The Four Agreements- Don Miguel Ruiz

I received a forward ages ago with the four agreements. I liked the concept so much that I still have the email today. If you know the agreements I'm not sure you really need to read the book which goes too in depth about the concept behind each. I'll save you the time. The four agreements are these (by the way #2 if my favorite):

1. BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD- Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY- Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS- Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transofrm your life.

4. ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST- Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judegment, self-abuse and regret.

The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger

From what I understand the story is told by a teenager who is in a mental institution recounting stories and events in his life just before he was admitted. This is another example of a book written as if a friend was telling you something firsthand. It's a classic for good reason, but for as many times as the storyteller says "It kills me when......" you'd think he should be dead by the end. ;)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- J.K. Rowling

I saw the movie before I read the book, but I recommend it that way. Having a face to put with the character's names helped me imagine the story better as I read it. The movie follows the book pretty closely, and the small difference in details doesn't take away from the story.

The Secret Life of Bees- Sue Monk Kidd

A cute book set in the south during the Civil Rights Movement. A young girl runs away with her black nanny (whom she rescued from a jail sentence) to discover as much as she can about her dead mother. The two find themselves taken in by a family of three black sisters who run a honey farm. In general, it was just a feel good story.

Nine Hills to Nabonkaha- Sarah Erdman

This girl served in Peace Corps Cote D'Ivore not that long ago. The book outlines her entire experience as a health volunteer in a neighboring country. Many things she describes are exactly the same here in Burkina Faso. If you ever wanted to really know what life is like here, I suggest you read this.

Little Altars Everywhere- Rebecca Wells

This is the prequel to The Ya Ya Sisterhood (which I have yet to read), but it seems like the movie was probably based on this book. It's written so each chapter is a different character telling their version of a story as it went down growing up in a household with a partying alcoholic mother, her husband, four kids and their paid help (a black family that lives nearby).

The Nanny Diaries- Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

This is written in the same style as The Devil Wears Prada where you get the feeling someone is actually talking to you about their story rather than reading it. As the title suggests it's a young woman who talks about her job as a Nanny in New York for a rich family. At times the main character makes it sound like the mother of the kids is a pain in the ass, but nothing she wrote drove it home like in The Devil Wears Prada.