Daring Greatly - Brene Brown

I don't even know where to start. Amazing and insightful can't begin to describe how wonderful this book is.  I have learned that some of my behaviors - such as perfectionism, being always seen as competent, and having all the answers - are actually rooted in fear.  Dr. Brown does a great job at communicating how to extend lovingkindness to ourselves and to others at a very deep level and in a non-threatening way.  I plan to listen to it again.   

Progress and New Starts

For the past week, I have been reading "The Light Shall Set You Free".  The first four chapters were boring to get through.  I was almost to the point where I was going to chuck it all and just read the bullet points at the end of each chapter.  Then I got to the 5th Chapter, which is on Chakras and it got better.  Now I was actually learning something.  I am presently on the 6th chapter which is on Dimensions of consciousness.  Very good.  I'm starting to understand the hoopla around this book.

Three new starts: 1) Denise Linn's book "Soul Coaching: 28 Days To Discover Your Authentic Self".  I will be chronicling my progress on this book on my other blog "Kissing the Limitless"  The book has guided instructions on what to do each day, and several levels of commitments.  I'll be going for the "Playing all Out" level as frequently as it makes sense to do so.

2) Jamie Sams' book "The 13 Original Clan Mothers", which the Divine Feminine group at the Crystal Garden will be reading together over the next year.  We began last Thursday, reading the chapter on the August Moon.  Each chapter highlights one of the 13 Original Clan Mothers, which are representative of various aspects of the feminine principle.  

I really resonated with "She Who Heals", the clan mother for August. She is the Intuitive Healer, Midwife, Herbalist. Keeper of the Healing Arts. The Singer of the Death Song and keeper of the Life and Death Mysteries. There was a lovely story about a woman giving birth and her reconnecting with her own soul.  It's given me plenty to think about and I plan to enjoy re-reading this chapter a few times before the group meets again in late September for the next chapter.

3) Brene Brown's "Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead". I watched Oprah's Life Class this past Monday, and I was left really wanting to read her new book.  Then Audible came along offering a heck of a deal - $9.95 per month for the next 6 months - and I succumbed.  Damn it, Audible! You know I'm weak!!!  

I bought it Thursday and plan to start reading on Tuesday on my drive to and from work, and then make really great progress on my road trip of next weekend.

Reading for Fun!

Going to start reading for fun again. Interesting stories, thrillers, cozy mysteries...

I have A LOT of kindle books:

 And another 750 or so nookbooks, not to mention physical books.  This is my next read:

Insanity is Contagious

Beware of visiting Reading Challenges blogs. If you love books as much as I do, it will be difficult to resist joining the many wonderful challenges out there. There are quite a few that are (or can be) overlapping and this just fuels the fire to join yet another.

So beware.

I sought these challenges because while I stopped reading for pleasure nearly a year ago, I didn't stop buying. I now have a great glut of books and I'm challenging myself to read them or pass them on. I've kept books around FOREVER hoping to one day get around to them but, alas, I always manage to buy faster than I can read, even when I try to not buy so much.

I have joined several challenges and I plan fulfill these challenges with books I already own and I will try, when possible, to make at least two books unique to each challenge, except for general, non-themed challenges such as RYOB, TBR Lite & Spring Reading Thing and themed challenges that require four or less books. I've spent a good part of today going through my books and choosing which ones to tackle first.

The first list I have posted, appropriately so, is the 1st in Series Challenge. I have so many of these books around it just isn't funny. Unique to this challenge will be Furies of Calderon and Storm Front, both by Jim Butcher and The Brass Bed by Jennifer Stevenson.

The second list is It's The End of the World II Challenge. I love a good disaster flick or book. Unique to this challenge are three out of the four books required. I'm only sharing Event by David Lynn Golemon with the 1st in Series Challenge.

The third list posted is Mystery Reader Café. This challenge requires four books with very peculiar requirements:
1. Read a mystery with the word "murder" in the title
2. Read a mystery set in your region
3. Read a mystery that has been on your shelf for at least a year
4. Read a mystery from a "new to you" author
Because of these requirements, none of the books chosen is unique to the challenge.

The last list for today is the Cozy Mystery Challenge. This genre has always been my favorite. Unique to this challenge is Once Bitten by Laurien Berenson and Just Murdered by Elaine Viets.

That's it for today. I'll do more tomorrow and hopefully, at some point, I'll start reading