January 2025 — Books on my Shelves

As a writer, I also read. I have to. It comes with the job. The books and articles I read or allow myself to listen to or to influence my writing is a skill that needs filters.

Being selective in my selections of books, movies, social media activity is something I take seriously. The following quote from one of my favourite little books gives me permission to intentionally support how I ask my mind to shape my brain.

Gratitude is fertilizer for the mind, spreading connections and improving its function in nearly every realm of experience. Neuroscientists Rick Hanson has said that the brain takes the shape the mind rests upon. Rest your mind upon worry, sadness, annoyance, and irritability and it will take the shape neurally of anxiety, depression, and anger. Ask your brain to give thanks and it will get better at finding things to be grateful for and begin to take the shape of gratitude. Everything we do creates connections within networks of the brain, and the more you repeat something, the stronger those connections get. The mind can change the brain in lasting ways. In other words, what flows through the mind sculpts the brain.” Citation: Emmons, Robert A. The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Wellbeing by Giving Thanks. Octopus Publishing Group Ltd. 2016. Page 26.

Just after Christmas, I received this note from fellow writer Carol Johnson Thornton who made an excellent book recommendation:

Hi Lorraine, One of my Christmas gifts from my husband was a book. He said as soon as he laid eyes on it, he knew I’d love it. I do. I’m about 1/3 of the way through it, and it occurred to me that if you haven’t already encountered it, you might find it interesting both for your own interest and as a resource for your thinking and writing. The book is “The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper” by Roland Allen.

Carol was so right — The Notebook: A history of thinking on paper is a great addition to my book shelf. In fact, at my most recent workshop in Calgary, I started the session by reading from the fly-leaf:

… in this wide-ranging history, Roland Allen reveals how the notebook became our most dependable and versatile tool for creative thinking…. In an age of AI and digital overload, the humble notebook is more relevant than ever. Allen shows how bullet points can combat ADHD, journals can ease PTSD, and patient diaries soften the trauma of reawakening from coma. The everyday act of moving a pen across paper, he finds can have profound consequences, changing the way we think and feel: making us more creative, more productive —  and maybe even happier.”

Yes! The Notebook is making me happier because it validates my thinking, adds evidence to support my mission and augments my learning in many ways.

Writers need good books and reliable advisors who are thoughtful and kind, open minded and willing to take the time to think. And for sure, writing by hand insists that you slow down and take time to think!

I have dreams of the day I get called for a brain scan where my fMRI will show neural pathways dancing with youthful positivity, hope, gratitude, and optimism. To that end — here are some titles of books that I am loving. What are you reading this week?

January 22, 2025

Allen, Roland. The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper. Biblioasis. 2024.

Chapman, Gary. The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to your Mate. Majul Publishing House. India. 2023.

Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. Random House Business Books, Penguin Random House. 2018.

Emmons, Robert A. Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 2007.

Emmons, Robert A. Gratitude Works! A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity. Jossey-Bass. 2013.

Emmons, Robert A. The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Wellbeing by Giving Thanks. Octopus Publishing Group Ltd. 2016.

Hanson, Rick and Forrest Hanson. Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength and Happiness. Harmony Books a division of Penguin Random House. New York. 2018.

Howells, Kerry. Untangling You: How can I be grateful when I feel so resentful? Major Street Publishing Pty. Ltd. Australia. 2021.

Kahnemann, Daniel. Thinking Fast and Slow. Anchor Canada, a division of Random House Canada. 2013.

Niemiec, Ryan M. & Robert E. McGrath [eds] The Power of Character Strengths: Appreciate and Ignite your Positive Personality. VIA Institute on Character. 2019

Seligman, Martin E.P. Authentic Happiness: Using New Positive Psychology to Realize your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. The Free Press, A Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. 2002.

Seligman, Martin E.P. Flourish: Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. Atria Paperback. A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc. 2011.

Schwartz, Richard C. No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma & Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Theory. Sounds True. Colorado. 2021.

Waldinger, Robert and Marc Schulz. The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. Simon and Schuster. New York. 2023.