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Chris Padilla/Bookshelf
My words on other people's words. Currently a pile in progress.
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A Life of Meaning – By James Hollis
Date Read: 2024-07-02 | Status: Reading | Rating: 8/10 | PurchaseOne of Hollis' most recent works. Similar themes return: finding meaning in servicing "what is seeking expression through me?" Some thoughts on embracing our imperfection humanity in the chapter on the Seven Deadly Sins, similar to ideas in The Happiness Hypothesis. Wonderful to listen to the author reading the audiobook!
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What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life – By James Hollis
Date Read: 2024-06-29 | Status: Read | Rating: 10/10 | PurchaseMy favorite of Hollis' works so far. An assortment of essays geared towards wrestling with the question of personal meaning. Book goes beyond the usual list of "Friends, family, love, honor, good work, etc." to look more closely at what our unique calling is. A wonderful follow up to "Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life". The first book asks questions, the second helps move the reader towards finding answers.
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Progressive Sight Reading Exercises: Piano Technique – By Hannah Smith
Date Read: 2024-04-29 | Status: Read | Rating: 8/10 | PurchaseMy recommended "Start Here" book for sight reading at the keyboard. I came to this book realizing I was hitting a wall with my playing, looking back and forth at the page and then the keyboard. This won't get you all of the way there, this book focuses on five finger patterns. Though, it's a great place to get going reading several short, bite sized lines.
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Super Sight-Reading Secrets – By Howard Richman
Date Read: 2024-02-25 | Status: Reading | Rating: 9/10 | PurchaseA no nonsense book that does exactly what it says on the tin! The best exercises in the book deals with gradually building up a tactile relationship to the keyboard. Progress will seem very slow, but the payoff is so worth it! Having played piano for a number of years, I'm only starting to feel I really know the instrument after working through part of this book. A must have for every pianist!!
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Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up – By James Hollis
Date Read: 2024-02-13 | Status: Read | Rating: 9/10 | PurchasePicked this up hoping I could get ahead of the curve on my midlife crisis! Essential reading for anyone who's "Reached the end of their scripts for success." Came away with no answers, but better questions. Namely: "What is seeking expression through me?"
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Harmonic Experience: Tonal Harmony from Its Natural Origins to Its Modern Expression – By W. A. Mathieu
Date Read: 2024-01-04 | Status: Reading | Rating: 8/10 | PurchaseA true music theory book that focuses on resonance as the basis for understanding harmony. This is not so much a quick road to learning how to compose as much as it is theory in guided practice to understand where our harmonic language comes from. If you enjoyed Bernstein's introduction to tonal harmony, this is an entire textbook exploring that foundation.
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A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Nonfiction – By Terry Pratchett
Date Read: 2023-01-10 | Status: Read | Rating: 7/10 | PurchaseWonderful collection. Great for true fans of his fiction work. The biography is a deeper dive, though these are great as quick glimpses behind the curtain, presented by the author himself.
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Free Play – By Stephen Nachmanovitch
Date Read: 2023-11-15 | Status: Read | Rating: 9/10 | PurchaseWonderful essays on creativity and true improvisation from professional violinist. Highly recommended for any musician, especially those that feel stuck from being classical focused.
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Painting As a Pastime – By Winston S. Churchill
Date Read: 2023-05-20 | Status: Read | Rating: 8/10 | PurchaseA love letter to color and light from an enthusiastic amateur.
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Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes: The Official Biography – By Rob Wilkins
Date Read: 2022-10-23 | Status: Read | Rating: 9/10 | PurchaseBeautifully written biography of a favorite author, written by his assistant. A wonderful window into the man behind Discworld. A must read for any fan!
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The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom – By Jonathan Haidt
Date Read: 2021-07-19 | Status: Read | Rating: 8/10 | PurchaseAn interesting review of research that supports the author's proposed equation for what truly makes us happy. Makes case that there may be no objective meaning to life, we find meaning in the context within our lives.
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Gesture Drawing for Animation – By Walt Stanchfield
Date Read: 2022-08-22 | Status: Read | Rating: 8/10 | PurchaseI've picked up drawing this year, and this was my first book on it. Walt Stanchfield was a Disney animator and teacher to other Disney artists. Plenty of the techniques are still beyond me, but it's fun all the same. Walt writes with such a fire and emphasis on expression over accuracy. Not to mention his life story - an animator, tennis player, piano player, musician, poet, a real renaissance man!
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The Listening Book: Discovering Your Own Music – By W. A. Mathieu
Date Read: 2023-12-08 | Status: Read | Rating: 10/10 | PurchaseEveryone should read this! Even non musicians. The book takes the pure meditative quality of listening to and reveling in sound from the start and further combs towards practicing music. Absolutely beautiful. So many wonderful insights on our relation to sound and being a creative musician in the world.
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Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World – By Jane McGonigal
Date Read: 2020-09-15 | Status: Read | Rating: 7/10 | PurchaseFun read on how games improve our lives, and how they can be a model for rethinking our systems and organizations IRL. The case studies date the book, though the principles and takeaways are evergreen.
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Gesture Drawing for Animation – By Neil Gaiman
Date Read: 2018-11-29 | Status: Read | Rating: 8/10 | Purchase"Meandering" in the author's words, in the best way.
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