i want to read malcolm gladwell's "outliers", but i just haven't had time lately. i'm a non fiction reader too, maura, and i want to read more fiction. to escape! but once i pick it up , i can't put it down. and i don't have enough hours in the day. i like to get lost in a book. with non-fiction, i can put it down and come back. "the artist's way" is fabulous. thanks for the info about "drive" ...i want to check that out!!

I liked "Outliers," but I had one negative emotional reaction. It presents case after case of successful people who share several "specs": the luck to be born at a certain time, to have the resources early on to develop their art (10,000 hours is minimum to achieve mastery, according to research), and to have someone take an interest in mentoring them. The Beatles probably wouldn't have made it if they hadn't gone to Hamburg, Germany to play music around the clock. Software giants like Microsoft's Bill Gates and others were born at the right time and had unlimited access to programming hours at a university computer lab. THAT SAID, these folks wouldn't have made it if they hadn't focused and committed themselves to the pursuit. Do read the book and be amazed at how much of we call "talent" is really good old-fashioned hard work. I'm working through my feeling of "I'll never be a true master if I don't meet the specs listed above." Problem is, it's hard not to feel a bit discouraged by it all. (BTW, I'm NOT a negative person when it comes to encouraging others to pursue their dream. When I turn the mirror back onto myself, I don't give myself the same support. Again, I'm working on it...)

oh i think that's crap. there, i said it. not what YOU said, but what gladwell says. tons of people like my furniture i've painted, and i just started that. the fellow artist i sell ..the magnets and cards...she started relatively late. we are constantly evolving and growing beings. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. ok, figure skating might be hard. the really physical things involving muscle memory MAYBE. but please. he's wrong about alot!

oh i'm so glad you commented on this, shannon. i love dorraine and her blogs but haven't had any time to read a novel yet. i want to read hers. yes, if anyone on here doesn't know, dorraine darden is a novelist who blogs on here and has published novels. DO check her out. river jordan also has some good published novels in the southern woman's voice as well that everyone should try!

I've just started to read The Zen of Seeing by Frederick Franck. It discusses the idea of seeing and drawing as one, and the way that this helps you to 'rediscover' the world, partly in a meditative way. I want to encourage my drawing skills and thought that this was a really interesting, inspiring and creative way to approach it.

I just started reading stuff by Nicholas Sparks, finished The Last Song & The Guardian....now Dear John.

nicholas sparks is fun, carissa. the notebook is a great movie. if you like that stuff, and i do. i'm reading a non fiction book about procrastination called....shockingly..."procrastination" by burka and yuen. and i'm not putting it off or anything! ;-)

Yeah, I want to both see and read The Notebook. I have heard a lot of good things about the storyline. And haha, nice...Procrastination, I should read that. :P

As I've said before, I'm a mystery or forensics reader, but I'm fortunate that I have a few classy friends that keep trying to elevate me. Sheree sent me a couple of books and I read Precious in a 24 hour period! Absolutely LOVED it. Not sure if it's becaus eit hit so very close to home - I was a special ed classroom assistant for 20 plus years. Most of my students were inner city kids, very much like Precious. Now I can't wait to see the movie!

And I saw most of The Notebook the other night. I was surprised - I liked it! Well, all except the fact that it was so very sad. James Garner - they just don't make 'em like that anymore!!!

you hadn't seen The Notebook before, elle? oh wow. i loved it. i love the first half more than the second half, but the ending is so good. i think the young folks in that movie are such good actors. james garner is just..just..just...oh sigh. no words!!! ;-))) when i get into a novel, i read it all at once too!

One of the books I'm reading right now is, The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield cocreator of Chicken Soup for the Soul with Janet Switzer
I've been reading self-development books for twenty years and never tire of them. I find most of the books I read inspirational and motivational. This one is no exception. Jack Canfield was one of my trainer's so I have a special kinship to his work. He shares practical and inspiring principles to get any one who aspires to move from where they are to where they want to be. He shares his basic knowledge of how to obtain success. Easy read.

i'm really interested in your detailed thoughts on jack canfield, lillian. i read inspirational and motivational too. well, i go in phases. i like jack canfield as a speaker very much. but i'm not sure i like his writing as much. i THINK he wrote a book about focus i read. and i just didn't think it was as powerful as his speaking. what do you think?

I like Jack as speaker... he is even keyed. And as a writer, I enjoy is simplistic style... I read a lot of the Chicken Soup books back in the day which evoked emotions. His writings are clear and well organized, and he does offer extensive exercises which do create change when executed. I didn't read Focus. I think he is an extremely smart man, he is obviously generous to share his wisdom of how he became so successful. He doesn't just speak it, he lives it. That to me is powerful and I think it comes across in his books. I also like his warmth and sincerity and his ability to acknowledge and credit so many sources other than himself. I guess I'll ask you Lisa... how do you define powerful and who do you consider to be a powerful writer that you like to read?

oh for me, lillian, a powerful writer is someone who moves you to the core of your being. although i read alot of non-fiction compared to fiction, it is usually fiction that would rock my world. something like to kill a mockingbird is very powerful. it changes you forever. the color purple changed me forever. dubois stories move me forever.

susie, you're SUPPOSED to butt in! that's what a discussion group IS! hahaha. i love your choices. i think of the ones you mentioned, austin and bronte are huge favorites of mine. i think i'm the only woman i know, though who might like bronte better than austin. but i would have to say in terms of "powerful", i would say fitzgerald. you just don't forget him. although i never forgot you know who in the attic either! ;-)))

ooo i have to read this stuff. and TOTAL nod to J.K. rowling. LOVE HER. and love her personal story too. she has made kids read...absolutely! ....doesn't have to be what you're reading NOW. could be anything about reading and books! ;-)

Finally, I'm getting around to Eat, Pray, and Love... let you know more when I finish it... just picked it up.

I want to recommend a little book to you guys. It's non fiction. Do you know Julia Cameron who wrote "The Artist's Way"? Sure you do. Well this is a little book by her called "God is No Laughing Matter". It's filled with great short insights on a bunch of little but huge topics. Each are about a page or two long, but profound and with an artist's tweek. She talks about inner voices, dreams, toxic people, you name it. But what I like about it is that it's not the same old same old stuff. Check it out. It's a little jewel!

Here's another fabulous book by Julia C._ Prayers to the Great Creator which includes four classic prayer books: Heart Steps, Blessings, Transitions, and Answered Prayers... good gift for anyone seeking a spiritual fulfillment in life.... another jewel!

Eat, Pray, Love... I just finished reading the part where E.G. is moved to ask for donations to help her new friend, daughter, and two orphans buy a home. So far, this is my favorite story within the book. More later, when I complete the book.

Okay, jumping in. I'm a fiction girl, all the way. And I ADORE mysteries. The best author in the genre I've found in a long while is a woman named Laurie King. She has two series and several stand alone. Her writing is so wonderful and smart. In one series I learn continually about religions and their histories. All of her books have deep psychological strains that are wonderfully written.
That said, currently I'm reading "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson. The third of the series that starts with "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". Brilliant writer! Sad that he died without being able to give us more.
Also this summer I've read "First Man in Rome", a fascinating historical fiction in which I learned much about ancient Rome and the practices of it's inhabitants. Written by Colleen McCullough. Next was "The Far Pavilions" by M.M. Kaye, an English author. Also historical fiction, set in India during the time of British rule. The main character is English but didn't know it until age 11 after being reared Hindu. Wonderful explication of the relationship between English and Indian with a romantic story, too! : )
Just finished a book given to me by a client. "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick. Beautifully written, dark and despairing.

oooo you have great ones, kristin!!! mysteries REALLY keep you glued to the book. i like a good psychological or historical one when i read them too. so these are great suggestions. i love colleen mccullough!!!! and a little romance in there is always nice! i was trying to re-read cold mountain..not a mystery. but the book is so much better than the movie. the movie was good, but the book is TONS better....

Agreed. Books usually are! I've been a mystery fan for a long time, inherited from Mom and Grandmother. This may be blasphemy to some, but Agatha Christie only sort of did it for me. I prefer other English authors like M.M. Kaye, who has a number of light, well written mysteries set in various locales, and Ngaio Marsh. Love her books! A long series with a main character who's a Gentleman in Scotland Yard. Marries a renowned painter. I can see some of the patterns in her writing after a while but the stories are fun, the main character is dry and witty, the settings interesting. After having read mysteries for so long I decided I needed to read Doyle. I bought all the Holmes mysteries in anthologies and read them straight through. Again, I saw the patterns after a bit and they got a little thin for me but I felt educated in the genre! ; ) I then went to other authors who tried to write Holmes and was regularly disgusted. Until I found Laurie King. She writes Sherlock the way Doyle did but then broadens, deepens and expands. Then she throws a twist of a fifteen year old girl! BRILLIANT! I HIGHLY recommend her to any mystery readers. They can be easy reads but the writing is far superior to many others out there. IMHO. ; )

FANTASTIC SUGGESTIONS!!! thanks, kristin!!!! so glad you're here! ;-))

Okay, I finished Eat, Pray, Love and enjoyed it. Like I said, the part about Gilbert raising money to help a women that healed so many, not only raising her own child but adopting two orphans with an eviction on her back. I loved that this woman's dream was fulfilled by someone who truly cared... and what E.G. experienced around trust, understanding, acceptance, and strategy to pull the whole thing off. I especially loved her message of the little girl visualizing the outcome...law of attraction. Looking forward to the movie.

Oh, my!! I finished a book last week that was SO good. It was not something I would normally have bought - found it in the Bargain books aisle in B&N - but I'm trying to push myself to read more books that don't have to do with murder and forensics. Where the River Ends was a lucky choice!! A sad, sweet love story that made me cry (this is a phenomenon for me, I never cry when reading...well, hardly ever!); twice in the middle and I cried myself to sleep when I finished it!! And I KNEW how it was going to end, but it just wrapped itself around me and sucked me in. Lots of edge-of-your-seat moments that were totally unexpected from the description on the back cover. If you like well written love stories, then I highly recommend this one. Oh, and the thing I found to be really odd? It was written by a man (Charles Martin). No offense to the guys in here, but I just never expect men to put their emotions down in writing, ala Erich Segal.

Kristin - just read your one post - kudos to you!!! The two books you mentioned, First Man in Rome and Far Pavilions, were hard reads!!! And thick books!! And they were on your "so far this summer" list? Wow! I'm impressed. I've always liked MM Kaye and LOVED Thorn Birds but, despite my love of Roman history (4 years of Latin instilled that in me), but FMiR was a toughy for me!!

just jumping in here for a minute to give another salute to The Thorn Birds...everyone knows the basic story and the miniseries. but the book is such a satisfying book to read...excellent in character development and emotion. i want to read it again!!

Oh, Elle, no need to be impressed. I've read them both before. This was only the second go through of FMiR and boy! it takes forever to figure out whose story you're reading now! All the names being the same and trying to figure out the class system! I, too, adore M.M. Kaye.
Finished the Stieg Larsson and LOVED it, no surprise. Now I'm reading Peter Mayle's French Lessons. Have you read him? All about France. The non-fictions are fabulous. His caricatures of the French are affectionate and so fun!

Chapters away from finishing The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver...may possibly surpass Poisonwood Bible as her best novel. Taking the Stieg Larsson trilogy to the beach week after next...

welcome gini! i'll step aside , cuz i don't have a novel going. i've been doing non fiction when i can read at all lately......although i really love short stories by dubois. ...continue, folks. just wanted to welcome gini to the group!

reading Emotional Intelligence... tried to read this so many times, think I'm actually gonna finish it this time. (non-fiction, of course)

I've been dying to go to the South of France since first reading A Year in Provence! My last boyfriend took along my copies of it and Toujours Provence and I've missed them so!

i hate it when boyfriends walk away with the fun stuff! ....lillian, i read emotional intelligence. i don't think it's particularly well-written, but i think the info in it is good and important. one of our members, will pollock is working on a cool book about emotional intelligence in men. i can't wait until it's out!

Just finished "On the Couch" by Lorraine Bracco This was an engaging memoir of the star from the hit series, The Sopranos...she played Dr. Jennifer Melfi, also in Goodfellas What a startlingly honest story about her life. Her career, marriages,(one of which was with Harvey Keitel) & her custody battle,struggles with depression, her determination to be a good mother, and drive to rise above it all. I so identified with this woman's story on so many levels. Easy read, hard to put down.

oh that's a fun suggestion, lillian.....i really like lorraine bracco. she is a very honest and open person. i imagine she had some good wisdom in there. she also has some good wine!!!

...she ends the book, Lisa with her life lessons. It sounds like you know her personally, Lisa.

no i don't know her personally, lillian. i've seen her interviewed many times, and she was launching her personal label of wine. i liked what i learned of her.

...my husband bought this book to read for himself. I had no idea who she was since I didn't watch either one of her famous shows and I no longer drink wine. However, after reading this book I certainly have gained respect for her determination as a courageous woman for being willing to look within and move through all of what she did.

oh her acting on the soprano's was SO GREAT!

Read Eat Pray Love and also just finished Go Down Together, The True Untold Story of Bonnie & Clyde by Jeff Guinn. Highly recommend both books. :-)

First Eat Pray Love: I know this one has been mentioned in discussion here, but I'll just add that it was inspiring to read about a woman brave enough to stand up for what she needed, even though she wasn't sure what that was. I've heard it said, that this book was nothing but a selfish exploration, but I disagree strongly with that. I loved the whole inner process work she went through to come out stronger, wiser and joyful. Warning: you will want to eat non-stop after reading this book. At the very least go have yourself some fine Italian food!

Bonnie & Clyde: This was a heart warming, honest portrayal of two of America's most notorious bank robbers and murderers. I say heart warming because Jeff Guinn brings their personalities to the table, and because of that, I was attached to both Bonnie & Clyde by mid-book. I knew how it was all going to go down, but wished it didn't have to be so. The research he did for this book was unbelievable. And it shows. Don't miss this one if you enjoy a great piece of history. But don't blame me if you cry in the end. :-(

I'm new here and kind of jumping in. I've skimmed the thread and saw many of my favorites. I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo recently and loved it. I'm waiting to go to the other two when I have more time. I also read Faithful Place by Tana French and was absolutely wrenched by it - the characterizations were amazing. I'm reading her Walk in the Woods right now, but I've heard it's not as strong. In the middle, I read Mikael Niemi's Popular Music - a huge hit in Sweden and fairly big in the UK, but hasn't hit here in the States. I found it very odd but compelling - kind of a Swedish version of A River Runs Through It. To Susie - I think you mentioned the classics? I teach a three-year lit. sequence for 11th and 12th graders, rotating between American Lit. (this year), World Lit. (next year) and British Lit. (the third year). Some of my faves in general would include Austen, Fitzgerald, Rostand, Hemingway, anything by Shakespeare. I also love C.S. Lewis for whomever was mentioning him, and Stephanie Plum, and too many others to mention. Always fun to find fellow readers!

welcome to the reading group, jen! i wish i had more time to read like the rest of the members. but i think i was one of the c.s. lewis lovers. i also love alot of american lit....fitzgerald for sure, but i love steinbeck. east of eden for sure. you have such great books on here....thanks for that!!! so great to have you.....!

mary catherine! you're back!!! great to see you!!!! what's wrong with listening to the books??? it's the story that counts!

well kids must like it for a reason. they sure do seem to prefer it to doing it themselves! at least when they're little. i like listening to lectures and such online.i like good radio shows too. we're bombarded with visual media. audio allows us to use our imaginations! storytelling is hard to find these days, and being read to is like that....and yes, it was UNBEARABLY hot!!!

Just finished Come Home to Your Body by Pamela J. Free...great reminders of movement & breath. Now, reading Wayne Dyer... Inspiration, my spiritual buddy. I am sure this book will inspire my spirit.

I agree that books on tape are wonderful! Especially for long car rides. Lillian, what sort of book is Come Home to your Body? Is it yoga-based? I still haven't read Dyer, although I have many friends who love his work.

Come Home to Your Body is a health/exercise/movement workbook to help regain power and connection with spirit- your "body wisdom" through movement. The author, is a Feldendrais practitioner.

jen ,some of dyer's books are better than others, although they all have some inspiration in them.the most recent one is "excuses begone", and that one doesn't do it for me so much. but his "spiritual solutions" is a good one. so is one that has magic in the title.i can't remember it right now. I think it's called "Real Magic". and he has one called "Inspiration" that's good.

Funny how some books resonate with some and not for others. I happened to love his book, Excuses Begone and actually I must say I have enjoyed all Wayne Dyer's books.
Going back to that Emotional Intelligence book, Lisa. I just could not get myself to finish that book. Too dry for me, perhaps he would have been better off simply titling it Intelligent!