fiction – Created Curated by Sara Brown

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

This is one of my favourite books of all time. I have purchased many copies over the years, having given them away after reading, it’s definitely a book to pass on to others. This short book of only 10,000 words can be read in one sitting. Although it’s a light-hearted story it’s poignant and full of wonderful quotes. It never fails to uplift me and lighten my mood after reading. In fact, it was the first new age/ spiritual fiction book I read several decades ago.

First published in 1970, by 1972 over a million copies were in print and it became a bestselling book. This modern classic has since had updated editions.

Briefly this is the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull who is bored with the daily squabbles over food and is seized by a passion to fly. He pushes himself to learn everything he can about flying despite the ridicule and possible expulsion he faces from his flock. One day Jonathan is met by two gulls who take him to a “higher plane of existence” He discovers that his sheer tenacity and desire to learn make him “pretty well a one in a million bird”. On returning to earth, he finds others like himself and brings them his learning and spreads the love of flying. His mission is successful, gathering around him others who have been outlawed for not conforming. On his journey, Jonathan Livingston Seagull discovered that boredom, fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is short, and with those gone from his thoughts, he lived a long life indeed!

“You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now and nothing can stand in your way”

It’s a fable very much about seeking a higher purpose in life, even if others find your ambition threatening. To stay true to yourself and not to compromise your vision. I would recommend this to anyone who is unsure of their direction, particularly young adults at the start of their lives who have bigger ambitions than the people they grew up with. To fly as far and as high as you can!

Louise Hay- A true Pioneer

Uncategorized

If I was to start a list of my favourite books, it would have to include a book from Louise Hay. A key pioneer in the field of self-healing and the founder of the Hay Institute and the Queen of the New Age.

Louise’s early life was fraught with problems: abuse, poverty and a very unstable home-life. Despite this becoming a successful model and married a wealthy businessman. In 1970,feeling that something was missing from her life she started attended meetings at the Church of Religious Science, which taught the transformative power of thought.

The first book she wrote and self-published was Heal Your Body in 1976. This was one of the first books of its kind, and was a reference guide to the mental cause of physical pain. After the books success she began travelling around the USA giving workshops. Louise Hay’s teachings revolve around the fundamental idea that our thoughts and beliefs directly influence our health, happiness, and life circumstances. Many physical ailments are manifestations of emotional and mental patterns—particularly negative beliefs about oneself. This was a controversial view at the time (It possibly still is) and was to have as many opponents and adversaries as supporters. The Mind/ Body connection is not a new one and many Eastern philosophers hold this at its core root. But in Western society it was viewed as a newer way of looking at health and wellbeing.

In 1980, Louise published Heal Your Life. Her books were now reaching a much wider audience and she was able to make people aware of more taboo subjects. In the mid-1980s, Hay became a prominent figure in the early HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States, setting up The Hayride in 1985 a support group for 6 men with Aids. Increasing to a weekly event with 800 people attending.

In 1984 the publishing house Hay House, was established, selling millions of books, tapes and DVDs worldwide. In 1988 Reid Tracy joined the company as an accountant and would eventually become its CEO and continues to grow the legacy of Louise Hay. This was one of the largest independent owned mind-body enterprises in the world forming a diverse community which empowered, educated and inspired. In 2023 this was acquired by Penguin Books.

A daily newsletter and events (many of these are now online) have made a huge difference to many people. Numerous top authors and healers have worked with Hay House: Wayne Dyer, Joe Dispenza, Caroline Myss and Gay Hendricks, to name a few. In addition to running a publishing company there is a charitable organization called the Hay Foundation, founded in 1985. Its mission is to build futures and support organizations that enhance the quality of life for people, animals, and the environment.

Helping others to heal well into her later years, until passing away peacefully in her sleep in 2017 at the age of 90. I was in Spain when she died, when her close friend Robert Holden posted this sad news online, people were communicating their grief globally. To have touched so many lives is a true legacy.

For more information:

www.hayhouse.com and www.louisehay.com

Woman Writing a Life of Crime

Reading and Books

The genre of crime fiction and suspense was started by men, Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle lead the way, but female writers took the genre and shaped and expanded it throughout the 20^th century. Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap play ran on the London’s West-end stage from 1952 to 2020 and she remains to this day one of the best- selling authors. Although there are still popular male crime writers; lee Child and Ian Rankin to name a couple, it does appear to be a women’s game.

Male crime fiction was very much about guns, knives and violence with a male Hero, like a maverick private eye. Women were often written into the plot as secretaries, wife’s or victims, only ever in a supporting never a starring role. On the other hand, women play the leading roles in fiction written by women like Kathy Reich’s, Patricia Cornwall and Alex Cava, the female characters are strong, independent and often in charge! Some popular male detectives like Inspector Wexford by Ruth Rendall and Adam Dalglish by PD James are written by woman but are more well-rounded characters because of it. A women writer, the brilliant Phoebe-Walker-Bridge, the screen writer of Killing Eve, is currently working on the James Bond films. Hopefully her female parts will echo Villanelle rather than the out-dated roles played by Bond Girls.

Rather than been about cops and robbers, the good guys taking on the bad guys, the plots are more physiologically acute in women’s books, often about emotional violence. It can seem lighter in depth but in fact, a nastier and more prolonged death is usually penned by a female writer. Ian Rankin criticised Val McDermid for the graphic depictions of violence in her stories, however her books and the TV show Wire in the Blood based on her work continues to be popular. Some men probably feel that women should not like crime fiction, but 80% of the sales in this market are from women rather than men..

In the last 15 years many of the best selling crime writers are woman, Patricia Cornwall has sold 100 million copes of her books, Minette Edwards has had many of her books used as screenplays for TV series, Kathy Reich’s, has assisted with Bones, the forscenic science drama, based on her books, Paula Hawkins book Girl on the Train, was a big hit on screen and in print. So much so, that some male crime writers have written books with female pseudonyms to break into this popular genre.

Why do women write successful crime? Do women have a better grasp of human complexities, so they can create in-depth characters that are authentic? Do women understand living in fear, do they control more rage, angry and aggression inside, which comes out in their work. It has been said that the writing styles of woman are Killing from the Outside. I guess there is more build-up of plot and suspense. I always love a crime book that gives me a few surprizes, even an odd red herring or two and that I can’t stop reading until the story reaches its conclusion.

There is something thought- provoking about Crime and Suspense fiction, you need to use some powers of deduction yourself, like all the best fictional detectives, male or female. I thought this continues to be the case for a long time yet!