Holiday Reading 2015/16

The end of the year is upon us and some of us will be looking forward to some down time and a well earned opportunity to do some holiday reading. So I’ve put together another list of my favourite books from this year. Just like last years list, some are a bit older and were released prior to 2015, but these are some of the titles I’ve read this year and enjoyed enough to recommend them to you. There’s a mix of Body, Mind and Spirit here. Something for everyone I think.

Big Magic - By Elizabeth Gilbert. You haven’t heard of this book? Where on earth have you been?? It’s been everywhere since it’s release late this year. The author of Eat Pray Love has come up with a new book on cultivating and looking after your innate creativity. It’s a highly worthwhile read and will make even the most unimaginative of us realise that we have something inside worth digging out whether it be for work or pleasure.

Better Than Before - Gretchen Rubin. The author of another of my favourite books, The Happiness Project, has come up with another wonderful read. I’ve read several books on habits - creating them, changing them, working on them, and this one is one of the best. Pragmatic Gretchen discusses how we as individuals have different ways of learning and picking up habits. Armed with the knowledge of which type we are, we can make habit development and maintenance a lot easier and understand the habit habits of others too! It’s a really inspiring book and will help you to understand other people as much as it will yourself.

The Happy Cookbook - Lola Berry. I love this book. It’s got such a good feel too it. And the recipes are great too. Lola Berry is a Real Food nutritionist and this one of her many published books. I’m actually behind in writing about this one as she has just released a book for those of you needing smoothie inspiration. - Lola Berry’s Little Book Of Smoothies and Juices . She’s got a great style about her and this book will appeal to all ages.

Mr Wilkinson’s Simply Dressed Salads - Matt Wilkinson. I just love a good salad. I love a salad that makes a whole meal too and this book has plenty of them. I love that Matt wants to eat with the seasons and knows that that’s the only way you’re going to get the true flavour of a vegetable or fruit. He also likes to eat local. Love it! And this book is truly stunning with gorgeous photos and beautiful production all round.

I Quit Sugar: Simplicious - Sarah Wilson. Isn’t she just so clever? I know, I know, she’s almost become a cliche here in Australia, so in, she’s out in some of the circles I seem to find myself in. But it’s for good reason - she’s super good at what she’s doing. Her recipes are great, they’re approachable (especially the ones in this book) and she is always really well researched. And another thing I like about her perhaps more than anything - she cares about the earth, about sustainability and the legacy that WE are leaving behind. Just a great book! Get it.

The Power of Intention - Doctor Wayne W Dyer. Unfortunately we lost Dr Dyer earlier this year. What an amazing individual he was. And what a prolific author too so even though we have lost him, his wisdom will never be lost. This book is one of so many he authored but a great place to start enjoying his wise and easily implementable words. In it he talks about how to go about manifesting the life you really want.

Dying to be me - Anita Moorjani. An incredible book about illness, mortality and healing and just what a body is capable of doing with self realisation. It may change your views on a few things. Beautifully written, it’s the story of Anita’s recovery from a body full of malignant cancer cells which was simply slipping away. She talks with clarity about her experiences and insights from the other side.

Exhausted to Energized - Dr Libby Weaver. This is a great book whether you are starting out on your health journey or well down the track. With a bachelor of Health Science majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics with honors and a PhD in Biochemistry, Dr Libby really knows what she is talking about when it comes to women’s health and solving the problems most of us face on a daily basis. Those problems based around having too much to do and too much to choose from and not enough time to do any of it properly. If you are interested, and I encourage you to be, she has done a wonderful Ted Talk on the subject which you can watch here - Dr Libby TED Talk.

Women Food and Desire - Alex Jamieson. A book all women should read. The subtitle says it all really - Embrace your cravings, make peace with food and reclaim your body. A wonderful and empowering read.

The Body Ecology Diet - Donna Gates. Not a new book but a great introduction into the workings of the gut and what we can do to improve our gut health. Millions of us have a shortage of the bugs we are meant to have in our systems and a massive overgrowth of those that are harming us and making us feel bloated, sick or in pain. This book is the blueprint for pulling it all together for you.

Brain Maker - Dr David Perlmutter . Another book talking extensively about how important it is to get our gut microbiome in good shape for our overall health and inparticular to the health of our brains. Dr Perlmutter is an esteemed neurosurgeon and writes of his clinical experience together with well referenced research. This is the follow up to his wonderful book Grain Brain.

I hope you get the chance to read something over the break. If not from this list, then from yours or another. I’d love to here about your favourite books this year and yes, fiction is good too. I just don’t get much time for fiction at the moment!

Love

Ros