Good Books to Read for Business & Pleasure * April 2014
This April, it’s all about seduction and fantasy.
I’m not sure how this happened, but all I’ve been reading about lately is seduction and fantasy. These are great topics, yes, and I know if you read these books you’ll agree you spent your time wisely. Why? Because seduction and fantasy make business and pleasure that much more pleasurable.
Here’s what I’ve been reading:
Good Books to Read
Business
Seduction by Robert Greene.
In case you’re all hot and bothered thinking about the possibilities of seductive literature, I’m going to deflate things a little for you and start out with that least seductive of activities, whining (and please note, when my kids used to whine I charged them a $5 fine and told them that whining was parent abuse and illegal in the state of California. If this whining bothers you, contact me and I’ll, erm, never mind.)
Of course the man is not his blog, nor is he is social media. But for someone who writes such long and thoughtful books, Robert Greene’s web presence is a disappointment. His “blog” is basically links to buy his books. Nothing insightful there.
I’m probably a bit more snarky than usual because I am on a 28 Days to Health program, which means I’m eating mostly a liquid diet. There’s nothing too seductive about that.
Great! Now that I flamed Robert and complained about my personal life, I can get to Robert’s work.
I love Seduction and the idea of Seduction. It is really fun to read about archetypes of seduction and figure out which one you most resemble. Now, you might ask, why is this book listed under “business” rather than “pleasure”?
Friends, if you decide to become a full-time seducer, you’ll find it’s work, and plenty of it. More important, I’m a copywriter, and copywriting is a form of seduction. You might call it “influence” or “persuasion” but, at the end of the day, copywriting is a form of verbal seduction.
If I’m wrong, it’s still a terribly amusing way to look at it. Read the book, form an opinion, and let me know on Twitter which type of seducer you are.
If you would like to have this book for your very own, purchase The Art of Seduction at the Anna Colibri Amazon shop.
Pleasure
Justine by Lawrence Durrell.
Justine, if not about seduction, is certainly about love in its various — and not always palatable — forms. The use of language is luxuriant — almost rococo. The characters push caricature. The plot is, ah, loose. And tossing in politics and Kabbalah just sweetens the deal.
Wikipedia has this to say:
[su_quote]
Published in 1957, Justine is the first volume in Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet. Justine is one of four interlocking novels which each tell various aspects of a complex story of passion and deception from various points of view. The quartet is set in the Egyptian city of Alexandria of the 1930s and 1940s, and the city itself becomes as much of a complex character as the human protagonists.
[/su_quote]
If you take the timeframe, the city, the French angle, and the passion and deception angle, reading this book, if you are me, becomes a no-brainer. The fact that it is one of a four-part series means that I will get to go deeper and deeper in.
The book thrives on not only the rich and the complex, but the profound.
If you would like to have this book for your very own, purchase Justine at the Anna Colibri Amazon shop.
Children
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh.
Harriet the Spy is my second favorite work of children’s literature, right after The Wind in the Willows. Written in 1964 and enjoying its 50th anniversary this year, this book is a classic and, IMHO, rightly so.
The book is fun, funny, human, and timeless and universal in important ways. Weird, because it’s about a rich 11 year-old New Yorker with a bad attitude who wants to be a spy — and writer. Harriet shares a world with us, through her spying and her writing, that is both personal and quirky. She reminds us all what it is like to have rich fantasies, and encourages us, with her personal passion and commitment, to follow her example.
Harriet inspired me to keep a journal, starting at age 10. Without Harriet, I would not be the writer I am today.
If you would like to have this book for your very own, purchase Harriet the Spy at the Anna Colibri Amazon shop.
Three great books to help you celebrate Spring! Enjoy!
{Image credit: fr.wikipedia.org}
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