The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand
"The man who does not value himself cannot value anything or anyone."
This is a collection of essays by Ms. Rand regarding her notion of egoism, and before the title completely scares you away, let's walk through it. When you get into an airplane crash, you are supposed to cover your own mouth with oxygen before anyone else's--why wouldn't that concept translate into everyday life? If you are new to Ayn Rand, I'd start with Anthem. Then tackle The Fountainhead (otherwise known as my favorite book of all time). Try out Atlas Shrugged next, and then finish with this, which will blow your mind.
Writing Down the Bones, Thunder and Lightning, and Old Friend From Far Away by Natalie Goldberg
"Talk when you talk, walk when you walk, and die when you die."
Come on, how do I even talk about what this woman has done for my writing craft in one small paragraph? She really deserves an entire post all to her own. Ms. Goldberg takes principles she's learned from studying Zen and applies them to writing. My favorite thing I learned from her? When I have writer's block, I simply write what I would be writing if I didn't have writer's block. So Zen. So simple. The best part about her books is they take a long time to finish. That's not because they're complex, but because you crack open the first chapter and she's already inspired you to write for an hour. If you love to write, I highly suggest buying these three books and incorporating her ideas into your routine.
The Female Brain and The Male Brain by Dr. Louann Brizendine
These two books are part of what inspired me to pursue biology in school. Anyone who has ever known a man or a woman should read these. Dr. Brizendine takes a fascinating approach to studying the biology of gender, mapping each hormone that affects men and women individually. The fact is there are certain tendencies that are inescapable--they are driven by physical things in your body. Reading these two books made me feel better about surrendering to those tendencies, and also clued me into what my brain was suggesting I do.
Wild Swans and Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang
First of all, my sincerest apologies to everyone who I have bought this for, forced a loan to, and otherwise coerced into reading and/or talking about these books. But I HAD to. Wild Swans is a comprehensive biography of Chang's mother and grandmother, and the tale of her own life, as lived in communist China under the reign of Mao. Her perspective on this area of the world and the pros and advantages and disadvantages of communism are spellbinding. Mao: The Unknown Story plunges into the life of the General, telling of his rise to power and the horrors he committed. These are not light beach reads! They are books you must concentrate on, but well worth it.
Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale
The film version of Mr. Abagnale's life story is one of those perfect films, where there truly isn't a dull moment, and re-watching it is as exhilarating as the first time. The book is, if you can believe it, BETTER. There are details about his specific cons, tales of his life that were not included in the film (like the eight months he spent posing as a BYU professor--yep!). His voice is always smart, but he leaves the reader with his pangs of regret for his actions. To further make me like him, he credits his dear wife with saving his life and changing his ways.
Final part tomorrow!
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