With Spring comes a renewed desire to get things done. For me that includes tackling my continually-expanding reading list!! I always feel like I have way more books to read than I have time for. But…little by little…page by page…I do get a few read. Need a book idea or two? Check out my 2023 Spring Reading List. Perhaps one of these will be your next favorite read!
1. The Happiest Man on Earth, Eddie Jaku
If you’re healthy & happy, you are a millionaire. Eddie Jaku
This book was A-MA-ZING. Written as he turned 100 yrs old, Holocaust survivor, Eddie Jaku, wrote this memoir to inspire us all to choose happiness no matter what life throws our way. His is a story of survival made possible by small acts of kindness & friendship…both of which can be found in any situation, no matter how dark or horrible. He also did a powerful TED Talk well worth listening to – Eddie Jaku: A Holocaust survivor’s blueprint for happiness | TED Talk.
2. The Fearless Mind: 5 Essential Steps to Higher Performance, Craig L. Manning
Fear is the #1 thing that separates mediocre performances from great performances. Whether it’s fear of failure or fear of success or some other fear…it’s all fear…and it zaps our confidence & amps up our insecurities. In this little book, sport psychologist, Craig Manning details key steps to building a fearless mind – a mind not hindered by fear & anxiety, but instead confident & secure when asked to perform.
3. Van Gogh: The Life, Steven Naifeh & Gregory White Smith
I find artists to be some of the most fascinating & interesting people. They often have a dark side, and/or a tragic flaw, which drives them to create…though often in self-destructive ways (i.e., Jimi Hendrix, Edgar Allan Poe, Jackson Pollock just to name a few). Such is the case with Vincent van Gogh who suffered from severe mental illness, depression, drug use & a never-ending, yet unfilled, desire to make his parents proud of him. These two authors compiled information from previous untapped materials to bring a new & deeper understanding to this seminal artist who died at the very young age of 37. If the only things you know about van Gogh are his famous The Starry Night painting & that he chopped off his ear, I encourage you to read this book!
4. Fast Like a Girl: A Woman’s Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones, Dr. Mindy Pelz
Just as Dr. Stacy Sims says that “Women are not small men. Stop eating & training like one.”, Dr. Mindy Pelz suggests that women ought not to fast like men either. Because women have 3 hormones that cycle every 30 days (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) versus 1 for men (testosterone), a successful fasting protocol for men simply will not work for women. In this book, she does a deep dive into the health benefits of fasting – weight loss, muscle mass maintenance, reduction of menopausal issues like brain fog, & cellular autophagy – as well as ways to adjust your fasting & eating regime to match your hormonal cycle (even if you don’t have one…menopause). Recipes are included too!
5. Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured, Kathryn Harrison
Prior to reading this book, the only thing I really knew about Joan of Arc was that she heard voices. But that part just barely scratches the surface of what an amazing woman she was! Using historical fact, myth, folklore, artistic representations, & centuries of scholarly information, Kathryn Harrison retells the story of The Maid of Orleans by highlighting her unshakeable faith & extraordinary courage in the face of both battle & death at the hands of her inquisitors. Whether she was a divinely inspired saint, a schizophrenic or a witch and/or heretic (as the English inquisition tried to prove), she is no doubt one of the greatest heroines in all of history.
To see all of my reading lists, check out:
Coach Michelle’s 2022 Fall Reading List – Performance High
Coach Michelle’s 2022 Spring Break Reading List – Performance High
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