Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Book, livre, Buch, libro, bok, Kniha, Kitap, Boek

In whatever language you say the word; books have been the light of my life since I was a child. I grew up in a small town with a small library, with which I was intimately familiar. By the time I was 12 I had read every book in the children’s section. The librarians would let me check out ‘adult’ books but would look through them very thoroughly before they would let me have them LOL During summer vacation from school I would sometimes read 3 or 4 books a day, sitting on the couch totally lost from the real world. I would BE in that book. My mom could stand right in front of me talking to me and I wouldn’t hear a word. There was a sea grape tree right outside my bedroom window that had a perfectly curved limb where I could sit and read while shaded from the Florida sun.

I find that today, I have to somewhat limit myself because if I don’t, I’ll sit and read and do nothing else. No creating, no laundry, no cleaning up dust bunnies. There have been times when Jack would call and ask if I wanted him to bring dinner home and I’ve jumped on that because I just HAD to finish a book. Much better than cooking sometimes LOL

I love all sorts of books but have five or so favorites that I won’t even lend out. One of those is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, first published in 2006. Now I know you’ve probably seen ads on TV about the upcoming movie starring Julia Roberts and I can’t WAIT to see it. But the book was so good that I’ve read it twice and am on my third reading. The basic story is that she travels to three different countries for three different reasons for a year. First Italy (eat), then India (pray), and then Indonesia (love) seeking to heal herself both physically and spiritually and find balance in her life.

In India you may see a lot of people wearing beads around their neck – japa malas – that are strung with 108 beads. They use the beads to stay focused during meditation and these have been used there for centuries. One bead is touched for each repetition of mantra. Every japa mala has a special, extra bead, the 109th bead that dangles outside the perfect circle of 108 like a pendant. When your fingers reach this marker during prayer, it is time to pause in meditation and thank your teachers. When medieval Crusaders drove East for the holy wars and witnessed worshippers praying with these japa malas, they admired the technique and brought the idea home to Europe as rosary.

Elizabeth structured her book into 108 sections – 36 sections in each country, which makes the book very easy to read. It’s the kind of book that you want to digest slowly. Each section only a few pages long to read and think about before moving on to the next section. Every time I’ve read it I’ve found something different to think about – light bulb moments.

What this book ISN’T: preachy, boring, whiney, melancholy

What this book IS: charming, witty, sad, happy, joyful, and enlightening

Do read it when you get a chance and let me know what YOU think about it.

Untie a ribbon in your life – you might find an adventure!

6 comments:

  1. Jill,

    TOO funny,,,,,I just posted about a book I love and have read myself blind over......but it TOO has its limitiations...

    Elizabeth's book? I LOVED in a LOT of ways,,,but on the other hand,,,I thought she was the most self centered woman I'd ever met/learned about!

    Yeah,,,,,she had a bad divorce.......yeah, I admired her "chucking it all and exploring the world." But it was ALL "me, me me, I thought.

    Don't get me wrong, it was a fun and informative book and had some great lessons,,,,,,but I cannot help but think, this is one of the most egotistical people I've come across.......Just my take.

    Maybe MY take is different,,,,being suddenly widowed at 37-ironically hubby that was a PILOT, died in a car crash. You look at things differently.

    Some 6 years later, I headed to Europe and met up with sisters,,that took me YEARS to find. One in Ireland,,,,,one in Germany...Wowza!

    I don't take Anything for granted. Love my (small) family,,,,,and my "local" friends. And Truly the good souls I've met through blogging.....You my dear included!

    Yeah,,,,love the "Concept" but I think she's a self absorbed woman....that's my take!

    But you my dear, are NOT~ I'm glad you enjoyed the book..just MY take!

    Hugs and love!
    Shell

    (And I SO have loved your insight on my first booth/show! Thank you!)

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  2. Looks like I'm off to the library! I've been looking for a good book to read! Have a great week!

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  3. Have seen the ads on tv for the movie but have not read the book. Hope the film does it justice.
    I more than like the photo of the lady reading.
    When mom had a lot of grocery shopping to do, she would send us across the street to the library and pick us up when she was through. It was not a large library, but I was enthralled with the with the layout and the stacks for books. The tables were wonderfully old and worn and I just loved being in there. When looking for a book to read and I would come across one that I had already read it was like seeing an old friend. For me the library was a little magical, and yes it helped feed my imagination. It was always a treat to go there - today kids have theme parks.

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  4. I will definitely buy this book. I love to read about woman who are looking for peace and harmony in theirselves. Aren't we always searching for that?

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  5. I read half of it and never finished it. I actually plan on picking it up again and completing it soon, but I have NO plans on seeing the movie...I cannot abide Julia Roberts!

    Have a wonderful Sunday!
    Hugs,
    Anne

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  6. Loved, loved, loved this book! Going to see the movie tomorrow night!

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