What Are We Reading in the Bathtub?

Do you take a bath, or read a book? Decisions, decisions…

Why not do both—Happy Read in the Bathtub Day!

In honor of today’s holiday, the Mad Optimist team is sharing their favorite books, and why they like them:

Mohammed A., Co-Founder and COO:

• The Atlantis Gene: A Thriller by A.G. Riddle

The Atlantis Gene-inspired bath soak recipe:

Mohammed M., Co-Founder and CEO:

• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• A nice story of generosity and selflessness. Please note: I like the tree, but not how the boy is mean to the tree.
• Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy by Sadhguru
• Sadhguru is my favorite speaker to listen to on YouTube, and this is his main book. He teaches people to see the world differently, and realize that your world is your own making. He applies the Mad Optimist values to the individual!

The Giving Tree-inspired bath soak recipe:

Anthony, Co-Founder and CMO:

• The Weird of Hali: Innsmouth by John Michael Greer
• The first book of my favorite fantasy series! An epic fantasy that takes H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, but flips it on its head: the tentacled creatures and the human beings who associate with them are the good guys...
• The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country by Peter Bane
• A comprehensive, but easy-to-read guide to permaculture—the art, craft, and science of creating eco-friendly, sustainable human ecosystems, including a re-envisioning of agriculture.

The Weird of Hali-inspired bath soak recipe:

Kay, Account and Systems Specialist:

• Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
• It is a beautifully written novel (translated originally from Spanish) that will suck you in and throw you a twist you won’t expect!
• The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• It’s Harry Potter. Enough said. "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus.” HP Fo’Life!

Harry Potter-inspired bath soak recipe:

Eric, Production and Fulfillment Specialist:

• Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe-inspired bath soak recipe:

Susan, Communications Specialist:

• Watership Down by Richard Adams
• The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams
• To grossly oversimplify, these are books about rabbits and dogs having assorted adventures, respectively. But they are so imaginative and beautifully written that I read and re-read them every few years. They hold up. And each time they end, I cry my eyes out. If I'm going to be soaked in briny tears anyway, I might as well simultaneously lounge in a steamy, fragrant, salty bath, right?...

Watership Down-inspired bath soak recipe:

[Please note: this post contains Amazon affiliate links—if you click these links and purchase a book, The Mad Optimist will use the affiliate income to further our Humanifesto mission. :-)]