Aaaaaaaaaaah books! How happy I was to see that Susannah Conway included this theme in her prompt list. My head was spinning earlier while taking photos and looking at archives on my Computer .. too many ideas, so much love for books. I started to read aged 5 because I had fallen for books the very moment I was able to pick them up and carry them myself, probably aged 3 or so. 🙂
As I so love everything about books, not only the written lines but also the smell, the weight, the paper, the marks and little “scars” they get after a while, I will stay old-fashioned and really can not imagine to purchase some cold electronic device to read a book. Blogs…ok, yeah, love to. But books will be books made of paper as far as I am concerned.
In the photo of the book pile you see the books which are the closest to my heart, which I take and open almost every day.
A good book to me is a book you can open at any page and read and you will feel good or fulfilled just by reading a few lines. These books you can see most certainly have this wonderful effect on me.
For those of you who are curious about the Details, the books are:
–Ennenbach, Matthias: Buddhistische Psychotherapie. This means, very easy to figure out, ‘buddhistic psychotherapy’.
It’s written by a very, very experienced, philantrophic, unique, widely talented psychologist, psychotherapist, seminar teacher, who has developed with a lot of heartfelt energy, his own therapy method using a deep knowledge of the buddhistic teachings and having understood how much buddhism appears as psychology. It’s a scientific book but it has this personal level, as the author is able to really address the reader. It’s also a Fusion of western psychology and partly neuroscience and the basic buddhistic teachings. I got the book shortly after its release and have read it as a whole at least 4 times yet, not speak of just opening it and reading a few lines. It’s soothing and uplifting and very deep. The book is very encouraging to start Meditation and Shows up wonderful ways to deal with it as well as describe why Meditation makes so incredibly much sense. It’s being translated at the moment and is said to be released in English in September. I will sure post something about it when the release date is public.
–Ennenbach, Matthias: Der Tod des Dalai Lama (The death of the Dalai Lama).
This is a novel which describes the live of his holiness, the XIV. Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, up from Young Age. No, the author isn’t morbid at all, he tries to explain the different levels of consciousness as they are seen in buddhistic teachings. Milarepa and Machig Labdrön also have important roles in this outstanding novel. It’s a novel for readers who want to learn about buddhism but not via classic introduction literature. As you have probaly noticed, the author is the psychotherapist mentioned as the one having written the book “Buddhistische Psychotherapie”. He definitely knows how to write a novel, and you can tell he really knows a lot about both, psychological development and buddhism, you can tell by the way he lets the characters act and talk. This book is such a bliss.
Ortheil, Hanns-Josef: Die Erfindung des Lebens. (‘The Invention of life’).
This is a book which a dear friend recommended with the words “I always went to nice spots in the park or my favourite Café to read this book. I don’t want to rush it, this book is just too good …” Well, this made me curious. And so, I got it just a few days later, more or less exactly 2 years ago in my summer break. Thank god it was the summer break. Because I sure did not have my friend’s discipline, I had to read and read and read… This novel with strong autobiographical traits takes place in Cologne (where I lived for about 6 years), Rome and a lovely little village called Wissen an der Sieg, about an hour from Cologne on the countryside at the river Sieg – fields, little hills, wild flowers, nature’s Beauty at its best. The Story is about Johannes Catt, the Storyteller, who used to turn mute aged 3 as his mother had fallen mute after traumatic experiences after the loss of four children. He describes his growing up from aged 5 to his early twenties, while he is sometimes switching to the present, writing his novel in a small Apartment in Rome. After being mobbed at school in first grade because he didn’t talk, (but played piano for hours at home aged 6) his father takes Johannes to his family in Wissen and teaches him about trees, rivers, animals, gives him space to do his beloved piano practice and gives him small tasks to fulfill at the grandparents’s farm. By this, father and son discover that when the boy sketches the things he is seeing and writes down a descriptive sentence, he can remember the letters and quickly learns to write. Not long after that he even starts to talk… it’s such an amazing Story, quite heavy at times, but so deep and poetic!
Ortheil, Hanns-Josef: Liebesnähe (“Love-closeness”):
It’s the same author, and it’s the 3rd book of a love-trilogy, each part an own Story. This one is about a man and a woman meeting in a Hotel and the surrounding wonderful landscapes and very slowly pick up communication while falling for each other (or rather the other way around), yet they choose not to directly talk to each other. They send each other signs and a bookstore-owner, who is …somehow…connected to both of them, is being helpful when needed. This Story is amazing and very unique, very intense and sensual, too. What I also love about this book is that it mentions other books I have discovered, such as Basho’s wonderful Report of his hike in Japan (“The narrow Road through the deep North”) or the pillow book by Sei Shonagon.
Oh goodness, I can’t go on writing so much about the books. it’s supposed photo blogging after all.
Well well.
–Bowley, Flora: Brave intuitive painting
This book is a gift to everyone who wants to start painting. Amazing photos, amazing texts to make you run and get your art supplies and start painting. I often leaf through this book to get inspired for a spontaneous painting session. the ideas she offers are beyond precious. Check out her Website: www.braveintuitiveyou.com I like that Flora herself loves to do yoga Stretches or meditates before getting the brush, she also teaches Workshops and yoga/Meditation seem to be a part of it.
– Leaver, Tara: Creative Spark (www.taraleaver.com)
This book has been such a gift, such an Inspiration to me that I often carry it with me when I am taking the bus, just flicking it open and read whatever the page opened offers to me. Tara is an amazing Artist and I love the way she encourages to get your “creative spark” ignited, she sure knows what she is talking about. I love her “spark jar” so much (a collection of prompts to help get you started written on little papers and put in a jar so you can draw a prompt to get started) and just everything about this book. It’s a deeply spiritual book to me, too.
Conway, Susannah: this i know
I discovered Susannah ‘s book, and yes, without her I might not be in the Blogging world yet, by the way, through a column she writes in the Magazine “The simple things”. The first few lines were so good that I did a little Research and found her book which I ordered like rrrrright away. It speaks to me, it really does. So beautifully composed in photo and text, so honest and soothing, so inspiring. well, I could “blame” her getting my new camera because her way of talking about photography sure had me appreciate taking photos even more.
Thich Nhat Hanh: Ich pflanze ein Lächeln (english title: peace is very step)
Well, what can I say? I sometimes see old people in parks or the local bus getting old prayer books out of their bags, opening them and having a solemn look about them while starting to read. This book has the same effect on me I guess, as the first one mentioned, Buddhistische Psychotherapie, has, too. I am more than happy to say that I had the Chance to listen to Thich Nhat Hanh giving a Dharma talk in Waldbröl and this day I will never Forget – that much I know.
Dear Readers:
This is a whole lot of text for a photography Project, I know…. I know (and I even forgot poor Hermann Hesse, but in short Terms, reading his Narcissus and Goldmund or Siddharta gets me all dizzy because of this intense, beautiful words he uses…). But blame Susannah. She put books on her prompt list. and books have even more letters, don’t they? I am quiet now and Show you the pics.
There are books in every room of my Appartement. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.
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