I've read some *amazing* books lately. I mean, really top-notch. So, as we head into cooler weather and the days of curling up by the fire to read (sounds lovely, doesn't it?), I figured I'd share some of those books with you. This season's reading list is a bit different: I've listed a few that I've already read (since they were so good that I want to shout them from the rooftops!) and a few that I plan to read in the next couple of months... Here's your list!
Oh, and I should note that I recently finished one of the books that was on my Summer [Fiction] Reading List, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, and I loved it! It's really interesting and very well-written. Highly recommend. What have you been reading lately? What's on your fall list? Have fun diving into these books! I know I plan to ;)
I am over the moon to announce that my very first eBook, How to Earn a Living Teaching Yoga: A Business Guide for Yoga Teachers is now officially available!
To all who pre-ordered: check your inbox for your download link (and thanks again for your early support!). For all who didn't get a chance to pre-order, you can buy + download instantly starting today :) I am 100% serious when I say that this is the book that I wanted to read when I first decided to become a yoga teacher, but couldn't find anywhere; It's an honest and straightforward glimpse into what it looks + feels like to teach yoga as a primary source of income. It covers the following topics in depth:
If you're interested in getting a sneak peak before you order, you can download a sample here.
Also, as a part of my eBook celebration, I'm hosting a giveaway today! All who purchase the book this week--anytime between today and 11:59pm Friday--will be entered to win the following (and all who pre-ordered will be automatically entered, of course!):
*The giveaway winner will be announced on the blog on Monday, August 10th. Must order by 11:59pm on Friday, August 7th to be entered to win. If you want to learn more about this new offering, head on over to my eBook page. If you're ready to buy, you can do so below: Thanks again for your constant support in all of my endeavors! Today is the final installment of my 3-part summer reading series. If you missed the first two installments, you can go back and check out Part 1: Fiction Books + Part 2: Non-Fiction Books.
This week, we're tackling yoga + mindfulness books, or, 6 books that I think every yogi should read at some point. This list is slightly different than past lists because it is composed of books that I have read and highly recommend, instead of books that I want to read in the future. Also, this is the perfect place to tell you that my *very first* eBook, How to Earn a Living Teaching Yoga, is now available for pre-order + is included in this roundup (!). The book will be available starting Monday, August 3rd, and all who pre-order will receive a link to download their copy that day. Why pre-order before August 3rd? Because if you do, you will also receive a bonus chapter entitled "10 Action Steps You Can Take Right Now to Start Building a Profitable Yoga Business." Visit my How to Earn a Living Teaching Yoga eBook page to learn lots more. Now lets get to the reading list! Here we go--yoga + meditation books that I recommend to YOU:
Oh, and my very favorite reference book for yoga teachers? Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques by Mark Stephens. It's basically the first ever full yoga textbook and it's a MUST OWN for every teacher. Happy summer reading, everyone! I hope the 18 books mentioned in these 3 roundups will provide you with more than enough reading material for the next 6 weeks or so... ;) Here we are! Part 2 of my summer reading list. Last week we talked fiction, this week, non-fiction.
Although I don't normally read *as much* non-fiction as fiction (Reading is my refuge each night before bed, so I'm usually in the mood to dive into a good novel at that time), I'm still a huge non-fiction fan and this list has been a brewing for a while. I'm excited to finally get into it this summer! Here are 6 non-fiction books that I plan on reading over the next few months, which I've grouped into 2 sub-categories, Memoir + Biz/Life: MEMOIR:
BIZ/LIFE:
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What non-fiction books are on your list this summer? Up next Tuesday: My Yoga Book Summer Reading List (which will be more of a collection of my fave yoga books for YOU to check out). Stay tuned! Summer reading! Hiphiphooray! Is there anything better than reading on the beach, by the pool, in a hammock, or on a plane on your way to vacay? No, no there is not.
So, in celebration of my love for books, my love for summer, + my love of lists, I'm doing a 3-part miniseries over the next 3 Tuesdays, focused on summer reading. We'll start with fiction this week, move onto non-fiction next week, and end with yoga books in our final installment. Ready? Here are the fiction books that I've got on my list this summer:
What's on your summer reading list? You know I love a good book rec, so please do share! Up next Tuesday: My Non-Fiction Summer Reading List. Can you tell how excited I am to get reading? I've got a plane ride to Peru coming up in July, so I'm starting to gear up... Since I've already read most of the books on my Winter 2015 Reading List, I figured it was time for another roundup.
Although I typically don't get into bed to read *quite* as early in the spring (since the days are longer), I still find that I get through quite a few books this time of year. Plus, with my flights to + from DC and Costa Rica in April and May, I think I'll have lots more time to read than usual over the next few months! So, here's what's on my Spring List:
What's on your Spring Reading List? I always love getting recommendations, so please do pass them along ;) Happy reading--and happy spring! Hooray!! It's been *too long* since I've posted a seasonal reading list. But guess what? I've still been reading--a lot! When it's this cold outside and it gets dark at 4:30 (FOR REAL. I'm not kidding--welcome to winter on the Cape!), I want to crawl into bed and read as early as possible. So usually, when I can, that's what I do.
Since it has been so long since my last list, I'm going to do things a bit differently this time around: I'm sharing 5 recent reads and 5 upcoming reads (or, books on my personal reading list). Here we go! RECENT READS:
UPCOMING READS:
What have you read lately? Any recs for me? Would love to hear them ;) You can peruse all of my past reading lists here. Happy book-hunting, fellow bibliophiles! Okay, so here's the thing: I kind of missed out on all of this year's "beach reads." Why? Because my summer was crazy full and every time I went to the beach I either chatted with my fellow beach-goers or fell asleep. I know.
Also, I've been reading Sophie's Choice before bed each night (when I usually do my reading), and it's quite long, quite dense, and as usual (I'm becoming a broken record), I'm quite tired at night so I usually fall asleep a few pages in. Thus, both of these things being said, this season's reading list is full of the "summer beach reads" that I wanted to get to this summer, but didn't. I am happy to report, however, that I just looked back at my Spring Reading List and saw that I read all but one of the books on this list over the past 4 months! Hooray! What's on your must-read list for fall? Have any good recommendations for me? You know I'm always looking for them... Fall Reading List:
Happy reading, everyone! Oh, and my mom is coming in town to visit today! I'm off to pick her up at the airport this afternoon, so although I will still be blogging all week, know that I might be a bit slower to respond to emails, comments, and requests ;) I'm almost done with The Goldfinch (a must read if you haven't read it yet!), so I'm back to thinking about books, and more specifically, pondering all of the books that I want to read this spring/summer. Although I still read every single night before bed, my reading pace has slowed down over the past couple of months, simply because I'm so tired when I get into bed these days that I only get through a few pages before I shut off the light. Sigh. {Is this old age?} Anyhoopers, here's a quick list of the books that have been piling up on my nightstand/to-read list as I've slowly made my way through The Goldfinch...so many good books, so little free time to read them! Ugh! Spring Reading List:
Happy reading, fellow bibliophiles! PS. HAPPY EARTH DAY!
Since we're already well into fall, I feel like this post is slightly overdue, but better late than never, right?
I've been finding that lately, I'm just not getting as much reading done as I would like. This is mainly because I always read before bed, and I've been SO mentally and physically exhausted these days (see yesterday's announcement) that I can only read a few pages before tuning off the light and calling it a night. So, it's taken me much longer than usual to get through my most recent book, and meanwhile, my "to read list" has been growing longer and longer... Therefore, today's reading list is simply my own personal reading list--the books that I want to tackle this fall. I'm assuming I'll have a little more time to read once I'm living on the Cape and it's freezing cold/snowy outside, so my plans are to spend a lot of this winter curled up by our fireplace (We'll have one--yay! More about that later...) with my dear Kindle. What's on your must-read list for fall? Have any good recommendations for me? You know I'm always looking for them... My Fall Reading List
I think that should be enough to get us all through the next couple of months, don't you think? Especially if I keep falling asleep early every night... Let me know if you've ready any of these books and if so, please share your opinion! Happy reading :) It's the second week in June, so you know what that means...SUMMER READING LIST TIME! Plus, since I'm fresh off of my recent vacay, one in which I read almost the entire trip, good books are on my mind ;)
As I hope you know by now, there are few things in life that I enjoy as much as a delving into a well-written book, so I'm excited to share what's on my list for this summer and a few of my recent reads/recommendations (for your summer reading list, perhaps...). What's on your must-read list? Have any good recommendations for me? I'm always looking for them... My Summer Reading List
Your Summer Reading List
I hope this is enough to get you started! *Please note that I intentionally didn't put any yoga teaching or yoga-related books on this list, as I like summer reading books that don't feel like studying or deeper, spiritual reading (which most of my yoga-related recommendations can be). I hope this doesn't make you think I'm a bad yogi ;) Happy reading, everyone! Upon returning home this week, I was super excited to receive my copy of The Tranquility du Jour Daybook, an adorable, inspiration-filled planner created by the fabulous Kimberly Wilson, which, as you probably already know, is filled with my whimsical, girly watercolor illustrations :) This book has been in-the-making for a long time, and it's truly amazing to see it come to life--I've never seen my illustrations covering any sort of bound publication before, and it's really a wonderful and exciting feeling! So yesterday, after my supposed root-canal-turned-just-a-few-fillings at the dentist (wooohooooo!), I returned home with a super numb mouth and a yearning to get my year organized in this precious little daybook. You can see a few pics from this fun creative process below... Isn't it fun?!? You can pick up a copy of the Daybook on Kimberly's website, here, and can view more of the illustrations on my painting website, here.
So honored to be a part of this fun project! You'll also be able to enjoy more of my illustrations + more tranquility in the hard-copy edition of her Tranquilologie E-Course, which will be coming out later this year ;) Namaste! Mary Catherine Um, can you stand this picture!? I mean, really--isn't it simply amazing? When I came across this image on Facebook yesterday, this was my sequence of thoughts: Look at those colors!...OMG, those are books!...How did they get so many books in each color family?...I want this room!...Why don't I even have a book nook? As a total bibliophile and avid reader (mostly of fiction, but of all things, really...), I'm ashamed to admit that I don't have a book nook. Or even a cute little reading corner. I have lots of random book shelves throughout the apartment, lots of random books sitting on tables and counters, but not one, snuggly, just-curl-up-and-read-a-good-book nook. Granted, this is probably because we don't have a big enough apartment to have an anything nook (except somehow, we do have a Concept 2 Rower nook, which Ben squeezed into our bedroom on a whim...), but still. Every novel-loving girl should have a reading corner. So, although I'm going to file away the "book nook" wish for my "someday dream house," I am going to start pondering where I could possibly create a little reading corner or book nook for cloudy days like today. Once I put something together (probably post-wedding), I'll share it with you... To get some ideas and a little inspiration before delving into my real to-do's for the day (sadly, not building a book nook!), I took to the interwebs to peruse some reading corner creations, and wouldn't you know, I found a bunch of gorgeous book nook ideas. Take a look at some of my favorites below: Sigh. Only in my interior decorating dreams...
Whether you have a book nook, are also dreaming of having one, or could care less about having one, these images sure do make you want to curl up with a good read, don't they? How can you nurture your spirit today? How can you create more space in your life for relaxation, comfort, and self care? Definitely worth thinking about... Namaste! Mary Catherine ![]() Image via thenestinginstinct.tumblr.com After spending a bit of time placing holds in the eBook Library online this morning (my new favorite thing!), I thought it might be about time to share my summer reading list with you. It seems that every year at this time I have an urge to put together a list of good reads for the summer--perhaps because I start dreaming about all the reading I'll be doing on the beach, on planes, and while traveling to exotic locales over the summer. Although I'm not exactly planning on heading anywhere crazy over the next few months, I am planning on getting lots of reading done, because in my mind, reading = relaxation. Wouldn't you agree? So anywho, here are the books that I've recently placed on hold for my Kindle. Have you read any of them? Are they good? After reading this list and getting a feel for the types of books I like, do you have any suggestions? If so, please send them along! Summer Reading List: 1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James: after hearing about this book from multiple people, I feel like I have to read it. It's like any other bestselling/highly-discussed trilogy--The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Hunger Games, even Twilight (although I have to say that I only read the first one, just so I could "get" it)--I just want to be in the know and understand what people are talking about. Is that so bad? So yes, Fifty Shades of Grey has been added to my list...and I'm preparing to be slightly freaked out by it. ![]() Image via bookblob.wordpress.com 2. The Way of the Happy Woman: Living the Best Year of Your Life by Sara Avant Stower: the author visited Tranquil Space earlier this year and I've heard amazing things about both the book and about her. I have the book, now I just need to read it! 3. The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter 4. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell: recommended to me by a friend who has amazing taste, so therefore, a no-brainer. Excited to read it! 5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 6. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender 7. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht: I checked this book out a month or two ago, then got busy, and was only halfway through by the time my 21-day loan ended...sigh. So, I'm back on the list and am excited about finishing it! It was really good so far... Recent Recommended Reads: ![]() Image via goodreads.com 1. The Swan Theives: A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova: I just finished this book, and absolutely LOVED it. It helps that it contained a lot of my favorite things to read about--art (paintings!), intrigue/mystery, romance, drama, multiple time periods and points of view, and mental issues/genius (sad, I know, but I do find this interesting...), but either way, I highly recommend it! 2. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: a very poignant and interesting novel. Not for a casual reader, but for someone wanting a bit of an unusual character-study-type read. 3. Last Night in Twisted River: A Novel by John Irving: as you probably know by now, I'm a big John Irving fan. Therefore, I found this novel to be great, as his novels usually are. Really interesting story that follows a man through his somewhat rocky life from childhood to adulthood. 4. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers: after reading What is the What, I'm a TOTAL Dave Eggers convert. This book is an amazing true story that captures just one tiny snapshot of life in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina. It's heartbreaking and really helped me to see the event and the aftershock of the event more clearly. A must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about this... What are your most recent recommended reads? Please do share! And with that, I'll leave you with a few fun summer reading images I found on Pinterest... Ahhh....looking forward to it!
Namaste, Mary Catherine One of my favorite activities outside of yoga, painting, eating apples (hehe) and CrossFit, is reading. Since I haven't done a book review post since the summer, I thought I'd share a few of my recent reads today. Also, I have to say that I've recently hooked my new Kindle up to the library and it's eBook collection, and it's amazing! If you have a Kindle and haven't tried it yet, give it a go! To me, free books are always better than the ones you have to pay for ;) Peruse my recent reads below, and please do share if you have any good recommendations for me! ![]() _Recent Reads Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay Grade: B- Thoughts: I enjoyed reading the book and thought that the story line was well constructed, but I actually didn't like the writing that much. I felt that the modern parts (not the flashbacks) weren't very well-written or believable, although the flashbacks felt much more realistic to me. It's recently been made into a movie, though, so I'm interested in seeing that and think it could be a great movie... A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Grade: A+ Thoughts: Amazing book. Heart-wrenching and sad--even made me cry at one point while reading it in bed--but it's really, really good and paints a very realistic portrait of Afghan history and the horrors that have occoured over the years (and how difficult it is to be a woman there). I'm a BIG fan of Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner), and definitely recommend both of his books. ![]() _Incantation by Alice Hoffman Grade: A- Thoughts: Beautifully-written and again, a very sad and realistic story, this one about Jewish Spaniards living undercover in Spain in the 1500s. Sad but eye-opening and quite the page-turner. Also, it's written from a young girls perspective, so has a very interesting point of view. Lucky by Alice Sebold Grade: A- Thoughts: As a true story/memoir about being raped in college, this book is a tough read. I don't recommend it to those who have a hard time reading about difficult subjects or tragedies, but I do think that it's very informative and taught me a lot about what rape victims go through after the rape. Plus, I love Alice Sebold so it was interesting to read her memoir. And if you haven't read them yet, I have to admit that I recommend The Hunger Games series. I promise that I am NOT usually into sci-fi OR teen books (and never have been!), but they're a really fun read. They're kind of like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series--page turners, you can't put them down, and you end up reading one after another over 3 or 4 days until you're done. Might as well take the dive, as you know that they're going to be made into a movie soon and you're going to have to read them then! ![]() Current Read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski Grade (thus far): A+ Thoughts: Although I'm only 1/4 of the way through this thick book, it's a must-read. Put it on your list! It's the story of a young boy who is born mute, and can only sign, and it is amazingly constructed and well-written. Just read it! Do it. Upcoming Reads/Wish List: Happy Yoga: 7 Reasons Why There's Nothing to Worry About by Steve Ross: Gifted to me by one of my students, I hear it's great and am excited to read it! The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht: I've been hearing about this book for months so I've put the eBook on hold. I think I'm number 89 on a wait list of about 100, so I'll tell you about it when I read it in 2013 ;) The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides: Another one that I've read many reviews about, but haven't gotten a chance to read yet. I've never read any of his books, but hear that he's great. On my list for 2012! So what's on your reading list? What have you read recently that is a must-read? Please let me know! I'm always looking for new books and want to add lots of new books to my eBook library queue :) Happy reading! Namaste, Mary Catherine |
HELLO!I'm Mary Catherine, a Cape Cod-based yoga teacher, painter, designer, writer, mom, and list-maker extraordinaire. My goal is to inspire you to start living a more creative, simple, joyful, + purposeful life.
{Learn more + read my story}
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