My New Favourite Book
June 12th, 2009 by robin
I don’t know what constitutes a favourite book? One that you simply love because it took you away into a faraway adventure with goodies and baddies battling each other, or a book which inspired you to believe in yourself and change your life, I imagine it is different for everyone. There are so many genres of writing that today’s favourite is tomorrows cliché. I have to confess I read very little fiction, probably about two a year, as most of my reading is either work or interest related.
Ironically for many years my favourite book was a wonderful work of fiction an epic cowboy tale; Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty, I read it over 20 years ago whilst travelling through Asia, and for she enjoyment and story I never found its equal – still haven’t. But as I mentioned earlier I read very little fiction so probably not giving myself the chance to find another.
However as most of my reading is non fiction I have many books which I recommend for personal and professional development, as well as spiritual awareness and growth. The competition for the coveted Robins Favourite book of all time is very tricky it would appear as there are 100’s of good titles. so I thought I would share a book I have recently read which I carried with me and found myself giving up on underlining my highlights from each chapter, as I would have run out of ink. The book is called The Greatest Gift by Andrew Bienkowski and Mary Akers. It is the story of a young boy exiled to Siberia during WW2, and the lessons for life he learnt there through his experiences. It is 70 years worth of life wisdom condensed into 270 pages, and as someone who has spent much of my life seeking simplicity in our understanding of the human condition, I found this book packed with the nuggets of truth that we so often overlook.
So, officially I am happy to declare that The Greatest Gift is my favourite book. I don’t know Andrew personally but plan to write and tell him how much I loved his book. I would encourage you to put it on your reading list for the summer vacation, if not before.
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