Some GOOD READS.

Have you just read my "Why Reading is So Important" post and want to read more. Are you curious about which are my favourite books? Are you looking for some good reads? Then this is the right article to read.......

If you haven't read my "WHY READING IS SO IMPORTANT" post I suggest you to do it now, before you keep reading this post. You can do it here 

 

The books below are all books which have really left a mark on me. They are the books which I can still remember reading. Not every book will touch you. And you will definitely not bring along with you the memory of all the books you have read. Only good books have the ability to gain a place in your mind. Actually this happens when a book really shapes you. And when this happens you are growing as an individual. Books are the only way, apart from life experiences, which can make you grow. Everyone wants to grow, simply because everyone wants to become a better version of himself. This is why I want to suggest you some good books, for your personal growth! The following list includes also less important books because I wanted to be able to help anyone find the right book for himself, whatever reading period he might be in.

• The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
• My Sister's Keeper  by Jodi Picoult
• June Bug by Chris Fabry
• Rumour Has It by Jill Mansell
• Harvesting the heart from Jodi Picoult

 

 

• Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• Sweet Temptation by Lucy Diamond
• Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
• Maggie's Story by Dandi Daley Mackall
• Ghandi's Way by Mark Juergensmeyer (Read my review here http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/07/gandhis-way-handbook-of-conflict.html)

    

• Screw It, Let's Do It by Richard Branson (Review coming soon)
• The Art of Happiness by HH Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler (Read my review here http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/09/good-book-can-make-you-feel-fab-too.html)
• Anne Frank's Diary
• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (Read my review here http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/11/tuesdays-with-morriebook-re)

 

  

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 
• Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Mark & Chrissy Donnelly and Barbara De Angelis

 

  

Stay FAB with your reads!
____________________________

MY OTHER READING POSTS:

Infinite Impact by Stu Weber....A Book Review.
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-reviewinfinite-impact-by-stu-weber.html
A good book can make you feel fab too!
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/01/good-book-can-make-you-feel-fab-too.html

Why READING IS SO IMPORTANT..

Could you live without reading? Is reading important to you? Why?

Passing our exams, preparing a new recipe, installing a new appliance, getting to know the world all involve reading. And I am sure everyone has read a school book, a recipe book, an instructions' manual and a newspaper. But what about reading for yourself? What about reading to grow your knowledge? What about reading to spend some 'you with you' time?

Have you ever thought about books as your mind's cardio-routine or as your mind's spa treatment? This is indeed what books are. A book is the best way to train your mind and keep it fit and alert. But a book can also be the best way to make your mind relax, forget about problems and difficult situations and stop worrying.

Many people recognize the important of books in their life. Yes, no matter how advanced our world becomes books are still part of this new world. And I am sure they will always be an important part, even if they will take an always more abstract form. Today we have real books but we also have e-books which is something they didn't have few years ago. Imagine what form will books take in the future? May be, we will have e-pillows with soft comfortable screens which store all of our books. After all reading before bed is very widespread. I am sure you have done that too!

Reading is therefore important. But the type of book one is reading is even more important. Everyone has gone through various periods of life during which love stories, and other fictional ones are the only books we are interested in. But once these periods are over, you will start asking yourself which books can really change your life? Which books can really enrich your cultural baggage? And which books can really give you inspiration for your life?

Want to know which books are my favourites (from less important to more life changing ones)? Then, read my Good Reads post.......http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/11/some-good-reads.html

Stay FAB with your reading!

___________________________
MY OTHER READING POSTS:
The Art of Happyness by the Dalai Lama....A Book Review
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/09/good-book-can-make-you-feel-fab-too.html
Ghandi's way: A book of conflict resolution by Mark Yurgensmeyer
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/07/gandhis-way-handbook-of-conflict.html
Infinite Impact by Stu Weber....A Book Review.
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-reviewinfinite-impact-by-stu-weber.html
A good book can make you feel fab too!
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/01/good-book-can-make-you-feel-fab-too.html

Tuesdays with Morrie.......Book Review

Hello ladies,

In previous book review posts I already stated that a good book can make you feel fabulous as much as a new foundation or a new pair of shoes does. May be even more. Why is this so?........It's simple, a good book whether fictional or real will always teach you something and will always make you feel good either because you get into the story and feel what the characters are feeling or else because it will make you feel good about yourself and your life. For instance, even a sad story like Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom made me feel good because it was sad but it was also about life.

This book is the best I have come across in terms of emotional content. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. I felt sorry for someone ( I don't want to tell you too much) but also happy for him at the same time. He is such a goos example. This person is brave and has led a balanced life helping others while building his career without neglecting his family. And all the good he is done is paid back to him by the way people around him care about him in the moment of need. It shows you how pride is set aside when you really have to. It also shows you how to accept circumstances where your independence is gone and yet make the most out of the situation. It's about a person dying, but this book is so much about life rather than death......YOU HAVE TO READ IT. It's also a short book so you can read it on a plane or within few days if you are going on a holiday or a weekend break. Believe me, it will be a good read for you but also for your partners, friends, children and parents. It's a great gift for anyone.

My other book posts:
The Art of Happyness by the Dalai Lama....A Book Review
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/09/good-book-can-make-you-feel-fab-too.html
Ghandi's way: A book of conflict resolution by Mark Yurgensmeyer
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/07/gandhis-way-handbook-of-conflict.html
Infinite Impact by Stu Weber....A Book Review.
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-reviewinfinite-impact-by-stu-weber.html
A good book can make you feel fab too!
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/01/good-book-can-make-you-feel-fab-too.html

A good book can make you feel fab too! .......Post 2

Hello everyone,

I wanted to post the title of the a book I have just finished reading. The book is "The Art of Happiness- A Handbook for Living" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.  It is not one of those books one reads to distract herself/himself and concentrate on something fictitious and fun far away from reality. It is the kind of book which makes you think and reflect about your life and your inner self. It is supposed to serve as a guide to achieving happiness and discover certain important aspect of you spiritual self, because let's face it even those who admit to not have one indeed have some kind of spirituality even if not connected to a religion in particular. I found this book very interesting, full of new things to fill my mind with and most of all very relaxing and calming. So I would suggest you to read this book if you are in need of finding peace within yourself.

Stay Fab (with your reading too),

AlessiaPearl

    

Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution - A Book Review.......

Hello again,

Remember the post "A good book can make you feel fab too". This is the second post of this series. I am linking below the previous two posts of this book reviews series.

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/01/good-book-can-make-you-feel-fab-too.html
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-reviewinfinite-impact-by-stu-weber.html

 

The author of this book is Mark Juergensmeyer. Gandhi's Way is about conflicts and how to resolve them in a positive and constructive manner. It explains the principles of satyagraha which is a term coined by Gandhi to refer to a process of finding a truthful resolution which satisfies all the opponents in a conflict. Although, the book is a bit theoretical and ideological and it uses specific terms which refer to the principles of conflict resolution according to Ghandi, is still comprehensible especially thanks to the use of very simple examples like domestic fights.



Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution, Updated with a New Preface and New Case Study

The book is very interesting as it makes you reflect on conflicts anf fighting in general. These are normally considered negative episodes of everyday life. However, when you start thinking about it fighting is not that negative after all, because it is a necessary process aimed at undestanding problems and finding a solution to them. Therefore fighting per se is not negative if it ensures the respect of the parties involved. In fact fights can help people understand better themselves and the opponents, and engage in processes aimed at improving the present situation. It is therefore the way in which conflicts are approached which can be negative.

According to Gandhi avoiding fights is symptom of cowardice. Fights must not be avoided but approached with the right spirit which according to this Indian ideological historical character involves taking into consideration each others' points of view and working together to find a common ground. However, this is not always possible because your opponent might want to ignore the problem or might not want to compromised his stand. The book offers advice on how to act in this situations.

Because Gandhi was not perfect and neither were his actions, at the end of the book he receives various critics on both his theories and behaviour. His hypothetical critics are Karl Marx, Freud and Niebuhr.

I really suggest this book to anyone who is interested in broadening her/his general culture and knowledge as well as to those currently studying or researching either Ghandi or conflict resolution. This book could be a very interesting starting point for a dissertation too. Even if you prefer reading novels, thrillers or other more lighter books I still encourage to engage into more important readings every now and then.

STAY FAB through your books too,
AlessiaPearl.

Infinite Impact by Stu Weber

Dear all,

In my last post I emphasized the importance of reading. The last book I read (which I just finished) really touched me spiritually so I wanted to share it with you. This post might make me sound too spiritual but I am just a normal woman who likes the best things in life and although I am Christian I do not go to church. I stopped going when I was 16 as I felt it didn't add any extra meaning to my life. Not going to church didn't however make me feel any less Christian or any less close to God. I like to believe that God exists because when you can't control things it's easier to feel that someone bigger than you exists who can actually control things for you. In saying this I don't want to sound like I believe in God for egoistic reasons. In fact I do feel a connection with him. However, I also believe in science and it is at times quiet difficult to believe in both God and science because one might be excluding the other at least for some. For example, if I think about human beings origin  that is our creation, my mind gives me two replies - the big bang and God creation of the universe and then Adam and Eva. It is much easier to me to believe that humans come from chimpanzees and that the universe started through an inexpressible explosion. However, it is also much easier to believe that after our death there will still be a purpose for each one of us. It is sad to think that after living for a certain number of year we will no longer exist. However, the way my religion explains life after death it is not at all easy to understand.

 These reflections I am making were inspired by the book "Infinite Impact" by Stu Weber. The author tells his readers to: "Make your life count for eternity. What you do and say in your unique moment on timeline of history matters. Discover today the unique role you have. Determine today to use your life to make an impact." The last chapter is about life after death and about heaven. The author gives a vision of heaven which I never heard of. He states that heaven won't be a completely new location to us but will be the same earth we have lived on but just an improved version of it. It  is easier to believe that when we die we will be here on earth but this earth will stop being cruel, and sad, and egoist, and sorry. However, if I think about it I ask myself the following questions. What about all the people who have already died? Where are they? Are they waiting for the earth they have lived in to transform itself in heaven? Will they come back once this transformation has occurred? How many years have to pass before we will all die and start living in heaven (not that I want to die)? And what about our bodies? Why when people die their bodies stop and remain on the ground and their souls are said to continue living? Is this all actually true? And can we actually live without our body? How can this be possible? Is our soul enough to make us live happily and in peace in the so called heaven?

I hope you didn't mind this post. And although I understand that it might look and sound confusing I think everyone has some similar questions which may however remain unanswered.

AlessiaPearl

A good book can make you feel fab. too!

Hello to all readers,

I would like to start this post by wishing you all a GREAT NEW YEAR. May each of us be able to fulfill her/his dreams and not only look fabulous but especially feel great inside. I do believe that the way you look at yourself determines the way you feel about yourself and about your life in general. For this reason, I think it is very important for every woman to embrace her femininity and make the best use of makeup, skincare, clothes and other girly things to feel good outside and inside. However, we all know that being and feeling beautiful cannot on its own enable complete fulfillment. All of us need to grow intellectually and spiritually and in this makeup and beauty products in general are of no help. Books are a very useful tool when we want to acculturate ourselves, learn new things and enter new worlds (worlds of knowledge we are not aware of).
Like a lipstick, or a blush, or a hand cream can pamper our face and body - to me books are the makeup for the soul. With this I mean that like makeup can make you feel good on the exterior, books can make you feel good inside.

I hope you liked this post and I would love to hear your opinion on the importance of reading.

AlessiaPearl