Every time when I think that Roads and Destinations might not be the right place to share books to read on a monthly basis, I pick up a few new reads that have to be shared. This leads to me writing a new blog post with a list of the books to read next month. And before I even talk myself out of sharing it, I schedule it to be published at the end of the month and forget about it. Sometimes I don’t remember what kinds of books I recommend to read the following month until I see that new post pop up on my home page.
Books to Read in September 2020
This month this whole process started all over again. I had a picture that would work perfectly as a feature image, but the doubts returned. Roads and Destinations is a travel blog with a focus on well-being. Does it have room for the monthly list of books to read? Certainly, it does. Certainly, there are always more than enough space for a new list of the books to read. And there are three reasons why new book recommendations appear on Roads and Destinations every month without exception.
First, the books I read the month before inspire my new adventures. I started exploring more of the natural beauty of America after devouring Cindy Ross’s books. Even our trip to Florence, Tuscany, was an indirect quest of gorgeous Italian landscapes depicted in Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes.
Second, the books I read confirm my believe that you and only you are responsible for your health and well-being. Interesting enough, the authors of these books gather the wisdom they share in their writings through extensive research, observation, and travel. The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell is one of the best examples of the educational non-travel/travel books to read.
Third, which is the most obvious reason, quality of your writing directly correlates with the amount of books you read. Even Stephen King, one of the greatest American authors, agrees with it in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. The father of horror novels goes further admitting that he is a slow reader. This, however, doesn’t stop him from reading on average seventy books a year.
List of Books to Read in September
I will stop on these three reasons why I read and recommend reading at least a couple of books a month. Clearly, these points represent just the tip of the iceberg. Certainly, there is a lot more has to be said about the importance of reading the books. Nevertheless, I let you come up with your own reasons and instead jump straight to the list of the books to read in September.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles
The Japanese believe that everybody has an ikigai – a reason for living. This simple concept makes you get up every day, go about your business, enjoy your life, and most importantly want to live longer. According to the authors, Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, and many Japanese centenarians, the reasons to living are at the core of a long, happy, and healthy life.
To get more specific with the idea of ikigai and “the happiness of always being busy”, Hector and Francesc take its readers to the island of Okinawa. Apart from its beauty, the place is known for high concentration of the Japanese centenarians. Both authors spend some time living on the island, interacting with the locals, and studying the secrets of Japanese longevity, which they share in Ikigai.
Choose Wonder over Worry by Amber Rae
For the past few months I read a couple of entertaining books that I am still not sure how I feel about. I admired those authors’ writing styles, but their messages didn’t quite resonate with me. When a friend recommended to read Choose Wonder over Worry, my first thought was, “Please, not another modern masterpiece. I read enough books with engaging writing styles, but not with the contents I would want to get more of.”
Yet since I respected the opinion of that friend, I kept adding to and deleting this book from my Amazon shopping cart. The last thing that pushed me to select Amber’s work for my list of the books to read in September was a short review by Deepak Chopra on the back cover.
So, choose wonder over worry is a concept that the author comes to when working through her own uncertainties and self-limiting beliefs. Instead of succumbing to her old way of living and certain norms imposed on her by society and her family, Amber chooses to pursue her dreams. She chooses to listen to her inner self, use her creativity to go for wonder, joy, and happiness. She surely excels at it and gives ample advices along the way. Easy to read, Wonder over Worry is certainly one of the best books to go through in September.
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
The Big Leap is one of my favorite books that I read a while ago. In this rather short book, Gay Hendricks dissolves popular believes that we will feel satisfied and content when we reach certain goals. On the contrary, when the life looks brighter, we self-sabotage ourselves. It-is-too-good-to-be-true mentality sets us back, ruining what we strived for.
The author calls this destructive behavior the Upper Limit Problem. While many people, including some high achievers, suffer from it, there is a sure way to free yourself from its negative consequences. As Hendricks insists, the first and most powerful method to do it is to take a big leap to your unlimited potential and your Zone of Genius. If you can choose just one item from the list of the recommended books to read in September, let it be The Big Leap.
Check out more books to read here.
