Mood Enhancers

This post was inspired by my good blogging buddy bev, who blogs over at the Paperie.

If there's one thing to know, I know my mood enhancers. I know them. I know them. I know them because I regularly rely on them. Books are at the top of my list when I'm looking to enhance my mood, which speaking of that, I have to break in here to let the world know I just let two mood enhancers walk right out the door. Really it was four, but won't count two of them since I can always get my hands on a copy of my own books.

Yes, I had a visitor this weekend who is not a usual reader, but who saw my library and turned into a reader on sight. The thing is however, I'm supposed to be encouraging and supporting this type behavior, which initially I was.

I was all too enchanted by this browsing through my library, just a chirping and chanting along talking with great vim and vive about each book he questioned. Must have really inspired him because he wanted to borrow one! My chant, just like that, nose-dived to my knees and slid down to the floor.

Borrow one of my books? I don't like loaning my books, to no one!

I can't believe I reacted this way, not for she—the All Time Book Promoter & Supporter of Reading! I got down on the floor where my chant had gone and turned into a sniveling defector as I pleaded, "oh no... not the books... please don't take my books..."

He took the books and as you can see, I'm still shaken up since this wasn't where I was going. Back on track as I scrounge—face forward and behind in the air—to compile a short list of books to suit a variant of moods. I've just pulled out Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee for me. I'm not sure what this novel will do for my mood, but so far I'm reading very well paced, deep, and interesting. I would say this one fits the mood for anyone who's just loaned two books he or she may have to repurchase if they ever expect to see them again. But here are some other great reads categorized by mood.

Note: Of course I have so, so many favorites, but for the sake of not turning this post into another novel, or memoir, I had to narrow the list down to two, or three, ideal recent reads. Here we go.............

Are you in a spot where you think you can handle just about anything? If this is you then I recommend these pearls.

The Highest Peak by Kathy Lee Pair 

The Cost of Hope: A Memoir by Amanda Bennett

Perfection is Not a Sitcom Mom by Janet Louise Hubert

Maybe you're tempted to know how others have handled great obstacles to achieve impressive goals. If so, these are among my powerhouses.

Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family by Condoleezza Rice

A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great by Ed Rendell

You Have No Idea: A Famous Daughter, Her No-nonsense Mother, and How They Survived Pageants, Hollywood, Love, Loss by Vanessa Williams and Helen Williams

Perhaps you're in for some good hard laughing. I laughed so hard reading these, I didn't open my eyes for hours, and I wasn't sleep!

A Hamster is Missing in Washington, D.C. by Ed Spivey

Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

...Or... is there anyone out there looking for a lift? As in reading a darn good compelling (and) inspirational story? Novel or memoir?

(Memoir) How Do Rumors Get Started: The True Story of Timex Social Club by Marcus Thompson

(Memoir) The Gifted Ones by Lisa Vaughn

(Novel) The Secret Sense of Wildflower by Susan Gabriel

Every so often I must do my hard left or right thinking. For these moods I pull on what I call my big books.

The Wrong Answer Faster: The Inside Story of Making the Machine that Trades Trillions by Michael Goodkin

Too Big To Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System---and Themselves by Andrew Ross Sorkin

The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind