By Hi all ~ Here we go again! And, welcome those who are new! I am stuck inside in frigid Connecticut weather, but saw that it will warm up to 49 degrees by Friday– hard to imagine now, but it is surely something to look forward to….
So I have gone through this challenge several times and try different approaches each time. This time around, I will post my big Book Pile below (which is by no means inclusive of everything that I want to read or plan to read- but seems a good starting point). I have read bits and pieces of some of these and am currently halfway through the Jodi Picoult novel, so this works really nicely for a page challenge. I will track pages as I go and share when I come across something that might be of interest to others 🙂 Have fun and happy reading!
Here is the 2018 Pile:
Open Arts Spring 2023 
Great pile, M! I just got Black Nature myself, from a random book fair. It is great!
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Hi Alison ~ so happy you found a copy (that is the same way I came across it, mine was a library book sale) – did you remember it from when we read Anne Spencer’s ‘Earth, I Thank You’?
One of the best things about these challenges is that I get to finally place a priority on the books that have been piling up from so many great conversations and recommendations over time.. Enjoy the book!
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Ditto Meredith! I think you’re right – Anne Got me acquainted — it’s so hard to keep track !
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I’m learning…what a great idea to take a photo of your book pile. it’s probably a tradition here in reading-challenge land. Yummy books! I need to know about ‘Full Catastrophe Living,” Meredith, just FYI.
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Hey Teri – ‘Full Catastrophe Living’ is a book I have been referencing for years, and feel it is time to sit down and read it straight through. It presents a theory and practice of mindfulness and meditation designed to reduce stress and alleviate anxiety, as well as offering tools to deal with difficult situations and emotions. I completed my yoga teacher training about 9 years ago, and have been teaching off and on over the years. I am starting to move toward more meditative practices, though still incorporating movement, and feel this book has an immense amount of concepts and ideas that I can use while designing my classes. Not to mention, I find the book and ideas very useful in my own life 🙂 Will post more when I am actively reading it!
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I read ‘Full Catastrophe Living’ years ago. I still have it on my shelf. I had really been trying hard to meditate without success; it’s the first guide that really worked for me. I still go back to it.
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Hi Barbara- I really appreciate your feedback. There is something about the book and the method that makes the practice more accessible- I have also had some success with some of the work in the book already. I look forward to expanding on what I have learned, and re-reading passages that I would like to really ‘download’ into my system.. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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While the title and subject matter is intriguing, I think I would be intimidated by what looks like a lengthy book. I’ve never done yoga, but I’m on the outskirts of interest (if that makes sense). I m one of those spiritual not religious people who collects crystals. I’ve read about meditating/mindfulness and have tried in the past with little success. BUT. I’m happy to report just last week I FINALLY meditated correctly while listening to a guided meditation for the solar plexus chakra and holding onto a citrine stone. It felt similar to a reiki session my aunt performed on me last year. So with that, I hope to learn some new insight on this subject!
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Hi Daniela- It is a very lengthy book! Perhaps why I have not sat down and read it straight through before- but I will add that it is the kind of book that also works well as reference or to just go in and read a chapter here and there. When I do these reading challenges, I sometimes try to find a book that I have picked up and put down many times without finishing to finally just dive in and read completely. Last summer, I finally finished The Poetics of Space, which was a book that had been a long time favorite for the passages that I had picked out of it, and with the encouragement here in the reading group, I finally got through the whole thing, and it was wonderful 🙂
I get the ‘outskirts of interest’ re yoga.. I have been practicing for over a dozen years, and I fluctuate between complete investment to watching from the sidelines. But, the physical benefits really balance out what I experience through more meditative practices, so I try to stay active (though this winter has knocked me out a bit, I look forward to getting back on my mat a little more consistently than I have been)..! And, I have also completed my Reiki training, and love the healing energy involved- I find it so mysterious and fascinating!
Looking forward to sharing what I uncover in this book as we go…
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Such a beautiful pile! The diversity of book in this whole book crew is truly spectacular.
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