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I think I do more reading in the colder months than the warmer ones, how about you?
My leisure time in the summer seems consumed by flowers, bull frogs, and butterflies. In the dark of winter I will spend hours reading in the bathtub or bed, but in the summer I’m usually too exhausted by daytime existence and heat to read in my usual haunts. Reading for fun happens mostly in little snippets of time, mostly while I’m in transit – like in the car being shuttled to a family function, or while waiting for someone’s luggage at an airport, or in a too-long line at the bank.
If you’re looking for something to read this summer, here are a few Book Quickie Reviews of the stuff that occupied my winter nights:
Title: Fowl Weather
Author: Bob Tarte
Why I Read It: It has a duck on the cover! (I’m a bit bird-brained in case you haven’t noticed). I spotted it on the shelf at the Goodwill.
Synopsis: It’s the memoir of a kindred spirit who chronicals life with his menagerie. In his own words, it’s the story of, “how thirty-nine animals and one sock monkey took over my life.”
Highlights: Bob Tarte makes me seem normal by comparison. He’s funny and taught me a lot about my ducks.
Most Relate-to-able Quotes: What can you ever say to a dead duck?
It bothered me that I’d exhibited more patience with a duck than I seemed capable of extending to my mother…
Title: Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Why I Read It: It was a good book day at the Goodwill. I hadn’t read anything by Gladwell, but I’d heard good reviews about his work. The idea of thinking without thinking was compelling.
Synopsis: Through a wide range of case studies and behavioral research Malcolm explores the cognition behind “gut feelings.”
Highlights: I am in awe of Gladwell’s ability to synthesize information from many different lenses into such a coherent picture of unconscious cognition. He weaves together research and examples from such far flung fields as marital communication to military strategy (actually those two domains may not be as disparate as they seem on the surface) to museum curation. It was as fascinating as it was well-written.
Recommended to: Folks interested in psychology will love this book. Also, firefighters and police officers, and others who must make quick, high-stakes decisions would benefit from this information as well as educators and policy makers.
Best Quote:
We live in a world saturated with information. We have vitually unlimited amounts of data at our fingertips at all times, and we’re well versed in the arguments about the dangers of not knowing enough and not doing our homework. But what I have sensed is an enormous frustration wtih the unexpected costs of knowing too much, of being inundated with information. We have come to confuse information with understanding….we are desperately lacking in the latter (Gladwell, 2005, p. 264-265).
Title: Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses
Author: Claire Dederer
Why I Read It: Yoga and Memoir – these are a few of my favorite things!
Synopsis: Dederer shares her experience of coming to terms with motherhood and balancing a career with family life through a (sometimes reluctant) yoga practice.
Highlights: I love stories about the transformative power of a yoga practice. Dederer tells her story with a wickedly funny kick.
What surprised me: I wasn’t expecting from such a funny flippant lady the depth of knowledge and insight with which she wrote about the women’s movement of her mother’s generation and the cultural trends in our own generation. She challenged me to think more deeply about my own relationship with my mom and the social and political factors that defined mom’s generation and how that might have led to some of her baffling behaviors.
Best quote:
Without our mothers and their mass 1970s exodus to who knows where, we might not have gotten those crucial years of learning who we were. I am not sure any of the mothers meant to give us this gift, this terrible gift of freedom…they bought our freedom with their courage (Dederer, 2011, p. 297).
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Disclosure: I signed up to be an Amazon Affiliate, which means 1.) I can use their book cover images in my posts without having to worry about them suing me, and 2.) if you use one of the links I provide in the blog to purchase the book on amazon.com I’ll get like a nickel or something. I’m disclosing this so you will be aware that if you click on a book link, our electronic “footprints” will be walking together toward amazon.
Pike’s Peak
The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.
–Khalil Gibran
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
–Albert Einstein
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“Right association” is the practice of being with those who will help you elevate your being. Elevating your being does not mean increasing your status or inflating your ego. It means finding people who will move you closer towards bliss than you can walk alone.
Surround yourself with individuals and environments that are positive, loving, and compassionate. Can’t find these people? Then seek out individuals through the ages who have lived through the wisdom of spirit rather than the drama of ego. Read their works!
This also means minimizing time with individuals and environments that are degrading or toxic.
And just to share a few of my ‘elevators’ this past year:
Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates.
Rolf shares his interesting background and wonderful talent at translating ancient teachings into practical and modern living. It’s parcelled into bite-sized bits that pack a punch. It’s a great book for daily study. In fact, it was so good I had to buy a second copy of the book mid-way through because I couldn’t wait to share it with a dear teacher.
The Lost Art of Compassion by Lorne Ladner
A fantastic book. Ladner’s perspective is informed by modern Western psychology temper with Buddist tradition. My copy is highlighted, dog-earred, water-marked, and filled with cookie crumbs — all signs that it’s good. It has traveled with me everywhere. Thanks to Noelle of Be the Breath (another elevator) for the recommendation.
Please share what or who has elevated you this year!
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