SMALL TOWN YOGINI

An ongoing log of what I'm reading in 2018...

As part of my NEW monthly email newsletter {The Small Town Yogini Monthly Recap -- sign up here!} I'll sometimes be giving you a heads up about some good books, articles and websites I've recently read. I had planned to have this info only in the newsletter, but then thought I'd add it as a page here on the blog that can be referred to long after you've read and deleted my email. :)I'll just keep adding to this post for the rest of 2018, and you can always find it easily under the Categories side bar as "What I'm Reading."
JUNE:
• (Un)Qualified: How God Uses Broken People To Do Big Things by Steven Furtick
It's great. It's about how God calls you for big purposes not in spite of your weaknesses, but sometimes because of your weaknesses. It includes a cast of characters from the Bible who weren't so perfect, either, but were still used for big things. Furtick challenges your own opinion of y-o-u, encourages you to just be yourself, and helps you realize how believing you are inadequate/unqualified/not-good-enough can get in the way of your calling. He does all of this in a very funny and relateable way.

• Ayurveda: The Science Of Self Healing: A Practical Guide by Vasant Lad
A great resource for those interested in Ayurveda, especially if you have a little knowledge on it already. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, be on the lookout for an upcoming blog post on "Ayurveda 101" sometime in the next couple months. 🙂 (Edit: here's a link to my post What Is Ayurveda?)

​

JULY:
• Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times by Judith Lasater
​I just read this for the Restorative Yoga training I went to this month in Texas. It is an excellent resource for a calming, soothing, restorative yoga practice. Since I teach only flowing styles of yoga, this was a nice break. I am always on the go and active, so it was challenging for me to slow down, and just chill out. 🙂 Judith Lasater is an authority on this type of yoga, and she clearly lays out what props are needed, how to use them, and even has specific sequences if you're interested.

​• Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People by Bob Goff
A dear friend gave me a copy of this book. You may have read his other book a few years ago, Love Does (also a good book). Bob Goff is a successful attorney, excellent storyteller, and a down-to-earth, relateable Christian guy. Each chapter is a thoughtfully woven story from his life, or a friend's life, that will make you laugh (and maybe cry) as he illustrates something about Jesus and love. No matter what/if religion you identify with, the major point of the book is relevant and simple: no matter how difficult people can be, we are supposed to love everybody, always.

AUGUST:
• Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski
With my Graphic Communications degree, I never had to take physics. This book breaks down so many interesting things in the world by explaining elements of physics. I can't stop talking about it. It's fascinating. I may not understand all of it (ha!), but I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I have copied this right from the book discription... the author "provides the tools to alter the way we see everything around us by linking ordinary objects and occurrences, like popcorn popping, coffee stains, and fridge magnets, to big ideas like climate change, the energy crisis, or innovative medical testing." I really can't explain it any better than that. It really will cause you to look at the world differently, and at the very least, you'll seem smart at cocktail parties.

SEPTEMBER:
• Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"
I'm revisiting this famous poem again. It's always relevant.OCTOBER:
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth This NYT Bestseller is such an interesting book. With tons of research to back it up, Duckworth explains that it's not natural talent that gets successful people to the top of their field, but grit. Having passion, perseverance and the right mindset when failures happen is everything. It's easy to read and offers encouragement to all of us that although talent is something that some are born with, grit can be developed by any of us.

• On Finding Your Purpose by Hunter S. Thompson 
This is actually a letter that I was introduced to a couple years ago and have been revisiting lately. I know he's a controversial guy, but this letter he wrote to a friend is packed with wisdom. I think it's relevant for all.

• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
I almost didn't list this one since it has, well, absolutely nothing to do with yoga or healthy living. I decided to list it anyway since it has the reputation for being one of the best novels of ALL time. It's so long it took me 6 months to finish it. It's a novel steeped in Russian culture, ranging from peasants to farmers to those in high-society. It reads more like a character study of human nature. It's very descriptive and takes you inside the mind of all of the main characters at some point. Plus, much of it revolves around a scandal in high-society Russia.

(Side Note:  Oddly enough, I've been on a Russian literature kick ever since I read the novel A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towle​s last winter. That's a GREAT book, too.)

NOVEMBER:
• Website I'm Diggin' : Greater Good Magazine, Science Based Insights For A Meaningful Life
This is published by The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkley. It is fantastic. LOADS of amazing articles on health and well-being... 

• Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life by Glennon Doyle Melton​
I'm finishing up this NYT Bestseller right now, and it's SO good. The book is essays and popular posts from her blog. Glennon is honest, down-to-Earth, funny, and loving. She writes about things that many of us are scared to talk about. She wants women to know they are not alone in the struggles of motherhood, marriage, and friendship. One message that keeps popping up: Let's all stop acting like we're perfectly put together and just. be. real. people. I also listed this in my 2018 holiday gift guide!

DECEMBER:
• For Sabbath's Sake by J. Dana Trent​
J. Dana Trent reminds us of how ESSENTIAL it is for our overall well-being to observe the Sabbath. These days, we rush around at top speed and often use Sundays for life chores that we couldn't cram into our busy week. We forget God's commandment to "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." We don't treat it much different than any other day. Dana lays out her own experiences and struggles with keeping the Sabbath (which sound a lot like everyone else's). She gives a history of the Sabbath, why we need it, and encouragement on ways to observe it. It's thought-provoking, and will most definitely be a focus for me in 2019.

​What are you reading right now that you'd recommend? Any must-reads?