recommended reading

I've always loved reading, and always hated reading non-fiction.  20 years ago my husband tried to increase my exposure to non-fiction (or foist an appreciation of non-fiction on me) by making me read Primo Levi, John McFee, Bill Bryson and Joseph Mitchell.  And it's not that I didn't enjoy them - but they didn't engage me the way novels do, and after I finished Up in the Old Hotel (which was over 1,000 pages long) I'd had enough of non-fiction for awhile.  But more recently I've started listening to audio books while I'm driving, and I've come across several non-fiction books that have interested, challenged, and in a few cases, profoundly changed me.  Here are a few of them:

Hold On to Your Kids by Gordon Neufeld, PhD and Gabor Mate, MD

Regeneration by Sayer Ji

Bad Therapy by Abigail Shrier

Good Energy by Casey Means, MD    

Introduction to Swedenborg's Religious Thought by John Spaulding

Revelation by Russel Brand 

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

A Letter to Liberals by RFK Jr.  

How to Break Up with your Phone by Catherine Price 

Thrilled to Death by Archibald D. Hart, Dennis Kleinman and Thomas Nelson 

The Case Against Socialism by Rand Paul

Recovery by Russel Brand  

Non Obvious Thinking: How to See What Others Miss by Rohit Bhargava and Ben duPont 

The Let them Theory by Mel Robbins 

I'm currently wrestling with We Who Wrestle With God by Jordan Peterson.  I started it on Audible, but found that it's too dense for casual listening. It's brilliant and complex, and I want to be able to stop and go back over certain concepts as I go.

yoga with emily

I'm on day 7 of Yoga With Adriene, which was recommended to me many years ago by the late great Duane Lavold, and more recently by a poised and vital 86 year old actress. The sessions are short and relatively 'easy' - if yoga can ever be considered easy.  (I find if I'm doing even the simplest poses to the best of my ability it's kind of hard.)

My interest was kindled after a weekend retreat at my sister's house, where we did two days of yoga and holotropic breathing. I don't want to be overly dramatic, but something foundational changed during that time.  I felt an openness that I hadn't experienced before.  And I wanted to bring whatever that feeling was - peace, acceptance, courage - into my life in a more regular and meaningful way.  So I determined to start up my own practice... But I didn't end up following through on it.  Life got in the way of my intentions as it often does. (Life seems to be endless cycles of discovering and forgetting and rediscovering - spirals leading us back around again and again, making slow progress, but leaving us with some kernel of understanding we didn't have before, if ever so small.) 

It wasn't until later that yoga was brought back to my consciousness by a friend mentioning it.  And so I decided to commit to this program for 30 days.  Adrien is sweet, the classes are pleasant, and doing 30 days seems manageable.  I'm not expecting a transformation, but  I trust the experience will benefit me mentally as well as physically.

No epiphanies yet.  But my body is sore (in a good way) and building some strength. And my impatient mind is starting to simmer down a bit. 

So far so good.

It's been awhile...

My book on The Dr. Oz Show

I appeared on The Dr. Oz show on May 25th to talk about my children's book, HOW TO TAME A MONSTER!!!! 

Here's the link:

http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/food-truth-mark-hyman-reveals-truth-about-vegetable-oil?video_id=4909907861001

Dr. Oz is promoting reading to your kids often and early, and supporting Books Across America with UPS.

Here's more info:

https://www.doctoroz.com/press-release/books-across-america-gets-books-hands-young-children-help-dr-oz-show-ups-scholastic


You can get my book on Amazon.
http://amzn.com/147874748X

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

Author and educator Bonnie Harris is doing a free book giveaway with 'How to Tame a Monster'.

Go to her blog for more information:

http://bonnieharris.com/do-you-have-a-monster-living-in-your-house/

What I've been up to...

My first children's book, HOW TO TAME A MONSTER, is out in print!



Buy HOW TO TAME A MONSTER now:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Books-A-Million |  Outskirts Press | 

Locks of love

 So proud of my sweet Jemima who donated her crowning glory to locks of love.
  http://locksoflove.org/

 

Before

After

yes!

these little lights of mine

take 2...

love song

Tonight I introduced my daughters to one of my all-time favorite songs. 

my singing girls

still dancing

-but never far from a book for long.