This Thursday is National Read a Book Day, an occasion we observe faithfully. You might ask: “Why are you making such a big deal National Read a Book Day when it’s clearly a lesser holiday than World Reading Day or National Book Day?” For us it’s all about the timing. Now that the weather’s getting cooler we’re ready to curl up with our favorite sweater and a tasty warm beverage and enjoy some quiet time with a great read. Here are our Fall reading recommendations:
Haley: I recently read Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. I loved it!
Chelsey: I’ve been reading The Buddha Walks Into A Bar. It’s a great perspective on traditional Buddhist philosophy set within the framework of modern, urban life. The author Lodro Rinzler makes lofty ideas like enlightenment and meditation seem applicable to daily life, all with an engaging, almost charming narrative. I’ve found that his words really stick with me and have changed my perspective on most things (for the better).
Amy: Just finished The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, a sad, sweet story about a very proper English husband/father/friend who does something very out of character that turns out to be life changing in an amazing, albeit ordinary way. I’m also reading Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage – very interesting, this one. Nobody really knows what goes on behind closed doors!
Ellen: I’m reading Some of My Lives by Rosamond Bernier. This book offers the memoirs of an extraordinary woman in bite-sized chunks and gives the inside scoop on all the colorful people with whom she rubbed elbows. The stories are an inspiring reminder that all the moments, activities and encounters of our lives have the potential for greatness.
Courtney: Currently I’m reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I like to think of this book as bringing me one teeny step closer to taking over the world… or making myself seem even weirder than I already do. But, fingers crossed for the first one, right?
Jason: Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer is my latest read. It explains why creative people are the way they are. And I can also recommend The Society of the Spectacle, published in 1967 by a French philosopher named Guy Debord. The first editions were covered in sandpaper so they destroyed the books on the shelf next to them, but it’s about how social life has been replaced by representation – an idea that is still applicable with the prevalence of Facebook and other social media.
We hope you find this list useful… if you have a book to recommend we’d love to know!
