10+ books to free your mind

This year, I’m taking a one-time experiment in personal reflection and turning it into an annual tradition. Here’s the general idea: in the weeks leading up to my birthday, I give up some distractions and work to deepen my daily contemplations. If all goes well, enlightenment will be mine!

In all seriousness, it was an eye-opening experience the first time, and I’m confident I’ll learn something new this year too.

Given that I tend to end up with a bit more time on my hands during this period, I like to double-down on my reading list. So I asked friends for recommendations on books “to free your mind.” Here’s what they came up with:

• Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling (recommended by Colleen)
• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar by Roald Dahl (also recommended by Colleen)
• The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (recommended by Ana Paula)
• An Imaginary Life by David Malouf (recommended by Carlyn)
• Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (already read it, yet a great recommendation by Lisa)
• All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister (not sure what Yvonne was trying to tell me with this recommendation?)
• Middlemarch by George Eliot (already read it, yet great recommendation by Alexandra)
• The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century’s On-line Pioneers by Tom Standee (recommended by Rolf)
• On Love: A Novel by Alain de Botton (another from Rolf)
• Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology by David Abram (recommended by non-other than Jeff Warren!)
• Think on These Things by Jidda Krishnamurti (recommended by Jennifer and Stephane)
• The Presence Process: A Journey Into Present Moment Awareness by Michael Brown (recommended by Stephane)

Well, that should get me off to a good start.

If there was a Kindle option available, I downloaded the sample and I’ve started working my way through them. I’ll report back after April 25th.

If you’ve got a recommendation to add, drop me a note on Twitter or here in the comments.

See you on the other side.