One Year In 52 Books: My Four Books On The Go This Month - #AmReading December
Laura MarianiShare
ThePeopleAlchemist Edit: books can be your best friends, keeping you company and helping you to dream, and your pocket mentors - every page a mini-lesson waiting to be absorbed - #amreading December
Hello there, and welcome back, my lovely readers and the reading community. I can't believe it is December; Christmas is definitely coming ... It is time for me to share more book recommendations, again a mix and match of fiction and nonfiction, classics and modern.
MY 4 BOOKS ON THE GO THIS MONTH
The average CEO reads 52 books per year – that's one book every week. My four books on the go this month – #amreading December – are:
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen;
- Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz;
- Art & Soul Reloaded by Pam Grout
- Wahala by Nikki May
#AMREADING DECEMBER – MY TAKE ON THE BOOKS
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, #TheWomanAlchemist for this month, was originally published in 1813. it is one of the best-loved and best-selling novels of all time. For the very few of you who have not read the book or seen one of the many screen adaptions ( really? where have you been?), the book unfolds the story of the Bennet family, the five daughters and the mother who is desperate for at least one them to marry a wealthy man and save them from destitution. Marrying for love or for wealth? Social prestige and the pressure for financial security are some of the underlying themes. And then there is the amazing intellectual/character exchange between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, seemingly so different but so alike. Some of the most powerful and exciting he loves her/she loves him dialogue ever. If you haven't already, you must read it. Must. If you have is definitely worth a re-read.
#AMREADING DECEMBER: NON-FICTION
Art & Soul Reloaded by Pam Grout. Pam Grout is one of my favourite authors. I have read and then blogged about my experiments following her bestselling E-Squared and - cubed books, and this one is another for experimenting. It is a book inviting you to a yearlong 'apprenticeship' to recognize and unleash your innate creativity. Making art is simply finding a way to give your inner muse a voice in this world. Of course, there are the usual artistic activities like drawing, dancing, singing and writing, but art can also be creating your own pair of angel wings, inventing a new toy or curating your own at-home film festival. Whatever. Let your muse strike. There is a creative project for each week of the fifty-two to help with the practice. All you have to do is get the book and start! Love it! Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr Maxwell Maltz is an absolute classic published in 1960. Since then, it has sold more than 30 million copies. Maltz was a plastic surgeon who first noticed how his patients, despite having had surgeries to correct physical imperfections that had been successful, still did not feel better about themselves. Not all of them. He realised how the self-image (a term he popularized) has complete control over an individual's ability to achieve (or fail to achieve) any goal. And this is what the book is all about: understanding and applying the concept of self-image and how to improve it to your advantage with visualisation, mental rehearsal, and relaxation. These techniques have been used ever since and have inspired sports psychologists and self-help practitioners for over fifty years. Get it, read it, use it. You're welcome.AND MORE FICTION
Ronke, Simi and Boo are inseparable mixed-race friends living in London (Nigerian and English). Ronke wants a husband (Nigerian obviously); Boo weathers being a stay-at-home mum; while Simi is full of fashion career dreams. When Isobel, a blast from their past, arrives in town, she is determined to improve their lives. But cracks begin to appear ... The book is hilarious and entertaining but also fearlessly political about class, colourism and clothes. A gem.
What about you? Which books are you reading this month? What will you be gifting? Christmas is just around the corner
And here comes so shameless self-promo too: why don't you try The Nine Lives of Gabrielle? An excellent read, if I say so myself ( and so do the readers).
