The Part-Time Blogger
Hi Guys. Sorry for the reduced input from me this week but I’m spending most of it flying back and forth across our fine (gigantic) country delivering presentations to the masses and trying not to offend too many people in the process. I thought that today, instead of me waffling on for another thousand words or so, perhaps you should do some work. I’ll pay you exactly what I get paid for writing on this site. Geeeeze I’m good to you.
Your Best Ever Read
If you could only recommend one book to me, which one would it be? Yep, I know it’s a tough question. I’m always getting asked about what I read, what I listen to and who my influences are. I read anything and everything, but I did pick up a new book today at Sydney airport called Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I’m only forty pages in but I think I’m gonna dig it. I’ll letcha know. Anyway, you’ve all heard enough about what I think (for a day at least), so today I’d like you to share with me (and a few thousand of my closest friends) your best ever read; your all-time fave book. This is what I wanna know.
1. Book name?
2. Type of book?
3. What you loved about it?
4. Hard or easy read?
5. How it impacted on you?
People are always looking for a great book to read and we all love a good recommendation, so now it’s your turn to point us in the right direction. Keep it under a million words and don’t tell us your top three (or ten), we just want your numero uno. Capiche?
If you’ve never commented before then stop being a big baby, step out of the shadows and surprise yourself. Click on the comment thingy and get crackin’.
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Craig, I’m reading BLINK right now too, I got it from the library and then had to buy it, it’s fascinating.
You can find it (somewhere) in my reading pile… http://www.itsyourdaytoshine.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2047489%3ABlogPost%3A683
My all time favourite book is
1.Book name? One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vanzant.
2. Type of book? Inspirational, Personal Development.
3. What you loved about it? Her honesty, grit and ability to guide you to a great place.
4. Hard or easy read? Easy
5. How it impacted on you? I used it to create a personal healing journal during an especially hard time dealing with my husband’s active alcoholism, it literally took me out of an overwhelming constant depression in 1 day. Can’t say enough about it.I want to turn my journal into my own book someday. I gave it to my sister, need to buy another one!
“The Creative Habit,” by Twyla Tharp; it’s a narrative on both nurturing creativity and being disciplined, from a choreographer who’s been there, done that, and is staying sharp. Easy reading; her personality comes shining thru. Loved her low tech and utterly utilitarian approach to productivity + creativity. I keep going back to it.
Craig:
As you know I’m a long time reader but this will be my first comment on your blog
I love so many books and authors, so this is hard to narrow down; but right now my favorite non-fiction, personal development, psychology book is The Game, by Neil Strauss.
Actually the full title is The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists. Yes, I’m female and No, I didn’t read this to learn “pick-up” tricks! I heard about this New York Times bestseller a couple months ago from a girlfriend of mine in LA, I was intrigued enough to pick it up. Once I started reading I could not put it down! It is 400+ pages and it’s an absolute page turner (I thought). It is very easy to read. I read the whole book in one weekend.
Strauss exposes an interesting, often sad world of how easily everyone (men and women) can be manipulated, influenced, and persuaded by our unmet needs, emotions, and our primal need to belong and connect with others. He plays this out in the LA social scene. But again, it goes far beyond dating and pick-up lines.
The Game is a bit of a disturbing look into our “emotional hooks”, how and why we make decisions, non-verbal communication, and how we all use or don’t use power tactics. It is a book like none other- I’ve never read anything like it.
It is a true story of Strauss and his life in LA for a couple years, it is a wild, thought provoking, raw story. The ‘pick-up” components are 2% of the story, and the under currents of psychology/ human behavior is 97% of the book. I’ve read alot of self-help, pseudo-spiritual books over the years, this one definitely stayed with me, it is an eye opener!
1. Book name?
There’s a couple. Starting with the “Flies” and “the Stranger” ending with JP Satre’s “Roads to Freedom”. These books changed my life. Period.
I also liked In the Electric Mist by James Lee Burke and, of course, Ulysses by Joyce.
2. Type of book? The first is a play, then novels. I learn more from novels.
3. What you loved about it?
The existential work just changed me.
Both in the Electric Mist and Ulysses speak the the space between reality and non-reality. I find that space fascinating.
4. Hard or easy read?
Having learned to read when I was about 2 years old – everything is pretty easy to read. That probably sounds very arrogant. I’m embarrassed by it mostly. Although being able to read upside down is handy.
5. How it impacted on you?
I grew up in a really abusive situation and the existential books were literally were a road map to freedom. When I was kicked out about a year later, I was all right – went to university, etc.
The others? Made me more open to people’s experience. Like it or not, we experience the “non-reality” every day. We just don’t talk about it.
Blink is a wonderful book – enjoy!
- HMS Ulysses
- WW2 arctic convoy naval story
- Not an easy read. As said in one review I read about it, “Don’t read this book unless you plan on leaving a part of yourself in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic…”
- After reading this book you will start a search to discover yourself… who you are.. what you want to do… If I were there, what character would I be? I did…
My Fave book ever is “The English Patient” by Michael Ondaatje.
It’s a fictional story about a group of people drawn together just after WW2 and follows their stories before and after.
I loved they way the different stories became intertwined. It’s a great romance novel without being cheesy, and it really draws you in.
I’d say it’s an easy read for anyone who reads a fair bit.
The impact it had on me was that the first time I read it was because I had to study it for year 11 english lit. This usually means that you never want to read it again! But I just found it to be such a beautiful story and wonderful example of writing that i’ve read it again and again in the years since.
I noticed on the forum that your favourite book is – The Five Love Languages by Gray Chapman. I agree, it is a great read. My personal favourite is Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. Easy and practical read and opened my eyes to the differences in the way that people think.
The most well written book I ever read was actually a series that established a franchise that lead to 14 books overall.
That would be Dune by Frank Herbert.
It created it’s own world and then expanded upon that.
It’s not a self-help book, but it definitely lets your mind escape and that is a good thing when you spend all day getting paid to think.
MrAchievement
Stanley Bronstein
Attorney, CPA, Author, Blogger & Professional Motivational Speaker
Hi Jan. Yep, I’m enjoying it.
Thanks for sharing ( )
Hi Peter. As a creative, that’s sounds like an intesting book for me. Thanks!
Hi Jolene. Welcome!
That sounds like a reaaaaally interesting book. He’d be an interesting cat to chat to (the author) and that book is now definitely on my list…
Thanks.
Hi Cladia. Thanks for sharing – about your fave books and your life – interesting stuff.
Take care and enjoy your week ( )
Hey Arun.
Thanks for sharing and for dropping by.
Hi Danni.
Yep, read that too. Good book.
Cheers ( )
A bit of escapism is always therapeutic Stanley – thanks for dropping by!
Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman is my favourite book ever. It does my head in but in a good way – it makes my brain work. It’s a combination of philosophy and physics.
This is what i copied from wikipedia about it:
“The novel fictionalizes Albert Einstein as a young scientist troubled by dreams as he works on his theory of relativity in 1905. The book consists of 30 chapters, each exploring one dream about time Einstein has during this time…. Each dream involves a conception of time……The book demonstrates the relationship each human being has to time, and thus spiritually affirms Einstein’s theory of relativity.”
I need to find another copy of it because I keep giving it away.
Miss Jojo xx
The book that came immeadiately to mind was:
“Self-directed behaviour” by David L Watson & Roland G Tharp
Even though it is a psychology text book used by the authors in their undergraduate courses, I found it be a very enlightening book about changing one’s habits.
I had one habit that I wanted to eliminate and after several tries I finally eliminated it. The plan, and follow up accountability and measurement that I developed and continue to follow – I started a month before I came across this book. This book then opened my eyes as to why I was successful this time.
This is why I strongly reccomend this book.
P.S. – The habit I wanted to eliminate was drinking soft drink each day – currently I have gone 395 days without drinking soft drink.
Craig,
Well it took books to get this lurker to talk!
The book that changed my life (at 16, 18, 21 and again recently) was and always will be Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra. It is the true story of 4 boys growing up in Hells Kitchen NY in the 60′s. They are best friends that hurt someone playing a prank and have to go to a reform school where things get really bad.
They grow up and become very different people who take revenge on their abusers through murder and the courts. Very clever and quite funny at times.
It sounds dark, but when I was sad it let me cry and it always makes me laugh. And everytime I finish reading it, I thank God for the person I am and the life that I have not had to live. It makes me want to be the best mum in the world.
Read it.
Jo
All-time favorite book
1. Book name?
Million Dollar Habits by Robert Ringer
2. Type of book?
Self-help/Personal development
3. What you loved about it?
I had so many new insights from reading it, it was so different from all other personal development books I’ve read before.
4. Hard or easy read?
Easy read.
5. How it impacted on you?
It helped me understand life, the human condition, and how to think.
Just listened to Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. Absolutely outstanding. A bit like Blink with humor. I also loved Blink btw.
Favorite would have to be an audio book called The Maverick Mindset by John Eliot. On confidence it is truly brilliant. Some great examples of how successful people think differently delivered with enthusiasm and wit.
I have had The Game for some while and still haven’t read it! It’s next up now that I read that great review up above. Just have to get through ‘Blogging Heroes’ Where’s Craig?
And oldie but a goodie..
I’d have to say
1. Catch-22
2. Humour
3. It is best to read on a plane (especially a midnight flight) when you can’t laugh out loud – the noises that you make trying to stop laughing add to the humour.
4. Easy, really easy…as long as you enjoy staying slightly confused by a whole lot of double-negatives
5. Impact – it really didn’t change me that much. I just enjoyed it immensely.
Marty
Hey Miss jojo,
Sounds a little freaky and very intertesting -I like that!
x
Great work with the soft drink Ben and thanks for the recommendation.
Cheers.
Hi Jo.
Welcome out of the shadows!
Did they make a movie of that name with Kevin Bacon in it?
Thanks for saying hi!
Hi Rob.
Thanks for the heads-up.
Sounds like a good book…
Cheers.
Hi Tim.
Thanks for dropping by funny boy. You always amuse me and make me laugh. Good skill that.
Manhug…
(you okay with that?)
Hi Marty.
Yep, a classic.
Cheers.
Craig,
They did make a movie out of it, but as always the book is a million times better.
Jo
Lynn Grabhorne – “Excuse me, your Life is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of Feelings”