The Trailhead

From Patt Osborne,

Adventure Coach

"Climb Mountains, But Bring a Good Guide"

Welcome to the July Issue of The Trailhead!

In this issue:

• What’s on My Bookshelf: A Summertime Guide to Reading

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Welcome to July…albeit almost the end of July…this month has absolutely zoomed!!

This month, I’m taking a vacation from my regular newsletter format and instead, offering you, my readers, a list of my 50+ favorite books. (This is only a very partial list…I’m certain I’ve forgotten a slew of other titles!) They are loosely divided into categories, in a simple random order. Some of the titles have a synopsis, others, not.

My love of books began ‘way before I started school. As a very small child, I remember my parents reading to me each night before tucking me in to bed. As I got older, I couldn’t wait to begin kindergarten, hoping they’d start teaching reading on the very 1^st day. Once I learned to read, I couldn’t quit.

As a former teacher my favorite part of the day was when I read to my 3^rd graders right after lunch. I know my love of reading carried over to many of them, as well. That passion has continued throughout the years and now, each day is not complete if I have not gotten in some pleasure reading…it might be from a chapter in a current bedside novel or a travel magazine, or even a yummy recipe.

What about YOU? If you share that same passion, I hope the extensive list below will give you some ideas for summer down- time to pursue your passion for reading.  (You might even want to make a copy of this list)

So…grab book and find yourself a hammock under the trees, a chaise on your deck, a chair on the beach, or your favorite comfy sofa or bed…and be transported…

(If you feel like sharing, send me a few of your own favorite titles and I’ll post them in a future newsletter)

I’ll be back in September (I’m taking off the month of August for reading and playtimeJ)

Happy Reading!

Patt

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       Fiction:

·   Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins "This is one of those special novels- a piece of working magic, warm, funny, and sane-that you just ride off into the sunset with" ~Thomas Pynchon~

• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• Until I Find You by John Irving (Or anything else by John Irving)
• Second Draft of My Life by Sara Lewis
• Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips- A woman escapes for two months to the Tuscan countryside in beautiful Italy to rest, write, and rethink her future.
• Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner (A funny and tender fiction story about a young woman whose “if –onlies” seem to all come true). The author lives in Philadelphia so for those of you who know that city, you’ll relate even more!
• American Fuji by Sarah Backer: “A deft and delightful story of an American professor living in Japan, braiding mystery, romance, and comedy in to one wild adventure.”

·   The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown- A smart and quick-moving murder mystery thriller

·   Blessings by Anna Quindlen. “This powerful novel begins when a teenage couple drives up, late at night, headlights out, to the estate owned by Lydia Blessing. They leave a box, drive away, and the Blessings world is changed forever.”

·   Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier- The story of a wounded and disillusioned Confederate soldier intertwined with the heroic story of Ada, the woman he loves. (And check out the excellent film!)

·   The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho-a simple, fictional tale about the importance of listening to our hearts.

• July, July by Tim O’Brien (A moving yet humorous story of the 30^th reunion of the class of ’69 at a mid-western liberal arts college.)
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: an imaginative, thought-provoking, and even sometimes surprisingly humorous tale told by a 14 year old girl, after her brutal death.
• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: “The tale of one motherless daughter’s discovery of that family really means-and of the strange and wondrous places we find love” –the Washington Post
• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Classics:

• Walden by Henry David Thoreau: Thoreau’s’ classic essays on living the simple life in the cabin that he built on the shores of Walden Pond.
• A Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Lindbergh’s timeless meditations on youth and age, love and marriage, and solitude and contentment, as she set them down during a brief vacation by the sea.

·   My Antonia by Willa Cather: “The unforgettable story of an immigrant woman’s life on the hardscrabble Nebraska plains

• Gone With the Wind- by Margaret Mitchell
• The Odyssey- Homer

Travel/Adventure:

·   A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail By Bill Bryson

·   The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island By Linda Greenlaw

• A Walk across America by Peter Jenkins
• Monkey Dancing: A Father, 2 Kids, and a Journey to the Ends of the Earth by Daniel Glick
• Walking with the Wild Wind-Reflections on a Mountain Journey by Walkin’ Jim Stolz

·   Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi- The true story of one women’s courageous solitary journey around the world in a sailboat.

·   Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

·   A Year in the World by Frances Mayes

·   Exotic Retreats: Eco Resorts Design from Barefoot Sophistication to Luxury Pad by Julia Faiers

Health/Relationships:

·   YOU-The Owner’s Manual: An Insiders Guide to the Body that will make you Healthy and Younger by Michael Roizen, MD and Mehmet Oz, MD

·   Younger Next Year-A Guide to Living like 50 until you’re 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge

• Owner’s Manual-The Essential Guide to the One You Love by Arielle Ford and Elizabeth Goodman- A fun little workbook/journal and guide to fill out and share with your partner-on the care and maintenance of YOU.
• Intimate Partners by Maggie Scarf- A powerful look at what goes on in our intimate attachments.
• Relationship Rescue-A 7 Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner-Phillip McGraw, PhD- A guide to create aware nesses on how to positively reconnect with yourself 1^st and then with your partner

Self- Exploration:

• Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction- by Laura Berman Fortgang
• Life Makeovers: 52 Practical and inspiring ways to improve your life, one week at a time- by Cheryl Richardson
• Repacking Your Bags: Lighten your load for the rest of your life by- Richard Leider and David Shapiro

·   A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman By Joan Andersen 

• A Walk on the Beach: Tales of Wisdom from an Unconventional Woman by Joan Anderson
• An Unfinished Marriage by Joan Anderson: a wonderful tale of the new journey Anderson has begun with her husband after being together for 30+years- an insightful look at how one couple negotiated their marital passage.
• The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander and Rosamund stone Zander-“A breakthrough paradigm fro leadership, relationship, and a life of possibility.”
• Live the Life You Love by Barbara Sher: a step-by-step guide to personal and professional fulfillment
• Wherever You Go, There You Are-By Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn: A clear and practical guide to meditation
• Slowing Down to the Speed of Life: how to create a More Peaceful, Simpler life, from the Inside Out by Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey
• Living the Simple Life by Elaine St. James: One in a series of book by St. James on simplifying your life. If you’ve thought about simplification of your life but don’t know where to begin, this might be the resource for you!
• Live the Life you Love by Barbara Sher

·   Stand Up for Your Life by Cheryl Richardson- in this helpful tome, you will learn some new "inner life skills" to further improve your life.

• The Women’s Retreat Book by Jennifer Louden (A guide to restoring, rediscovering, and reawakening your true self-in a moment, an hour, a day, or a weekend.)
• Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers
• Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern- A foolproof system for organizing your home, your office, your life.
• Emotional Intelligence

by Daniel Goleman. “In this fascinating book, Goleman makes the case for emotional intelligence being the strongest indicator of human success. He defines ET in terms of self-awareness, altruism, personal motivation, empathy, and the ability to love and be loved by partners, friends, and family members.”

Midlife/Transitions:

·   Inventing the Rest of our Lives: Women in 2^nd Adulthood by Suzanne Braun LevineAwakening at Midlife: A guide to reviving your spirit, recreating your life, and returning to your truest self- by Kathleen A. Brehony

• Life Launch: A Passionate Guide to the Rest of Your Life by Fredric Hudson and Pamela McLean
• The Season of Change: Using Nature’s Wisdom to Grow through Life’s Inevitable Ups and Downs by Carol McClelland, Ph.D
• I Could Do anything if I Only Knew What it Was by Barbara Sher

Food:

·   In Tuscany by Frances Mayes (author of Under the Tuscan Sun): a wonderful illustration and celebration of the joys of Tuscany’s people, food, landscapes, and art.

·   American Favorites: New Renditions of the Recipes We Love by Betty Rosbottom: This is my favorite cookbook, filled with delectable updates on some of our favorite dishes. (Whose author happens to be a frequent contributor to the magazine, Bon Appetit and is also a friend of my sisters’)

• Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl

Humor:

• The Bitch in the House-edited by Cathi Hanuer-a provocative, passionate, funny, searingly honest collection of original essays where 26 women tell the truth about sex, solitude, work, motherhood, and marriage

• Seus-Isms:Wise and Witty Prescriptions for Living from the Good Doctor by Theodor Seuss Geisel. “In his remarkably perceptive trademark style, Dr. Seuss takes on everything from aging to activism, from belief in others to belief in yourself. Irreverent and refreshing!”

All-time Childhood Favorites:

• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White- why not read a favorite book from your childhood to help remind you of the pleasures of fun? This one is MY favorite!
• Anything written by Dr. Seuss
• Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl