Colin McAdam
THE FEVER TREE Jennifer McVeigh
THE AGE OF MIRACLES Karen Thompson Walker
VALLEY OF THE DOLLS Jacqueline Susann
SUMMER AT TIFFANY Marjorie Hart
THE ROSIE PROJECT Graeme Simsion
THE AVIATOR'S WIFE Melanie Benjamin
HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON Crockett Johnson
I want to write fiction. I have many stories inside just waiting to be told. I've spent a great deal of time trying to supress those stories and for a while I succeeded. They were lost to me. It's time to be quiet and not "busy" to simply dwell in that creative space again. The best way to write what you want is to read what you want to write. There are thousands upon thousands of great books and I hope to spend a great portion of my life reading them! And re-reading the really good ones. Suggestions are always welcome :)
INSPIRATION & LIFE LESSONS - NON FICTION
ON BECOMING FEARLESS ... IN LOVE, WORK AND LIFE Arianna Huffington
SOULSPACE: TRANSFORM YOUR HOME, TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE Xorin Balbes
STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST Austin Kleon
DO MORE GREAT WORK Michael Bungay Stanier
SHIFT HAPPENS: HOW TO LIVE AN INSPIRED LIFE ... STARTING RIGHT NOW Robert Holden
LOVEABILITY: KNOWING HOW TO LOVE AND BE LOVED Robert Holden
THE FIRST 20 HOURS: HOW TO LEARN ANYTHING Josh Kauffman
FOCUS ON THE GOOD STUFF: THE ART OF APPRECIATION Mike Robbins
BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS ALREADY TAKEN: TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE WITH THE POWER OF AUTHENTICITY Mike Robbins
ZEN UNDER FIRE: HOW I FOUND PEACE IN THE MIDST OF WAR Marianne Elliott
THINK: STRAIGHT TALK FOR WOMEN TO STAY SMART IN A DUMBED DOWN WORLD Lisa Bloom
MANAGE YOUR DAY-TO-DAY: BUILD YOUR ROUTINE, FIND YOUR FOCUS & SHARPEN YOUR CREATIVE MIND Jocelyn K. Glei, Editor
MAKING IDEAS HAPPEN: OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES BETWEEN VISION & REALITY Scott Belsky
This is where I've been for the past couple of years - finding inspiration through the life lessons learned and shared by others. When I wasn't strong enough to take care of myself, I depended on the strength of others to provide me with hope and inspiration. I've grown a lot and now I read to have those feelings of independance, authenticity and growth reinforced.
WRITING & CREATIVE INSTRUCTION
THE NOTEBOOKS; INTERVIEWS AND NEW FICTION FROM CONTEMPORARY WRITERS Michelle Berry & Natalee Capel, Editors
WRITING LIFE: CELEBRATED CANADIAN AND INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS ON WRITING AND LIFE Constance Rooke, Editor
WRITERS GYM: EXERCISES AND TRAINING TIPS FOR WRITERS Eliza Clark
WRITING BEGINS WITH BREATH: EMBODYING YOUR AUTHENTIC VOICE Laraine Herring
344 QUESTIONS: THE CREATIVE PERSON'S DO-IT-YOURSELF GUIDE TO INSIGHT, SURVIVAL, AND ARTISTIC FULFILLMENT Stefan G. Butcher
BIRD BY BIRD: SOME INSTRUCTIONS ON WRITING AND LIFE Anne Lamott
WRITING FICTION: A GUIDE TO NARRATIVE CRAFT Janet Burroway
IMAGINATIVE WRITING: THE ELEMENT OF CRAFT Janet Burroway
NAMING THE WORLD: AND OTHER EXERCISES FOR THE CREATIVE WRITER Bret Anthony Johnston
COURAGE AND CRAFT: WRITING YOUR LIFE STORY Barbara Abercrombie
WRITING FOR MY LIFE ... RECLAIMING THE LOST PIECES OF ME: A POETIC JOURNEY Nancy Levin
THE WAR OF ART: BREAK THROUGH Stephen Pressfield
TURNING PRO: TAP YOUR INNER POWER AND CREATE YOUR LIFE'S WORK Stephen Pressfield
THE WRITING LIFE Annie Dillard
WHY WE WRITE: 20 ACCLAIMED AUTHORS ON HOW AND WHY THEY DO WHAT THEY DO Meredith Maran, Editor
Of course, in addition to the above, I have shelves lined with books all through my home. I have no doubt I've forgotten more than I've remembered with all of the brilliance - and drivel - I've read over the years, but it's all good! I'm looking forward to learning new things and challenging myself to new opportunities. Oh, if only my English-major -self had been as enthusiastic as my middle-aged-writer-wannabe-self has turned into being.
Though the stacks are uneven, I'm looking forward to absorbing all of those words and stories and emotions and plots and highs and lows.
I expect my posting here on the blog to be somewhat uneven as I focus my energy on this little endeavor. BUT imagine how much better - creative and articulate - my efforts will be once I'm in a state of inspired flow?
Me? I'm looking forward to finding out!