There was a time I used to read a LOT of memoirs. And then, just like that, I stopped. I see after reading ‘Solito’ why I need to resume.
This was an aThere was a time I used to read a LOT of memoirs. And then, just like that, I stopped. I see after reading ‘Solito’ why I need to resume.
This was an astounding work - moving and compelling. My heart ached for all that Javier goes through as a 10-year-old just to reach the US. You feel for Javier and his Gang of Four at every step....more
What an astounding debut. Measured, gripping, riveting, and compelling. Yes, this book is for runners. But even a non-runner can read this and just beWhat an astounding debut. Measured, gripping, riveting, and compelling. Yes, this book is for runners. But even a non-runner can read this and just be awed at this debut work of fiction from Josie Shapiro. It’s rare to come across books set in New Zealand, so that’s another plus.
I adored this book. One of the books of the year for me. Honest and compassionate, moving and just lovable....more
Somehow, this book wasn’t up to Pema’s usual standards. Don’t get me wrong. It had all her wisdom and love, but it also felt like it was hastily writtSomehow, this book wasn’t up to Pema’s usual standards. Don’t get me wrong. It had all her wisdom and love, but it also felt like it was hastily written, with nothing really new if you have read her other works. If you are new to reading Pema, this may not be the best one to start off with.
But no matter what, Pema is Pema, and her words are the glue in my life....more
I never would have picked this book up on my own. Owe it to a certain resistance to reading memoirs from celebrities. This isn't a memoir, but well, wI never would have picked this book up on my own. Owe it to a certain resistance to reading memoirs from celebrities. This isn't a memoir, but well, we all know who Oprah is.
Yet, this book moved me. Not because Oprah expresses some earth-shattering revelations. Nah. It's simple, sensible, and heart-warming. She talks in a vulnerable way and gives some homemade truths that we all know of: love, resilience, gratitude, connection, and self-care - but which, sadly, we just forget every day.
An astounding work of truth, this has to be one of the best books I have read this year. Not in terms of the sheer brilliance of its prose, but that iAn astounding work of truth, this has to be one of the best books I have read this year. Not in terms of the sheer brilliance of its prose, but that its message can be potentially life-changing.
Yeshe Losal Rinpoche is not your typical Buddhist monk. He spent 37 years indulging himself, much like we all do. Fast cars, alcohol, women, and indolence made up his life until then. This was before a harrowing flight from Tibet as a teenager along with other monks, including his brother.
I love teachers like Pema Chodron because they appear so fallible, so within reach. Yeshe Losal Rinpoche is cast from the same cloth. I fell in love with this story, with the honesty, with the love and compassion, and above all with the message that we are all workable.
Many years ago, I had read Ishmael Beah’s powerful ‘A Long Way Gone.’ It remains one of the most moving books on war I had ever read. But for some reaMany years ago, I had read Ishmael Beah’s powerful ‘A Long Way Gone.’ It remains one of the most moving books on war I had ever read. But for some reason, I had associated Beah’s book with Sudan, not Sierra Leone. So, I thought I was reading my first book set in Sierra Leone when I picked up ‘The Bite Of The Mango.’
My memory and its tricks.
Kamara’s story is so gut-wrenching - raped at 12 - and then has her arms cut off by boy rebel soldiers. I have no idea where human beings find the resilience to cope with these horrors, but Kamara does. The book is not pleasant reading - but it’s a memoir - and Kamara presents an almost journalistic lens to the horrors of the Sierra Leone civil war. The war may have ended, but its scars remain. I don’t care about narrative PoVs or tone or depth or the quality of the writing for this book. It’s Kamara’s story and we should be grateful she is sharing it at all. ...more
I have never seen a quail in my life. But Robert is one quail I wish I had met. This is a beautiful beautiful book about a lovely quail with the most I have never seen a quail in my life. But Robert is one quail I wish I had met. This is a beautiful beautiful book about a lovely quail with the most lovable personality.
Sweet, short, and utterly heartwarming (Sorry Jae, I can’t get this word out of my head!). These are the kind of books that make us believe in a better world. Robert taught me to be unapologetically myself. Not in a boorish, ‘I don’t care about the world’ millennial way. But that we can just lean into the softest part of our hearts and be open to love and be loved.
A rare, intimate look at a monk’s inner compass, this book is a treasure. It can be a bit ‘technical,’ especially toward the end, but it didn’t matterA rare, intimate look at a monk’s inner compass, this book is a treasure. It can be a bit ‘technical,’ especially toward the end, but it didn’t matter. I had always wondered what would happen if monks or nuns were to actually live in the ‘real’ world, stuck in traffic and screaming kids or abusive parents or distressed bank accounts. Yongey Mingyur always wondered the same, perhaps, setting out on a 4-year incognito retreat through India, abandoning a relatively plush monastic existence for a life on the streets.
The book doesn’t trace all of the four years. But even in the short one or two weeks it traces, the results were fascinating. I was enthralled to learn how the Rinpoche seems very human in craving daal, feeling aversion for the stink from fellow passengers on the train, and coping with anxiety and panic attacks, while wondering why he was doing this at all. It’s not that Yongey doesn’t feel what we do - where he is a Rinpoche is how he explains how his mind handles all that life throws at him. A book to be bookmarked and one that gave me some support during tumultuous times. ...more
The title might be a bit misleading. No one can really be called the happiest man on earth because testing that kind of theory is impossible. It’s EddThe title might be a bit misleading. No one can really be called the happiest man on earth because testing that kind of theory is impossible. It’s Eddie Jaku who calls himself that. I thought this was a book on happiness. But it’s more a memoir. It’s a touching story of Jaku’s astonishing life as a Jew in Nazi Germany and the life he led afterward.
The chapters are all lessons - each one little signposts on what Jaku feels are the important things in life. And Jaku should know. He turned 100 last year. Family. Laughter. Education. Friendship. Kindness. Sharing. Helping. These are some of the lessons Jaku urges on us. And they are lessons worth listening to. ...more
How do you take the threadbare, frail threads of grief and transform them into love? Ask Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi. The music of ‘Loss’ is not despaHow do you take the threadbare, frail threads of grief and transform them into love? Ask Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi. The music of ‘Loss’ is not despair. The tragedy of ‘Loss’ is not death. ‘Loss’ is not despair or death. It’s a moving eulogy to life and the people who shape us through it.
I have been a fan of Shanghvi ever since I read ‘The Last Song of Dusk.’ But it’s here that I feel the writer is at his most vulnerable, slicing away pieces of his soul for us. As we read his words, we may feel virtuous that he doesn’t speak of us. It can’t be us. We aren’t lonely, despairing, suffering, or casting adrift in our aloneness. But we are. We know that no one has spoken of our pain as much as he has in this book. ...more
Ah, regrets. What do we do with all our regrets? I have long wondered about the regrets we build up in our lives - piles of our old laundry that we shAh, regrets. What do we do with all our regrets? I have long wondered about the regrets we build up in our lives - piles of our old laundry that we shove into some corner and forget it exists. Except that it does. And it gnaws away at us. The things we wish we had done. The words we wish we had said.
One of my biggest regrets is that I never wished my brother for his last birthday. I didn’t get another chance. But that’s what I think. Reality is I can wish my brother through others. Through their birthdays, I can celebrate his life too. So, while ‘Midnight Library’ seems a wonderful place to be, a place where we try out all of life’s infinite possibilities, Matt Haig shows us that this life we are leading right now is the place to be. That this is the life we get to lead with all its myriad possibilities. We need not allow our regrets to defeat us. We can make our regrets the cornerstone of beauty.
A poignant read that came to me at the right time. Thank you, Restless, for thinking of me and suggesting I read this. I was obedient and did so immediately. No regrets reading this. ;-)...more
When CSD told me that she was kind of recovering from this book, I wondered what she meant. I know now, my CSD, what you meant.
This book is so kind tWhen CSD told me that she was kind of recovering from this book, I wondered what she meant. I know now, my CSD, what you meant.
This book is so kind that it made me want to weep. And if you know me, you know I am not the sort to say I weep over characters in books. I don’t faff that way. But this book. It tugs at your heartstrings. It urges you to be kind. It shows you the way to love. It’s indescribably warm. It’s unfathomably beautiful.
This is not a ‘reading’ book. This is a practicing book. Of all of Pema’s books I have read, this was probably the most ‘technical.’ Therefore, ‘diffiThis is not a ‘reading’ book. This is a practicing book. Of all of Pema’s books I have read, this was probably the most ‘technical.’ Therefore, ‘difficult’ to kind of rush through. But at the same time, you can trust Pema to take what seems esoteric and give it the framework of common human pain.
The book is a commentary on Shantideva’s teachings. I didn’t know who Shantideva was when I started reading this, but I think I kind of like the chap by the end. And I always love love Pema. She is at her most adorable when she admits to her weaknesses, as she does throughout this book.
Don’t pick this book up to just finish your reading quota. Pick it up because you truly want to bring change. In yourself and others. And then, we can’t throw it off either. It works best if we resolve to make this a manual for living.
Pffftt. That’s the sound my soul made when I finished this book. If you read the book, you would know what meaning exists in “pfftt.” I felt remarkablPffftt. That’s the sound my soul made when I finished this book. If you read the book, you would know what meaning exists in “pfftt.” I felt remarkably uplifted, my soul danced a little jig, and I could only marvel at the sheer beauty, love, hope, and light that Kate DiCamillo has infused into this book.
I want to give copies of this book to those I love. I want to shout it out standing at Bangalore’s busiest traffic junction. I want to say, “Read.” Because this book is about filling our hollow souls with love. It’s about courage - so much that I wanted to hug all the little girls here and say, “You are all the bravest souls I know and my soul is so pfftt at your bravery that I can’t hold it still anymore.”
Just what can I write about this magnificent book that hasn’t been said already? This is so moving and powerful a work that I could only read in awe, Just what can I write about this magnificent book that hasn’t been said already? This is so moving and powerful a work that I could only read in awe, and then wish I could read it again. There are so many layers of meanings that Walker gives to every poetic page that I am sure I will come back a different person with each reading.
I am glad I read it now during the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It’s a relevant book for these times and beyond. We need diverse voices now more than ever before.
This is such an ode to love, survival, and hope. There were times I had tears because of the unbearable suffering that the women here go through, and there were times those tears were joy because Walker makes me believe that people can and do change.
Change for good. What a message of hope for a cynic like me. ...more
Some books are so transformative. I have been a runner for more than a decade now. But after reading this book, I realized just how mindlessly I run. Some books are so transformative. I have been a runner for more than a decade now. But after reading this book, I realized just how mindlessly I run. Not that the book says I should cast such judgement on myself. But ‘Still Running’ is a beautiful meditation on the art of running or any exercise. If you are a cyclist, please pick this up. Or well, anyone really. Walking. Running. Cycling. Dancing. Wherever we move.
In beautiful, sparse language, Vanessa Goddard guides us through the basic elements of zazen. The principles offered for running, she elaborates, are those that can be applied anywhere in life: intent, discipline, commitment. Honestly, we can all do with some intent, commitment, and discipline, can’t we?
Rich with practical exercises, there’s much to love in this book. So much to love. So much gentle kindness. So much warmth. ...more
I saw this book sitting on my friend’s shelf yesterday. Naturally, I had to borrow it. Especially, when I had given away this book years ago. I guess I saw this book sitting on my friend’s shelf yesterday. Naturally, I had to borrow it. Especially, when I had given away this book years ago. I guess what you give does come back to you.
The illustrations are simply beautiful. The quotes were familiar ones. But Gavin Than has his own unique take on each of the quotes. A lovely, sweet read. ...more
This book is stunning in its audacity. You take one of the most charismatic, revered persons in history and make him, well, an adjunct? Sue Monk Kidd’This book is stunning in its audacity. You take one of the most charismatic, revered persons in history and make him, well, an adjunct? Sue Monk Kidd’s Biblical retelling is marvelous in that audacity. It’s rich in detail. And beautiful in its feminist take of the old Biblical tale.
In ‘The Book Of Longings,’ Jesus is in the background as an amiable husband. In the forefront though, is Ana. Fierce rebel. Writer. Loves the goat Delilah. Is enraptured by the great library in Alexandria. And worships the Greek goddess, Sophia. And yes, she also marries Jesus. I was captured by Ana’s story and her voice. I have always been a fan of Sue Monk Kidd’s writing and in this book she has probably written her best work ever. Read this for Ana. Because we are all Ana. We need our voice. ...more
The cover of this book had been capturing my attention every time I stepped inside a bookshop. But I had desisted from buying it seeing the high priceThe cover of this book had been capturing my attention every time I stepped inside a bookshop. But I had desisted from buying it seeing the high price tag. Fortunately, Amazon Prime came to my rescue and when it was available for free on Prime Reading, I couldn’t believe my luck! Sadly, that’s about the only exhilaration I felt. This book is important, no doubt. But the snippets were too short for me to fully absorb the impact that a woman would have had.
The obvious template - begin with some adorable story of said persona’s childhood - began to drag after a point. It doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the sheer effort that has gone into producing this book. It’s just that I don’t have the energy to like it. I am that kind of girl. ...more
Reading Pema is a bit like hugging a comfortable pillow in the night. A bit like a walk in the mild sunshine. A bit like curling snow in your palm. A Reading Pema is a bit like hugging a comfortable pillow in the night. A bit like a walk in the mild sunshine. A bit like curling snow in your palm. A bit like catching the first rain of summer. It’s peace. Happiness. Serenity. Wisdom. These 108 teachings are collected from Pema Chodron’s other books.
Much like ‘The Pocket Pema Chodron’ you need not read these teachings all at once nor forget about them once you are done. These are lessons you can randomly open one at a time and read it every other day. In running or during workouts, one of the things I tell myself is: Get comfortable with discomfort. It’s the only way we can break through the mental fog. Pema’s teachings are similar - with love and kindness she tells me how to communicate with my fears and make peace with my anxieties. She tells me I am not hopeless. She talks to me of the bodhichitta that is within all of us. She makes me feel, somehow, less alone. ...more
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