read 40 books in 2008

So good. As good as the last one? Yes, I think it may have been.

If I enjoyed all books as much as I enjoyed this one, I would never leave the house or pick up the vacuum again.

A Christmas gift from Mom.

Ah, the fug girls, how very very bitchy and wonderful you are.

Such a cozy read. I have had it for quite some time but had never read it (shocker!) so I put it in the Christmas box. When it came out this year, I took it upstairs and read the stories slowly to savour.

Two Anne excerpts welcomed as old friends and many new stories written for magazines. Some wonderful, some adequate but all in that great Montgomery style. Very cozy and heart-warming.

A sprawling 800+ page book (300 of which are notes) which traverses the evolution of the human race in terms of the various approaches (along with the clashes) there have been to viewing life/the world. The author synthesizes what that has gone before into the context of his integral vision of everything.

so at first i had a hate-hate relationship with this book – her writing simply brought me down; i didn’t appreciate her annoying introspective comments on anything and everything in her life. i mean come on, get over that shit and do something with your life! but then i realized that many depressed people (like myself at times!) don’t ever really know what’s wrong, it’s a continual process of growth and renewal – finding out how to make yourself cope and deal with the depression you’ve been living with for any amount of time.

i spoke with a good friend about the book, also – a good question to ask (that she asked me via her book club) is “when did you stop identifying with esther?” i think for me it came at the point where she kept trying to committ suicide and failed each time. doesn’t she understand that she really doesn’t want to do this to herself? i mean, at that point i feel as if she might’ve tried to turn her life around (i guess she did multiple times what with the writing the novel attempt, dating the random college professor who took her virginity, etc).

i even feel as if sylvia plath’s successful suicide is a tad unexplainable. i mean, she never even saw the publication of this beautiful novel! i guess she never figured out that “normal” doesn’t even exist; or perhaps “figuring out what’s wrong” never occurs. i think the key to dealing with depression is coping with it. i don’t think one ever finds out what’s wrong—it’s how to deal/cope with it that truly matters.

this novel is also fascinating because it’s a close look at how the psychiatric/psychological system worked back in the 50s/60s. these doctors had no idea what they were doing – i mean, seriously, electroshock therapy?? this just turns the mind of the “insane” completely off. maybe it did work for some? who will ever know, i guess.

in any case, it’s a good quick read, but i’m warning you now, it’s freaking depressing…..

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40. by Professor Happycat and icanhascheezburger.com

Hey, a book is a book. And this one made me laugh.

39. Stoned, Naked, and Looking in My Neighbor’s Window compiled by Gabriel Jeffrey

everything it should be

38. The Book of Eleven by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

a re-read, but a fun one

37. Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

not what I would expect from him

this text was written as a compilation of sources for buddhist monks and nuns in training. it’s kind of a guidebook, in a way; only some parts of the text were written 4 centuries ago! i wanted to read it to educate myself on some of the practices that practitioners take very seriously. it’s so intense! vowing to meditate every day, only eat with your community members, never have sex/drink/take drugs/read harmful literature (violent, sensual, etc). i’m so impressed by the ability of practicing monks and nuns to adhere to these principles; it’s as if they are sacrificing their comfort for the rest of humanity. and not only sacrificing, but becoming mindful of every activity you engage in from the moment you wake up (brushing your teeth, going to the bathroom, eating, meditating, cleaning, etc). i can use some of these gathas (verses/hymns) created in order to be mindful of every part of your life. there doesn’t seem to be a better way to experience the world!

my favorite portion of the book is: “encouraging words” by master guishan; “how can you sit around an dlet your life trickle away meaninglessly?” and “learn more every day” and “devote yourself to meditation” and most importantly, the poem he closes with, including phrases “the body is like a dream, the triple world is like a magic show, the past is no longer here, the future is quite uncertain…” these words were written for those young monks who find it difficult to go on, and need a set of encouraging statements to fuel their fire.

i also learned a little bit more about the importance of three bodies: buddha, dharma, and sangha; and how each should be fulfilled in distinct ways each and every day. my question now is, how can we consider these aspects of our practice/daily life if we’re living a societal life? i’d like to read a text by a monk or nun who actually went through these practices and took note of how he/she felt during various stages of training/experience. it’s on the horizon!

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