My daughter made a comment yesterday that stuck with me. She said all I ever read are books about religion or love. On my bedside at the time were the Tao Te Ching and Life Loves You.
I paused, and had to agree. In the past year I have read a lot of spiritual books. Books about yoga, and addiction, and happiness and life. Books filled with thoughts and ideas. Not all of them speak to me – but I like knowing.
In the past I was a hard core fiction reader. JR Ward. Nora Roberts. Stephen King. I could sink into a story and escape. Perhaps even with a glass of wine by my side. or two.
I have tried to go back to reading fiction. It is less interesting. I like a good story while having a nice bubble bath, but I am happier reading the Bhagavad Gita. Books with secrets and reflection and ideas that make me thing long and hard about life, love and freedom.
I used to read to escape. To lose myself in someone else’s life. Where there were no problems that couldn’t be solved and there was always a happy ending. Where I could forget about all the things I though were wrong with me and quiet the inner voice full of criticism and despair.
How times have changed! I have changed. I am not longer looking for an escape. My life is lovely. Life is boundless. I see opportunity. Opportunity to learn, to think and to seek ideas and information on subjects I never even considered before. Spirituality, religion, mysticism, connection.
As I wrote before, Wayne Dyer’s books have been key teachings for me in sobriety. After hearing him talk I am even more inspired by him. Here is a man who continues to search. Not because he isn’t satisfied with what he already knows, because he seems to be a person who is fully comfortable and at peace with himself and his life, but out of a love of knowledge and the wish to work towards making the world a better place.
He inspires me.
Does anyone have a book or author who inspires you? I am always interested!!!!!
Stillness and peace
Anne
ainsobriety 
Anne I love how life gifts us the thing we are looking for. I wanted to ask you when you said you went to see Wayne Dyer speak was it recently at Hay House World Summit where he was on stage with Esther Hicks? I watched it online and was curious if you were in the audience 🙂 The book I’ve just finished reading is The Girl on the Train. It’s fiction I’m afraid but the lead character is an alcoholic and it’s a great read!
I started that book. I liked the beginning. Its by my bathtub waiting for me!
No- I went to a hay house you can do it conference in Edmonton, Alberta. Wayne mainly talked about his life. He was just amazing.
Oh Anne I am the same way!!! I used to devour fiction (Stephen King being one of my all time favorites). I loved the Harry Potter series. I even loved the Twilight series and will admit to reading the 50 Shades books (don’t judge). Murder mysteries were also on my agenda and I could plow through them like a freight train while on vacation.
Just before I got sober I started reading memoirs – not always from recovering addicts/alcoholics but most. I read and read and read and read. I got sober and I kept reading. It helped a lot.
I also went through my religion and self help “phase” where I read the Bhagadva Gita, The Book of Mormon, some Deepak, some Buddhism, some Hinduism, etc. I also read “Eat, Pray, Love” during this time and wished fervently that I could go on a journey like hers.
Now I’ve settled into a happy medium. I read “Girl on a Train” and “Unbroken” which I loved while working my way through “The Gifts of Imperfection” and “It’s Your Time” by Joel Osteen. I just scroll through Amazon until something clicks. Then I read slowly and try to savor it.
Dang – I wish I could apply that entire last paragraph to the rest of my life.
Happy reading!
Sherry
I just finished eat, pray love. There were many moments in it that brought goosebumps to my arms.
Thankfully I really believe the journey is all inside, so I don’t have to go to India or Bali just for enlightenment. It is already here.
I loved twilight too. And the movies, as cheesy as they are!
I read 50 shades. Some of my favourite books would be classified as vampire porn. Lol.
My favourite part is that I remember what I read! I don’t have to skim back to see where I left off in my wine haze!
Oh amen to remembering!!!!
(I saw all the Twilight movies too…more than once…and I own them. I’m actually a 14 year old girl way down deep. 😉 )
Me too!
I used to read Nora Roberts books in secret, for the EXACT reasons that you described. To jump out of my own life and into some whirlwind (sometimes nauseatingly corny) romance story instead. I picked up “Caroline Moon” last night, mostly because my Kindle died and I was waiting for it to charge up and this was my ONLY paperback. I wasn’t nearly as interested as I used to be.
Have you read “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed? I read it before the movie came out and LOVED IT. Great story, with addiction parallels as well…
I have not, and it has come up a few times recently. I’m adding it to my list!
I’m like you and some commenters – I used to like fiction, as I’ve grown older I not only gravitate toward nonfiction but I find I don’t have a lot of patience for fiction at all (I don’t even like fiction on TV anymore). I am taken with the concept of self-improvement and peoples’ stories of all kinds. Any inspiration helps. And the entertainment value of stories is so heightened when it’s something that actually happened. Anyone can make up a story. Not everyone can live through the unimaginable and write about it well. Stephen King has always been one of my favorites and I highly recommend his non-fiction writing memoir On Writing, if you haven’t read it. It happens to be the memoir of a recovering alcoholic so there’s that benefit, but really it touched a lot of chords in my life. Anyone in this bloggy community is a writer of sorts so I’m sure it has something for all of us.
I actually have that book in my pile. I came across it at the Salvation Army book sale for $1.
Gheghegheghe, vampire porn, what has the world come to? No shades for me, I avoid porn because the images get stuck in my head. I prefer to read fantasy but actually haven’t for a long time. Stephen Donaldson (his old work), Robin Hobb, Terry Goodkind, Guy Gavriel Kay and I like children’s books a lot, specifically when I’m down with a flu or something. Next to that management books, technical books in my field, anything on alternative health thingies and self help which comes on my path.
This is my favorite childrens book. It is from Astrid Lindgren, it is about courage and dying. If interested you might want to read it yourself first before handing it over.
Dear Anne,
I have two stacks of books at the moment.
One is a stack of murder mysteries, which I love.
The other are books on self-compassion and how to change habits.
I just read the habit books, but never make any changes!
I am still in my pj’s at 4:00 pm, having read ALL day!
YIKES!
xo
Wendy
PS – My dear hubby sent me a list of why it’s good to date a woman who reads!
Pema Chodron is very rad!
Drinking, A love story. by Carolyn Knapp. (and if you love dogs, Pack of Two by the same author).
I have always love reading fiction. I stopped though around the time my son was born and then didn’t really have time. I always claimed that I was too busy to read but maybe it had something to do with drinking too much? Now I am slowly getting back into it, reading both fiction and fact. I’m reading ‘Drink’ at the moment by Ann Dowsett Johnston. I think I may go back and read my other sober memoirs now that my head is getting clearer. Plus I can remember what I’m reading now! A x
Have you read Tommy Rosen’s Recovery 2.0 yet? I will have more thoughts tomorrow. And thanks for this post… now I’ve got a book list too!
I have. I thought it was excellent.
I forgot to say I am also reading (stops and starts type of reading, but I will finish) Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. It is interesting, but I have been out of whack with reading at all.
Odd that Pema Chodron has come up twice in this list. I was just given by a fellow blogger a link to a series of talk by her. I am only a bit into the first one, but already I know you would love these, Anne! Here is the link:
http://www.chronicleproject.com/chroniclesradio_classes/myth_pema.html
Let me know what you think!
I second Pema Chodron. Her _Taking the Leap_ met me exactly where I was, about a year ago. And _The Untethered Soul_ by Michael Singer is the most wonderfully brilliant and disruptive book I have ever read. Will be forever on slow reread…
I’m reading a course in miracles, which I believe the untethered soul is based.
I will add it to my list!
So, I’m going to be the opposite of everyone else. I always read non fiction or classics until I hit my 60’s. Then I read every recovery book I could get my hands on when first getting sober. Now I’ve started with Nora Roberts, vampire porn, etc. much to Husband #1’s glee. At my age you need a little boost and fantasy. I’m not trying to escape my life but enhance it with a little romance and the feel good idea of happily ever after.
Sharon
I know I will get back to it!!!
You are so right. A little fantasy and some happily ever after are important in our lives!!!
Books, my favourite thing. I always have a fiction book on the go as well as a non-fiction or two. I recently got an e-reader because I am trying to be more environmentally friendly!
Have you read any of Noah Levine’s books? He has written a memoir as well as a few books on Buddhism and one on recovery.
Right now I am reading One Breath at a Time by Kevin Griffin and Vagina by Naomi Wolf. And for fiction I am reading And the Birds Rained Down- it’s one of Canada Reads books this year. I love reading canadian authors…
My favourite fiction author (one of them anyways!) is Joseph Boyden. Amazing fellow Canuck writer.
Xo
I’m not familiar with any of them! Adding to my list.
I also like Canadian writers. I did an English degree on the side at university and focused a lot on CANADIAN women-although that was long ago!
Joseph Boyden wrote to Intro to s book I’m reading. Must be a sign!
Count me among the hard-core readers that now has a hard time plowing through fiction. As a matter of fact, I find I have a hard time relaxing at all. I think it is a throw back from early sobriety when I was trying to fill all my time up so I wouldn’t drink. Or maybe I’m making up for lost time. As far as drinking books, I like the Language of Letting Go, which is a book of daily readings about how to deal with this new life of ours and Drinking:A Love Story, which is a memoir.
I’ve been reading a lot about the different ways that people “recover”, or learn to move past addiction and live alcohol-free. I’ve read the Allen Carr book, the AA Big Book, Moderation Management, Rational Recovery…I wouldn’t really consider these books inspirational…they’re more informational and address the science and the how of becoming alcohol-free. It has really helped me to see that very different methods work for different people…there is more than one path to living alcohol-free. At first I really needed to wrap my mind around the idea that it was even possible to live well without alcohol. I’ve been moving lately toward self-improvement authors like Marianne Williamson and Brene Brown. Both of these authors inspire me to find my place in the world, own it, and be my best self.