Oops, it's been a month so this update will be longer than usual.
Started and finished The Sayings of Layman P'ang: a Zen classic of China. Not gonna lie, a lot of Zen koans and nuggets like the ones in this book go over my head. This book is a compilation of historically accurate interactions of a man who lived hundreds of years ago. The cultural distance and time gap made some of the context too lost on me to get much from the book.
Finished The House of My Mother by Shari Franke. I appreciate how Shari worked to protect her siblings even while being shunned, that's no small feat. However, I may never stop being disappointed by women clinging to the faith that is so woven into the abuse they escaped. She's still young, I'm hoping she deconstructs her Mormonism eventually.
Finished The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. This book lowkey gutted me and I've spent the last month trying to match it. A bit over halfway through i decided to restart the book from the beginning and I got so much more by doing that. It was well worth the extra hours it took. I also really loved the narrator for this novel.
Started and finished Sea of Grass by Dave Hage. A non-fiction history of the American prairie. I learned a lot but didn't retain much in the end. But I did enjoy learning more. And I'm even more pro-bison than ever now.
Started and finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. I know I'm a little late on checking this one out so it's not hyped as high anymore, but I honestly really liked it. I thought the author did an amazing job writing a traumatized autistic woman without ever outright saying that she is autistic. On that note, reading other reviews crushed me because so many readers didn't realize that she is autistic and instead viewed her as so offputting and rude and intolerable. So that sucked. But the actual character was endearing to me because of how obvious her autism was to me, let alone how traumatized she was, and her character growth was real.
Started and finished Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. It's been a couple weeks now and i still struggle to review this one because of the complexity of feelings it left me with. I recommend it, with caution. The author coerces Islam and queerness into a box together that works for them, but for me shows so many lapses of critical thinking for the sake of connection to culture. I had so much empathy for Lamya and even sympathy because they'll never get to truly have both queerness and their faith in full without significant compromise and convolution of the teachings in the Qur'an.
Started and finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. This one gutted me much like God of Small Things did. The cultural aspects were really interesting, I learned a lot about the lives of women China in the mid 1800s, and the secret language of women was really cool. I wouldn't say it has much happiness in the story, but a lot of depth and emotion in reflection, as the story is being told by a woman at the end of her life. Janet Song narrated it so well, it added to the story to hear her inflections and the emotion in her voice.
Started and finished Cults Like Us by Jane Borden. Highly recommend this for all USAmericans. She goes chapter by chapter investigating various cults and schemes through US history, making connections that date back to the Puritans and beyond. I ended up appreciating the levity with jokes she cracked throughout the book, as cults are a heavy topic as is.
Started and finished Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. Holy cow, this one stuck with me. It's basically a story of DID from the perspective of substitute beliefs stemming from cultural influences. It was a bit explicit and intense, but so, so good.
Started Al Qur'an. Reading Hijab Butch Blues made me feel like I need to actually read the Qur'an front to back for myself. I have done so with the Christian bible many times, and now am doing so with Buddhist texts, so it's interesting to compare and contrast with an analytical mind.
Started Best American Science and Nature Writing 2020. These are essays I'm working through at my leisure. I've read a couple from past years and find it a really interesting way to learn about modern science without reading entire books on each topic.
Finished Thoughts Without a Thinker by Mark Epstein. I took my time with this one because it is just so incredibly profound. I can't do it justice here and will continue making my posts of excerpts from the book, tagged with the author's name.
Started Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism by Erich Fromm. This was quoted in the above, and while it is old by now (published 1959) i am finding it interesting. I love the intersection of mental health and Buddhism.
Started and finished The Vegetarian by Han Kang. I was introduced to this book by looking for more narrated by Janet Song. I understand the underlying message, but genuinely did not enjoy the story. The first two of three POVs are men whose minds I did not appreciate going into, tho it's necessary for the social commentary. I would have loved to hear more from the vegetarian herself.
Started and finished The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula le Guin. I'm not big into fantasy but I adore this author, so figured I'd read her oldest works. There were lots of good nuggets of wisdom throughout, and I'll continue the series for when I want something quick paced and full of action.
Started Zen Master Raven: the teachings of an old wise bird, by Robert Aitken. This is another book of koans or stories that are meant to be objects of thought and meditation. Some is going over my head, some are interesting and understandable.
Finished Present Moment Wonderful Moment by Thich Nhat Hanh. Delightful and relevant, as always, this is a book of gathas (mindfulness phrases) to recite to yourself for various daily practices, with each being expounded upon. My autistic brain likes the ritual aspect of it all.
