Four Weeks of 40: 40 Books on Money, Creating Meaningful Work, Nature, and More

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This is it, the last installment of Four Weeks of 40, celebrating my 40th birthday through random and not-so-random lists of 40 things.

I decided to bookend the journey with another list of 40 books I like. Bookend... with books, get it?

I crack myself up.​

I have read sooooo many books, many more than what's on my list, but these are a subset that, for some reason or another, stuck with me. I grouped them into seven categories:

• Creating Meaningful Work (1-11)
• Money Stuff (12-18)
• Nature, Food and Simple Living (19-25)
• Stillness, Intuition, Self-Reflection (26-30)
• Art & Inspiration (31-32)
• Fiction (33-39)
• Other (40)

​Voici, grouped but not ranked:

1. The Boss of You: Everything a Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business, by Lauren Bacon & Emira Mears

2. The Creative Entrepreneur: A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real, by Lisa Sonora Beam

3. The Practical Dreamer's Handbook: Finding the Time, Money, and Energy to Live the Life Your Want to Live, by Paul & Sarah Edwards

4. Make Your Creative Dreams Real: A Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day, by SARK

5. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, by Timothy Ferriss

6. The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future, by Chris Guillebeau

7. Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision & Reality, by Scott Belsky

8. Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur, by Pamela Slim

9. The Seed Handbook: the Feminine Way to Create Business, by Lynne Franks

10. Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love, by Jonathan Fields

11. Learn Like a Leader: Today's Top Leaders Share Their Learning Journeys, edited by Marshall Goldsmith, Beverly Kaye, and Ken Shelton

12. Prosperity Pie: How to Relax About money and Everything Else, by SARK

13. How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Our of Debt & Live Prosperously (Based on the Proven Principles and Techniques o Debtors Anonymous), by Jerrold Mundis

14. Financial Serenity: Successful Financial Planning and Investment for Women, by Lori M. Bamber

15. Money Drunk, Money Sober: 90 Days to Financial Freedom, by Marc Bryan and Julia Cameron

16. The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps so You Can Stop Worrying, by Suze Orman

17. Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny, by Suze Orman

18. The Prosperous Heart: Creating a Life of “Enough”, by Julia Cameron with Emma Lively

19. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv

20. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver

21. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan

22. This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader, by Joan Dye Gussow

23. The Good Life: Helen and Scott Nearing's Sixty Years of Self-Sufficient Living, by Scott and Helen Nearing

24. Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case for a More Joyful Christmas, by Bill McKibben

25. The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life, by Cecile Andrews

26. Sitting Still: An Encounter with Christian Zen, by Patricia Hart Clifford

27. Intuitive Self-Healing: Achieve Balance and Wellness Through the Body's Energy Centers, by Marie Manuchehri, RN

28. The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship, by David Whyte

29. Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives, but Wayne Muller

30. Prayers to the Great Creator: Prayers & Declarations for a Meaningful Life, by Julia Cameron

31. Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking, by Jill K. Berry

32. Art From Intuition: Overcoming Your Fears and Obstacles to Making Art, by Dean Nimmer

33. The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe, and The Last Great Dance on Earth, by Sandra Gulland (I know I included three books here, but let's count it as one trilogy m'kay?)

34. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

35. People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks

36. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel, by David Wroblewski

37. New York: The Novel (historical fiction), by Edward Rutherford

38. The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown

39. Les filles de Caleb, Tomes 1, 2 et 3 (French), by Arlette Cousture

40. Hidden Gardens of Paris: A Guide to the Parks, Squares, and Woodlands of the City of Light, by Susan Cahill

​And with that I conclude my Four Weeks of 40 celebration! Let's recap:

WEEK 1: 40 Books on Productivity, Writing, Creativity...

​WEEK 2: 40 Artists That Intrigue, Inspire or Delight

WEEK 3: 40 TV Shows, Movies or Documentaries I Like

​WEEK 4 (today): 40 Books on Money, Creating Meaningful Work, Nature, and More

Thank you for joining me and following along. It's been fun to compile these lists; I may just have to find excuses to compile more!

In the meantime, till the next milestone...

Four Weeks of 40: 40 Books on Productivity, Writing, Creativity...

Given that I always have a book or two or seven on the go, is it any surprise that I'd kick off my Four Weeks of 40 with a list of favourite books?​

It's by no means a "top 40" list, I could never rank all that I've read. But these are the first ones that came to mind as I typed, and the ones that jumped out as I scanned my bookshelves, so that's saying something!​

I've loosely grouped them into six categories: Biz & Productivity (1-11), Creativity (12-15), Writing & Presentations (16-24), Art & Inspiration (25-33), Hearth & Home (34-36), and the catch-all, Other (37-40).​

Here goes, grouped, but not ranked...​

1. Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions, Eric Maisel
2. The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms, Danielle LaPorte
3. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, Ken Robinson with Lou Aronica
4. Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love, Barbara Winter
5. Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams, Barbara Sher
6. Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life, D​avid Allen
7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey
8. Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want and Getting It, Henriette Anne Klauser
   
9. Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life, Barbara Stanny
10. Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design, Laurence G. Boldt
    
11. To Build the Life You Want, Create the Work You Love: The Spiritual Dimension of Entrepreneuring, Marsha Sinetar
12. The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron
13. Kick-Ass Creativity: An Energy Makeover for Artists, Explorers, and Creative Professionals, Mary Beth Maziarz
    
14. Coaching the Artist Within: Advice for Writers, Actors, Visual Artists, and Musicians from America's Foremost Creativity Coach, Eric Maisel
15. Walking in this World: The Practical Art of Creativity, Julia Cameron
    
16. If You Want to Write, Brenda Ueland
17. Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice, Laraine Herring
18. Thinking on Paper, V.A. Howard and J.H. Barton
19. slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations, Nancy Duarte
20. Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences, Nancy Duarte
21. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery, Garr Reynolds
22. Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out, Ralph Fletcher
23. A Writer's Paris, Eric Maisel
24. The Art of the Book Proposal, Eric Maisel
25. Henri Matisse (Taschen Basic Art Series), Gilles Neret
26. Klee, text by Will Grohmann (I bought this used, apparently it's a 1967 edition)
    
27. Frida Kahlo: Face to Face, Judy Chicago and Frances Borzello
28. Masters: Collage: Major Works by Leading Artists, Lark Books
    
29. Taking Flight: Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings, Kelly Rae Roberts
30. Color Mixing Recipes, William F Powell
    
31. Painting Abstracts: Ideas, Projects and Techniques, Rolina van Vliet
32. The Art of Abstract Painting: A Guide to Creativity and Free Expression, Rolina van Vliet
33. Finding Your Visual Voice: A Painter's Guide to Developing an Artistic Style, Dakota Mitchell with Lee Haroun
34. Shelter for the Spirit: Create Your Own Haven in a Hectic World, Victoria Moran
    
35. Sacred Space: Clearing and Enhancing the Energy of Your Home, Denise Linn
36. Create the Space You Deserve: An Artistic Journey to Expressing Yourself Through Your Home, Jill Butler
37. Embracing Uncertainty: Breakthrough Methods for Achieving Peace of Mind When Facing the Unknown, Susan Jeffers
38. Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence, Vicki Robin
39. The Female Brain, Louann Brizendine
40. The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran

There are so many others, it was hard to whittle it down to 40! And once I get my latest Amazon order in the mail, I'll have each and every one of them on my bookshelf.

I couldn't help but notice that I didn't include any fiction; I guess I'm mostly a non-fiction kind of a gal.​

Till the next list...​