If you've been following Parea for a while, you know that I've always been a big believer in mood-based reading. I think when a book just clicks it's because it was the right book for the right mood. And when it doesn't click, but you come back to it later in a different mood and it becomes one of your favorites...well, point proven. I've tried various versions of curating books by mood, but nothing has really stuck.
So, instead of just rounding up groups of books based on examples of moods, I'm going to share my moods and my recommended reading list in real time. It's the most authentic way I can think of to help you find the books you'll fall in love with.
How I'm feeling right now is, well, pretty blah. It's been dumping rain for the past few weeks, I've been sick on and off for some of that time, and I'm in a creative rut. I haven't had the energy to do the things I love, like learn songs on the piano, work on some creative writing projects, or dream about the future. I haven't even had the energy to do the things I need to do, like exercise, be present at work, or cook dinner. The rain is the most likely culprit of the grey mood, but there's a hint of work burnout in there too. Regardless, I'm desperate to get out of this funk.
The books I'm turning to right now really run the gamut, but mixed together they're proving to be a solid antidote to this energetic flatline. I'd love to hear if you're in the same headspace and if so, what's helping you?
1. Dream Businesses: Live and Work On Your Own Terms, published by Gestalten in partnership with Courier Media
While it masquerades as a coffee table book, this is actually a well curated selection of entrepreneurial and small business owner profiles. From a couple who opened a surf retreat in a small town in Morocco to a new family-run coffee shop in the Philippines, to an outdoor recreation and camping company built for people of color, there are many inspiring stories here. I'm usually quick to naysay the seemingly perfect narrative of "Julie worked in finance and then got bored so she risked it all and opened a bakery!" because I know firsthand how much capital and resources are needed to start a business, and people are quick to glamorize this process, but Dream Businesses profiles people whose stories are more relatable. Will you read the book and instantly be able to move to another country and start a new business and live happily ever after? Probably not. But it will show you that with a vision, patience, a focus on saving money, and a commitment and dedication to what you want to do, you can live the life you want on your own terms.
2. Who Would You Be Without Your Story? by Byron Katie
Recommended to me by beloved healer and coach Ally Bogard (more on her below), this book is a go-to whenever I'm stuck in my own head. Byron Katie is a well-known inspirational speaker and teacher, but before she made her career in the self-empowerment world, she sunk into a deep depression for more than ten years. She checked herself into a shelter for women with eating disorders, and one day woke up to find her depressive mood alleviated. She reflects, "I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn't believe them, I didn't suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found that suffering is optional. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment. That joy is in everyone, always." This particular book is a collection of fifteen transcripts from live dialogues that happened between Byron Katie and her workshop attendees, and you get to witness firsthand how she demonstrates to each person that you create your own narrative. If you tell yourself your life is horrible, you'll never be successful, and that you're a failure, you'll believe it. But if you start to write a new story, one that takes you out of being a victim and puts you in a place of power, you have the freedom to be happy.
3. The Quiet Teachers, by Ally Bogard
Full disclosure: I published this book through Parea Books, so I may be inherently biased. However, I published this book for exactly these types of moods. Divided into four sections, this book is about a journey home to yourself. I feel that so many self-help or spirituality books try to put you on a path towards some unattainable or higher state, but Ally is focused on stripping away all of the excess noise and coming back to who you are and who you are meant to be. In the introduction, she says "But when we live separate from nature and far from our own nature, the cues become hard to hear. Obsessive thinking drowns out wisdom, stressful feelings suffocate clarity, and life becomes duller. The quiet teachers are the hidden messengers that are always directing and calling you back to your true nature." I've read this book hundreds of times--from its piecemeal first draft to the final manuscript, checking every single line for typos, but I still reached for it the other day when I was feeling down. It's what inspired me to go on a hike on Sunday with a group of friends, and that hike was the highlight of my last few weeks. It gave me the energy, inspiration, and perspective I needed.
4. Quartet: How Four Women Changed the Musical World, by Leah Broad
This might not be an obvious one--why would a biography about four women in the music industry help get you out of a funk? For me, reading inspirational stories always helps. However, now that I've read approximately a zillion of these books, they've stopped being inspiring. They're usually about some extremely ambitious, outspoken person who came either from extreme poverty or extreme privilege to become world-famous for breaking glass ceilings. It's not relatable--I don't come from extreme poverty or wealth, and I'm ambitious but I don't really want to break any ceilings or become famous. I just want to do some good things for good, talented people. The reason I like Quartet is because it profiles four women, each of whom have very distinct upbringings and personalities. One woman is exceptionally headstrong and daring, another is soft-spoken and socially awkward. All of them managed to make an impact on musical composition and have influenced a woman's ability to participate in the still heavily male-dominated music world. The author also weaves in history, so you feel like you're doing good things for your brain even when you're in a slump. It's pushing me towards getting back on the piano bench...
Have you read any of these? What mood are you in?
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