Well, as I mentioned... I am about to turn Twenty Nine. I am entering my last year of my twenties on Sunday. As this seems to be an important age (to me) and I want to celebrate not only the culmination of these past years as a person in her twenties, but also the transition into my thirties which will happen in one year from now... and to do this in my own style...
1. I am going to see Rome. A few days in Rome, visiting history and art and food and beauty. Celebrating my day of birth in the birthplace of countless institutions and infrastructures we so easily dismiss today... things such as: sewers and paved roads... and important Law concepts: Subpoena, habeas corpus, pro bono, affidavit—all these terms derive from the Roman legal system. These and so many more philosophies and inventions were invented/ conceived... or at least perfected and implemented in Rome during the Roman Empire.
2. I am dedicating this year of transition from one decade to the next to unprecedented growth.... I am starting (shortly after this birthday of mine) to take university classes to work on/finish my degree.
3. On top of all the reading that is obviously required for the classes (see #2) I have also compiled a list of 30 books for turning 30.... these are books I have either: wanted to read for some time, books recommended to me by friends, or books I found during my research of essential books to have read by 30/ life changing books.Of course, I am realistic. 30 books in one year is a lot, even without having classes, and homework, and work and life... so... I am not too hard on myself... I am going to start reading through this list... and just keep going, as long as it takes :)
30 books... (and oh, yeah... they are eclectic!)
30. A New Earth- Eckhart Tolle - life's purpose/spirituality
29. Naked Lunch- William S. Burroughs- Novel
28. Life On Mars- Tracy K. Smith- Poetry
27. The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales From a Strange Time - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson - Gonzo Journalism
26. Only Forward- Michael Marshall Smith- Novel
25. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs.The Climate- Naomi Klein- Climate change/ Capitalism/ Consumerism
24. Gasoline- Gregory Corso- Poetry
23. Eating Animals- Jonathan Safran foer - Non-Fiction Animal Rights/ Veganism
22. A Room of One's Own- Virginia Woolf- Essay: Feminism/ The life of a Writer.
21. The Art Of Syntax: The Rhythm of Thought, Rhythm of Song- Ellen Bryant Voigt- Poetry Craft/Language/ Music
20. Meditations- Marcus Aurelius- Philosophy/ Happiness (written about 2000 years ago by a Roman Emperor)
19. Slouching Towards Bethlehem- Joan Didion- Essay Collection: California/ 1960's/ Changing History
18. The Beautiful and the Damned- F.Scott Fitzgerald- Novel
17. Glitter In My Blood- Mindy Netifee- A Poets Manifesto
16. Original Wisdom:Stories of an Ancient Way of Knowing.
Robert Wolff- Indigenous peoples/ Anthropology/ Ancient wisdom
15.Rome- Dorothea Lasky- Poetry
14. A Moveable Feast- Ernest Hemingway- Memoir/Paris/ 1920's
13. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking- Susan Cain- Introverts/ Social skills/ Stereotypes
12. Leaves of Grass- Walt Whitman- Poetry
11. How Should a Person Be- Sheila Heti- Memoir/ Novel/ Self- Help/ Life-Love-Sex in the 21st Centure.
10. The Tree of Yoga- B.K.S Iyengar- Yoga/ Philosophy
9. Big Sure- Jack Kerouac- Novel
8. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Love, Parent and Lead- Brené Brown- Thought patterns/ Habits/ Self-help/ Psychology
7. The Dream of a Common Language- Adrienne Rich- Poetry
6. Shantaram- Gregory David Roberts- Novel
5. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galax- Douglas Adams- Novel.
4. Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich- Duane Elgin- Simplicity/ Non-consumerism/ Environment/ Balanced Life.
3. The Golden Notebook- Doris Lessing- Novel
2. The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living- Dalai Lama- Happiness/ Peace/ Meditation
1. True Love- Thich Nhat Hahn- Opening/ Love/ Mindfulness
Well.... Thats it.... Pheeeew....
Thank you to everyone who contributed their suggestions :)
#30bookstoreadbefore30 #turningtwentynine #birthday #rome #books #booklist #changes
