10% Happier, by Dan Harris
Harris is a Nightline news
anchor who suffered a panic attack on live TV, which subsequently propelled him
into the world of meditation and mindfulness. Harris studies Eckhart Tolle, works with a
prominent psychiatrist well-versed in Buddhism, encounters the Dalai Lama, and
attends a 10 day meditation retreat. He begins to understand and observe the
frenetic way his mind works, and calm the disparaging, ragingly insecure voice
that runs constantly inside him.
The book is incredibly well written. I loved watching the struggle- we see him start out hating anything spiritual, thinking mediation is for goons, and ultimately wind up benefitting from it and preaching its cause to anyone who will listen. It reminds me of the way I think God works in most of our lives, putting struggles in our path to continually improve and change us, challenging us to open our minds and embrace things we once rejected.
The book is not a “how to” on meditation, though you can gain lots of tips and insight by reading it. Harris formally includes some notes and resources in the appendix, but my favorite were the little nuggets of wisdom I picked up throughout:
“When a big wave is coming at you, the best way not to get pummeled is to dive right in.”
“You may find that it’s not the pain that is intolerable, but instead your resistance to it.”
“How often are we waiting for the next pleasant hit of ...whatever? The
next meal or the next relationship or the next latte?”
Simple and maybe even obvious, but so many of us, especially myself,
live our lives on the exact opposite way.
I didn’t
devour this in a day like I do with a good fiction novel, and I admit I don’t
find Harris to be the most likable person in the world, but it was definitely a
worthwhile read, and has, of course, inspired me to meditate.
Loved this book. The novel starts in 1920 with newly married couple
Rosanna and Walter Langdon, living on a farm in Iowa. Each chapter spans a year, ending in 1953. I
loved the format of the novel; it moved quickly and mimics life- first you have
a newly married couple, primitively without electricity, and all of a sudden
their children are grown up with kids and adventures of their own. The story has births, deaths, love, and
family, set against historical backdrops of the Great Depression, World War 2,
and the McCarthy era. A sweeping, fascinating portrait of American family life.
Loved it.
Boy, was this a weird one. The
book explores the friendship between two opposites: Mia, the “bad girl,” and Lorrie
Ann, “the good one,” and what happens when their fortunes change. A string of
bad decisions and bad circumstances catapult Lorrie into a dark, depressing
path. Mia watches from afar and attempts to reach out, but their friendship
falters over issues like illness, death, drugs, and parenting. The novel
explores the bonds between friends. Though compelling, I ultimately found this
one unnecessarily dark with a depressing ending.
Okay, I have to admit the cover art drew me in, even though I read by
Kindle. This one’s a bit similar to Some Luck, in that it involves a couple
in the earlier part of the 1900s living off the land. Eveline and her husband,
Emil, live in a small cottage in the woods.
They raise one small boy, but one day when Emil is off at war, Eveline
is raped and conceives a daughter. She
never tells her family about this event, or the daughter, whom she gives
up, but after her death her son Hux finds out, and seeks to find his sister. The novel is an easy read, touching on themes
of loss, regret, love, and what might have been. Enjoyable, fast paced, and
interesting.
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