Reported by Garry
Haven by Emma Donoghue has been a very popular
book with our readers. Two of our regulars had a discussion about it this week,
and spoke about how the main character was a delusional despot who ran the
monastery like a cult. Following a vision he had in a dream, the prior recruits
two disciples and heads out to sea in a small boat with no destination in mind
except to find a rock in the ocean upon which to build a retreat dedicated to
God. Surprisingly they didn’t die on
the voyage and came to what is now called Skellig Michael – a hostile shard of
rock off the coast of Ireland, where the three of them built a chapel and a
kind of life for themselves against all odds. This book has proven to be very
thought provoking and has deeply touched a number of our readers. NH and CD
No Impact Man:
The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the
Discoveries He Makes about Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process by Colin Beavan. Would you want to live on
a dying planet and hand its problems on to your children? That is the question
that Colin Beavan decided to answer with a resounding “No”. For a year, Beavan,
his wife, 2-year-old daughter and dog attempt to live in Manhattan as
eco-consciously as possible: no fossil fuels, sustainable energy, local,
organic foods. The resulting journey is heartwarming, hilarious, and thought
provoking. Our reader was especially surprised how relevant this book is now,
considering it was written in 2006. PP
10% Happier: How
I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help
That Actually Works: A True Story
by Dan Harris somewhat follows the same theme of No Impact Man – You are
unhappy with your life: What do you do about it? In this case Dan Harris, a
correspondent for ABC News and co-anchor of Good Morning America, was an
over-achieving, over-stressed type-A personality who, after an on-air panic
attack, took a step back to look at his life, what forces led him to where he
was, and what he could do about it. Eventually, he stumbled across meditation –
a practice that he had earlier dismissed as mere navel-gazing. Our reader found
that this memoir which delves into the science of meditation and explains Harr’s
journey and struggles with the practice, is one of the most accessible,
practical books on mediation that she has read.
PP
Also
mentioned:
The Water is
Wide by Pat Conroy
Humans of New
York by Brandon Stanton
Properties of
Thirst by Marianne Wiggins
Stalking the
Wild Asparagus by Euell
Gibbons
The Story of
Becoming Piney Flats by
Robert Sorrell
Good Medicine,
Hard Times: Memoir of a Combat Physician in Iraq by Edward P. Horvath, MD
Quite a Year for
Plums by Bailey White
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
People We Meet
on Vacation by Emily Henry
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
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