My current reading list~March 2010

I find myself going through a creative ebb and flow cycle.  Right now I'm feeling a little on the down swing of things.  So many ideas and a bit of excitement to get projects underway but not as much motivation for follow through.  I think that is coming from a place of stress and emotional waves of highs and lows.  Too much cortisol in the system is leaving me a little too drained for art-ing yet I know that if I just let myself go with the creative flow good would come out of it both in the form of art and stress relief.  Funny how 'stuck' happens.

On that note, I'm reading some great books right now, these are the ones I'm still in the midst of...

'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron.  I'm reading this with a group of people from the Inside Out class I recently took.  The first bit is talking a lot about becoming unblocked as an artist.  I think it is a little funny and ironic that I didn't feel very blocked until I started into this book.   What does that say?  Maybe I'm a little more aware?   One of the things this book introduces is morning pages, which is similar to part of  how I've journaled for years with the exception that you are not supposed to look back on morning pages right away and I've had a tendency to re-read journal pages not too long after I write. Even though free form writing finds its way into my journaling before I've had fun with this 'no thinking' writing with the morning pages.

I'm finding a bit of happy and inspiration in all the books I'm reading right now.  I'm going through a bit of a philosophy kick lately so when visiting with friends last night and one mentioned her favorite book and  offered me a copy of  'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by Robert M. Pirsig, I happily accepted it and started reading it this morning.  I think books have a way of finding the people that need them and always say yes when someone offers me a book, for maybe I need to read it!  Who knows what it'll bring into my life?  And then I get to be a tool to pass it on further where the universe wants to take it. How great is that?  Only a few chapters in but enjoying it so far.  This may be one I decide should be a slow read as it already is one I am tempted to jot little notes on.

'The Happiness Project' by Gretchen Rubin is a book I would recommend anyone read.  It is a quick easy read but with great reminders, insight and ideas to cultivate happiness in any life. 

'The Pig that Wants to be Eaten' by Julian Baggini is one I'm loving!  It is full of seeds to spur lengthy conversation.  Good stuff.
'Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie' by Alan Bradley is a fictional mystery story that is kind of fun and 'Why Men never Remember and Women never Forget' by Marianne J. Legato is a relationship book looking at differences between the genders, so far interesting. 

So tonight we're headed out of town and I'm so tempted to take this whole stack with me because who knows what I'll be in the mood to read in the car, in bed, waiting for tires to be put on my car in the morning??  But I suppose I'll narrow it down to one or 2 in hopes of packing 'light'.

I'm busy reading The Host

Rewind to MONTHS ago when my wonderful friend Emily Rassmussen tells me her sister Stephenie will be releasing a book called The Host which will be an alien story. I am oh so excited, I loved her Twilight books and what for me is the next best thing after a vampire story? Time travel or alien stories of course! (and yes, you read that right, Stephenie's sister, Emily, is my friend. Its the closest I have come to fame!)
Now usually I don't pre-order books. I wait, there are oh so many books to fill my time while I wait that it usually isn't a big deal. Especially if there is hype involved. If it is something everyone is going crazy over I tend to pass. Perhaps in the name of individuality? I'm not entirely sure. I just know that if it is for everyone I can't bring myself to follow the craze and buy into the fad. It took me until the 4th installment or maybe even the 5th to realize that I did, indeed, NEED my copy of Harry Potter the day it came out.
I didn't find Twilight until Emily guided me to it but I've accepted that Stephenie Meyer is an author who's books I need asap. Seriously, if you haven't read them what are you doing playing online? Go read them!
The waiting is difficult. (I say that about a lot of things in my life lately! Yay August 2nd!) Anyway, its like waiting for Bon Jovi's new album. Or my birthday. No, my birthday is easier, if I get tired of waiting I just start celebrating earlier.
So fast forward to more recently. I decided to pre-order The Host from Amazon.com. I do love so many things about Amazon, like prices. $15 for my book and I spent just a bit more on other books I (NEED) and I have free shipping to boot. Oh but the waiting. I'm not sure if you get the point that the waiting is already agonizing but it is. When the rest of the world was opening their copies of The Host on the 6th I was waiting for mine. And waiting. And waiting. Perhaps I'm a slow learner, this happened last time I pre-ordered from Amazon. This time I found a solution..... last night I gave up on waiting and took myself to Barnes and Noble and bought myself a copy (for $15, I might add) for mother's day. I figured the extra copy will make a great gift for my mom, if she doesn't already have it.
And so I've started. I'll be busy reading for the next few days. Don't expect to get a hold of me.

The Autumn Castle

I hadn't heard of Kim Wilkins before so this was the first book of hers I read. I finished it earlier this week, so worth reading! It was a treasure I found when the Bookshelf was having their huge closeout sale a couple of months ago. (has it really been that long ago?) At that sale I got billions of books (I may be exaggerating a tiny bit) and so many of them are new authors to me. It has been great! The Autumn Castle was a bit dark but a great escape into the realm of faeries. Kind of a modern fantasy faerie tale with a bit of murder thrown in. I got so attached to the characters that it was a little sad for it to end! I am searching Amazon for more Kim Wilkins books now.