February Reading List

Here's the list of books that I delved into last month.

I'm a big reader. It's a favorite hobby of mine. Actually, I think that's an understatement. I think the word “obsession” fits the bill more appropriately and perfectly. I would read all day, every day, if I could. If only they don't cost a fortune, maybe I really would. Hahaha

I've been into reading ever since I was a kid. We still have the children's books and kid's encyclopedias that I used to enjoy and read on repeat back then. It was during my high school and college days, when my love for reading reached a whole new level. That's when I started buying tons of books and magazines on my own. The university that I went to has a bookstore that sells second hand books for a really cheap price. How I love visiting that place a lot back then, especially on Tuesdays since that's the first day of my class so that's when I used to get my allowance for the whole week.  

I no longer buy books that frequently these days due to many reasons such as we don't have a second hand or cheap bookstore here in my province and because I'm trying to save as much money as I can for other priorities since that's what adults do. Hahaha Thinking about what I just wrote made me really life, Honestly, I still don't see myself as a full-fledged adult.  

Back to our topic, I no longer buy books but I love reading so much that's why I'm settling into reading online articles, e-books and listening to audio books even though I despise them. xD I believe they can't compare to real books, how they smell and feel. Real books give a totally different experience. I'm sure you readers out there know perfectly what I mean.

Fortunately, I found some books that are so good, even the fact that they are in the form of ebooks doesn't stop me or make me lose any interest. But I still wish I have them in real books. I badly want to highlight many passages and write something on them.    

Anyways, here's the list of some of the treasures that I've found and read last month of February.

The first one on the list is Wallace Wattle's The Science of Getting Rich. I was re-reading Rhonda Byrne's The Power when the title caught my attention and fortunately a copy is available on Rhonda's own site. It's an enjoyable read. It makes people view money in a very positive light and believe in its abundance. It talks about mindfulness, action, purpose and faith.

“Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich.”

“A man's way of doing things is the direct result of the way he thinks about things.”

“...life, by living, multiplies itself. It is forever Becoming More; it must do so, if it continues to be at all”

The books to follow are all written by Christian Larson. I guess I've fallen for his way of writing. His books are written in a very simplistic and understandable manner yet full of substance, value and purpose. He knows how to (imprint) words/passages on one's mind. His books are now available in public domain.

I got my ebook copies from https://archive.org/.

Just Be Glad is all about looking in the sunny side of things and having faith that everything, whether good or bad, has a purpose and is for the greater good.

“...heaven is here and now...The real truth is that this world is nothing less than a limitless sea of happiness, the vastness and glory of which we are just beginning to know.”  

“For great is the power of sunshine, especially human sunshine. It can change anything, transform anything, remake anything, and cause anything to become as fair and beautiful as itself.”

“Why be sad for a single moment when the smile of a single moment has the power even to change the course of human destiny.” 

Let me cite some personal instances. They both happened back in my freshman days. Take note that back then I felt so lonely and lost. I was all alone in a different city and that was my first time being far away from home, family and friends. I also have to mention that I was really immature and (dependent). I used to feel the need to be with someone all the time. Those were just some of my many issues before. There's also my overactive mind that kept on overthinking, worrying and feeling anxious and inferior.

Onto the first story, it happened one Tuesday. I'm positive about that because Tuesday was the day that I used to wake up so early to commute for around two hours back to my university from our province. To  make things harder, I was a night owl back in the days, so I used to only get 2-4 hours of sleep every Tuesday. How I used to dread that day. It makes me laugh just thinking about it now. Anyways, my schedule was pretty full that day because it was hell week. It was already hectic. I was on my way to my fourth class. My class prior to that was toxic. We ended up making our strict prof mad and he walked out on us. There's a sullen and negative vibes all around me that day. I could feel it and it was really heavy. My next class was held in a different building. As I was walking, I was contemplating about skipping class since I felt so freaking tired. Then there was this girl, who I personally never knew, walking towards me, looking at me and smiling sincerely. I first thought that maybe she's smiling at someone else behind me but there's no one. Honestly, I can't remember her face clearly but I can remember her smile. It was sweet, sincere and somehow reassuring. So I smiled back at her as we passed each other. Somehow I regained some energy and kept on walking to my next class feeling a bit better and inspired. Her smile took some of the loneliness away and made me feel as if I wasn't really alone.        

Maybe I was just really petty and needed some attention back then. Still, the point is, that girl and her smile helped me in a way. Weirdly, that experience and the feeling it brought me still pop up on my mind from time to time, and to think that I used to find it hard to believe that a single simple smile could actually go a long way and have a lasting effect. Funny how life teaches a person a lesson and prove him/her totally wrong. 

The second one was during English class. I was listening to the discussion but couldn't really focus for my mind was wandering elsewhere. I was feeling down that time and was making a moutain out of a molehill. Suddenly, my professor called me to answer her question. I started to get anxious and my mind almost went blank. However, she smiled at me and that's when my mind became clear and I was able to answer her question as best as I could. Her smile made me feel encouraged and guided that there's nothing to be nervous about, that I could try and it wouldn't matter that much if I made a mistake. 

Experience is indeed the best teacher. A sincere thought, gesture, or act really does make a whole lot of difference.   

I'm not done yet with quoting passages from the book Just Be Glad, there's one more. The one that's impossible to forget. Read the book if you're curious why. ;)

“All things respond to the call of rejoicing; all things gather where life is a song.”

The next one is Larson's Leave it to God. That probably sounds so passive to some of you but don't judge it without reading the whole thing. This book enlightens the reader about what the statement “leave it to God” really means.  

“There will be more for us to do than ever before; and, instead of stepping aside, we will go deeper and deeper into the work, the power and the glory of it all. No it is not a matter of enlisting a higher power to do everything for us.”

“We do not make this statement in the belief that there is nothing for us to do; but, with understanding that now we may do more than ever before; that now we may work in and with the One that is almighty.”

“And, also, as we do take our lives and our affairs into the Spirit, we will be clothed with new strength. We will arise and go forth in victory and triumph.”

Thinking for Results is the last Larson book on the list. It's all about advancement and growth.

“Man is as he thinks he is, and what he does is the result of the sum total of his thought.”

“Everything that happens to a man is the result of something that he has done or fails to do.”

“Man is as he thinks and his thoughts are invariably created in the likeness of his mental conceptions of those things of which he thinks habitually.”

The final book on my list is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I admire Napoleon Hill for his resilience. After all the he went through, the mistakes and misfortunes, he still managed to make a successful name for himself and live on forever. I guess that's the power of faith. The book didn't talk much about his personal life, I actually researched about him a little bit. The ones in the the book are the stories of other successful men. Stories that are meant to teach and inspire the readers. 

I actually haven't finished the book yet but I'm halfway through it. Here are some of my favorite lines from the book:

“Somewhere in your make-up there lies sleeping, the seed of achievement which, if aroused and put into action, would carry you to heights, such as you may never have hoped to attain.”

“God seems to throw Himself on the side of the man who knows exactly what he wants, if he is determined to get just that!”

“Ideas can be transmuted into cash through the power of definite purpose, plus definite plans ”

I've been through many different phases. I used to be a big fan of romance and chick lit, then I turned to comedy and mysteries. Now, as you may have noticed, I'm so into self-help, inspirational and finance books. Let's see where I'll go from there.

What better way to end this post than to do so with the words that I currently love meditating upon? Here it goes:

"As above, so below; As within, so without."

PS: The photos, except for the first, are not mine. All credit goes to the rightful owners.