Book Recommendations for Intention

One of my favorite things to do is browse books. It doesn’t matter where it is, the book store, library or amazon, I love the possibilities, and the sheer volume of books there are to choose from. I also know not everyone has the time for this luxury… but it is one of the ways I connect with my happy place. It’s one of the reasons I started the Year of Words book club, to give myself a way to look for new and different books I might not normally find or even go hunting for.

This week’s word is Intention. As I was browsing for books related to this word, there were some obvious ones, of course, but digging a little deeper I found some that might not instantly come to mind. (Isn’t that where the real fun is?!). I’ve chosen books I would love to read (or have read and loved), so if you’ve enjoyed any of the previous books I’ve recommended you can feel confident you’ll also like at least one of today’s recommended books. 🙂

Book Recommendations for Intention

Self Improvement: 

The Power of Intention description from Amazon.com:

Intention is generally viewed as a pit-bull kind of determination propelling one to succeed at all costs by never giving up on an inner picture. In this view, an attitude that combines hard work with an indefatigable drive toward excellence is the way to succeed. However, intention is viewed very differently in this book. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has researched intention as a force in the universe thatallows the act of creation to take place. This book explores intention—not as something you do—but as an energy you’re a part of. We’re all intended here through the invisible power of intention. This is the first book to look at intention as a field of energy that you can access to begin co-creating your life with the power of intention.

Part I deals with the principles of intention, offering true stories and examples on ways to make the connection. Dr. Dyer identifies the attributes of the all-creating universal mind of intention as creative, kind, loving, beautiful, expanding, endlessly abundant, and receptive, explaining the importance of emulating this source of creativity. In Part II, Dr. Dyer offers an intention guide with specific ways to apply the co-creating principles in daily life. Part III is an exhilarating description of Dr. Dyer’s vision of a world in harmony with the universal mind of intention.

 

The Power of Intention was an obvious pick for this word, but a good pick nonetheless. I have been a fan of Wayne Dyer for a long time, and this was one of the first of his books I ever read. It was a long time ago, back when I was first learning about the power of intention, and the power we have in our lives. If you’re struggling, and it feels like the world is out to get you, nothing’s going right… I highly recommend this book. It will show you how YOU have the power in your life, through intention, and help you begin to use intention actively to create the life you want.

 

The Intention Experiment description from Amazon:

Drawing on the findings of leading scientists from around the world, The Intention Experiment demonstrates that thought is a thing that affects other things.

Using cutting-edge research conducted at Princeton, MIT, Stanford, and many other prestigious universities and laboratories, The Intention Experiment reveals that the universe is connected by a vast quantum energy field.Thought generates its own palpable energy, which you can use to improve your life and, when harnessed together with an interconnected group, to change the world.

In The Intention Experiment, internationally bestselling author Lynne McTaggart takes you on a gripping, mind-blowing journey to the furthest reaches of consciousness.As she narrates the exciting developments in the science of intention, she also profiles the colorful scientists and renowned pioneers who study the effects of focused group intention on scientifically quantifiable targets — animal, plant, and human.

McTaggart offers a practical program to get in touch with your own thoughts, to increase the activity and strength of your intentions, and to begin achieving real change in your life. You are then invited to participate in an unprecedented experiment: Using The Intention Experiment website to coordinate your involvement and track results, you and other participants around the world will focus your power of intention on specific targets, giving you the opportunity to become a part of scientific history. A new Afterword by the author recounts the successes of the several Intention Experiments so far.

The Intention Experiment forces you to rethink what it is to be human. It proves that we’re connected to everyone and everything — and that discovery demands that we pay better attention to our thoughts, intentions, and actions. Here’s how you can.

 

I am a sucker for “experiments”. When something is an “experiment” it somehow gives me more room to play and try, and test things out without having to be so serious, and “get it right”. This book sounds like a terrific way to begin playing with intention, or to ramp up your intention game.

 

Living Forward description from Amazon.com:

If you’re like most people, you want to lead a life of meaning and significance, joy and satisfaction.

But all the drama and demands we face seem to get in the way of our dreams, don’t they? We’re unsure about how to take our lives from where we are now to where we want to be in the next five, ten, or even fifty years.

We know we were meant for more, but it seems like the days are slipping by and we can’t do anything about it. It shouldn’t be like this. And it doesn’t have to be.

New York Times bestselling author Michael Hyatt and executive coach Daniel Harkavy have both lived the very same story but they rewrote the ending. And their new book Living Forward will help you do the same thing.

In this step-by-step guide, Hyatt and Harkavy share simple but proven principles to help you stop drifting, design a Life Plan with the end in mind, and chart a path that will take you there. And you can work the process in just one day.

 

I tend to shy away from “proven step by step plans” because I invariably get hung up on one piece of the “plan” and then feel like none of it’s going to work, however, I really like Michael Hyatt, and trust his work. For that reason alone this is a book I would read.

 

Parenting in the Present Moment description from Amazon.com:

This generation of parents is overwhelmed with parenting advice; Carla Naumburg sets out to remind them that they have everything they need to raise healthy, happy children. Mindful parenting is about paying attention to what is going on with your children and yourself without judging it or freaking out about it or thinking everyone, including yourself and your child, should be doing something differently. In Parenting in the Present Moment, Naumburg shares what truly matters in parenting—connecting with children in ways that are meaningful to them and you, staying grounded amidst the craziness of parenting, and staying present for whatever life throws your way.

With reassuring, compassionate storytelling, she weaves the most current theories—about healthy relationships, compassionate self-care, and mindfulness—throughout vignettes of her own chaotic childhood and parental struggles. She shows how mindfulness creates a solid foundation for any style of parenting, regardless of your cultural background, socio-economic status, or family structure. She also introduces the STAY model for tough times: Stop whatever it is you’re doing; Take a Breath; Attune to you thoughts and those of your child; and Yield to what is happening so you can respond from a place of connection and compassion.

Parenting is an ongoing journey that constantly challenges every parent. Parenting in the Present Moment will help each family find its own way.

If you find yourself yelling, or frustrated, or overwhelmed as a parent (and who doesn’t), this book will be a gift. My gift to you. I always had the best of intentions when it came to my kiddo, not to yell, to be patient, and loving… and I felt like I was failing. I found this book and it totally changed the way I looked at parenting, my kiddo, our family, and my relationship to all of it. 🙂 This is a fantastic book, and I can’t believe I haven’t done a full review on it yet! (That just went on my to do list!).

 

Fiction: 

The Summer of Good Intentions description from Amazon.com:

Cape Cod summers are supposed to remain reassuringly the same, but everything falls apart when three sisters and their families come together for their annual summer vacation—and they are carrying more secrets than suitcases.

Maggie is the oldest. She feels responsible for managing the summer house and making sure everything is as it always has been. But she’s hurt that her parents’ recent divorce has destroyed the family’s comfortable summer routines, and her own kids seem to be growing up at high speed. Is it too late to have another baby?

Jess is the middle sister. She loves her job but isn’t as passionate about her marriage. She’s not sure she can find the courage to tell Maggie what she’s done—much less talk to her husband about it.

Virgie is the youngest, her dad’s favorite. She’s always been the career girl, but now there’s a man in her life. Her television job on the west coast is beyond stressful, and it’s taking its toll on her—emotionally and physically. She’s counting on this vacation to erase the symptoms she’s not talking about.

The Herington girls are together again, with their husbands and kids, for another summer in the family’s old Cape Cod house. When their mother, Gloria, announces she’s coming for an unscheduled visit—with her new boyfriend—no one is more surprised than their father, Arthur, who has not quite gotten over his divorce. Still, everyone manages to navigate the challenges of living grown-up lives in close quarters, until an accident reveals a new secret that brings everyone together in heartbreak…and then healing.

Poignant, compelling, and so real that you could shake the sand out of the pages, The Summer of Good Intentions is by a rising star who aims her fiction square at the heart of readers who love Elin Hilderbrand, Dorothea Benton Frank, and Mary Kay Andrews.

 

I don’t often go for fluffy beach reads, but this one sounded really good. Actually while I was reading the description it sounded a lot like Elin Hilderbrand’s book Barefoot. My IRL book club read it last summer and I really enjoyed it. Which is why I’m recommending this one.

 

Hold Still description from Amazon.com:

Evoking finely wrought characters reminiscent of those by Claire Messud or Elizabeth Strout, debut author Lynn Steger Strong traces the anatomy of a mistake and the weight of culpability. When Maya Taylor, an English professor with a tendency to hide in her books, sends her daughter to Florida to look after a friend’s child, she does so with the best of intentions; it’s a chance for Ellie, twenty and spiraling, to rebuild her life. But Ellie fears she’ll only disappoint again, and in the sprawling hours of one humid afternoon, she makes a mistake that she can’t take back. In two separate timelines—before and after the catastrophe—Maya and Ellie must try to repair their fractured relationship and find a way to transcend not only their differences but also their more troubling similarities. Heralding the arrival of a profoundly moving new talent, Hold Still explores the depths and limits of a mother’s love.

 

Sometimes even the best of intentions aren’t enough. This sounds like a really good book, and I love finding new authors and helping other people find them too.

 

Thicker than Water description from Amazon.com:

Perfect for fans of Ellen Hopkins—a heartbreaking tale of family tragedy and drug addiction where sometimes the best intentions lead to the worst possible outcomes.

Cecelia Price killed her brother. At least, that’s what the police and the district attorney are saying. Although CeCe is now locked up and forced into treatment, she knows the story is much more complicated. Cyrus wasn’t always a drug-addled monster. He used to be a successful athlete, but when an injury forced Cyrus off the soccer field and onto pain medication, his life became a blur of anger, addiction, and violence.

All CeCe could do was stand by and watch, until she realized an effective way to take away her brother’s drugs while earning the money she needed for college: selling the pills. Only she never expected what happened next.

 

Did I mention I’m not a huge fan of fluffy books? 🙂 This YA book looks really intense, and it’s already on my TBR list. It just goes to show sometimes the best of intentions don’t turn out well. If you choose this one, please come back and let me know what you thought about it! This is a brand new book, just released in January of this year.

 

Find Her description from Amazon.com:

Flora Dane is a victim.

Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.

Flora Dane is a survivor.

Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who’s never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she’s become, and a bedroom wall covered with photos of other girls who’ve never made it home.

Flora Dane is reckless.

. . . or is she? When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape. And now it is all up to D. D. Warren to find her.

 

I’m a huge fan of Lisa Gardner and her D.D. Warren series. This is a new one, just came out last month. I’m hoping my librarian has already ordered it so I can pick it up at the library today. 🙂 This one sounds like everyone’s intentions are in question…

 

There you have it, book recommendations for the word “Intention”. If you haven’t joined the Year of Words book club yet, what are you waiting for? It’s virtual, fun and friendly. Each week you pick a new work, and a book that somehow relates to that word (for you), and take some time for yourself and read a book. It’s easy to join, just enter your email below and click the “join” button on the next page!