jenknox's Reviews (494)

Waking God is a deeply emotive experience. This book is technically fiction; it has a dynamic and intelligent plot, but it also reads more as a study in philosophy and religion, an unveiling of the harmful effects of dogma and the necessity of self-exploration in a world that makes it tempting to accept the moral codes handed to us (despite the often-illogical and contradictory rules that are attached). The basic quest here is the search for truth, the mastery of self and all the power each of us uses and misuses and herein, Brian L. Doe and Phillip K. Harris create a wholly engrossing story that will grab a reader and shake her, not telling her to think this or that, not preaching, but asking her what it is she really believes by engaging her in an this intense spiritual story. This is a book that will no doubt evoke a myriad of emotion from any reader, no matter religious belief or spiritual leaning, because it asks universal questions; questions that must be asked, especially in our current time. I say to any reader: buy the book, read it, loan it to a friend, discuss it, and brace yourself for the journey. Some books have the ability to alter a reader's view of the world if only by causing him to think about the human experience in a slightly different way, and this is one of those books. I look forward to the second installment: The Sacred Rota.

The Yoga Divas and Other Stories lives up to its name. This book is funny, sweet, carefully-written and it captures, so wonderfully, the ridiculousness that will enter a person's life and remind him not to get too serious, even as he sets out on certain quests for enlightenment.

There were more serious stories, such as "Everything Will Be Revealed to You" that moved me; there were many stories that were wildly funny; some follow an adult yoga teacher, others a young man who is fumbling his way through life. There were a few stories that I thought could be reduced and incorporated into a previous section, or used as supportive scenes to a larger essay, such as, "A Memento of Costa Rica". In fact, my only small gripe with the book is that some of the stories seemed too episodic, but even with this small gripe, none of the stories were boring or flat. Many of them stick to the ribs, even if they're only a few pages long.

I enjoyed this book because it does what I need nonfiction to--it seems to ask more questions than it answers. For someone who's not big on narrative nonfiction, this probably makes no sense. But herein, with self-exploration, is the beauty of the genre. And believe me, it's not easy to pull off. Dinsmoor does, though, and he does so with a unique blend of humor, insight, a little neurosis and a lot of warmth.

Crestmont is a harmonious story. It opens with an intense and beautiful tale that introduces the town of Eagle's Mere. There is a sense of nature and oneness in the setting, a sense of slowing down, which gives the book a very enticing start. And then the story of Crestmont begins, with its soft, somewhat slow melody.
The main storyline takes off in 1925 when Gracie, an aspiring singer, begins to work at Crestmont Inn. Gracie is an endearing character. Her emotional depth makes the story really come alive, as do the personalities of those she meets on her journey. As Gracie's journey becomes more about what's within than where she's going, there is a spiritual awakening that occurs.
I found this book to be carefully-written, almost too much so in places. The story moved slowly at times, and Weiss seems to spend too much time on little details that added very little to the storyline. But, I'll admit, the cadence of the prose might have been purposeful. To my mind, it demanded more deftness from Weiss, in order to keep my interest, which she did. Few novels can slow me down, and it was just this, the slowness, that, in the end, kept me reading. With everything in life going at hyper-speed at all times, coming across a gentle book like Crestmont is rare, settling even.

This is an inspirational story, even for those of us to rebel against inspirational stories. Ward Foley is not merely a survivor, but a real hero to my mind. I know, I know, memoirs shouldn't have heroes, and I don't think this was Foley's intention--to be called a hero--but rather, it simply happened that I came to think of him as one.
There is no sobbing nor are there tales of grandeur. This book is a simply told, a heart-tugging story of a real life, a man who endured and learned to define his own reality through faith and hopefulness.

I listened to this one. Love Murakami's writing. This one seemed unresolved, though, not because I didn't get the philosophical implications--I love a slightly open ending--but I just didn't feel much after reading (listening)... That said, I loved the narration.

I read other reviews that praised the depth of the characters, but I never felt engaged enough to agree. The premise was good, the details were lovely, but the story itself didn't seem fully realized and I didn't miss the characters when I closed the book. A decent read.

It's about time I read one of Tyler's work. I rather love Macon. And, now I'm a Tyler fan.

What an interesting format for a memoir; it's almost a hybrid of poetry and literary nonfiction. So far, I'm rather loving it.

...

This is the sort of memoir I will keep on my shelf, and return to for inspiration. It's lovely.