Usually, I have a pretty good list of books that I have read over the past year, and usually, filled with comments about what I thought about each one. This year, not so much. I was spending a lot of my time WRITING my Lyme Savvy book, so I was doing a lot of research and reading articles, parts of books, etc.

Here is my list of the books that I read in their entirety. It is what it is.

If you are female and read no other book, please read Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Melton. You will connect.

If you are working on your meditation practice (or lack thereof), try Passage Meditation by Eknath Easwaran.

If you want a great fiction piece, try Adirondack August by Kay Benedict Sgarlata. I know Kay and I heard part of this book two years ago in a writing workshop with her and I have been anxiously awaiting this book!! When you are reading it, you will think you know. But you won’t know. And then you will know this is a great book!

If you went to Randolph-Macon College, or grew up/live in Ashland, VA (or really anywhere in the south), read The Journal Keeper: A Memoir by Phyllis Theroux.

If you believe that each body contains energy that is passed between people, that we are all part of one great source, if we are all somehow connected, read The Three Waves of Volunteers and the New Earth by Dolores Cannon.

If you have any interest in the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, if you like military related books, read After Action by Dan Sheehan. I know Dan. The book was really good. The last 10% of the book was AMAZING. I wanted to highlight every sentence.

If you want to lead a happier life, have a happier marriage, and learn to be a better person, try The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes by James Ferrell

If you want to read the patient’s point of view about Lyme Disease, try Out Of The Woods: Healing Lyme Disease Body, Mind & Spirit by Katina Makris. My only criticism of the book is that I wanted to get to the healing part a bit faster than she wrote it. But that’s honestly more a criticism of myself than of Katina! She does a fantastic job detailing the pain, frustration, and hopelessness of suffering from this disease. Then, she turns it around and shows everyone how the hope can be regained and healing can occur.

If you live in Northern Virginia and want to learn more about some local artists, try Creative Spaces: Inside Great Falls Studios. I know most of the people in the book and I loved reading about their creative spaces and techniques.

Miracles for Daddy by Erica Kosal, Phd. is about a Lyme disease patient who was originally diagnosed with ALS. My aunt had the same experience, but she died two years after her tick bite. Erica’s husband is still recovering and healing. It was hard for me to read, but good for fellow Lyme patients (AND THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS) to read.

Brother Lawrence wrote The Practice of the Presence of God with Spiritual Maxims a very long time ago and every word still rings true. A quick read but very reassuring and comforting.

Finally, I am including Lyme Savvy by Sharon Rainey because I did read that 400+ page manuscript more times than I can count . . . you will be able to read it as well in April of this year!

My last three didn’t make much of an impact on me:

Gentle Closings, How to Say Goodbye to Someone You Love by Ted Menten

How to Crate Train Your Dog by Patricia James

Guts by Kristen Johnston

Here is the list of books I am in the middle of:

The Complete Conversations with God

The Art of Fear

The Other Medicine by Heidi Dupree

Healing and Recovery by David Hawkins

Here is what’s on my nightstand, kindle, and amazon wish list to read in 2014:

No Easy Day by Mark Owen

No More Tears by Margaret Aranda

Mindsight by Daniel Siegel

Wide Awake and Dreaming by Julie Flygare

Scared Sick by Robert Karr-Morse

Stitches by Anne Lamott

Soul Silence by Peter Amato
Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson, Richard Mendius
Why We Write: 20 Acclaimed Authors on How and Why They Do What They Do by Meredith Maran
The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse by Debbie Ford

Courage: Overcoming Fear and Igniting Self-Confidenc e by Debbie Ford, Wayne W. Dyer
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown
Handbook for Advanced Souls: Eternal Reminders for the Present Moment by Mark Andre Alexander

Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnston
Her: A Memoir by Christa Parravani
The Last Summer of the Camperdowns: A Novel by Elizabeth Kelly
Schroder: A Novel by Amity Gaige
Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman
Odd Type Writers: From Joyce and Dickens to Wharton and Welty, the Obsessive Habits and Quirky Techniques of Great Authors by Celia Blue Johnson
Still Writing: The Pleasures and Perils of a Creative Life by Dani Shapiro