How much do you read?

I am an avid reader and tend to have 2-3 books going at a time – in addition to my all too large doses of social media and the News of the Day. Some are for fun. Some are because I want to learn something. Some to pass the time. Also in order to be sure I have something to do while in waiting rooms or lines at the store or pharmacy. I hate being caught out somewhere, bored, with nothing to do.

I saw a meme a while back that questioned how many books people have read since they left school. With a little research at Google, there was a study done noting that approximately 28% of people (I guess in the US, but it did not say), do not read any books within the course of a year (the study was done in 2015). And this was up from 21% back in 2011. Considering that I read about 40 books per year, I find this disturbing.

But more important is the question????

What do you read?

You have heard the saying, garbage in, garbage out. The question goes to what you are feeding yourself on an intellectual level. As we remember what the Dormouse said. The Law of Attraction says you become what you think. So what are you filling your mind with?

As I noted, I am usually reading a number of things. And I would like go into them, because they are fresh on my mind.

Eat Well Move Well Live Well

If you have reading Astrogardens from the beginning, you recall that I was on a cleansing diet in May. The diet basically cut out all unnatural sugar and processed foods. I did spectacularly, losing 20 lbs. But since completing it, the pounds are coming back. The authors of the diet (Roland and Galina Denzel) wrote a more extensive book about cleaner and more healthy living, which I have been reading since June. The idea is that I would really like to keep the pounds off. I am happier being a little slimmer. My pants fit. I have less joint pain. I sleep better. And I feel better about myself eating healthier food. It is more like a textbook – so I am reading it slowly.

Lost Ways

This is a book that has been heavily promoted on social media for years. The description on amazon says:

“The SHTF we all prep for is what folks 150 years ago called daily life: no electrical power, no refrigerators, no Internet, no computers, no TV, no hyperactive law enforcement, and no Safeway or Walmart. The Lost Ways prepares you to deal with worst-case scenarios with the minimum amount of resources just like our forefathers lived their lives, totally independent from electricity, cars, or modern technology whatsoever, which means you’ll also be bulletproof against the ever-increasing threat of an Electro Magnetic Pulse, a Powerful Economic Breakdown, Famines, and Natural Disasters.”

Decent description IMHO, especially using the SHTF (Shit Hits the Fan). I have wanted it for a long time because it is so well promoted. Maybe it is the way they introduce subjects – asking an open ended question. It is done in the same effective way as on Ancient Aliens or 48 hours mysteries. It draws you in until you can not wait to read the next line.

I have wanted this book for a long time and decided to buy it last Friday (maybe it was because I was cruising Facebook after drinking a 6-pack, but who knows). It is a little expensive ($37 plus shipping – unless I had used the special price link when you search it on google and got the same thing for $22. Oh Well. Live and Learn.) But so far, I have loved it.

Click Here to buy it if You are interested using the better price.

Lost Ways reads like the Almanac – interesting advice for living life as they did 100 years ago when you could not go down to the corner drug store and had to grow and can a lot of your own food – or hunt and be able to store it. If I was treating Astrogardens like a business, I would be able to write this off as an expense. Call it R&D. This advice is amazing and I plan to share and deep dive a lot of the things I am reading about.

What Every Survivalist Should Grown in His Backyard

This was one of the Free gifts that came with Lost Ways. And it is a great resource. The book goes through a lot of different plants that you should consider having in your backyard that are pretty easy to grow and damn useful in a pinch.

Honestly I was just as interested in this book as I was in Lost Ways, as the way it is presented is a lot like how I wanted to write in this blog. In fact, one of the first entries is about the plant Arugula. I read that yesterday and then went out and harvested some leaves for our salad last night out of my garden.

Harry Potter

As it goes, I have read the Harry Potter each summer for the last 3 years. I have just started the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, on Saturday. Last year or the year before I also read the Screenplay book for Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. I was excited for something new, but after reading it would suggest forgetting it unless you have a real jones for screenplays. It did nothing for me and the story was not as engaging as the series.

As for the Harry Potter series, I recommend it for a multitude of reasons. 1) I like to read Young Adult novels. As a copywriter, it helps with flow. YA writers tend to keep sentence structure simple and plot lines linear. For what I do, that is important and it is good to immerse myself in that style of writing. While I am at it, I also enjoy the hell out of the stories.

Also, 2) Someone else’s conspiracy is a lot less stressful that the real life crap that is going on. It is an escape from there here and now and just as entertaining as the 20 foot tall Baby Trump Balloon flying over London last weekend. Didn’t Harry blow up his aunt as a balloon at the beginning of Prisoner of Azkaban?

And 3) It provides me with inspiration. Especially now with Astrogardens. Harry faces so many of the same themes that I have begun discussing now. Government conspiracies, good and evil, Good guys vs bas actors, fake news. I would not be surprised if you hear more about Harry here. I am thinking of writing a Harry Potter themed ebook in the near future. Watch for it.

So if you are counting, Since May, that makes 11 books. And that is not counting the news on the net.