15 Books To Nourish Your Soul

This week’s optional theme for The Fit Dish (hosted by Jessica and Jill) is Books To Engage Your Mind and Energize Your Spirit!

I adore reading, and used to hit up the school library every day to read a different book. When I was but a wee child, my brother and I would frequent our public library and come back with ginormous stacks of books to finish off over the week. Twas a good time!

Ever since grad school and med school came around (or even college, if we want to be super honest), however, my leisure reading hasn’t really had much of a chance to happen, because the time just isn’t there. I spend more of my time trying to stuff UpToDate into my head.

But let’s give this a whirl, shall we?! (This post contains some affiliate links, which means I may receive a small amount of monies if you click the link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you!)

15 Books To Nourish Your Soul

I broke em’ down into three different categories: Medicine, Food, and Health/Wellness/Other! :P

Medicine

• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman
  This was the first (and only) book I’ve ever read that dealt with cultural competency. It was one of the assigned readings for an Asian American Studies course I took (one of my very first classes in undergrad!). It’s a heartbreaking read, and stayed in my mind as I worked as a volunteer medical interpreter and patient advocate for Paul Hom Asian Clinic, and even now, as I’m seeing patients. To really and truly help someone, you need to let them know that you care, and if your worlds are vastly different, start by finding common ground.
• Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder
  So…perhaps it’s not entirely fair to include this in my list since I have yet to read it. But this book has been on my to-read list since 2008. It was chosen as THE book for my undergrad’s campus community book project, and is about a physician (Dr. Paul Farmer) who is determined to fight HIV and tuberculosis + improve the health of people living in Haiti. Given my love for working with under-served populations + international medicine, I am pretty darn sure I will love it, and am hoping to read it before I graduate!
• This Won’t Hurt A Bit (And Other White Lies), by Dr. Michelle Au
  …I haven’t read this one either, but I feel like I’d really enjoy it–it’s a medical memoir about a physician’s struggle to maintain a work-life balance + raising a family whilst being a doctor.
• The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly, by Dr. Matt McCarthy – I shared my review of this book over on one of my side projects, FM Student! It details an intern’s experiences in residency!
• Pet Goats & Pap Smears, by Dr. Pamela Wible
  This was written by a physician I really admire (my review for this book is also over on FM Student). Her enthusiasm is evident throughout the pages, and her anecdotes are whimsical and heartwarming. :] I’d recommend this to anyone who needs some inspiration to go after their dreams.

Food

I’ve accumulated a rather awesome collection of cookbooks over the past year, so I’m sharing some of my favorites! :] Since I’ve already written full reviews on each, I won’t go into super-crazy detail on em’!

• The Healthy Mind Cookbook, by Rebecca Katz
  Discusses a bunch of different foods and what they’re beneficial for (e.g. cognitive function, memory, mood, mental energy, etc.), with lots of delicious recipes to try out! (Full review here!)
• The Sprouted Kitchen (Bowl + Spoon), by Sara Forte
  Lots of recipes that are in their most natural state, free of excess sugars, chemicals, and preservatives. (Full review here!)
• The Natural Pregnancy Cookbook, by Dr. Sonali Ruder
  Super tasty + healthy recipes and a wealth of information for if you’re pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant! (You don’t have to be pregnant to enjoy the delicious food in this book. (Full review here!)
• Supermarket Healthy, by Melissa D’Arabian
  Combines my love for easy, relatively quick + healthy recipes all into one awesome book! (Full review here!)
• Street Vegan, by Adam Sobel
  Lots and lots of super amazing-lookin’ recipes in this one–the author is the owner of an NYC vegan food truck: The Cinnamon Snail! (Full review here!)

Health/Wellness/Other

• Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom
  I read this back in sophomore year of high school, which was…apparently over a decade ago (…), and it’s still one of my favorite books! I think most everyone else loved The Five People You Meet In Heaven more, but this is the one that really resonated with me. It teaches you a lot of life lessons. <3
• The No More Excuses Diet, by Maria Kang
  An awesome step-by-step approach to incorporate healthy changes into your diet + lifestyle! (Full review here!)
• Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning, by National Strength and Conditioning Association
  Channeling my inner nerd! I took several kinesiology classes after I graduated from college, and this was the textbook I was most excited to purchase! <3
• Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription, by Vivian Heyward
  Still channeling my inner nerd! I took almost all the kinesiology courses offered at my local community college after I graduated and was thisclose to getting an Associate’s in Athletic Training too! (Sigh.) I think it would’ve been fun, but at this point, I suppose getting a 5th degree would be considered overkill.
• My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
  I’ve long been a fan of Jodi Picoult, and this is probably one of the first of her books that I read. It’s actually been a good number of years since I’ve read it, but the story is heartbreaking, but beautifully written.

• What books have you read lately? Anything to recommend me? :D
• Are you on GoodReads? Come say hello!

Check out my previous The Fit Dish posts!

Connect with me on social media!

blog | facebook | instagram | pinterest | twitter | bloglovin’