"Love Your Journey Through Life!"

Bookstore and Tools You Want for Living Well

So you can wholeheartedly enjoy your life.

The Story Teller Tradition

I think people change their lives based on models. We emulate other people. Fiction is a rich resource for those models. Who would you rather provide you with models for living. Authors or advertisers? Humans are story tellers and stories will get us to change faster than all the facts and information in the world. As Ken Kesey said, "It's all true even if it didn't happen."

Fiction lets us try on new behavior in safe ways. It can also prepare us for the inevitable changes that we will face. Future shock is real, and we can prepare for it some by trying on a number of possible realities. Science Fiction is especially good at that.

Enjoy.

General Fiction

Richard Bach:

• Illusions : The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah Hardcover Paperback Mass Mrkt Paperback Cassette Tape Version Another Cassette Tape Version This is the story of an airplane mechanic who is the messiah. Can't go wrong with that premise. One of the delights in the book is the book within the book--the Messiah's Handbook. Lots of great advice and head scratchers. Here's one: "Here is a test. To find out whether your mission on earth is finished: If you are still alive, it is not."
• Messiah's Handbook: Reminders for the Advanced Soul This is mostly derived from Illusions and gems from his other writing is included. This is very cool stuff.
• Jonathan Livingston Seagull with Russell Munson Hardcover Mass Mrkt Paperback Cassette Tape Version A great parable of passions and possibilities.

James Clavell: Shogun This gives a good rendering of what Japan was like when the first westerners arrived. A good flavor of what is Japan. A great story, too.

Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist/a Fable About Following Your Dream, Hardcover Paperback Cassette Tape Version A boy follows his dream across the Sahara Desert, pretty exotic.

Antoine De Saint-Exupery: The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, Hardcover Paperback A lovely parable: A flyer meets a little boy who is all alone on his very small planet. Very charming and moving. I am not sure this is for children, but it is quite useful for your inner children.

Nicholas Evans: The Horse Whisperer : A Novel, Paperback Cassette Tape Version Hardcover Hardcover Largeprint Soon to be a major motion picture by Robert Redford. It is a little melodramatic, but it does illustrate accurately animal human connections. This was on the best seller lists for ages.

Hermann Hesse

• Siddhartha by Paperback Hardcover, a great price. Library Hardcover The story of Buddha's life, sort of. A very wonderful taste of eastern thought. This is a book that should be read annually.
• Steppenwolf, Paperback Library Hardcover All of Hesse's work contrasts spirit with flesh and nature. All of it is worth the trip, some will haunt you for the rest of your life.
• Demian : The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth by Hesse, Paperback Library Hardcover
• The Glass Bead Game by Hesse Here is the quest for enlightenment balanced by the intellect. There are characters in this book that shape who I want to be. A book about mastery.
• The Journey to the East by Hesse, Paperback A road book, journey to the east where enlightenment will be found. Big surprises.
• Narcissus and Goldmund by Hesse. Two medieval men: one monastic, the other a worldly artist, approach spirit in different ways. This conversation between these two characters pretty strongly in my life. Passion, sex, torture, God, and drawing. . . Wow.

Ken Kesey:

• One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Paperback Mass Mrkt Paperback Cassette Tape Version A worthy trip through the distinctions about madness. Way better than the movie which was merely rebellious. Kesey was part of the huge awakening of the 60's on the west coast.
• Sometimes a Great Notion Also way better than the movie. Both books are good trips through consciousness and how to live life.

Tom Robbins is part of the reason I moved to the Pacific Northwest. I love his writing, his use of words and sound, and his outrageousness. He makes me think and he makes me laugh. Still Life with Woodpecker This is my favorite. Another Roadside Attraction Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Paperback Cassette Tape Version Jitterbug Perfume

J. D. Salinger

• Nine Stories, Hardcover Paperback Amazing short stories revealing truth and light in 1950's New York.
• Catcher in the Rye by Salinger, Hardcover Paperback This is Salinger's best known novel. It's very disturbing, I guess all of his work is. This time it's an adolescent boy. Read more about it at Amazon.com.
• Franny and Zooey by Salinger, Hardcover Paperback Also terrific. If you like Nine Stories, read the others, too.

Kurt Vonnegut:

• Cat's Cradle No one poses such interesting questions in the middle of good story telling. Many think this is his best. Slaughter House Five is Suzanne and Sasha's favorite.
• Slaughterhouse Five or the Children's Crusade : A Duty Dance With Death, Paperback Cassette Tape Version 25th Aniversary Hardcover Edition Not only do we get to look at American War crimes from WWII which are not reported much; we get to get unstuck from time and space. This is a very interesting ride.

Stay tuned for more to come.

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Celtic

The Book of Merlyn : The Unpublished Conclusion to the Once and Future King by Terence Hanbury White, Fancy Paperback Mass Paperback Good humored stuff, but I think very close to the truth of what a Celtic Shaman might be.

The Once and Future King by T. H. White A good humored version of Arthur, et al.

This is a great series by Steven Lawhead. It starts with Merlin's father and moves right through the whole of the Arthurian legends.

• Taliesin (Pendragon Cycle, Bk 1.), Fancy Paperback Version Less Fancy Paperback

• Merlin (Pendragon Cycle, Bk 2), Fancy Paperback Version Less Fancy Paperback

• Arthur (Pendragon Cycle, Bk. 3.), Fancy Paperback Version Less Fancy Paperback Cassette Tape Version

• Pendragon (Pendragon Cycle, No 4)

  The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley This is a very feminist version of the Arthurian material. Women love it.

  Morgan Llywelyn writes historical fiction with a wonderful feel for the Celtic world. All of them are pretty wonderful. I have the sense that she has really done the research. She even includes pronunciation guides in some of her books.

• Bard : The Odyssey of the Irish
• Brian Boru : Emperor of the Irish, Hardcover Paperback

  More to come . . .

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  Children's Books

  
  

  Children's books are not just for children. Our inner children need to be fed on great stories. And has been said before humans love stories. I read them all regularly, I recommend that you do, too. Of course, one of the best ways to read these stories is to read them to children.

  Barbara Berger: Here are a set of books by her . They are beautifully illustrated and well written. Many make me cry with their beauty.

  • The Donkey's Dream This is the Christmas Eve story from the point of view of the donkey.
  • Grandfather Twilight, Hardcover Paperback
  • When the Sun Rose
  • Animalia Short stories, 1-2 pages of great stories of animal human interaction including Saint Francis and Buddha.
  
  

  Antoine De Saint-Exupery: The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, Hardcover Paperback A lovely parable: A flyer meets a little boy who is all alone on his very small planet. Very charming and moving. I am not sure this is for children, but it is quite useful for your inner children.
  

  Susan Jeffers: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost This is a timeless poem by Frost and will change the way you look at everything. The illustrations are remarkable.

  
  

  C. S. Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew/The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe/The Horse and His Boy/Prince Caspian/Voyage of the Dawn Treader/The Silver Chair/The Last Battle -- Chris Van Allsburg (Illustrator) This is a boxed set of paperbacks. A great series creates real belief. Another Boxed set.

  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Fancy Paperback, Less Fancy paperback, Yet another paperback version, Library Hardcover, Another Hardcover version This is the best of the series and the most wondrous. I'd skip the cassette versions and the video productions; they all ruin the pictures and sounds in your own minds eyes and ears.

  
  

  AA Milne: The House at Pooh Corner : Cassette Tape Version, School Library Bound version Another Cassette version Paperback Full Color Gift edition I own and recommend the latter and do skip the Disney versions.

  Winnie the Pooh: Library Hardcover edition, Paperback Full Color Gift edition Cassette Tape Version

  Daniel Pinkwater is an amazing writer. His children's books are weird and delightful, filled with truth and joy. Although most of his characters are boys, both my daughters loved his work. I enjoyed it all as an adult, I have read everything I could get my hands on. "5 Novels" is a great way to start. My favorite is Lizard Music; Suzanne and Sasha prefer Yobgorble.

  • 5 Novels: The Boy from Mars, Slaves of Spiegel, the Snarkout Boys, the Avocado of Death, the Last Guru .
  • Lizard Music

  • Yobgorble, Out of Print You might let them try to find it for you, or try the library.

  Maurice Sendak: Where the Wild Things Are Hardcover A great deal. Paperback This is a wonderful book about wildness and love. It feed our heart that yearns to be wild. The book has won tons of awards and it has amazing illustrations.

  
  

  Chris Van Allsburg is an amazing artist and his stories are moving. Some are transcendent. They have the stars by them. Note: he did the illustrations on one of the boxed sets of the Chronicals of Narnia above. Since these are picture books, I'd skip the cassette tape versions. He also has a picture of the same dog in each of his books. A good game.

  • The Garden of Abdul Gasazi
  • Jumangi, Hardcover Library Hardcover Paperback The Robin William's film was based on this book. I couldn't bring myself to see the film for fear of ruining the book.
  • The Mysteries of Harris Burdick This book has a wonderful premise. Harris Burdick is missing, but he left behind an illustration and the first line for each of the mysteries he was submitting to his publisher. Here's one: MR. LINDEN'S LIBRARY He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late.
  • The Polar Express A mysterious train comes to take a boy to the North Pole for Christmas eve.
  • The Stranger A mysterious stranger drops in . . .
  • The Wreck of the Zephyr A boy who is the best sailor around learns mystery...
  
  

  David Wiesner - Tuesday (Caldecott Medal Book). This book made me laugh out loud in delight repeatedly in a book store. I was so loud it would have embarrassed my children. Nobody asked me to leave.

  
  

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  Fantasy

  Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is a best selling series of fantasy books. You have guys with strong spiritual powers. People of the dark. Evil creatures and good ones. All played across a fantasy world. I like the series because it's broad. You get 1000 page novels and lots of them. You get to hang out with these guys for awhile. Do start at book one.

  • Eye of the World(Vol 1) Fancy Paperback Mass Paperback Hardcover
  • The Great Hunt (Vol 2) Hardcover Mass Paperback Fancy Paperback Cassette Tape Version
  • Dragon Reborn (Vol 3) Hardcover Paperback Cassette Tape Version
  • Shadow Rising (Vol 4) Hardcover Paperback Cassette Tape Version
  • The Fires of Heaven (Vol 5) Paperback Cassette Tape Version
  • Lord of Chaos (Vol 6) Hardcover Paperback Cassette Tape Version
  • Crown of Swords (Vol 7) Hardcover Paperback Cassette Tape Version
  • The Path of Daggers (Vol 8) Hardcover

  A great trilogy by Robin Hobb. I like it especially because a few people in the novels can bond with animals and have access to their senses, even at a great distance.

  • Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer)
  • Royal Assassin (The Farseer, No 2)
  • Assassin's Quest, Hardcover Paperback

  More to come . . .

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  Science Fiction

  
  All Science Fiction lets you try on different realities. It is a study of what's possible and is a sure antidote to future shock.

  Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein Takes a look at amazing abilities latent in all of us. Pokes fun at organized religion and is a classic.

  Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach, Paperback This book helped me to move to the Pacific Northwest. Premise: The west coast secedes from the Union and runs a sound ecological, sustainable country. The book is written by the first journalist from the US permitted to enter the country in 20 years. All of the innovations are currently in practice somewhere in the world. A good exploration of possibilities.

  Ecotopia Emerging This is the prequel.

  Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk This book has stayed in my head for years. It is a good look at how a holistic society with a sustainable view to nature can operate. Lots of good guys and bad guys.

  Dune by Frank Herbert, Hardcover Cassette Tape Version Special 25th Aniverary Edition, Paperback This is described as the best ecological novel ever written. It is a classic.

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  Screenwriting

  
  

  Screenwriting is a modern way of telling stories. It may be THE way, although I hope not. I like screenplays. Below are some good ones and books about how to write one as well as stories about the trade. If I were King of the world I would require that everyone write one screenplay. It is one of the most useful forms of therapy I know. My screenplay which was not particularly good is still paying me dividends in psychic health.

  Sense and Sensibility : Screenplay & Diaries : Bringing Jane Austen's Novel to Film by Emma Thompson, Hardcover Paperback This is a wonderful book visually and tactilely. This Screenplay won the Oscar. Her diaries of the process of making the film are also very interesting. Puts the hard work into acting and dissolves the glamour. Beautiful photos too.

  Sense and Sensibility, VHS Video Widescreen VHS Video Great film.

  Screenplay : The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field Great help for writers or anyone interested in learning how films go together.

  Four Screenplays : Studies in the American Screenplay by Syd Field Here he looks at four screen plays as a way to illustrate structure. The four screenplays are: Terminator II, Thelma and Louise, The Silence of the Lambs and Dances With Wolves. He explains what made the films work and why. It's fun to look at the films after reading what he has to say.

  Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino, Screenplay. Collectors Edition Video

  HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=630395345X/williamwittmannvA/">Letterbox Collectors Editon Video If you don't know, this is quite violent.

  The Shawshank Redemption by Frank Darabont is a great film and has a great story behind it revealed in the screenplay book. I have also included the other ways you can appreciate this film.

  • The Shawshank Redemption : The Shooting Script (A Newmarket Screenplay)
  • The Video.
  • Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption : Different Seasons I/3 Audiocassettes This is the short story by Steven King upon which the screenplay is based.
  • Laser Disk Version of the Film
  • The DVD Version of the Film

  Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri Paperback

  This is one of the screenwriter's bibles. All over Hollywood screenwriters are stalking around with dog-eared copies of Egri. This is the bones of character driven stories and would be great for anyone interested in writing dramatically or deepening their appreciation for theater or screen, and not to mention life.

  Aristotle's Poetics is the source for all our theatre and screenwriting. All the basics of story telling are all laid out here in easy to understand writing. Our 2400 year old ancestor speaks to us beautifully. If you want to tell better stories or to understand the mechanics of story telling or you want to tie into something that is not so damn hip or you want to impress your friends this is a great book. (Note: Amazon has about 16 versions of the Poetics of various prices and various translators. I picked these.)

  • Aristotle's Poetics by Aristotle, F. Fergusson (Designer), S. H. Butcher Paperback
  • The Poetics (Great Books in Philosophy) by Aristotle, Theodore Buckley (Translator Paperback
  • Poetics (Penguin Classics) by Aristotle, Malcolm Heath (Translator Paperback

  More to come . . .

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