Chris's Updates en-US Sun, 13 Apr 2025 08:34:23 -0700 60 Chris's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7485153895 Sun, 13 Apr 2025 08:34:23 -0700 <![CDATA[Chris added 'Siddhartha']]> /review/show/7485153895 Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse Chris gave 4 stars to Siddhartha (Mass Market Paperback) by Hermann Hesse
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

In the shade of the sallow wood, Siddhartha, the handsome Brahmin's son, grew up with his friend Govinda. He had learned to pronounce Om - the word of words - when he was two weeks old and love stirred in all who knew him for, they recognised in him a Holy Man. Yet Siddhartha himself was troubled; neither his heart nor soul was full.

He meditated for decades under the banana plants, breathing in the Consciousness of the Cosmos, before whispering to Govinda: "I cannot find the Atman's dwelling place here. I must join the Samanas."

"You cannot leave," his father wept, though in his heart of hearts he knew his son had already left, for he was a wise and noble man. Siddhartha levitated gently, hovering above Govinda's outstretched hands. "Come, my friend," he said. "It is time to transcend our Destinies. Whatever that means."

For two thousand years Siddhartha fasted among the Samanas, the sun's fierce rays bleaching his bones. His asceticism was legendary, yet still Atman eluded him. "No matter how far I get away from the Self, I always come back to the Self," he wept.

"Truly, you are too deep for these Samanas losers," Govinda replied. "Perhaps Paulo Coelho the Illustrious Buddha can help with your divine quest." The two New Seekers left the forest, full of hope they could teach the world to sing and made their way to Coelho's yurt.
Coelho sat, smiling and inscrutable, as he preached the teachings of the here and now and the now and then. "You are a man of Peace," Govinda whispered. "I will follow your illustrious path."

"But I must be on my way," Siddhartha said. "For if I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together, then who is the Walrus?"

"You have found the gap between the single and Eternal worlds," Coelho nodded gravely. "Be on your guard, O Clever one, against taking too many drugs."

Siddhartha pondered these things in his heart. In searching for Atman, he had lost himself. "And me," the last remaining reader echoed, but Siddhartha did not heed this warning. "River is River, Earth is Earth and another joint wouldn't hurt," he sang as he asked the Bryan Ferryman to take him across the water to the village. There he met the ethereal Kamala, whom he wooed with his poetry.

Kamala the serene courtesan pulled him towards her and together they ascended the tree of love in a frenzied, hurried century of Tantric bliss, while a chorus of lutes and sitars played outside their window. Once they had uncoupled, Kamala intuitively understood Siddhartha was too spiritual to be bothered with the chores of parenthood and let him depart with a profound "See you now and Zen, babe" to pursue his Destiny.

Siddhartha went to live among the ordinary people and there he learned the art of acquisitiveness. People trusted him with their money and for five hundred years he found that the more he lost, the more he seemed to gain. "Congratulations, grasshopper," said Sir Fred Goodwin, "you have found Nirvana." Yet deep within him, Siddhartha knew he had lost the Path. He yearned for the simplicity of Om sweet Om.

He returned to the river where Govinda was sitting in the lotus position. Yet his old friend did not recognise him. "I am not the same person I was yesterday, nor the same person I will be tomorrow," Siddhartha explained. "Er ... quite," Govinda replied, anxious to be on his way.
Siddhartha sat down for a millennium and thought deep thoughts of Omness. "The river is never still yet it is always the same river," he eventually announced to the Bryan Ferryman. "There is no such thing as time." "I think you'll find there is," the Bryan Ferryman replied, "if you listen to Brian Eno for 20 minutes."

Crowds gathered as news spread that Coelho the Illustrious Buddha was about to enter Nirvana. Among the throng was Kamala, accompanied by her son. "I have been bitten by a snake and am dying," she smiled beatifically. "But now I have found you, I am at One with your Oneness."

Siddhartha held the boy to his bosom, as the final chords of "Ommagomma" signalled Kamala's reincarnation as a Deity. "What will you teach him?" the Bryan Ferryman asked. "He doesn’t need no Education, he doesn’t need no thought control," he replied. "Let him find his own frigging Atman."

One night the boy disappeared, and Siddhartha wept. "Don't cry," the Bryan Ferryman said. "He is too young to comprehend the depth of your love. Only on the Dark Side of the Moon will he see the Divinity of your paternal neglect." Siddhartha knew this was true and opened the cage to give the brightly plumed Omming Bird its freedom.
As the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius slowly turned to Dusk, Siddhartha experienced a strange feeling of contentment. He could laugh when the river laughed. He was Atman. He was Earth, Wind and Fire.

"But I won't be going on tour with them," he said to Govinda. "Because the meaning of life is there's no place like Om."

John Crace for the Guardian 28 Mar 2009.
]]> Review7328659797 Mon, 17 Feb 2025 00:28:21 -0800 <![CDATA[Chris added 'The Catherine Wheel']]> /review/show/7328659797 The Catherine Wheel by Patricia Wentworth Chris gave 3 stars to The Catherine Wheel (Miss Silver, #16) by Patricia Wentworth
The Catherine-Wheel by Patricia Wentworth

An entire family falls under suspicion when the prospect of an inheritance stirs up passions in this novel in the beloved British mystery series.

An advertisement appears in the newspaper, asking for genealogical information from descendants of a certain Jeremiah Taverner, who died in long-ago 1888. It looks like an ordinary notice by a curious scholar, but the question is not nearly as simple as that. The man behind the ad is a Taverner himself: estranged, wealthy, and looking for a suitable relation to name in his will. When the relatives of Jeremiah Taverner are invited to spend the weekend at his historic inn, they’re intrigued—and eager to get the promised financial reward.

The case grows complicated quickly, for there are many who bear the name, several illegitimate relatives aside. Old feuds reemerge now that there is a whiff of money in the air, and the extended family converges to squabble over the cash. It is not long before there is one less Taverner, and Miss Silver, the genteel detective, is sent to investigate when Scotland Yard suspects drug dealing from the crime-ridden inn.
]]> Review7320359338 Fri, 14 Feb 2025 08:14:10 -0800 <![CDATA[Chris added 'The Gift of Anger']]> /review/show/7320359338 The Gift of Anger by Arun Gandhi Chris gave 3 stars to The Gift of Anger (Paperback) by Arun Gandhi
The Gift of Anger by Arun Gandhi.

Discover ten vital and extraordinary life lessons from one of the most important and influential philosophers and peace activists of the twentieth century—Mahatma Gandhi—in this poignant and timely exploration of the true path from anger to peace, as recounted by Gandhi’s grandson, Arun Gandhi. In the current troubled climate, in our country and in the world, these lessons are needed more than ever before.

“We should not be ashamed of anger. It’s a very good and a very powerful thing that motivates us. But what we need to be ashamed of is the way we abuse it.� —Mahatma Gandhi

Arun Gandhi was just twelve years old when his parents dropped him off at Sevagram, his grandfather’s famous ashram. To Arun, the man who fought for India’s independence and was the country’s beloved preeminent philosopher and leader was simply a family member. He lived there for two years under his grandfather’s wing until Gandhi’s assassination.

While each chapter contains a singular, timeless lesson, The Gift of Anger also takes you along with Arun on a moving journey of self-discovery as he learns to overcome his own struggle to express his emotions and harness the power of anger to bring about good. He learns to see the world through new eyes under the tutelage of his beloved grandfather and provides a rare, three-dimensional portrait of this icon for the ages.

The ten vital life lessons strike a universal chord about self-discovery, identity, dealing with anger, depression, loneliness, friendship, and family—perfect for anyone searching for a way to effecting healing change in a fractured world.

Arun Gandhi, born in (1934 � 2023) was the fifth grandson of Mohandas K. Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi. He was a journalist for more than thirty years for the Times of India and has written for The Washington Post. His first of two books for children was Grandfather Gandhi. Currently, Arun serves as president of the Gandhi Worldwide Education Institute and travels the world speaking to governmental leaders, as well as to university and high school students about the practices of peace and nonviolence. He lives in Rochester, New York.
]]> Review7301475804 Sat, 08 Feb 2025 02:16:55 -0800 <![CDATA[Chris added 'Gitanjali']]> /review/show/7301475804 Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore Chris gave 4 stars to Gitanjali (Paperback) by Rabindranath Tagore
Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath Tagore's spiritual approach in his anthology titled 'Gitanjali' published in 1910, consisting of 103 poems that reflect his humble and unique spiritual philosophy of life with a wish of realising the presence and grace of the almighty through eco mysticism.

'Gitanjali' is a collection of poetic expressions depicting the spiritual longing of the speaker as against the emptiness of human life. The speaker yearns for reconnecting with the divine through the things of natural world. The lyrical beauty, simplicity, and a deep sense of longing for spiritual connection through nature is manifested throughout the poems. They reflect Tagore's exploration of the divine through vivid natural images.

This work brought him the acclaim as the first non-European Nobel Laureate by earning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. It is an evergreen work which opens the eyes of the world to the comprehensiveness of the Indian spiritual path of harmony with and love to nature.
]]> Review7286538682 Mon, 03 Feb 2025 08:39:50 -0800 <![CDATA[Chris added 'Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs']]> /review/show/7286538682 Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll Chris gave 4 stars to Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs (Paperback) by Henry Carroll
Read this if you want to make great photographs of people by Henry Carroll.

Photography can be hard to learn to a level of competent dexterity. The exposure triangle of ISO, Aperture and shutter speed, and the complexities of depth of field amongst the main culprits.

Of course, add to this composition, framing, differences in light and many of the other affecting factors and it all feels like an obscure science like alchemy.
Myself, I have been taking photos for many years, of late a little more seriously with a real focus on trade craft. In my pursuit of understanding all these overlapping components within photography I came across a book that helped me immensely. it’s called: Read This If you Want to take great Photographs by Henry Carroll.

Why I liked this book is because not only does it use a little humour to explain these complexities, but it used simple language and examples from the greats in photography to illustrate these points and details. People like: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, Guy Bordain, Martin Parr, Dorothea Lange and many more � in fact over 50 photographers. Where needed concise illustrations are also used to help with the science behind photography.

It’s just a great book, easy to pick-up, not too complex or long, with great examples and fun. After reading it you just want to go out and test what it is imparting � which is the whole idea, to get us to explore and learn.

]]> UserChallenge58512907 Tue, 28 Jan 2025 08:30:02 -0800 <![CDATA[ Chris has challenged himself to read 18 books in 2025. ]]> /user/show/33029896-chris 11627
He has read 9 books toward his goal of 18 books.
 
9 of 18 (50%)
Create your own 2025 Reading Challenge » ]]> Review7266086770 Tue, 28 Jan 2025 08:29:25 -0800 <![CDATA[Chris added 'The Financial Expert']]> /review/show/7266086770 The Financial Expert by R.K. Narayan Chris gave 4 stars to The Financial Expert (Paperback) by R.K. Narayan
The Financial Expert by R. K. Narayan

The book begins by introducing the reader to Margayya, the protagonist of the story. Margayya makes his living by dispensing advice to common village folk on how to deal with the arcane machinations of the local Co-operative bank � and charging a small fee in exchange. While Margayya is quite sought after for his knowledge of obscure things like interest rates and loan applications, inwardly he is deeply insecure and dissatisfied. Margayya feels a deep dissatisfaction with his small home, his small income, and his small social status. He feels shame and insecurity in the presence of the rich and the well to-do, he envies their polished mannerisms, clean modern clothes, and other material flaunts. He eventually decides that his lack of money is the source of everything bad in his life, and he sets out on a path to seek wealth, fortune, and the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi � the Goddess of wealth.

While the premise of the story is quite simple, Narayan weaves magic by navigating the narrative through Margayya’s inner monologues and thought processes. As if on a rollercoaster ride, the reader is jerked from one thought to another, as Margayya’s mind travels from self-pity due to lack of money, to insecurity due to his simple clothes, to dreaminess about how his life would change if he had money, to shame about his current state, to the haughtiness he feels in his home in the presence of his wife, to the love he feels whenever he gazes upon his only son, and to anger when the same son, spoilt with his love, causes utter mischief in the house.

Narayan makes no judgments about Margayya, describing him and his actions as they are, as if they were a phenomenon of nature. Often the book seems to be jumping into deep psychoanalytical territory, making an almost naked presentation of Margayya’s internal mental state to the reader. What is striking, however, is the absolute ease with which Narayan presents this complex narrative. Narayan eases the reader into profundity with a story that is filled with humorous snippets and beautiful descriptions of bucolic life in India
I cannot speak to Narayan’s motives for choosing such a narrative, but it does end up providing quite a bit of food for thought. Many observations are shared, either directly or indirectly, about human nature and the human mind, and there is plenty of material to reflect upon, if the reader is so inclined.

Another component of magic, as always is the case with Narayan, is his depiction of small-town pre-Independence India. While no specific date is mentioned, the book seems to be set in south India a few years before World War 2. Narayan beautifully captures a picture of small-town India, cloaked in its customs and traditions, coming to terms with the influx of Western ideas and attitudes that came with the British Raj. The effortlessness with which Narayan paints this picture is extremely refreshing.

Overall, “The Financial Expert� is an excellent read. The book has an air of simplicity about it while being extremely profound at the same time.
Ambuj Sinha 15.01.2018.
]]> Review7258595831 Sun, 26 Jan 2025 07:57:07 -0800 <![CDATA[Chris added 'The God of Small Things']]> /review/show/7258595831 The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Chris gave 4 stars to The God of Small Things (Paperback) by Arundhati Roy
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

'A simple story set against the backdrop of social discrimination, communism and the caste system'

The story unfolds the lives of people in Kerala who are the captives of Communism, the caste system, and the Keralite Syrian Christian way of life. It embarks on the journey of the dizyotic twins Rahel and Esthappen (Estha), the children of Ammu Ipe.

The book opens with Rahel returning from Calcutta and he reaches Ayemenem during the brooding month of summer. Ammu Ipe who had become desperate to marry after she got rejected during marriage proposals due to her dowry, moves to Kolkata to her aunt where she marries a man who worked in a tea estate. The man soon turned out to be an alcoholic and who used to beat her. After Rahel and Estha were born, she moved back to her house in Ayemenem and lived with her mother and brother Chacko.

Sophie Mol is Chacko and Margaret's daughter. Sophie Mol is dead. When Ammu Ipe came to knew about Rahel and Velutha's (who worked at their house and belonged to the untouchable class) relationship, she sacked Velutha from work and she locked herself in her room. Rahel and Velutha tried to flee together by rowing across the river to an abandoned house and were helped by Sophie Mol. When they were rowing across the river, an accident takes Sophie Mol's life. Pappachi is Rahel and Estha's grandfather. Navomi Ipe Kochamma nicknamed "Baby Kochamma" was Pappachi's sister. Baby Kochamma blamed Velutha for Sophie Mol's death and complained to the police. The police who beat ruthlessly beat Velutha for crossing caste line. This had a deep effect on the twins who became silent after this savage act.

The twins reveal the truth of Sophie's death to the police chief; the police chief knew that since Velutha was a communist his wrongful arrest and beating would antagonise the local communists. Baby Kochamma fearing arrest convinces Chacko into believing that the twins are responsible for his daughter's (Sophie Mol) death. Chacko asks Ammu to leave the house. Because of poverty Ammu was forced to send Estha to live with his father.
Rahel returns from the US, where he had left after an abusive childhood, got married and divorced, finally returns to Ayemenem. Rahel, who was 31-year-old when he returned back, met Estha again for the first time since childhood. The twins realised that no one understood them better than themselves.

This book shows that how small things in life can affect a person's life but there is always a ray of hope sent by the almighty himself. This book is narrated brilliantly from the third person point of view and from Rahel's point of view. The book's beauty lies in its way of narration, a non-sequential way of narration with the words chosen enticingly. A simple story of the complicated Ipe family set in the backdrop of social discrimination, communism and caste system, this book is mainly based on the betrayal and always pops the question into the mind of the reader 'Can we trust anyone? Can we trust ourselves?' A stunning book, highly recommended for the teens who wish to read something different: a different way of writing, an exquisite way of telling a story� This book won the Booker Prize in 1997.
The Guardian Trishit 20 Mar 2012.
]]> Review2344286178 Fri, 24 Jan 2025 05:05:13 -0800 <![CDATA[Chris added 'Buddha']]> /review/show/2344286178 Buddha by Karen Armstrong Chris gave 4 stars to Buddha (Paperback) by Karen Armstrong
bookshelves: to-read
Buddha by Karen Armstrong.

Those who wish to acquaint themselves with how Buddhism came to be, and with the individual who created it, will find this an essential text.

An excellent primer on the Buddha’s life and teachings.

Departing from her usual Judeo-Christian stomping grounds (The Battle for God, 2000, etc.) to pen a biography of Siddhatha Gotama (circa 563-483 b.c.), Armstrong admits up front that she has set herself no easy task. The little information available about his life simply will not “satisfy the criteria of modern scientific history.� In addition, Gotama himself would likely reject an effort to chronicle his doings, as “throughout his life he fought against the cult of personality and endlessly deflected the attention of his disciples from himself.�

In response to these difficulties, Armstrong has produced not so much a rendering of the few extant details of Gotama’s quotidian life, but an account of how his circumstances led him to develop one of the great religions. She makes vivid the vanished world of the turbulent Ganges basin from outlines provided by the earliest texts available, those written in the North Indian dialect of Pali and preserved by Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand.

Beginning with Gotama’s rejection of his family to join one of the many bands of mendicant monks in search of a higher truth, Armstrong creates a profile of an intensely practical man. When he cannot reach Nirvana using any other teacher’s practice, Gotama makes up his own, rejecting “abstruse theories about the creation of the universe or the existence of a Supreme Being� in favour of a series of practices to be strictly followed. The resultant religion was based entirely on actions and was open to all, something truly revolutionary in a land whose culture was based on an unshakable caste system. Armstrong details these practices and theories and provides an invaluable glossary.

Those who wish to acquaint themselves with how Buddhism came to be, and with the individual who created it, will find this an essential text.
]]> Review7221147080 Thu, 16 Jan 2025 01:35:39 -0800 <![CDATA[Chris added 'Hothouse Flower']]> /review/show/7221147080 Hothouse Flower by Lucinda Riley Chris gave 3 stars to Hothouse Flower (Kindle Edition) by Lucinda Riley
Hothouse Flower by Lucinda Riley.

Julia Forrester, a concert pianist, has high cheekbones, almond eyes and a dark exotic beauty. Slowly recovering from a family tragedy and seeking comfort from her surroundings, her most vivid memory is of Wharton Park, the house where her grandfather was gardener to the Crawford family.

Seventy years earlier, on the cusp of the Second World War, Olivia Drew-Morris was invited with her parents for a weekend house party at Wharton Park. Olivia had arrived from India only two months earlier into a damp and dismal England. She missed the noise and colours of the land where she had been born and always lived but was fated never to return when she fell in love with Harry Crawford.

Our two heroines are thus placed in this saga of large houses, frivolous parties, servants and flirtations, and Lucinda Riley gives us a blockbuster novel of families entwined forever by undisclosed secrets. The beginning of the book is a little shaky. The dialogue and mannerisms of the characters from the late 1930s reflect an earlier period. It is as if monochrome pictures gleaned from periodicals have been grafted onto episodes and events. However, the defeat of the Japanese in Singapore and the aftermath in the Far East are well told. Thailand and its people are gently observed, and the atmosphere lovingly described. When the present day is entwined within the story, the author is on much firmer ground.

Hothouse Flower gives us tears and angst, secrets to unravel and several romantic stories. Imaginative, but more a modern novel embroidered in fancy costume than historical fiction. The book ends more confidently than it began.
Review by Gwen Sly ]]>