Your Most Interesting Books

I receive regular E-mails from Writer’s Digest, the magazine, which is an excellent source for writers. I know many of the messages are to sell me something, like books or tutorials, but there are also many articles of interest.

The article about the ten most interesting books you’ve ever read made me think. Think, because titles didn’t come rushing into my mind. Maybe that’s because, for the most part, I read contemporary fiction rather than literary. There’s no Grapes of Wrath or To Kill a Mockingbird on my list. But there are some nonfiction books of note.

Here's the link to the original article.

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/10-books-that-have-never-left-you-what-are-your-10?et_mid=690440&rid=239241072

And here’s my list, for what it’s worth. What would be on your list?

Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd Douglas. My father used to read this book once a year, and I was curious, so I had to read it for myself, and then I understood. It’s a good story about how one lives their life, decisions they make, and the outcomes.

Choices by Shad Helmstetter, who also wrote The Self-Talk Solution, both self-help books, old but still meaningful.

As I’m big on self-help I also read Self Matters by Dr. Phil. I did the work that the book wants you to do, gained an understanding and acceptance for past events, so a worthwhile read.

Many years ago, before I started writing, I was an artist. Well, I’m still an artist but it’s taken a backseat to the writing. I had a spell where I couldn’t paint, seemed to have all my creativity. The painter’s equivalent to writer’s block. A friend gave me a copy of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. This book also makes you work for success. It takes you through a process that was very successful, for me at least, as I started to paint again. It’s a book you can go back and visit, and is still helpful and inspiring.

When I moved last year I had to downsize and that meant getting rid of some of my books. I can hear you book collectors shrieking. “How could you?” It wasn’t easy, but I had to consolidate 6 bookcases into 4, and leave room for some electronics. I’m sorry, but it had to be done.

So, I’m sitting here looking at my bookcases, at the books I saved, the must have books and am trying to decide which are the most important.

The Sounds of Silence, an anthology of poetry by the National Library of Poetry, includes my first published poem.

My daughter called on day and asked what I was doing, and I replied “Reading the dictionary.” She didn’t get it. I find words very interesting, words that I would use in my art work, words that might inspire a poem, just the meanings of words. So I add Webster’s Dictionary to my list.

I don’t have any one book to add to the list, but rather some favourites by my favourite authors. To round out my list.

Nora Roberts, some of my faves are Chasing Fire, The Collector, The Search, Tribute and Birthright. Alex Kava, any of the Maggie Odell series. J.D. Robb, also known as Nora Roberts, best read from the beginning of the series, which I’ve done more than once.

I save books to reread, and have read more than once many of the books on my shelf. I sometimes read according to mood, for when I need a cry, when I want something more lighthearted, or because I need inspiration to create by reading about other artists.

Books are like good friends, always there for you to support and entertain, in good times and bad.