October reading list

Cooler days and steady rain has turned my attention inward, and back to reading. In fact, I have six books on the go right now! Which is probably a few too many to really pay attention to any one of them fully. 

Luke said to me the other day, “Wow, you really like books ”. Yes, but I think what I really like is ideas, more than books themselves. Each book I am reading right now has a powerful idea behind them – and I take inspiration from each one in a different way.

There is a strange tension in this list, but perhaps it is somewhat illuminating of where my head is these days. There’s the “make lots of money by complicating life by buying up real estate and starting tons of different businesses” side of me. And the “simplify, grow our own food, pay off the mortgage on a tiny house so we can pursue strange small tangents and re-design a life that is out of the ordinary” side. Which side will win today?

The List:

Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner

This one has been sitting beside my bed since April. I bought on my birthday in a great bookstore in Moab. While the ideas are interesting, I haven’t really committed to the whole book so far. Water politics in the American west – heavy!

The Dirty Life by Kristen Kimball

Buy this book! Fantastic, romantic, but real look at an incredibly interesting farm. Kristen and her partner have created a CSA that provides “whole diets” to about 150 families. A step beyond the familiar CSA that just provides veggies, their farm provides meats, grains, fat, fruit AND veggies. This book has me dreaming of creating my own mini farm to provide my own whole diet.

What, Where, When and How to Buy Real Estate in Canada by Ozzie Jurock

The Canadian Real Estate Action Plan by Peter Kinch

My fascination with real estate never seems to wear off… these two offer strategies for investing in the Canadian real estate market. Buy low, sell high – there, now you don’t need to read them.

Life Entrepreneurs by Christopher Gergen and Greg Vanourek

I’m just getting started on this one, so I’ll get back to you later. So far my favourite idea is that you don’t need to live the same life as everyone else, design your own!

Housing Reclaimed by Jessica Kellner

This one appeals to the other side of my real estate passion – recycled, small, unique.