(Prior to/with the exception this month) I had the great pleasure of adding reading back into my life. Or reading “books I can hold” I should say. Every few days I spend an embarrassing amount of time in the clicking hole that is the internet reading article after article on (real) health, different diets, GMO’s, and more. So much more. This bit of reading time for me usually comes with a bit of guilt– which is completely and unnecessarily silly. But I often find myself thinking “I should be doing something else” even though I’m learning SO much. (So really, I need to stop second guessing and embrace the learning time I allow myself.) For me though, I can’t really open a book at night. I truly struggle to read books in the evening! I’m not sure what it is, but for me, my absolute favorite time to read is in the mid afternoon sun. It feels like such a luxury! But anyway, whatever time of day you guys like to read (or how often or how little your time for reading is) I thought I would make a list of the books I’ve been reading lately and the books I plan to read (hopefully REALLY) soon— since so many of you emailed asking what books I’ve been reading after I mentioned it at some point last month πŸ™‚

If you guys love it and my suggestions I’m thinking I might add a widget to my sidebar (not matter how unattractive they are) with any new books I add to my life. woo!

Alright so are we ready?

Natural Healing Wisdom & Know How—
So I’ll start and say I was majorly bummed when this book came in the mail and I realized how massively large it is! It’s not an easy book to sit back in a hammock with, it’s a bit ridiculous in size! That being said, it still is a really great book! And worth buying, despite its inconvenience size. I mean, on the upside, it does look great on a coffee table too πŸ™‚ It’s a super easy read and a great resource for all things natural. And it doesn’t just focus on one style of natural health— it covers a huge range from medicinal herbs, homeopathy, ayurvedic, chinese medicine, and so so so much more!

Meditation as Medicine—
A great book for easy meditation. Great for people experienced in meditation practice as well as newbies. And I lied before, this is one book I did enjoy reading at night. While most teachers of meditation recommend you start your practice first thing in the morning (ideally before sunrise) this isn’t real life for me— and I enjoyed a quiet practice before bed each night. Some nights before bed, when I subconsciously need a tune out, I find myself taking big ole’ deep belly breaths in and out and reciting mantras from this book in my head, even months after reading through it. I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants to dive into meditation. I mean, finding a studio near you is the best choice, but personally, I do know how hard it can be to cut out the 1 to 2 hours to accomplish this! But finding 20 minutes with this book is much less daunting, yeah? πŸ™‚ And I’m definitely adding Dr. Khalsa’s Food As Medicine book to my must buy list once my current pile dwindles down a bit πŸ™‚

You Are Here—
I jut bought this book and I’m only a few pages in, but I’m super looking forward to this read. It’s so hard to get lost in thought, especially in this day and age– but this book seems like such a simple magic aid to help find more balance in thought. No matter what religion you hold, buddhist thought can be such a wonderful reminder to ‘be here now’. No past. No future. Just trusting the now. We all need this, whether in crisis, poor health, or perfect living— these calm reminders will help clear out toxic thinking. And I want to add: I was recommended this book by such an amazing human. I feel so incredibly lucky to have connected with Morgan this past year. She helped me feel normal on my hardest days in healing– I’m forever grateful to her for that. She suggested this book recently and I put it in my cart right away. She is my spirit animal. I’ll probably end up ordering all the Thich Nhat Hanh books available— like I did with Sark books when I was trying to emotional heal myself a decade ago πŸ˜‰  If you’re looking for some more lighthearted and fun healing, I’d try Sark out for sure— I mean, one of her books is called Eat Mangoes Naked that’s like, a dream life right there.

The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies—
This is a great book for anyone wanting to learn more about Ayurveda. Well, I’m sure there are more books to learn more about the practice as a whole, but this is a great book to start learning basic concepts, what type of constitution (your type determined by physical and emotional qualities) you have, and what diet and lifestyle would be recommended for your constitution. Out of all the diets and methods for health people have these days– I seem to always pull more to Ayurvedic Medicine. And with something that’s been in practice for 4,000+ years, well, I’d say a lot of other people agree with me too πŸ™‚ This book is a great not only to learn more, but as the title says, it’s a great (and complete!) book for different home remedies. I read through it all instantly and now leave it on the shelf to turn to when needed πŸ™‚

Ayurvedic Cooking For Self Healing—
The partner book for The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies— tons of Ayurvedic recipes to make at home for your body type and health. I make a good amount of side dishes from this book– but like the author suggests, I do triple the amount of spices recommended, as he and his wife do at home. I like things well seasoned or not at all πŸ˜‰ The only thing I should mention is that there is a good amount of ghee used in Ayurvedic methods. So not every home remedy or recipe is ideal for vegans. But everything is definitely vegetarian (and delicious). It’s also super easy to sub out coconut oil for ghee, which is what we do at home. Different healing properties, same deliciousness.

Subliminal How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior—
This book is a bit more complicated. I wouldn’t really call it an easy read. But it’s an interesting look on ones mans perspective and studies of our subconscious. I try to be as conscious as I can, in everything— but I know for sure my subconscious (and my gut) rules my nighttime dreams, if not so much more! I’m not sure why I bought the book, something just told me I needed to. (heh).

Currently reading this (and You Are Here), by my lady crush, my idol, super women, Dr. Vandana Shiva.


So I’m picturing two Vandana Shiva books here, Making Peace with the Earth and Earth DemocracyBut I actually just bought (well, received from Alex) three books (I got Soil Not Oil too). None of these books are exactly “light reading”— at all. But if you’re into learning about organics/GMO’s, farming, the problems with the industrial farming revolution, Monsanto (the a-hole of the world) and more– these are great books. Bandana Shiva not only looks at the problem as a moral issue, but also an economic, health, and science issue (the book is incredibly science based). I’ll be honest, I think we’re sort of screwed as a whole— but Vandana Shiva (and a few other noble, good, and smart people) gives me hope that maybe one person can crate a chain and make a difference. She’s making a difference, no matter how small. So I just have to do my best– share the little I know, and cross my fingers that Marlowe’s grandchild will have an Earth to stand on. totally going off on tangents here, but if you haven’t yet, I would absolutely consider writing to your senator/governor, maybe Mr. President and letting them know you say NO to GMO’s and if there are going to GMO foods, that that all GMO foods should be labeled, at the very least. I mean, if companies are so willing to create GMO foods “for people” and “for the greater good” then they should be proud to stamp that on a package, right? πŸ˜‰  I also suggest picking up one of Dr. Shivas books to learn more. You can also follow her (my hero) on twitter to read the articles she shares (this is one of the ways I get succedent a clicking hole). I sure as hell don’t want my kid being poisoned by the food she eats, the water she drinks, or the crap they spray in the air– I’m sure you guys don’t want that for your kids either. Reading rainbow was right, the more you know… time to study up and stop the earth killing garbage. (Dear Senator. Rubio, I wrote you a letter a few months ago… still waiting for my response πŸ˜‰

Missing Microbes—
I received this book to review a few years ago. I thought “well this isn’t my normal read, but this looks incredibly interesting!” But then I put it in my bedside drawer and forgot about it. (womp). Fast forward a few years later and a few weeks into my c. diff diagnosis this book popped in my head. The subtitle kept scrolling through my head over and over again. (womp again) I recently found the book in the back of Marlowe’s book cabinet (I thought it was long gone!) and my first thought was “damn, I wish I had read this BEFORE I got c. diff.” I’m at a point now where I don’t look back in too much anger, que sera sera. One year lost to antibiotic bullshit and a few more years to fully and completely recover my gut (if thats really possible at this point— I think it is), but man, I imagine how different this whole thing would have been had I read this book sooner. Chapter 15 is about Peggy Lillis— a women, prescribed the same antibiotic as me (clindamycin)  and who was dead one week later due to c. diff. Think of how many of the 20,000 people who die each year from c. diff could be saved just by educating themselves on antibiotics? At this point, the information is EVERYWHERE, you just have to want to look for it and actually read it. ONE dose of an antibiotic can change your gut flora for an entire year! Crazy right?! Oof. I do have a whole post on the gut health and antibiotic use that I’m putting together (a huge roundup of information!), but those types of posts take time with many links and references— so for now, I highly suggest picking up this book or any other book on the harmful effects of modern medicine practices, for your health!

Tiger Heart—
This book was actually recommended to me by another blog reader. You know, the internet has a lot of downsides– but man, it has its good sides too. I haven’t read this yet— but I can tell this is going to be a wonderful sunny day book— not that the book is all sunshine and rainbows, cause it’s definitely not (it focuses on an orphanage in india), but it’s a book on how sometimes life’s path takes you in unexpected directions and it’s what you do with yourself that will make all the difference (in your own life and someone else’s). I had so many big goals and hopes for last year that sort of turned to shit with my health, but this book looks like a good way to help get my spirit back on track to the “must do more good now” way of thought. And yes, I love that it’s based in India. India still has my heart.

(how I snuck in reading this week— I typically just sneak outside to the swing char when no one is noticing though πŸ˜‰ 

So yeah, tada, there’s my big ole’ list! I hope to make more time next month for sunny day reading. For this month– I’m fully enjoying the busy sweep away feeling– and picking up a book  Hopefully you guys find some inspiration ad good reads in my list. And of course, if you have suggestions or recommendations, please do let me (us) know! I’m always happy and open to learn more πŸ˜‰

And this is a bit old, but if you want to check out some of Marlowe’s past favorite books, you can see the post: HERE. And if you dont want to read, but totally want to color, you can check out our favorite coloring books: HERE.

4 Comments

  1. So happy you posted about this! I was just looking into books about ayurveda so I will check these out for sure.