READS I'VE ENJOYED LATELY...

The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp

This is one of those books I'd like to own and highlight all the passages that are meaningful to me!

The renowned dancer shares her experiences and gives her tips for keeping up the creative habit. A quote I really resonated with:  "Experience - the faith in your ability and the memory that you have done this before - is what gets you through the door.  You tend to rely on that memory and stick with what has worked before.  You don't try anything new." Other thoughts from the book I don't want to forget:  Too many people practice what they're already good at and neglect the skills that need more work.  Great dancers shelve the perfected skills for a while and concentrate on their imperfections.    Play twenty questions with yourself.  Before approaching something new, write down 20 things you would like to know about it.   When an otherwise smart habit or ritual loses its potency and continue doing it, you're in a rut.  A generous spirit contributes to good luck.  Think about what distracts you the most and go for a week with out it.  Some she writes about are:  Movies, Multitasking, Numbers (clocks, scales, bills, etc.), Background Music.  Doing without forces you to be independent.

Oklahoma Hiking Trails, by Kent F. Frates and Larry Floyd

Ever need a short getaway in your own state?  This is a good guide with maps and photographs.  They also have a list of what they consider the best hiking trails in Oklahoma and their criteria is for the average hiker, not any kind of professional outdoorsman!  Hiking is one of my favorite things and this is a great guide!

Refresh by Shona and David Murray

In our crazy culture, there is a constant need for slowing down and living what they like to call a grace-paced life.  This is a book I saw on the new book shelf at the library and a great little read.  Although they are addressing some serious issues on depression in this book, there were some helpful hints in there for myself.  They cover the necessity of physical needs such as sleep, physical exercise, healthy eating, along with relationships.

Daily Rituals, How Artists Work by Mason Currey

This little book was one that I was led to by Twyla Tharp's book, above.  It's a collection of short essays on the daily routines and habit of highly creative and intelligent people.  Some are collected from research of long gone geniuses like Ben Franklin and Charles Darwin.  Others are still living, and actual quotes about what they do each day. What struck me most about this collection was that there was no "one right way" to living a life of creativity and even the most impressive people had times of inactivity in their field.  Some had some crazy addictions while others had self-imposed deadlines to make themselves produce work.  An interesting kind of biographical collection.

Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch, a cop who loves to solve cold cases, is at it again.  The Hubs loves detective shows, and we listened to this one on a recent road trip.  Another exciting story I hope makes it to the big screen!