Ode to Erica Baum
What was your favourite book of 2018?
This is the time of year when I ask myself this very question. I’ve been an avid reader since I was little, but this year I’ve read more books than usual – more than 50. I have a few favourites and I’ll tell you my number one at the end of this post.
Why so many this year? Well, for the first three months of 2018, I went off of social media completely. And, I didn’t blog or offer any courses. Instead, I spent that time doing deep work. My deep work sessions were for an hour at a time and I’d do two to three sessions a day, with breaks on the hour. The door to my office was closed and I had no distractions, especially from my computer. No internet or email or phone. I focused only on the task at hand, which was either reading or writing. The first session always began with deep reading.
What is deep reading?
For each of the three months, I chose a book for deep reading, meaning I’d read a few pages or a chapter slowly and without distractions. I could usually finish a book over the course of the month. In January it was The Hero of a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. In February, I read Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Jung and in March I re-read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (my favourite book of all time). These are all books that need focused attention. I found that reading small pieces first thing in the morning when my mind was fresh helped me to understand and retain more.
In addition to deep reading, I read books about social issues, people, or ideas. Occasionally, I read novels to experience great storytelling and writing. I studied the topic of perception and this meant re-reading several books. Re-reading favourite books is something I find to be worthwhile. There’s always something new to discover the second or even third time around. Some of the books I re-read this year were about perception and some were in preparation for my Ireland workshop.
Favourite Books from 2018
Note: You can find all of the books mentioned in this post on Amazon at this list.
Books that I Re-read
* Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism and the Inner Life of Artists by Kay Larsen
* The Blue Sapphire of the Mind: Notes for a Contemplative Ecology by Douglas Christie
* The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More than Human World by David Abram
* The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America by David Whyte
Books for Knowledge and Understanding
My main focuses of interest for expanding knowledge and understanding are around issues of race and the environmental crisis. I highly recommend the books below.
* Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
* Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
* The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joy by Michael McCarthy
* Mind: A Journey into the Heart of Being Human by Dan Siegel
* Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out by Ruth King
For Ireland
I wanted to be versed in Celtic traditions and mindfulness for our workshop in Ireland and these books paved the way for our daily themes.
* The Celtic Way of Seeing by Frank MacEowen
* Four Elements: Reflections on Nature by John O’Donohue
* Senses Wide Open: The Art & Practice of Living in your Body by Johanna Putnoi
Miscellaneous, but Most Intriguing
* Fearless as Possible (Under the Circumstances) by Denise Donlon
* Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
* Notes on Silence by Cassidy Hall and Patrick Shen
* Known and Strange Things: Essays by Teju Cole
* Open City: A Novel by Teju Cole
* Your Duck is my Duck, Stories by Deborah Eisenburg (Fiction)
* Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
My favourite book of the year was an easy pick and I read it in January – Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees by Lawrence Weschler, about the light and space artist, Robert Irwin. It’s about a man who lives and works on his own terms, constantly challenging preconceptions. So inspiring. I’m hoping to see one of Irwin’s art installations when I visit Marfa, Texas in February.
That being said, I’m currently reading a book that is having an equal impact on me, The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, by Dan Egan. This is in preparation for next year’s project, a new course called Know Your Place. If you live near a Great Lake or are interested in the health of our fresh water, this book is an eye-opener.
* Find all of the books mentioned in this post HERE. Books mentioned have Amazon affiliate links, meaning I make a few cents if you purchase through my link. I only recommend books that I’ve read.
What was your favourite book this year and why? Please share in the comments below.