Catch Zen. Perfect books for long holiday evenings!
Not about travel :)
Reading time: 5 minutes
Forbes has chosen 10 books for every taste that have one thing in common - they help to truly relax and give warmth
On the long New Year holidays, you don’t want to read serious books - but also banal and too light ones too. Especially for cozy holidays, Forbes has selected such books that you can go headlong into, experience zen and quiet joy. Fiction, biography, and even non-irritating coloring for adults are in the Forbes selection.
1. The book of joy. How to be happy in a changing world
Authors: Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu
Year of publication: 2017
In 2015, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Cape Town met in Dharamsala, the residence of the Dalai Lama, to celebrate His Holiness’s 80th birthday and look back on one of the most difficult questions: how to find the strength to enjoy life Despite everything. Co-author Douglas Abrams spent a week talking with spiritual teachers and, at their request, combined their answers and his own account of what scientists and other great minds think about the source of joy. At the end of the book, there are a bonus of simple exercises that will help you balance your psychological state and maintain harmony in times of anxiety and stress.
2. A story that never ends
Author: Michael Ende
Year of publication: 2014
In the fairy tale novel, the hero of the book, Bastian, finds himself in a magical land where incredible adventures await him: he crosses the Realm of Darkness, tames the fiery Death, and flies on the Dragon of Happiness. And, most importantly, learns courage, loyalty, love. The novel, which the German author wrote in 1979, has been translated into dozens of languages. Based on its first part, a film was made, which was released in 1984, followed by other adaptations. Forbes proofreader claims that this is one of those books, after reading which you become a different person.
3. Astrid Lindgren. This day is life
Author: Jens Andersen
Year of publication: 2016
The first biography of the storyteller in the last 40 years, whose books are loved by adults and children. This book is about herself, that rebel who wore pants and a man's jacket, who was the first in her small town to cut her long hair and whose independence her heroine Pippi Longstocking inherited. She herself, her thoughts, vision of the world, victories and defeats come to life in the memories of loved ones, photographs, diaries and letters.
4. Hygge. The Danish Art of Happiness
Author: Marie Tourell Soderbergh
Year of publication: 2017
The author of the book is a popular Danish actress and writer. In order to talk about hygge, the main life philosophy of the Danes, Soderbergh went on a trip across Denmark. About the ability to see magic in the ordinary and how to create comfort in your life, she asked ordinary residents. It turned out that hygge has a place in the whirlpool of everyday affairs, and you can create it in any country, wherever you are.
5. Van Gogh's Starry Night and other stories about how art is born
Author: Michael Bird
Year of publication: 2016
A light, interesting and bright book about fine arts, written in a lively language. These are stories about how masterpieces were created, what was the historical context and where the artists drew inspiration from. The book, of course, was created for children, but this is the case when adults are delighted with children's encyclopedias.
6. Grandmother ordered to bow and convey that she asks for forgiveness
Author: Frederick Backman
Year of publication: 2017
Ideal for creating a New Year's mood, when the family is together, the house is warm and cozy, and a feeling of miracle and magic is about to appear in the heart. The main character is almost eight, and her eccentric grandmother is almost eighty. Someone considers her crazy, someone just calls her cheerful, but for Elsa she is a superhero and best friend who will always protect and suggest a way out of any situation. When a grandmother dies, she leaves behind letters for those whom she wanted to ask for forgiveness. Elsa will have to deliver them.
7. The subtle art of not giving a damn. A paradoxical way to live happily
Author: Mark Manson
Release year: 2017
An ideal option for those who are tired of endless advice on how to become better, more successful, richer, more beautiful, happier, etc. The author offers his own version of life in this society that promotes the cult of success: to learn the art of giving a damn. Namely: choose what is really important for you, and just “score” on everything else. Through stories of trouble, Manson tells how to master this art, why it is so important to be confident in yourself, and why the principle of "do anything" is a great motivation. In general, the book sparkles from the concentration of indifference and cheerfulness, and this is the very thing for the beginning of the year.
8. Battles for food and wars of cultures. Secret Engines of History
Author: Tom Nealon
Year of publication: 2017
A history of European cuisine that reads like a detective story: confectionery conflicts, clove wars, the rise and fall of empires over food battles. The history of mankind and even art is inextricably linked with food. Brown sauce, for example, influenced Byron's poetry, and carp farming, the author argues, could have rid the world of the Crusades.
9 Doodle Invasion
Written by Zifflin and Kerby Rosanes
Year of publication: 2017
There are many coloring pages for adults. But not all of them really help to “catch” Zen: annoying geometric patterns, cats and flowers, on the contrary, annoy many. Zifflin's coloring pages are different: lots of intricate patterns, supernatural creatures and unique worlds. Each drawing is like a whole universe with its own history and characters.
