Reading

[Anthony Roberts]

I have to say that the members of this forum are among the most well read people I know. I'm curious to know what books have inspired you, motivated you, etc.

[Coach Bentz]

My top ten inspirational books (not all about athletics) that have steered me in some really interesting directions in my life.


Dan Millman Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Paulo Coelho The Alchemist
Tom Brown, Jr. The Tracker
Joseph Campbell The Power of Myth
Gabrielle Roth Sweat Your Prayers
Richard Bach Illusions
Nikos Kazantzakis Zorba the Greek
Sally Fallon Nourishing Traditions
Betty Edwards Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Hank Wesselman, Spiritwalker

[Kathryn Woodall]

There are several on Brian's list which I enjoyed as well, but here are a few others (in no particular order) which gave me some thought as well. Some are health related and others are not.

Ishmael (the Daniel Quinn books in general)
One (the Richard Bach books in general)
The Road Less Travelled (and others by M. Scott Peck)
Psychocybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
The Go Getter by Peter B. Kyne
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason
Beating the Food Giants by Paul Stitt
Food and Behavior by Barbara Stitt
Everything I Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum (fun, but sometimes enlightening)
What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson
The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton

Books are such a love, I could go on. But those are the ones off the top of my head which either enhanced my life, influenced me, or in some other way made a difference.

[SAB]

There has been far too many books, but the one I keep coming back to is the comic book/graphic novel series:

The Invisibles by Grant Morrison


...and I know it sounds suck up because I'm saying it on the rmax forum, but a lot of the articles/books/DVDs by Coach Sonnon.

[Coach Tran]

Like Ryan Murdock I consider myself a bookish type. I read two books every week. I have huge library at home. These are the books that I read over and over again for inspiration and guidance. I hope you will consider these books because much of my personal success has come from reading these books. Books are food for your mind and spirit. I have some of them in audio book format to listen to while I sleep. I wouldn't recommend any book if it didn't produce any real results in my life. Reading isn't enough! We all must internalized it, apply it, and then teach it to the world.

The Bible
Tao Te Ching (I have read this in many English Translations)
The Art of War (I have read this in many English Translations)
The Book of Five Rings by Yamamoto Mushashi
Bhavagad Gita (I have read this in many English Translations)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (all of Coelho's books are recommended)
Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy
The New Psycho Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz updated and edited by Dan Kennedy
The Game: Penetrating The Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss.
Body-Flow by Dr Scott Sonnon
3DPP by Dr Scott Sonnon
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Maximun Influence: The 12 Universal Laws of Power Persusion by Kurt W. Mortensen
Science of Persusion by Dr Kevin Hogan
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
Life's Missing Instruction Manual by Joe Vitale
The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease
Freedom: The Courage to be Yourself by Osho
Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living
Negotiate This by Caring, but not T-H-A-T Much by Herb CohenI think I should stop here... :D

[Adam Steer]

I know how much Coach Murdock reads, so I guess I can't consider myself bookish, but I do consider myself a reader. Here are a few that have had an impact on me. There are many more but these are the ones I see readily on my bookshelf right now.

My American Journey - Colin Powell
Trudeau Memoirs - Pierre Trudeau
Good to Great - Jim Collins
King of the World - David Bemnick
The Power of Full Engagement - Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
The New Toughness Training for Sports - Jim Loehr
A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking

My current reading is a novel called the Summertree by Guy Gavriel Kay. And, inspired by Anthony actually, I have picked back up some spiritual reading in the evening and am working my way through Mere Christianity by CS Lewis.

[Anthony Roberts]

It's funny, I started this thread and then forgot to post my own reading list. The following are books that have impacted me greatly or that I have a fond atachment to that I find myself reading and re-reading through the years:

1. Confessions by St. Augustine
2. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
3. How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci by Michael Gelb (I recommend all of his books)
4. Curious George by Margaret and H.A. Rey
5. The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil
6. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
7. Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
8. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
9. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
10. The Book of 5 Rings by Miyamoto Musashi
11. 7 Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence
12. Lost Horizon by James Hilton

[Coach Bentz]

The Game: Penetrating The Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss.

Oh my god! :lol: That has the honor of being the ONLY book that has ever made me laugh out loud reading it! But, it was an astounding mirror into my own unconscious behavior and beliefs. That'd be in my top 11-20 range for sure, and I'd recommend it to any self-described "nice guys" out there that can get past the title.

[Ryan Murdock]

Anthony,

Don't get me started!! LOL. I can discuss books for days on end.

Here's a few books that I considered important for me personally, off the top of my melon. I won't repeat any of the titles that were already listed above (such as the Tao, Sun Tzu, Musashi, Zorba...). (Adam, I just finished reading The Power of Full Engagement and Toughness Training for Life and enjoyed them both immensely). In no particular order:


How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World - Harry Browne
The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene
The Alexandria Quartet - Lawrence Durrell (his complete works, really)
Deep Survival - Lawrence Gonzales
The Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard
The Gift of Fear - Gavin deBecker
The Odyssey - Homer
The Magus - John Fowles
Consistent Winning - Sandler and Lobstein
Living Dangerously - Ranulph Fiennes
The Art of War - the DENMA translation AND The Amazing Secrets of Sun Tzu - Gary Gagliardi
Tao de Ching: A Philosophical Translation - Ames and Hall
Boomeritis AND A Brief History of Everyhing - Ken Wilber
Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (a biography) - Edward Rice
East of Eden - Steinbeck
The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus
Virus of the Mind - Richard Brodie
Influence - Robert Cialdini
What Really Matters: Searching for Wisdom in America - Tony Schwartz
Sleep Thieves - Stanley Coren
The Demon Haunted World - Carl SaganAnd, as a whole, the works of Jack Kerouac, Henry Miller, Paul Theroux, Rimbaud, and Steve Kilbey.

Okay, so that wasn't so short... but there are many, many more...

[Scott Sonnon]

Right now I'm reading Fantastic Voyage by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman, M.D. Fascinating stuff regarding genetics, nanotechnology, health and immortality.

[Anthony Roberts]

When you finish that, definitely check out The Singularity is Near. Just be ready to put some serious time into it, Kurzweil's mind is fascinating.