The Great American Read

A week or so ago the finale of The Great American Read aired and the most beloved books were

·         To Kill A Mockingbird

·         The Outlander series

·         The Harry Potter series

·         Pride and Prejudice

·         Lord of the Rings

·         Gone with the Wind

You can find the rest of the 100 most beloved books in America at the PBS site.  It was an exciting series to watch over the last few months. Apparently from the beginning To Kill a Mockingbird was number one which seems a logical choice for Americans. I suspect from the top 20 that the majority of participants were middle aged or older. In the final analysis it was interesting to hear certain areas choices, some seemed logical and some seemed funny.  I think it was Hawaii that chose Call of the Wild which just seems weird that they would like a book that is set in a cold climate; meanwhile Lonesome Dove resonated with Texans.

Two books that did not make the list of 100 (which were pre-chosen for the show so not sure how they were picked) was Lord of the Flies and So Big. Both were books that were read in school and were popular for a long time; instead A Separate Peace and Heart of Darkness made it (both were so bleak that I am surprised they were favorites). Some were naturals such as Catcher in the Rye, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. One that I wondered about was Atlas Shrugged; why it and not The Fountainhead which I thought was the more famous of Ayn Rand’s books? No author made the list twice which I believe was a conscious selection by those who chose the hundred in the first place.

I am proud to say that I have read more than half of those on the list and am familiar with 90 of them; only a handful had I never heard of.

A new book is out now called “The Written World” by a Harvard professor, Martin Puchner, leads us on a remarkable journey through time and around the globe to reveal the powerful role stories and literature have played in creating the world we have today. Puchner introduces us to more than four thousand years of world literature and reveals how writing has inspired the rise and fall of empires and nations, the spark of philosophical and political ideas, and the birth of religious beliefs. Indeed, literature has touched the lives of generations and changed the course of history.

Books to make you Wonder

Reading is “my thing”, no surprise to my readers, but it would perhaps amaze you at how often the books that have influenced me the most have come to my in a seemingly haphazard way.  One of the very best books, and the first, simply fell into my hands at a really terrific used book store in downtown Calgary.  The cover, oddly, appealed to me.  The book, Sarah Ban Breathnach’s “Simple Abundance”.  It literally changed my perception of myself and put me on a path of gratitude and light.  It’s written as a daybook but it is also a step by step prompter to set your thinking straight.  I highly recommend this book as a wonderful first step in making your life and your thinking brighter.

The next book was one that was featured in Oprah magazine and recommended by Ellen de Generes “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz.  Again this is a book that releases you from a lot of grief by 4 simple agreements you make with yourself:

·         Be Impeccable With Your Word

·         Don’t Take Anything Personally

·         Don’t Make Assumptions

·         Always Do Your Best

“The Art of Being” by Dennis Merritt Jones again simply appealed to me on a book shelf at Chapters.  It was a simple cover but the title was what really appealed to me.  Since when was “being” an art form?  I simply had to read this one and again, profound it was.  Then along came John Maxwell’s little workbook “Jumpstart your Thinking” for a mere $6.99 at Costco.  A truly wonderful tool that can boost anyone’s thinking (and life and goals, and leadership and just so much more).  Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s “A Gift from the Sea” was also recommended by Maria Shriver in the Oprah magazine.  Another insightful book on woman’s role in the world and in her family.  Delightful.

Lastly Deepak Chopra’s book “How to Know God” was so inspirational and so profound that it has been a sustaining force in my life since reading it.  And how was I to know how much I was going to need all that inner hope and strength with his insights on the universe, the spirit world and God just a little over a year before I was diagnosed with cancer?

Many books affect me, intrigue me, please me, but these books were particularly powerful in directing me to a stronger inner life of reflection, gratitude and an appreciation for life and people.  I hope my readers may find something in them that is useful to them also.  Go on, take a chance at my recommendation.  J

“I like living.  I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.”  Agatha Christie