Goodness, y’all, it’s been a minute! I’ve been feeling the urge to share my most recent reading list with you, but I thought it hadn’t been long since I’d shared.
Turns out, it’s been a whole year!
I guess I’ve been busier than I thought. And it seems that when I get really busy with other things, I dive into more reading too. I suppose it’s my natural response to things—brain-dead at the end of the day from editing, doing Reiki, and looking after myself, the rest of the family, and our yard and garden, I just want to bury my head in a book before bed.
And then if I get really interested in the book, I pick it up and read in every spare moment I have.
It turns out that most of this year’s selections have been eye-opening, mind-boggling, and awareness-expanding on multiple fronts. As is typical for me, they run the gamut from memoir to nonfiction to fiction to metaphysical, so there’s sure to be something here for everyone. I’ve read print books and ebooks, in addition to listening to audiobooks. And unlike last year, I’ve barely revisited anything.
So if you’re looking forward to sitting outside and reading under the changing leaves or to preparing for the long, cold days of winter when reading is the best way to enjoy life beyond your four walls, dive right in to any of the beauties on this reading list. (Each title below links to either Google Books or Amazon so you can learn more.)
There are 33 books here, so I’ve done my best to make it a bit faster for you to choose by splitting them up into rough categories and then providing a bit of information about each book.
Happy browsing!
Nonfiction
Metaphysical
Labyrinth: Your Path to Self Discovery
Tony Christie
I’ve been drawn to explore labyrinths since sometime in my Year of Shadow and Light, if not before, and I picked this book up at Powell’s in Portland, Oregon, a couple of years ago while visiting family. It took me a year and a half to finish the book because I also did the exercises. I gained a lot of insight into myself from the book, and I do recommend it for anyone wanting a bit of history about labyrinths, along with a lot of information about how they can be used for all sorts of spiritual work.
The Custodians: Beyond Abductions
Dolores Cannon
“Mind blowing” isn’t the right term, but I was amazed at how much of this information from extraterrestrial intelligences (“aliens,” if you prefer) matched information that I have received from my guides over the years. It was simply fascinating. I read this book in May, and I have been reading her books nonstop since! I additionally love that although this book deals primarily with what some might call aliens, this book, along with Keepers of the Garden, The Three Waves, and the Convoluted Universe books (see below) describe things that mirror my own experiences in meditation and in communication with my guides and other spirits, and things that I have read in other metaphysical literature—but all in the form of interviews with many, many hypnotized people … no professional channelers, no leading questions, just amazing details.
Keepers of the Garden
Dolores Cannon
Just as thought-provoking as The Custodians, but in a different way. I couldn’t wait to read the next book and grapple with and assimilate the information in it.
The Three Waves of Volunteers and the New Earth
Dolores Cannon
This book wasn’t quite as mind-bending to me as Custodians and Keepers, but it definitely gave me more food for thought. (I’m pretty sure I’m a second-waver.)
The Convoluted Universe: Book One
Dolores Cannon
This one didn’t “suck me in” as much as the others I’d read before—probably because I’d gathered so much new information and had more of a background in metaphysical thought before reading this than Cannon seems to have before she began writing this series, but it was still riveting, and I finished this one in less than a week, despite working, having a houseguest, and having both kids home for the summer.
The Convoluted Universe: Book Two
Dolores Cannon
This one contained a chapter or two brought in wholesale from one or two of her other books that I had read, but the book was still mind-expanding. (These books are very large—all but Keepers of the Garden are from 500 to nearly 700 pages—so one or two “copied” chapters is really not much material at all.)
The Convoluted Universe: Book Three
Dolores Cannon
To be honest, after reading Cannon’s work nonstop for more than two months (that’s at least 2,000 book pages), I was starting to get bored with this one—until the last few chapters, and then the mind expansion kicked in again. 😀
The Convoluted Universe: Book Four
Dolores Cannon
Yes, as soon as I finished this book, I purchased Book Five. I have truly appreciated watching the author’s understanding grow throughout the last few of her books. There is so much interwoven through her books that, although I’m sure each can stand on its own, the reader gets a much fuller, deeper, and broader understanding of so many, many things by reading all of her books that I have.
Memoir
Greenlights
Matthew McConaughey
While reading this book (two days), I declared that McConaughey is my newest spirit animal. This book is full of laughter, heart, philosophy, and wisdom. I fully intend to read it again and share it frequently.
No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality
Michael J. Fox
Spare and sparse sometimes. Not as full of insight as I had hoped, but there was definite reflection. A few very good gems. I had hoped for more, given that it’s an autobiography of someone with a chronic disease and I value these, given my own history, but maybe his other books are more what I had hoped to find here. I am not disappointed in this book, however; it was good, just not what I had expected.
On the House: A Washington Memoir
John Boehner
An interesting look at life and Washington, DC. An entirely different feel from Obama’s A Promised Land (which I have been reading very slowly), for sure, but it still gives me insight into a lot of political issues and politics in general of the past 20 years or so.
Black Like Me
John Howard Griffin
I could not put this book down. The author’s courage, heart, faith, and fortitude astounded me. He was clearly a man of deep faith and of deep conviction about the equality and inherent worth of every person and every soul. Griffin may well have become one of my new favorite authors. I am thankful (for many reasons) to have read this book.
Autobiography
Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
This was a collection of ER’s various autobiographies. In some places, they were sparse on details, but while listening to this audiobook, I became a fully devoted fan of ER—at least of the woman she ultimately became.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcolm X and Alex Haley
I hadn’t learned much at all about Malcolm X while growing up. I learned a lot from this book about the struggles of Black people in the northern United States in the early 20th century, and I appreciate the insight that Malcolm X gave into his life and decisions. He talked about the lessons learned through a very colorful life, and he was unapologetic, but it was clear that he grew a lot throughout his life. (Note: I listened to this as an audiobook and truly enjoyed the performance given by Laurence Fishburne.)
Biography
Colonel Roosevelt
Edmund Morris
This is a biography of Theodore Roosevelt after his presidency. A good look at a complex man.
Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume II, The Defining Years, 1933–1938
Blanche Wiesen Cook
Far more detailed than I ever expected, but also a well-researched book that offers very good insight into a very popular woman. And it made me an even bigger fan of ER than her collected autobiographies did.
General Nonfiction
New Harmony Then & Now
Donald E. Pitzer and Darryl D. Jones
New Harmony, Indiana, was the site of not one but two failed Utopian societies. It has survived as a town, however, and is quite lovely, with a lovely atmosphere. I bought this book after visiting last fall to walk the two labyrinths that the town boasts. This book contains a lovely little history of the town, as well as photos that capture the town well.
What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat
Aubrey Gordon
The author is, if I recall correctly, a fat and queer activist, and therefore brought some perspective that I think a lot of people can benefit from. There were definitely facts that were new and interesting to me, even as a fat person. There were also some accounts of horrible experiences. The author makes some major assumptions of negative intentions and seemed to have a chip on her shoulder. After reading her account, I can’t blame her for this, but I think it colors some of her arguments and explanations and, I believe, gets in the way of some clear-seeing. Still, I think this is probably a valuable book for “straight-size” people who don’t realize how fat bias affects everyone.
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams
I listened to this one as an audiobook and was thoroughly delighted with the performances of the three readers (one speaking as the Dalai Lama, one for Archbishop Tutu, and one for Mr. Abrams). The performances were warm and really seemed to capture the essences of the Dalai Lama and the archbishop. Still, the content was also profound. The book’s advice is timeless, but it was also highly timely, even though it was written several years before the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 US election. I cried while listening to it, and before I had finished listening, I purchased a print copy for myself and for at least one friend.
Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World
Michael Pollan
This is a very brief book, and I think it may be available only in audiobook format, but it was well worth the listen. The author discusses how caffeine affects our bodies and goes into how caffeine—and thus coffee and tea—affected colonial Europe and, as a result, how it has influenced the rest of the world.
Fiction
Romance
Lonesome River
Dorothy Garlock
I have been a fan of Dorothy Garlock’s books since I was a teenager, and I own nearly all of her books. This one was actually disappointing to me because I didn’t find it as enjoyable as I remember her other books being. Maybe it’s because this is one of her earlier novels, or maybe I’ve matured. Either way, I’d give it a C. But if you like historical romances and women with spirit and spunk, don’t let the grade turn you away. Give it a try, especially if you can find it in a library or a rummage sale.
The Baron
Sally Goldenbaum
A fun, light, easy-to-read book—exactly what I was looking for. It’s what I like to call mindless reading—a very brief romance novel that has a bit of challenge for the characters, with characters that have some depth and aren’t just vapid.
Supernatural Fiction
Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis
Anne Rice
The Vampire Chronicles has always been my favorite Anne Rice series, and this book did not disappoint. I always enjoy the mental exercise that she employs, winding in old legends with the vampire tales, and this one was very enjoyable. I actually think I enjoy it more now, in retrospect, since reading Dolores Cannon’s metaphysical books.
Blood Communion
Anne Rice
This is another Vampire Chronicles book. I made no comment on it in my reading journal, so it must have been only so-so.
Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra
Anne Rice and Christopher Rice
I read The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned when I was a teenager, and for years, it was the only standalone book of Rice’s that I really enjoyed. In my opinion, this one, although not quite as good as the original, was still an enjoyable, fairly light read.
Bear Daughter
Judith Berman
Captivating. Although this is a fiction novel, it includes some beautiful insights, along with definite knowledge of (and potentially experience in) the spirit world.
Short Stories
The Toughest Indian in the World
Sherman Alexie
A nice collection of short stories about people of Native ancestry in contemporary settings.
Nine Tomorrows
Isaac Asimov
Mostly very interesting. I’m not usually a fan of short stories but definitely enjoyed most of these.
The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories
Charlaine Harris
I’ve enjoyed listening to every Sookie Stackhouse novel, and I really liked these little supplementary stories.
Science Fiction
Foundation
Isaac Asimov
Like the other Asimov works I remember, riveting and enjoyable.
Young Adult
Rainbow Islands
Devin Harnois
I found this as a free Kindle book on Amazon. It’s a nice, easy-to-read young adult book. I liked the premise and the steampunk feel, as well as how the author educates the reader (as the main character learns) about all sorts of colors on the LGBTQ+ rainbow.
General Fiction
We the Living
Ayn Rand
After reading Anthem, a very brief Ayn Rand novel as a teenager, I was obsessed with her and purchased several of her works … and then never got around to reading them. I remedied that by reading this book. I found that it had a few great insights but no great moments. I think the book could have been cut by a third without any ill effects, but I valued it as a good look at what life was like during and after the Russian Revolution.
Poetry
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Definitely worth a read, especially if you can imagine Ms. Angelou reading the poems aloud.
***
Whew! That’s a lot of books for just one year, but they all (okay, maybe not the romance novels) have reinforced one another and my many experiences and understanding of life. I realize that might seem strange to a lot of people, but after my Year of Shadow and Light, I’ve come to accept that my guides always lead me to the right books at the right time to help me understand and make sense of life on this crazy, amazing planet, and how I fit into it. As I’ve written before of the insights I’ve been given, the tapestry of existence is full of interweaving threads. Everything affects everything else, without exception. The politics of race and pandemic and war are barely any different today than they were more than a hundred years ago, although some of the details and the players have changed, yet the quality and essence of life is changing in ways that are sometimes hard to put our fingers on.
Gaining the insights of individual players in their autobiographies, and gleaning truths about everyday life from fiction novels—along with the metaphysical insights offered by ETIs, oversouls, divine councils, and more—helps me see the details and individual strands in the tapestry but also enables me to get a better view of the ways that the repeating patterns vary just enough to shift the overall trends of life on this planet and this universe, as well as the Multiverse.
****
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