A Grave Disturbance

A Grave Disturbance by D.M. Greenwood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"When Deacon Theodora Braithwaite agrees to visit an old friend, Susan Tye, wife of the Provost of the cathedral near Gainshurst, she finds the Cathedral Close in turmoil, following the death of a workman. The accident adds greatly to the burdens borne by Reggie Tye, already battling to fund the restoration of possibly the ugliest cathedral in Britain (or one of the most unusual, depending on your point of view), and, according to his wife, a victim of a mysterious blackmailer.

"Theodora is unimpressed by the spartan hospitality on offer and even less impressed with the Tyes' wild theories. But as suspicions mount that the tragic accident may not have been an accident at all, but rather a convenient murder, Theordora is reluctantly drawn into a most unseemly ecclesiastical wrangle ..."
~~back cover

The opening caught me up straightaway -- a delectable foray into lyrical English, presented by Lionel, whose sharp wit and tongue make such engaging reading. Well-plotted, good characterization -- definitely worth the reading.

The Enlightened Heart

The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology Of Sacred Poetry by Stephen Mitchell

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


"This collection celebrates the radiance of the enlightened heart as it shine through the world's cultures and religious traditions. Beginning with selections from the earliest sacred masterpieces -- the Upanishads, the Books of Psalms, and the Bhagavad Gita (in new translations by the editor) -- this extraordinary anthology also contains poems by the Taoist and Buddhist masters; Rumi and other Sufi masters; Christian poets such as Francis of Assisi, Dante, and George Herbert; Blake, Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Rilke, and other modern poets.

Following on Stephen Mitchell's translations of the Tao Te Ching, The Book of Job, and Rilke, ... this unique and inspiring anthology is a further record of the highest points of human experience,"
~~front flap

I was excited to read this book. I often find inspiration and a deepening of my spiritual life in quotes or writings of many of the saints and masters included in this anthology. Perhaps I was just not in a spiritual place, but nothing in this book touched my heart of my soul. What a disappointment!

Deep Economy

Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"In this powerful and provocative manifesto, Bill McKibben offers the biggest challenge in a generation to the prevailing view of our economy. For the first time in human history, he observes, 'more' is no longer synonymous with 'better' -- indeed, for many of us, they have become almost opposites. McKibben puts forward a new way to think about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all.

"The animating idea of Deep Economy is that we need to move beyond 'growth' as the paramount economic ideal and pursue prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment. McKibben shows this concept blossoming around the world with striking results, from the burgeoning economies of India and China to the mature societies of Europe and New England. For those who worry about environmental threats, he offers a route out of the worst of those problems; for those who wonder if there isn't something more to life than buying, he provides the insight to think about one's life as an individual and as a member of a larger community.

"A generation ago, many environmentalists advocated 'deep ecology,' through which they sought to move beyond short-term, piecemeal reforms by asking profound questions about the choices people make in their daily lives. McKibben demonstrates that we need a similar shift in our thinking about economics -- we need to think about the 'deep economy' that takes human satisfaction and societal durability more seriously. As he so eloquently shows, the more we nurture the essential humanity of our economy, the more we will recapture our own."
~~front and back flaps

It's hard to find anything else to say about this book, other than the author certainly does all that's promised on the jacket blurb, and does it in ordinary English that is easy to understand. Sometimes these sorts of books are written in "deep acadamese" and are almost inaccessible to the lay public. Not so with this book (or any of his other books that I've read). Which reflects one of the central tenets of the book: change in our economy and our society has to start locally, with the people.

It's a book well worth reading -- thought provoking, and making a durable future seem very doable. The author has captured an idea I've had for years but didn't know how to articulate or implement: that communities are important, local scale must be first and foremost if we are to sustain our planet in a liveable condition.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


"Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years."
~~back cover

This is a very curious book. From Wikipedia:
"The story is written in the first-person perspective of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy who describes himself as 'a mathematician with some behavioral difficulties' living in Swindon, Wiltshire. Although Christopher's condition is not stated explicitly within the novel, indeed, the words "autism" or "Asperger's" are not used by Christopher at all, the book cover summary (inside or back cover, depending on the edition) refers to Asperger syndrome, high-functioning autism, or savant syndrome. In July 2009, Haddon stated on his blog that "curious incident is not a book about asperger’s....if anything it’s a novel about difference, about being an outsider, about seeing the world in a surprising and revealing way. the book is not specifically about any specific disorder" and that he is not an expert on autism spectrum disorder or Asperger's."

But it seemed very clear to me that Christopher was autistic -- somewhere on the autism spectrum. It's an amazing book, looked at from that perspective. As usual when the book is narrated from the first person POV, Christopher's thought processes and decisions don't seem so out of the ordinary. We all have our likes and dislikes, quirks, phobias. Christopher just has more of them than most of us, and they proscribe his world.

What I didn't like about the book was the situation between his parents and the neighbors -- an unsavory situation at best, although maybe a relatively common way of dealing with the emotions inherent in the developments (trying to avoid spoilers here.)

A lot of people LOVED this book, including my "adopted" niece. Which is why I got enticed into reading it in the first place.

Being Peace

Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


"Being Peace is a timeless and eloquent introduction to Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and his most important teachings. First published in 1987 and translated into more than thirty languages, this spiritual classic reveals the connection between our own personal happiness and the state of the world around us.

"Thich Nhat Hanh's key practices are presented in simple and clear language, offering practical suggestions for how to create a more peaceful world 'right in the moment we are alive.' Being Peace is a must-have for those interested in Buddhist practice and a perfect starting point for anyone concerned about how to create peace in themselves and the world. This newly revised edition contains an introduction by author and spiritual teacher Jack Kornfield."
~~back cover

This book was not what I expected. The other books on Buddhism I've read were different, more structured somehow (although Buddhism is not about structure.) I found it hard to "become" this book, as I hadn't with the other books. So I read the first half or more of the book out of "duty" -- needing to finish the book because it is my B title book for this year's challenge.

And then the book turned to the Tiep Hien Order, the Order of Interbeing. The Tiep Hien Order was founded in Vietnam during the war and is a form of engaged Buddhism. Engaged Buddhism is Buddhism in daily life, in society, and not just a retreat center. "Tiep" means "to be in touch" and "to continue"; "Hien" means "the present time." While simple in concept, it's too intricate and beautiful to present here, in a review. I can only say that it intrigues me, and makes me want to at least attempt to practice it.

An American River Journal by Jo Glasson Smith and Peter J. Hayes

American River Journal by Jo Glasson Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"This union of engaging essays and beautiful illustrations gives me a whole new appreciation of the sights and sounds I experience hiking and biking along the American River." ~~Warren V. Truitt
~~back cover

This is a little jewel of a book! Short essays divided into each month of the year, describing the turning of the seasons, the visitors and local wildlife going about their lives. Charming, Beatrix Potterish without the sentimentality or anthropomorphism.

Like stumbling across a hidden waterfall and pool on a hot summer's day.

Emile Zola

The Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The Ladies' Paradise recounts the spectacular development of the modern department store in late nineteenth-century Paris. The store is a symbol of capitalism, of the modern city, and of the bourgeois family; it is emblematic of consumer culture and the changes in sexual attitudes and class relations taking place at the time.

"Octave Mouret, the store's owner-manager, masterfully exploits the desires of his female customers. In his private life too he is the great seducer. But when he falls in love with the innocent Denise Baudu, he discovers she is the only one of the salesgirls who refuses to be commodified.

"This new translation of the eleventh book in the Rougon-Macquart cycle captures the spirit of one of Zola's greatest novels of the modern city."

~~back cover

A fascinating book! Definitely a morality play of the 1% and how the majority of people think only of what they want to buy, and whether they can get it more cheaply. The rousing success of The Ladies' Paradise is vividly contrasted with the owners and workers in the small shops surrounding the new behemoth. They are slowly being run out of business, ground into poverty and failure, the loss of second and third generation family businesses. Mass production and quantity driving quality and pride of craftsmanship into futility.

I was amazed at how much this aspect of the book resonated with the current economic situation, and how difficult it was to be aligned with the small shopkeepers who stubbornly clung to their old ways, and ineffectively cursed the new way of business that was driving them to ruin. Unlike Dickens, who also railed against the rich who ground the poor to oblivion, Zola paints the new regime with bright hues as opposed to the surrounding dirty, dark, damp, squalid shops -- making the new store seem gay, modern, luxurious and infinitely more advantageous. The new employees are not treated badly by management, but spend a good deal of their energy and efforts at sabotaging each other to try to further their own status. The foibles and greed of the middle class customers are presented for ridicule and dismay, further underlining the inherent amorality of the new burgeoning capitalism.

Zola excels in describing the merchandise in glowing, lascivious terms -- underscoring the psychological traits which empower the growth and glamor of this rapidly growing phenomenon and shining a glaring spotlight on the greed and heedlessness of a good portion of the population.

In contrast, the love story seems almost an afterthought, just a vehicle to move the story along, provide continuity. I was disappointed in the ending -- there's no resolution there, although a bit of research indicates that this is not the last book in the saga, so perhaps the next book answers the question left hanging in this one.