The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

First, I would like to say that I recommend this book to everybody. Whether you like Winnie the Pooh or Taoism. It's interesting just how relative the principles in this book are, to some of the other books I have read about worry, stress and life drama. If you think of Pooh, and the way he views life. The way he goes through life, he has a lot of wisdom and allows things to be, and he just IS! The book will describe this better of course, but there's a song from this book that kind of sums it up:

"How can you get very far,

If you don't know Who You Are?

How can you do what you ought,

If you don't know What You've Got?

And if you don't know Which To Do

Of all the things in front of you,

Then what you'll have when you are through

Is just a mess without a clue

Of all the best that can come true

If you know What and Which and Who." - Winnie the Pooh

Not only is this book charming and light hearted, it presents deep wisdom in the guise of the fable of Winnie the Pooh. The stories and characters are an allegory representing different types of people in the world. How they think. What they do. How they view the world. But the wisest and most relative of all is P'u.

20 Something 20 Everything by Christine Hassler

This is more than a book. It's a process. During the time in your life where you're trying to figure everything out, and trying to learn what career you want to pursue and how to get there, you can get overwhelmed with the expectations of yourself from yourself and other people around you. You'll compare yourself to other people your age, and feel left out from the career world and all that "time of your life" that your relatives or friends say is the definition of the twenty something years. 

Each chapter of this book helps you dive into what you already know, about your goals, dreams and how you view yourself. Each chapter begins with a few stories of women who go through a similar obstacle or challenge. After each in depth explanation, a list of questions based on your experiences and expectations follows the stories, and a small conclusion to the chapter. 

I recommend reading this book with a blank journal to answer the questions and record your thoughts on each chapter. It's also important to answer each question truthfully, or you won't really know what you want and how you view your life. 

This book is work, but it's also a revelation. With building blocks to pursue your goals, and advice to enjoy this time in your life, Christine Hassler encourages you to really look at your life. How you view  it. How you view yourself. These are more important and influencial than you realize. 

The only way for this book to work, is for you to work. But there are fun projects and tasks to do today to help you clarify what you want and who your are. 

I highly recommend this book to any woman in her twenties, no matter what her situation is. If your lost in the whirlwind of career, relationship status and self image criticism, this book helps you understand that you are not alone. All you have to do is learn the answers to three questions- in depth.

Who are you? What do you want? And, ow do you get there?

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Many people believe that this book is a romance novel, and I won't say that the chemistry between Scarlet and Rhett isn't appealing, but I did not view the book this way. For one, I didn't like the main character at all. Scarlet was selfish and her actions proved to be so, and that resulted in me disliking her for a good 300 pages. I didn't like Rhett either but I doubt he would take offense anyway. He was the Cad that he was proud to be. Then the war came, and with it some difficult decisions for Scarlet.
She started the book in love with an idea, in the form of Ashley Wilkes. And stays in love with this idea throughout the story. But she wasn't in love with Ashley, she was in love with the idea of him, who she thought he was, a gentleman. This is interesting to note, because while she pines for Ashley, she takes care of his wife and kids, helping them survive the war and being a constant source of support and care for Melanie. She sacrifices many things without thinking about them, her dignity, morality and at times her emotions. Her only true companion throughout this journey is Rhett Butler, the one man who understands her and knows who she truly is.
This book had many layers.
One is allegory. All of the major characters have different personalities that represent different types of people. Scarlet is not like any other character except Rhett, and this is no accident.
Another layer of this book is psychological. Scarlet's transformation is stretched over time and even the end of the war isn't her final metamorphosis. She marries three times. Once for revenge or spite. The second time is for resources. And the third and final time is presented to her as fun. Each marriage teaches her something new about herself, and each decision is a turning point in her life. Whenever Scarlet reaches a turning point or a tough decision, she always says that she will think about it later. She only ever thinks about it later twice, when she swears never to go hungry again, and when she loses something she never believed that she had. Her goal is to survive, and take care of others.
The other layer is historical. The culture of the south is forever changed and so many changes happen that the people of Tara cannot bear it all. Scarlet's view of the war is bias and stays that way throughout the novel. Yet, Rhett plays both sides and thinks of the war, and so many other things, like a game that he can win no matter who loses. Much of the events affect Scarlet directly, but Rhett never seems burdened by them.
I guess it is fitting that a long novel has a long book review. I do recommend this book, and I consider it a literally work that is undervalued as a romance novel.
If you think of Scarlet, not as a woman, but has a human, and Rhett as a trickster or dark mentor, your view of the story changes dramatically. Why does Scarlet call Rhett her soul? Why does she not grieve during the war, but after Melanie dies she actually cries and feels remorse? What's the reason for her pining after Ashley? Is she selfish or selfless?