I'll show you mine, if you show me yours

I’ve been tagged. Britt Bravo, of the most excellent Have Fun, Do Good blog, has invited me to participate in a book meme. So without further ado:

Total Books I Own
275. Thought it would be less, as I enjoy giving away books after reading them. Guess I still have challenges with "letting go."

Last Book I Bought
The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert.
If you’ve loved her recent run-away best seller Eat Pray Love like both Britt and me, then you'll also enjoy her previous National Book Award finalist looking at life on the other side of the gender line. I'm nearly finished reading this one, and makes me wonder how much her own personal journey of self-discovery in Eat Pray Love was inspired by Eustace Conway, the real-life protagonist of The Last American Man? Also makes me wonder how some people are able to experience life with insight? If I could only live my life with half, no a quarter, no a tenth of the passion Elizabeth or Eustace experience, I'd die happy. But then again, the message of both these artist adventurers is we can. We only need to choose.

Last Book I Read
Co-Active Coaching: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and Life by Whitworth, Kimsey-House and Sandahl.
There is nothing I enjoy more than sitting down over a cup of coffee with someone and having a good conversation. So it is no surprise that I am attracted to coaching, which according to this book is the "art of the powerful conversation." What I enjoy about fundraising is its ability to transform lives; coaching has that potential too. I've been seriously considering getting my coaching certificate, because I believe fundraising and coaching together can be very powerful tools for both individual, institutional and social change.

5 Meaningful Books
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Zander and Zander.
What if we gave each person in our lives an "A plus" grade? What we gave ourselves an "A plus" too? Brimming with optimism, this title written by a husband and wife team argues that life is all invented, so why not invent the life we want to truly live? Filled with engaging antidotes and exercises, it made a believer out of me. Perhaps it will for you too?

How Then, Shall We Live?: Four Simple Questions That Reveal the Beauty and Meaning of Our Lives by Wayne Muller.
I’ve already written before about this book, given to me as a gift, so no need to write a lot more. Other than to say, isn't there something special about receiving a book as a gift, rather than buying it yourself? Even better when it is unexpected, don't you think? So why wait until the holiday season to bring joy into somebody's life? Do it today!

Care of the Soul : A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life by Thomas Moore.
Maybe I don’t have to fix everything? In fact, what if within suffering is the source of healing? This is the message of Moore's extraordinary book, which takes a homeopathic approach to what ills our contemporary spirits. Drawing on over 2,500 years of western cultural and spiritual traditions, this Jungian therapist and former Catholic monk, is a literate man of grace and compassion. Reminded me again how important it is to simply treat ourselves, and others, a little more gently.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg.
I used to live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where among other things I was active in the local literary scene: publishing a community arts newspaper, hosting literary festivals and promoting spoken word artists. One day an editor friend visited my house. He seemed a bit disoriented at first. Then after a long pause he told he had been to this house many times before. This was where Natalie lived a decade before when she wrote her now classic text. Told me how he would come over to her house for a book group; sitting on milk crates they would discuss their dreams of becoming successful writers. See what happens when start sharing your dreams?

What Matters: Young Writers and Artists Speak Out edited by Jancie Mirikitami.
Another surprise pick. This poetry collection was written by the children of Glide Memorial Church, located in San Francisco’s tough Tenderloin Neighborhood. However, I still remember one Sunday listening to the young authors read their work. Afterwards I walked up with tears in my eyes to buy not one, but five copies, so that I would have enough to give away to friends and family members. Rooted in the ethos of the 1960's civil rights movement, Glide is world renowned for its gospel choir and extensive social service programs, including serving up 1.5 million free meals a year out of its basement kitchen. These young authors have lived more by the age of ten than most adults I know.

5 People to Tag
So whose book collections would I like to learn more about? Well, here's a short list people I know who occasionally read this blog and have blogs of their own. Perhaps they would like to share what is on their bookshelves with their readers as well?

Phil Cubeta
Susan Herr
A Fundraiser
Sean Stannard-Stockton
Francesco, Ioana and Daniele

TAG, YOU'RE IT: Don't have a blog? Feel free to add book titles which are meaningful to you to the comments below.