Best Reads of 2006

 

Neal Lemery

 

 

Bayes, David and Orland, Ted, Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking.  A real gem.  Concise and insightful thoughts on one’s journey to realize one’s own expressions and reactions in living on this planet.   (1993, Image Continuum).  They have another book just out: An Artist’s Survival Guide. 

 

Cameron, Julia, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.  This is a book to jumpstart your initiative and the artist within you.  It was the inspiration for a lot of my writing this year, as well as my beginnings in painting, song writing, and a return to my drawing.

 

Cash, Johnny.  America.  OK, not a book, but any of these recently released CDs are the best music from 2006.  Johnny Cash at his most profound, and recorded as he was dying.  

 

Diamond, Jared,  Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail Or Succeed.   The author of Guns, Germs and Steel takes a serious look at a number of societies that failed, and some that succeeded, as well as today’s world, in terms of social and environmental factors.  This is an eye-opener, and is filled with facts and analysis.  The last few chapters give us a wake-up call for how we are governed and how we make major decisions, and is written objectively and scientifically, yet it is a compelling read and a page turner.   (2005, Penguin)

 

Duncan, David James, God Laughs and Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right. This famous Northwest novelist and writer of nature (The River Why) takes you on a profound spiritual journey through his studies of theology and contemplation of the political world and the Universe.   (2006, www.triadinstitute.com ). 

 

Dyer, Wayne, There Is A Spiritual Solution To Every Problem.  The author took me on a great spiritual journey, and urged me to elevate life’s issues to a higher plane, and to look at my work and interaction with others in terms of energy and perspective.   One has to often put this book down and gaze out the window in deep thought.

 

Evadi, Shirin.   Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope.  The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, this Iranian lawyer writes of her work for the oppressed in the courts of Tehran, and her life as a devout Muslim, citizen, mother, lawyer, and crusader. (2006, Random House).  I heard her speak this year, and she is an amazingly energetic and passionate soul.

 

Friedman, Thomas.  The World is Flat: A Short History of the 21st Century.  This Mideast and technology commentator for the New York Times urges us to look at the world a bit differently.  I came away with a new awareness of how and why the world is changing.  (2006)

 

Gallagher, Tim,  The Grail Bird: Hot On The Trail Of The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker A birdwatcher and scientist takes you on his journey to prove that this once-thought-extinct bird really has survived.  This is an excellent study of environmental degradation, economic and environmental politics, and the courage of a scientist to speak his truth in the face of detractors.   (2005, Houghlin Mifflin)

 

Goldberg, Natalie.  Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within.  A great book to help you with “writer’s block”, and to get the juices flowing.  Good for helping get through life, too! (1986, Shambhala)

 

Gore, Al.  An Inconvenient Truth.  Politics aside, this book forces you to take a look at a wide range of scientific information about the environment, climate change and our impact upon the world.   The movie is also worthy of your time. 

 

Haupt, Lyanda Lynn, Rare Encounters With Ordinary Birds.  Watching birds in one’s backyard and neighborhood leads to writing a journal, that leads to a wonderful journey of insight, courage, and personal growth.   This book isn’t just for birdwatchers! (2001, Sasquatch Books).  The author lives in Seattle.

 

Mann, Charles, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.  What were the Americas like before the Europeans invaded?  This book tells of magnificent cultures, knowledge, and accomplishments, much of which was destroyed before it was studied and understood.  

 

McCullough, David, 1776.  A fascinating journey through the first year of the American Revolution, and how precarious was the first year of a rebellion that nearly failed, but for the courage of a few rebels and luck.  It makes me wonder how we view “rebels” and “terrorists” in our day, the values upon which our country was founded, and also reflect on the truism that history is written by the victors.   (2005, Simon and Schuster)

 

Menzies, Gavin. 1421: The Year China Discovered America.  Did you know that the Chinese Emperor sent out great fleets of large ocean-going junks, to sail around the world in 1421?  This book documents that adventure, and combines archeological research, and studies of Imperial archives.  This is an enjoyable read, and does not get bogged down in academics.  The author is a former British submarine commander and he visited most of the sites he writes about.   (2002, HarperCollins). 

 

O’Brien, Dan, Buffalo For The Broken Heart.  A Black Hills cattle rancher writes of the transformation of his ranch from cattle to buffalo, and his awakening to the spirit of the land and the ecology of the Great Plains and the Black Hills.  (2001, Random House)

 

Obama, Barack, Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.  An insightful autobiography from one of the Democrats’ rising stars.  A young man reflects on his journey to discovery his Kenyan father, growing up in New York, and working in the slums of Chicago.   Reprinted in 2004, as he was beginning his campaign for the Senate.  (Three Rivers Press)

 

Ruiz, Don Miguel.   The Voice of Knowledge:  A Practical Guide To Inner Peace .  This book contrasts one’s search for knowledge with one’s journey in faith.  This is a sequel to The Four Agreements and is well worth your time and thought.

 

Sweeney, Julia, “Letting Go of God” from This American Life.   A well written discussion of her own spiritual journey from Catholicism to atheism.   (The Best American Non-Required Reading, 2006 (2006, Houghlin Mifflin)

 

Trumbo, Dalton, Johnny Got His Gun.  A classic.  Before a nation decides to go to war, this is a must-read.   Set in World War I, and first published as World War II was developing, this is so relevant today. (Bantam paperback, originally 1939)

 

Vonnegut, Kurt, “Here is a Lesson in Creative Writing”, from A Man Without A Country .  I haven’t read the book, but this essay I discovered in an anthology is a hysterical analysis of contemporary fiction and writing in general. (The Best American Non-Required Reading, 2006 (2006, Houghlin Mifflin)

 

Zinsser, William,  On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Nonfiction.  This is a great inspiration and guide to solid, thoughtful writing.  (1976, HarperCollins)