Recent Reads that I'd Recommend



Those of you who know me know that I've always got my nose in a book. Here are a few of the recent things I've read that are worthy of recommending.

Let's begin in the present. I am currently reading two books: "Taming Your Gremlin" by Rick Carson, and the famous Dan Millman book "Way of the Peaceful Warrior". The Gremlin book was recommended to me by my psychologist (I am being treated for a nasty case of PTSD courtesy of the time and events of when I worked as a Correctional Officer). It is awesome in that it really helps one deal with inner criticism and fosters a positive view of life by getting down to what life truly is about. I think anyone could benefit from reading this book. It's not laborious and technical and can make a difference, even if you think all is well in your world. Life is beautiful – embrace it!

I started the Millman book yesterday. It had been recommended to me by several people over the years, but I simply never got down to it. So far it's okay. Lot's of fever surrounded "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" which I read a few years back and I didn't rate it at all. The Millman book is connecting with me a bit on some level, so I think it will be good.

My last serious read was awesome. It was a collection of short stories by the Irish writer, William Trevor. Though incredibly dark, this is an author I can see myself re-visiting. His gift of prose and character development it superb.

Heinrich Böll is one of my favourite writers, of whom I have read much. Recently I read "The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum" by this great German author and found it very much along the lines of something Camus or Sartre would have written. Though good, it's not his best writing. Definitely recommend you check out some of his stuff.

Staying with Nobel Prize winners, I read two novels recently by the Hungarian Imre Kertész and was not disappointed. Both "Liquidation" and "Fatelessness" journey into the darkest part of the human soul, relating to the Holocaust (the author is a survivor of the camps himself) and leave the reader feeling disturbed. Not happy stuff.

Lastly, I'd recommend the Vietnamese Buddhist writer, Thich Nhat Hanh's "Understanding Our Mind". Hanh is one of my favourite and most read writer on Buddhism and the application of mindfulness in our daily life. Hanh writes with simplicity and clarity, but the weight of his perspectives leaves one weightless in their application. Definitely, if you have any interest in Buddhism or simply in living life, read something by Hanh.

So, there's a few titles for you to mull over. I'm always open to new reading suggestions, so feel free to make me recommendations.

Happy reading!