funtimestwo

If I edited the sidebar here on my blog and I had a section called Reading: it would contain White Teeth by Zadie Smith, If the Buddha Dated by Charlotte Kasl and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by somebody great. All of these have been or are being quickly and ravenously devoured by me cause they are all so compelling, creative and something else. The Buddha one definitely has the self-help tone and the weakness that some westernized eastern philosophy books have where they sum up most chapters with a statement with the following pattern: a=b and b=a. They take a simple sometimes profound statement and then repeat it backwards thereby heightening the sense of supreme insightfulness and ESP of the Buddhist teacher from 222 AD or whenever. i.e. to forgive our parents is to forgive ourselves; to forgive ourselves is to forgive our parents. Don't you see its the age old cycle of the snake swallowing its tale? Rin pontghe was soooo right, man. But joking aside, there are some really great insights and ideas-mostly reminding us to listen and find opportunity for learning everywhere-greet new situations with fascination and curiosity rather than fear or judgment, etc. Like my father I suppose I am a promiscuous reader (reading anything put before me and wrenching some substance from it.) When I was working at a publishing company I would test the limits of my reading tastes and take home a couple of the really cheap novelettes of popular TV shows or short fictions created around pre-teen idols (Hanson!) and see if I could stomach them and how quickly I could read them. I began and finished a Dawson's Creek Novella on my commute home one night. That's sort of sick.
All the discrediting evidence aside, however, I am now making more discerning choices about my precious reading time, so the books I've listed above I HGHLY recommend-especially White Teeth, I can't believe its a first novel. Such beautiful insights into these different people and such transformative tales. The perspective shifts were really impressive to me, the voice of each character was so well rounded, sympathetic, rich and distinct.
Kavalier and Clay also stuck in brain - got quite lodged. I keep wanting to buy it for people. 2002 was also a good year for discovery of new all time favorite writers-I found Robertson Davies (thanks O) and Aimee Bender (!!!! thanks jellybean)-check them out if you haven't. And now a treat from Rumi who figures largely in the Buddha book:
I want this music and this dawn and the warmth of your cheek against mine
its true