Great books. 7/21/2010 edition.

A good book post has been long in the making, I’m just finally sitting down to write it.

“Ignore the fact that the dude is a gymnast. That doesn’t matter” – that was the advice given to me by the kick ass woman who sent me this gift of a book called The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. “This book is a gift” she said – and she meant it in every sense of the word. I didn’t so much care about the author’s story (in a way it’s his coming of age story), what I really was drawn to was the little nuggets of magic wisdom that “Soc” (the cool old dude) shared throughout the book. Sometimes even now, weeks after finishing I think about some of the things. Some things have very gently altered my habits in good ways too. Check it out.

On the total OPPOSITE end of the literary spectrum, above are three books I totally enjoyed reading recently. (Having fever + being trapped on couch for 3 days does allow for some killer reading time!) Home is where the Bark is by Kandy Shepherd is her second book – it’s got a bit of mystery, romance, and loads of dogs. I’m such a sucker for fiction with dogs and happily ever afters. Some of the characters from her first book are here- but you do NOT have to have read it to enjoy this one. It’s able to stand alone. Then there is Christie Craig’s Shut Up and Kiss Me. I dare say it was hilarious, fast paced, had a bit of mystery, and left me wanting sequels for all the supporting characters. I don’t blindly recommend it though – I’d say you should check out the author’s website & see if her writing would delight you or annoy you greatly. I suspect some people would definitely NOT enjoy her. But I did. Not only that but I e-mailed her to say “loved the book” and she wrote back right away. (more than just auto reply too). Color me impressed. Last but not least I gave in and read a Nalini Singh book (Slave to Sensation) – her first in a series in a futuristic world where emotion-less “psy”, shape shifters, and humans live separately but within the same world. I avoided this author due to insanely BAD AND CHEESY cover art combined with titles and fonts that made me want to gag. My bad. I was soooo totally sucked into the drama, romance, and intense world she created here. I will continue the series and let you know if I still like it.

True story: Once upon a time I was working with a Fiskars craft drill and accidently speared my copy of Bridget Jones Diary several times before I realized what I had done. So I’ve not had a read-able copy in about 4 years. SO! Color me happy when I found this copy with funky cover art. It reminds me of Tattoo parlor art, not Bridget, but that’s ok. What is inside is pure awesome. Why won’t Helen Fielding write more books?! Seriously.

What’s next? I see a memoir, some mystery, a bit of magical suspense, and a contemporary romance too… what’s next on your reading list?