Tuesday Book Club
There are some books that just blow your mind. Consider mine blown.
Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins, Ph.D., is about behaviors and attitudes and motivations arising from the low end of the human consciousness scale–motives like Fear and Anger, Guilt and Revenge–to those at the higher end–motives like Courage, Acceptance, Love, and Compassion.
The other way of describing these motives is low-energy and high-energy. When you act out of motives such as Fear and Guilt, or any time you use force to assert your position, you are weak–weak individually, weak as a company, or weak as a country if this is how your leaders behave. When you act out of higher motives such as Service and Compassion, you are strong. Hitler enjoyed some success using fear and domination and violence, but Churchill succeeded in the end through, among other things, inspiring his people to act with courage and nobility and honor.
There is so much to this book that I have to read it again to fully absorb it, but I’ll share at least one of my favorite parts: Hawkins includes a chart of contrasting patterns–the one on the left being powerful, the one on the right being weak. The pairs that hit me between the eyes were:
Balanced vs. Extreme (since I’m the kind of person who likes to declare, “From now on I’m never” or “From now on I’ll always,” rather than finding some constructive middle ground);
Choosing To vs. Having To (speaks to all those times when I do what I know to be the right thing, but I’m totally resentful about it);
Detached vs. Removed (um, maybe that’s the answer to this? But then, from your comments on that post, I know that some of you more enlightened souls already practice this).
Anyway, not necessarily light reading, but well worth it if you feel like understanding yourself and the human race a whole lot better, and if you feel like changing some of your own attitudes to be more effective in the world.
Enough about me. What did you all read this week?
Technorati Tags: Tuesday Book Club, Reading Clubs, Book Clubs, Reading Lists, Reading, Books, Book Reviews, Book Recommendations, Power vs. Force, David Hawkins
I finished The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings(really great novel and surprisingly humourous at times,in a Little Miss Sunshine way) and am knee deep in Nick Hornby’s Housekeeping Vs. The Dirt. Also rereading House of Mirth,since after finishing Free Food for Millionaires,it’s been on my mind.
I hit book 40 last night. How crazy is that?? I am also currently reading my last book for class… and then I can *finally* dip into all the books I have in my drawer, calling to me!! (Yay for summer smut reading!)
So, I read three books this past week. They were M.T. Anderson’s Feed, Rumiko Takahashi’s Ranma 1/2 vol. 2, and Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl.
I read Feed and Stargirl for class and they were both awesome! Actually, they both made me cry, too. My teacher said she saved her favorite books of the semester for last, and I see why these were 2 of them. They were so wonderful.
I had to read Ranma 1/2 vol.1 for class a few weeks ago, and I liked it so much, I picked up vol. 2! I was never really into graphic novels, but this series is so funny and cute. I can’t wait to read vol. 3!
Boy, Lady T, you’re really giving your eyeballs a workout. I love Nick Hornby’s stuff, but I admit I haven’t heard of Housekeeping vs. The Dirt. Do you love it?
Christen, talk about a reading machine! 40 books is awesome. I loved Stargirl, too. Such an original, quirky character, and I love the lesson of being who you are.
Robin – thanks for that summary of Power Vs. Force, because that is a really interesting way of looking at things, but it’s the sort of book I’d probably never pick up myself.
Lady T, I also haven’t heard about that Hornby one. Do tell?
Christen, I LOVED Feed with all my heart. Loved it. Even got my husband to read it by sneakily not mentioning that it’s YA, and he liked it too.
I finished Valiant by Holly Black, and Robin, if you’re still on your supernatural-boyfriend YA novel kick, this fits the bill nicely. You might do well to read Tithe first though – Valiant isn’t a sequel, but Tithe is a better introduction to the reality Black has created.
You know, Eisha, I’m glad you said that, because I’ve been feeling left out on all the Holly Black stuff since I’ve never read any. I’ll go pick up Tithe. Thanks.
Housekeeping Vs. The Dirt is a recent release,I believe. It’s another collection of Hornby’s “Stuff I’ve Been Reading ” columns that he writes for The Believer. It’s pretty great,especially if you love to read essays about books by writers. The title seems to come from two of the books he’s read,Marianne Robinson’s Housekeeping and the Motley Crue memoir,The Dirt. I’ve just started the section where he talks about the Motley Crue book,so I’ll know more later:)
Eisha, that’s so awesome you got your husband to read it!! I thought it was such an amazing book and I loved Anderson’s descriptions of the future! Amazing and oh so scary!!!
Thanks to Julie Morgenstern, I have been setting aside more time for reading, which has made me a happier person.
I finished Little Children by Tom Perrotta, which was fabulous. And the movie comes out on DVD today!
Blew through 150 pages of Twilight this morning. I am not yet ready to comment on that.
Molly, I just rented Little Children to watch tonight. Haven’t read the book, but I’ll tell you if the movie was good.
I’m reading tons of children’s books this week and they’re all pretty good!
Distracting my mind, though, is “The Code of the Woosters” on the i-pod. So much fun. I’ve been writing down phrases, like “there was a distinct “tut tut” in my gaze, but…” all week.
Kelly, doesn’t a week of reading children’s books put you in such a great mood?
Yes, absolutely! Especially when they’re good
I’m having a blast.
Oh, and I have to go back to teaching next year and was slammed with a) department chair and b) a first-year tutorial. So, I took a different tact with the first year tutorial (usually I do Utopia and Revolution) and am going to study “His Dark Materials” and intertextuality (Milton, Blake, etc.) with them. Makes (a) much easier to deal with!
Oh how I love His Dark Materials. I picked up the series when I was impatiently waiting for the next Harry Potter. What an absolute treat. Excellent choice on your part!
I completely adored Feed. I met MT Anderson at BEA last year and acted the part of gushing fangirl.
I’m also a huge fan of Valiant — one of my favorite books, and I STILL haven’t read Tithe! I”m awful. I have to soon, though, because you SHOULD read Tithe before you read Ironsides. Valiant stands alone. I got this straight from Holly Black’s mouth.
Also, Robin, I hadn’t realized you’d read His Dark Materials. I’m emailing you right now.
Robin, I rented Little Children as well. And Notes on a Scandal. I love illicit sex. Okay, that came out way wrong…
Molly, I would have helped you out by editing that for you, but I wasn’t really sure where to go. Notes on a Scandal was tons of fun. Love to see Judy Dench at her psycho best.
Well, on Sunday I went into Books-A-Million for Fullmetal Alchemist volume 11, but I came out with Secret Society Girl (in glorious green paperback!) instead. (Anyone who knows about by FMA obsession knows that’s a huge compliment!) I’m about halfway through and loving it.
I’m also continuing my (slowish, on account of all the book-multitasking I’m doing…eh…) reread of the Artemis Fowls. Started Eternity Code this morning, before my brain kicked in enough for new literature.
Finished Inkheart Sunday night. Need to read Inkspell again as soon as I’m done with SSG.
I tend to write in acronyms a lot. Huh.
Miri, nice choice with SSG!
Diana, I stand (sit) poised, ready to talk some His Dark Materials. Come on–lay it on me!
Feed and Stargirl are both on my to read stack, but keep getting preempted by newer titles.
This week I read books 5 and 6 of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Shadow Children books (and now must read Book 7, but it’s checked out of the library). I’m also reading the Phoenix Dance, by Dia Calhoun, a YA fantasy about a girl with bipolar disorder. It’s fascinating. I’ve also been reading an adult mystery, Dark Assassin by Anne Perry, but finding that one slow going. I’ve liked the previous books in the series (Victorian series about an investigator named William Monk), but this one just isn’t grabbing me.
But I am with you and Kelly, Robin. A week spent reading lots of children’s titles is a joy. Haven’t had a really good one in a while (a good week with a lot of titles, that is), but maybe soon… Just have to get a bit more caught up on work.
In fact, Jen (and Kelly), I’m willing to take it a step further: lately I find I not only enjoy reading YA, I actually prefer it to adult fiction. I just find children’s and YA so much happier, you know?
It’s the same way with movies these days. I just can’t handle the family dramas and stories of unhappy couples, etc. I need romantic comedies or fantasy adventures or something else that feels optimistic. I just finished watching Little Children, and I’m not the least uplifted. Quite the opposite. Good thing I rented Sense and Sensibility (on Diana’s suggestion), too, so I can wash that sad taste out of my brain.
Actually, Jen and Kelly (and everyone else), let’s suspend this conversation until tomorrow’s post.
has anyone ever passed out as a result of giving blood…?
Now, Annette, why are you starting that again?
THANK YOU, MIRI!!!!!!!!
Notes on a Near-Life Experience by Olivia Birdsall
Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson
Little Willow, love the title of the first one! Did you like either/both?