Open Thread: One Hundred Years

I thought it might be nice to have a post up that can allow the conversation to continue regarding our last book. I know that a couple of people missed the book club and some of us have not yet finished the book (me!).

So here's the space (in the comments) if anyone has thoughts on One Hundred Years of Solitude.

*Addition*: Interesting review of the book

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan

Pollan continues to impress me with this book in which he exposes the faulty science that contributes to the cult of nutritionism that runs rampant in our culture. With regards to food selection we Americans have certainly lost our way. We trust the claims of a food industry that wants us to buy their products and leave our health behind. Pollan gives recommendations for eating and they are simple reminders of common sense. Don't eat what you cannot pronounce. Stay towards the perimeter of the grocery store when shopping and try to get out of the supermarket whenever possible (i.e. farmer's markets). Don't believe the health hype printed on packaged foods--remember they are only trying to sell a product that may or may not contain "real" food. End of soapbox--let the food revolution begin with you!

The Fire Eaters by David Almond

This is the third book by Almond I've read and I grow to love his stories all the more. The world is on the brink of catastrophe during the Cuban Missile Crisis while young Bobby Burns goes about his life in the quiet environs of a forgotten seaside town. Almond weaves in the magic of past experiences and how they trail us into the present moment. So much here to ponder and reflect upon.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

I'm still exploring the science fiction genre and I think that Scalzi's effort here is a worthy addition to the canon. When he turns 75 John Perry enters the Colonial Forces and leaves earth forever. Equipped with a new body he discovers that life is very different in the alien-populated universe. Action scenes are nicely balanced with intriguing conversations about imagined technologies and the very real human emotions of loss and hope.

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card

Xenocide is the third in this series by Card that started with Ender’s Game and The Speaker for the Dead. I read Ender’s Game for an online class I took in the fall through RUSA and enjoyed it immensely. Though I have read just a little sci-fi in the past I found similar themes in Card’s work that I enjoy in literary fiction: questions of morality, racism and the search for a spiritual context. The primary difference with this series is the back-drop and the gadgetry that fills this world. Ender’s Game focuses on Ender Wiggin, boy genius, and the training he receives in war games to help fight the dreaded Buggers, insect-like aliens. Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide shift thousands of years into the future where we still have Ender (thanks to the time-defying effects of space travel) but he is an adult living on a frontier planet that also has another sentient species. Let the fun begin!

The flowers cometh

After seeing Wayne's lovely garden on Saturday evening I thought I would post a couple of photos of the flowers in my near vicinity.







Enjoy the season of blooms!

Looking for the Way

I made this post for class but thought that it would be appropriate for sharing here.

I've been a spiritual seeker for some years immersing myself in experiences and texts to try and "find peace" or "know God". I used to read a vast amount of inspirational material from various religious traditions as well as the works of gurus and guides from Krishnamurti and Gangaji to Eckert Tolle and Carlos Castenada. At the time I loved these inner and outer explorations carried by the words of the blessed, beloved and magical. After a while though I got burnt out. Too much of a good thing as they say...But one text I keep around is the Tao Te Ching, specifically the translation by Stephen Mitchell.

Here I can get a taste of the essence without all of the hullabaloo and nonsense that accompany religions and spiritual teachers. (My opinion of course!) The Tao speaks of a style of living that strips away the extraneous and returns you to the core. Mitchell's translation transforms the writings of a long ago Asian mystic (though little is known of Lao-tzu) into simple poetry that can be digested by today's readers. Let me share a small sampling of the verse:

Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.

If you realize that you have enough,
you are truly rich.
If you stay in the center
and embrace death with your whole heart,
you will endure forever.