BW49: Delightful and inspirational December

Josephine Wall's Bubble World

What inspires you? Flowers, dogs, books, prayer, poetry, cats, children, friends, artwork, God, trees, horses, fairies, beauty, love, bubbles, family or butterflies. The list is endless since we are all unique in what inspires or delights us. Whether it is painting a picture or just looking at a masterpiece; reading a book or poetry or writing one of our own. The desire to fly, to float, or freewheel through the universe. December is a month full of celebrations: Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, St Lucia Day, Boxing Day, St Nicolas Day, and the winter solstice. All things to celebrate and which bring us inspiration. I'm declaring this month to be Delightful and inspirational December.

One of my favorite non fiction writers is Thomas Merton, a trappist monk. I read The Seventh Storey Mountain a few years ago and have been hooked on his writing ever since. He's also a name dropper, very well read,and friends with numerous authors so his books have lead me on many rabbit trails over the years. Another writer whom I found to be inspirational spiritually is Pope Benedict. Whether you are Catholic or not, he is an excellent writer and theologian. Last year I read "Jesus of Nazareth" (review) which just blew me away and made me want to read more of his books.

Writing wise, I'm hooked on several different authors who inspire my creativity including James Scott Bell, K.M Weiland, Nora Roberts,and Alice La Plante to name just a few. I generally don't read poetry, however, I'll make an exception for Robert Frost. He really speaks to me with his words such as in The Road Not Taken.

In my meandering around the internet I found the ever present Goodreads has an interesting selection of Popular inspirational reads as well as Beliefnet's Top 100 Inspirational Books Need a bit of motivation? Check out Inc.'s Top 10 Motivational Books of all time. Since I've read Think and Grow Rich, How to Win Friends and Influence people, Power of Positive Thinking and Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, I highly recommend checking it out.

What books do you find inspirational?

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Link to your reviews: Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.

BW48: Happy Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving 

By 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox  (1896)

 

We walk on starry fields of white
   And do not see the daisies;
For blessings common in our sight
   We rarely offer praises.
We sigh for some supreme delight
   To crown our lives with splendor,
And quite ignore our daily store
   Of pleasures sweet and tender.

Our cares are bold and push their way
   Upon our thought and feeling.
They hang about us all the day,
   Our time from pleasure stealing.
So unobtrusive many a joy
   We pass by and forget it,
But worry strives to own our lives
   And conquers if we let it.

There’s not a day in all the year
   But holds some hidden pleasure,
And looking back, joys oft appear
   To brim the past’s wide measure.
But blessings are like friends, I hold,
   Who love and labor near us.
We ought to raise our notes of praise
   While living hearts can hear us.

Full many a blessing wears the guise
   Of worry or of trouble.
Farseeing is the soul and wise
   Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
   To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
   To gladden every morrow.

We ought to make the moments notes
   Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
   Of music we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
   As weeks and months pass o’er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
   A grand Thanksgiving chorus.

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Link to your reviews:    Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.

BW47: Literary Birthdays

A few literary birthdays this week to celebrate and  add weight to your wishlists and tbr piles for 2015. 



November 16 

Jose Saramago (Nobel Prize in literature in 1998 - Portuguese novelist) 
Chinua Achebe (Nigerian novelist) 
Alexander Aleksandrovich Blok (Russian Poet)


November 17

Joost van den Vondel (Dutch poet and playwright)


November 18

Margaret Atwood ( Canadian novelist)
Sir William Gilbert (British humorist and dramatist)


November 19

Allan Tate - American Poet


November 20 

Selma Lagerlof  (Nobel Prize in literature in 1909 - Swedish novelist) 
Nadine Gordimer  (South African novelist)


November 21

Voltaire  (French philosopher)
Beryl Bainbridge (English novelist and short story)


November 22 

George Eliot, aka Mary Anne Evans (English novelist)
André Gide  (Nobel Prize in literature in 1947 - French Novelist)

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 Link to your reviews:    Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.

 

BW46 - 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

1001 Books by Peter Boxal

I received this book last Christmas and determined that  I had read 51 out of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.  If I live to be 100 years old, that would mean I need to read 21 books a year in order read all 1001. That's not going to happen,  just because....fill in the blank with whatever excuse comes to mind. *grin*  However, I could probably manage 5 to 10 a year if I really put my heart and mind into it.  And speaking of my mind, I've already started brainstorming for 2015 since we only have 8 weeks (7 1/2 if you want to get technical) left in the year.  *facepalm*  I think everyone will agree this year has gone by way to fast. 

So I've set a new goal for myself as well as, drumroll please......decided to present you with a new mini challenge for next year.  I thought you'd appreciate the advance notice.  In order to avoid the 'my eyes are bigger than my stomach' syndrome, going to limit it to 5 books.  The five books I have chosen are:

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres

Foucaults Pendulum - Umberto Eco

The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende

To Kill a Mockinbird - Harper Lee

I have a few other books in my stacks and if I get to those, we'll consider them gravy.  Now the good thing is you don't even have to buy 1001 Books because the list is online.   Have fun, plan away and see what strikes your fancy. 

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Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.  

BW45: Non fiction November

The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante

It seems appropriate that while I'm doing NaNoWriMo and working on a story to also be reading about The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante.  I joined a group of writers a few months back to study the book and we are working through the book, one chapter a month.  It's been quite enlightening as the exercises has sparked quite a few ideas for the story I'm currently editing.  

I'm more of a fiction type of gal, reading probably 95% fiction to 5% non fiction which is why declaring this month, Non Fiction November.   I have a tendency to buy a non fiction book because it sounded really interesting...at the time I bought it.  Then it gets relegated to the shelf and forgotten until I have a need for it.  This month I'm going to make an attempt to read a couple of those books.  

We've been doing a readalong of Susan Wise Bauer's History of the Ancient World  over on Well Trained Mind forums.  We're supposed to be on chapters 62 and 63 this week and I'm woefully behind, so will do my level best to catch up this month.  

Also in my stacks is The Cave and The Light: Plato versus Aristotle by Arthur Herman which has been calling my name. I always bite off more than I can chew so going to limit myself to these three books for the month and dive in with both feet. 

For those who have been reading their way through books listed in Bauer's Well Educated Mind, now would be a good time to tackle one of the recommended reads in the history or  autobiography categories.

If non fiction isn't your thing, then my challenge to you this month is to read at least one non fiction book.

Happy reading! 

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Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.