As I said a few posts back, I recently overloaded my book reading plate. Actually, if life hadn’t thrown me a few curve balls, they probably wouldn’t have seemed so overwhelming – but, as it was, having a cat with one leg in a cast and more online work to do than one person should even TRY to do found me staring at my pile of books like, “Are you even serious?!”
When the holidays decided to join in the mix, complete with baking, decorating, and shopping – I stopped staring at the pile of books, I put them out of view. The ones that were sitting, politely, waiting to be reviewed as well as the ones that were waiting to be read – they were each ushered to a shelf on a wall I seldom see. I promised them that I’d come back for them, after I caught my breath.
I was glad to see, this morning when I did in fact return for them, that they were right where I’d left them. And they were in good spirits, too. That’s the great thing about dealing with books – they’re so intelligent and insightful.
I just wrote a review about one such book on my Mental Fitness blog. The book is titled The Language of Emotional Intelligence and you can read the review by clicking the link. It was an incredible little book.
Below are other books I’ve enjoyed reading. They’d make great books for yourself AND/OR for book lovers on your Christmas list.
Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals
Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals: Finding Comfort after Losing Your Pet: I have a confession to make. When I got this book in the mail (to review) it happened to be only a day or two after my much beloved, oldest cat Prissy (she was 19 then) had suffered a really bad stroke. She had already lost her sight and with this stroke, I knew my girl was on borrowed time. When I brought the package into the kitchen and opened it, right in view of Prissy lying on her favorite pillow, I burst into tears when I saw the title.
I put the book into a roll top desk because I didn’t like what it had on its mind – Goodbye. I was not ready for goodbye! Amazingly, neither was Prissy! She celebrated her 20th birthday recently and seems to be doing as well as expected for a tiny, antique cat. She purrs just about constantly and remains the happiest, best natured little thing on earth.
When it was clear that we’d weathered that storm, I brought the book out and read it. As one of the biggest animal lovers the world has ever known, I always want to read books by other animal lovers. Kindred spirits and all that.
Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals: Finding Comfort after Losing Your Pet is a beautifully written book. Any pet lover would appreciate it, whether they’re currently having to let go or not.
Riding into Your Mythic Life
Riding into Your Mythic Life: Transformational Adventures with the Horse is a must read for horse lovers. Living in Kentucky, I have the great fortune of seeing these beautiful animals daily. I always knew they were beautiful and very special, but this book caused me to appreciate them even more.
I know horse lovers everywhere would cherish every word of this book.
The Way of the Horse: Journal
Way of the Horse: Equine Archetypes for Self-Discovery – A Book of Exploration and 40 Cards is one of the prettiest books or journals I’ve ever seen. The artwork takes your breath away. This journal is positively something you MUST get for horse lovers on your Christmas list. Coupled with the book above, you couldn’t go wrong.
The Hero With a Thousand Faces
The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Bollingen Series) was originally written by Joseph Campbell in the 1940’s. This is a profoundly interesting book. It’s easy to see why it is one of the most widely read books of the 20th century.
I always encourage everyone to occasionally read “up” or “above” the reading level they currently read the most often. For me, personally, I generally hover around Dean Koontz and Agatha Christie – they’re my happy place when it comes to reading fiction. I try to stretch my mind as often as possible, though, by reading books that are more challenging – whether it’s Shakespeare (Love Shakespeare!), other classic literature, or great non-fiction books from years ago, like The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Bollingen Series) is a brilliant way to stretch your mind while educating yourself.
[…] Book Roundup for Book Lovers and Bookworms […]