Showing posts with label Self-Help. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Self-Help. Show all posts

Thursday, December 18, 2025

Coelho, The Alchemist (1988; 1993; 2014)

Paulo Coelho.
The Alchemist.
Translated by Alan R. Clarke.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993, 2014.
Originally published as: O Alquimista, Rio de Janiero: Editora Rocca Ltd, 1988.

Book Information : Publisher; Google Books; Wikipedia; GoodReads.com; Amazon.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Information and Wikipedia Articles :
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

García and Miralles, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life (2017)

Héctor García and Francesc Miralles.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.
Translated by Heather Cleary.
New York: Penguin Books, 2017.
Previously published as Ikigai: Los secretos de Japon para una vida larga y feliz, Barcelona: Ediciones Urano, 2016.

Book Information: Publisher; Amazon.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Information:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles:
  • Ikigai, "a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living"; "a motivating force"; "something that brings pleasure or fulfilment"; "a sense of purpose in life".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found Ikigai by García and Miralles unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. Rather than elaborate on that dissatisfaction, here are a couple of alternative books that appear more focused on "Ikigai".
  • Ken Mogi. Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day. New York: The Experiment, 2018.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Tim Tamashiro. How to Ikigai: Lessons for Finding Happiness and Living Your Life's Purpose. Coral Gables, Florida: Mango, 2019.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
To give García and Miralles their due, they did eventually publish a book that may be useful for people pursuing their "Ikigai" (however I feel so abused by wasting my money on their superficial 2017 book Ikigai that I resist considering it):
  • Héctor García and Francesc Miralles. The Ikigai Journey: A Practical Guide to Finding Happiness and Purpose the Japanese Way. Tokyo; Rutland, Vermont; and Singapore: Tuttle Publishing, 2020.
    [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
And another related book that the Japanese say describes "Ikigai" that one shouldn't overlook:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday, March 01, 2024

Suzuki, Wabi Sabi: The Wisdom in Imperfection (2021)

Nobuo Suzuki.
Wabi Sabi: The Wisdom in Imperfection.
Translated by Russell Andrew Calvert.
Tokyo; Rutland, Vermont; and Singapore: Tuttle Publishing, 2021.
Previously published in Spain by Ediciones Oblisco, 2020.

Book Information: Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Information:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday, February 26, 2024

Masuno, The Art of Simple Living (2019)

Shunmyo Masuno.
The Art of Simple Living: 100 Daily Practices from a Zen Buddhist Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy.
Translated by Allison Markin Powell.
New York: Penguin Books, 2019.

Book Information: Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Information:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~