whatcha readin'?

Your brain on music

As I was thinking about the topic for this week’s blog, I turned on the stereo and cranked up the jazz. When “The Thrill Is Gone” by the legendary B.B. King came on, I laughed out loud. I walked back over to the stereo and was about to switch CDs and there it was . . . a book that I’ve been reading off and on for some time now was sitting directly above the stereo cabinet. It’s called "This is Your Brain on Music, The Science of Human Obsession" by Daniel J. Levin. Bingo, there was my muse.

Pretty cool right? Two things come to mind. One is that the Universe has a funny way of messing with my head. The second is that there is a pretty eclectic collection of books in my house.

Okay, Oprah has a reputation for recommending books. All she has to do is mention a book on her show and it becomes a best seller in the blink of an eye. I’m no Oprah, but here’s a short list of what’s in my collection. Maybe you’ll find something that will spark your interest. Now that I'm looking at my library, it seems that my interests are all over the place and that I receive inspiration from lots of places . . .

Chuck's reading list

• “Blink:  The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell
• “Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell
• "Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever" by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman, M.D.
• "You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty" by Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.
• “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay
• “Awareness: the Perils and Opportunities of Reality" by Anthony de Mello
• “One Minute Wisdom” by Anthony de Mello
• "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose" by Eckhart Tolle
• “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu
• “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse
• “Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior” by David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.
• “The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom" by Don Miguel Ruiz
• “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… (and it’s all small stuff)" by Richard Carlson, Ph.D.
• “The True Power of Water” by Masaru Emoto
• “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In" by Roger Fisher and William Ury
• “Miles: The Autobiography" by Quincy Thorpe and Miles Davis
• “Arnis Presas Style and Balisong" by Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas
• "Modern Arnis: The Filipino Art of Stick Fighting" by Remy Arnis
• “Zen Guitar” by Philip Toshio Sudo
• “When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops” by George Carlin
• “Training Dogs: A Manual” by Colonel Konrad Most (English translation)

This is only about an eighth of what’s lying around but you get the idea, right? Let me know if anything grabs your attention.

Until next time . . . What books are on your shelf?

peace and love,
chuck