My Current Reading List

It is no secret that my reading ambitions frequently outstrip my actual reading potential. I buy too many books, and perhaps will never get to read them all. I also spend almost all my days skipping into and out of books for academic research purposes. But I am scrupulous in never recording a book as "read" unless I have actually looked at every word, from cover to cover. I also won't review a book - on my blog or anywhere else- until it has been read completely. I feel every author deserves this courtesy.
So, here is the list of books that I intend to read before Autumn. I know, an impossible task. It is a list I have compiled that is equal parts pleasure, research and obligation:




The Family Law by Benjamin Law - This book has been something of a publishing sensation in Australia, and I really do need to read it. It sounds intriguing, with lots of elements to interest me: homosexuality, Asian-Australian experience, Queensland, dysfunctional families...



In Tune With the Infinite by Ralph Waldo Trine - Trine's book has been constantly in print ever since its release in 1897. It is one of the earliest New Thought books, and as such is essential to my academic research. Henry Ford used to give a copy of this book to all his key employees, and in reading the biographies of the great and famous it's remarkable how often Trine's influence is cited.



Wellness on a Shoestring by Michelle Robin & Roxanne Renee Grant - Quit a lot of my time is spent listening to podcasts, and I am a huge fan of the Unity FM 'Hooked on Classics' bookclub. I'm actually running a little behind, and this is the book I am up to.



The Wish by Angela Donovan - While I am a critical reader of self-help, I am also a loyal follower of the books, especially those released from my own imprint, Inspired Living. This will be a big release in May this year, and I have received a proof copy. I shall be reading it with interest.




Enlightenment to Go by David Michie - Michie is also published with Allen & Unwin, so is a brother writer. I am very interested in his efforts to modernise and, to an extent, secularise the Buddhist message, and to make arcane Tibetan texts more accesible to a modern audience. This book was given to me by my dear friend, the Australian writer Rosamund Burton.



Five Bells by Gail Jones - Gail is one of the lecturers at the Writing & Society research group at the University of Western Sydney, where I am currently completing my PhD on the History of Sef-Help writing in Australia. I am very excited by her new book. Gail is one of Australia's literary greats, and an incredibly inspiring figure.



Don't Get Mad, Get Wise by Mike George - I bought this book while on silent retreat at the Brahma Kumaris Centre in Wilton, NSW. I think the author is affiliated with the Brahma Kumaris movement. I am actually reading it at the moment, though only one short piece at a time - the book is designed to be consumed that way. I am loving it.



Just My Type by Simon Garfield - A history of typography. I heard the author interviewed on the radio, and he was so throughly charming that I simply have to read this book.

Letters from Emerson to a Friend ed Charles Eliot Norton - I found this sweet little hardcover while trawling the religion section at the back of Gould's book emporium in Newtown, a truly fascinating place. It looks intriguing, and I might glean some gems for my thesis.



Why Kindness is Good for You by David R. Hamilton - The Adyar Booknews is just about the best bookshop newsletter ever, and as soon as I saw this book advertised in the last edition I had to have it. Of course, it will just be shoring up my own convictions, but it will be good to read someone else's argument!



Live the Life You Long For by Annie Evans - Another of my Inspired Living stablemates, I am taking my mother to one of Annie's healing workshops next weekend. I don't think I will have the book finished in time, but no matter - at least it is on my list!




God's Salesman by Carol V. R. George - This is a scholarly study of the life, literature and influence of Norman Vincent Peale, published by Oxford University Press. I have dipped into it quite often while writing the current chapter of my thesis, and I have found it so intriguing that I want to read it in its entirety.

Comments

Dolly said…
haha talking about reading ambitions. I have a pile to read..

*hi5* to self help.. im like 1/5 through Tony Buzan's book .. ah i cant remember the Title.

Goodluck with your reading :)

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