3 books to keep body, mind and spirit entertained

1. Vietnamese Fusion | Chat Mingkwan

Back when I lived in Asia there was this Vietnamese Restaurant that served up tasty vegetarian fare, that even staunch meat-eaters had to admit was delicious and flavorful. I miss that restaurant! The recipes in this (older) cookbook are close to the original, although some are a mix of Chinese and Indian cuisines as the title suggests. If you are lucky to have an Asian foodstore nearby you will be able to re-create these recipes easily. I on the other hand have to improvise. But that's okay, because in cooking I don't usually stick to the rules :) As with most Asian recipes the prep time takes a while with a lot of chopping going on, but the actual cook time is minimal. The papaya salad is my favorite. Who else is a fan of Vietnamese cuisine?

2. The Universe has your back | Gabrielle Bernstein

I've read so many positive reviews about this book that I had to check it out myself. Frankly, I was intrigued by the cover which shows the relatively young author writing about a topic that is decidedly not mainstream. Indeed, her writing is the hip, conversational style favored by city-dwelling twenty-somethings with a few references to twitter and instagram :) While reading this book I kept thinking, wait, I read or heard this before. And then realized I did read / hear all of it before...back in the 90s from spiritual pioneers such as Deepak Chopra, Louise Hay, Dr. Wayne Dyer etc. Nevertheless, I carried on reading. To me this book was like a compact refresher course! While it wasn't as insightful as I had hoped the exercises and easy meditations accompanying each chapter were helpful. The concept of the Universe "having your back" (supporting you) might be difficult to grasp by those who are completely unaware that we are, in fact, spirits having a human experience. I recommend this book to people who have explored their spirituality somewhat and want to delve deeper into the topic.

3. Creative Confidence | Tom and David Kelley

If you equate the word "creative" with "artistic", this book might not be for you. Written by the founders of IDEO, an award winning design firm, Creative Confidence is about exploring creativity in all areas of life (especially the workplace), cultivating original insight and stepping out of boundaries. Regardless of whether you're a business leader, self-employed or work in any number of professional fields, the various exercises in this book will help hone your creative skills and the practical action plan will boost your innovative capacities. This book will help people rediscover what they already have: the capacity to imagine.

Read any good books lately?