The Not So Big Life By Sarah Susanka

Susanka is an architect famous for The Not So Big House book series. The Not So Big Life is her account of how she discovered her purpose in life and how she continues to have a spiritual perspective in her daily living. Her practical, real-world examples bring down to earth the seemingly vague concepts of living in the present moment, creating a meaningful life, finding the time to do what really matters, etc. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend. The following blurb from the book’s back jacket is a nice summary:

In The Not So Big Life, architect Sarah Susanka expands her revolutionary philosophy on inhabiting space to show us how to better inhabit our lives. Through simple exercises and inspiring stories, Susanka reveals that all we need to do is make small shifts in our day–subtle movements that open our minds as if we were opening windows to let in fresh air. The result: We quickly discover that we have all the space and time we need for the things in our lives that really matter. These small changes can yield great rewards. In her elegant, clear style, Susanka convinces us that less is truly more–much more.You can read more at www.notsobiglife.com

Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

        This book really surprised me. I am a bit of a health nut and chided myself for picking up yet another book on the subject thinking I should instead be spending my time learning something new.

        Pollan takes four very different meals and traces their ingredients back to their original sources. In the process, he gives us an incredible view of today’s agricultural industry. He sheds light not only on our mainstream agriculture industry, but the organic one as well. Little did I know, for example, that many organic food producers are owned and operated by big industry and that many pesticides are “allowable” in products labeled organic.  I was also surprised to learn that corn fed beef was not the preferred beef that I’d always thought it was. I have actually made some changes to my food purchases as a result of this book. If you are at all interested in health, nutrition, gardening and/or the environment, this is a book you will want to read!

Dinner with Dad: How I Found My Way Back to the Family Table by Cameron Stracher

        If you’ve ever spent time and energy creating a meal for your family only to have them not eat or appreciate it, this is a book you’ll welcome! Stracher vows not only to be home for dinner with his family 2.5 times per week, he takes it a step further and commits to actually cooking that meal. It’s a fast, fun read that men and women, cook and non-cook alike will enjoy!

Courageous Souls by Robert Schwartz

        This book was recommended to me a number of times, but I resisted it because I’m such a staunch believer in free will and didn’t think a book about our pre-birth plans would have anything of interest for me. Fortunately, I finally picked up the book and found it quite both fascinating and inspirational!

The author explores 10 people’s lives that have significant challenges. Through mediums, he works to discover why the individual may have chosen the challenge and what meaning can be derived from the experience. It’s thought provoking at a minimum, but hopefully you will become as inspired as I did. As an aside, the author’s research and experience confirms his beliefs that while we do make plans, aka blueprints, before we come into a body, it is our choice on whether or not we follow those plans; in other words, we do have free will.

Let me know how you like or dislike these books. It’ll be fun to hear your interpretations!

Best Regards,

Susan