Happiness – everyone is searching for it, but how do we know that so few find it, truly? Probably by the continuous flow of self help books that reach the bestseller lists – achieve happiness through diet, image, riches, friends, travel, hypnosis, etc etc. Still more we look at the addictions around us and see people trying to gain happiness through drink, drugs, sex, power… The list goes on. In a world of truly happy human beings, there would perhaps be less conflict, less trouble. It is probably a tragedy in some ways that the Dalai Lama’s The Art of Happiness, co-authored with Howard C. Cutler, has sold so many copies and spawned a series of such books! For it speaks of so many who come searching, who have not yet found deep, lasting happiness, who still search for it and perhaps pick up this book. Then again, those who read the book cannot fail to have their lives touched in subtle ways, helping not only them, but having knock on effects on others they encounter. One thing is certain – there is suffering (and that is one of the Buddha’s 4 Noble Truths) – but the fact that there is suffering also means an end to suffering, and in its place happiness, some kind of liberation.
The Art of Happiness is subtitled “A Handbook For Living” – but don’t expect 10 practical tips for getting through your day or for dealing with road rage! The authors, rather, take us through an organic journey of discussions and observations, experiences and considerations, giving rather a general direction which we may or may not choose to follow. As with much of Buddhism, there is no right or wrong, merely the observation that certain actions lead to suffering and some do not. As probably the most famous Buddhist in the world, and an accomplised and learned man, the Dalai Lama could hide his message in lots of esoteric language and rituals; he is instead very human, bringing some of his Buddhist ideals and principles to us in very human and very accessible ways. In reading the book we gather the general guiding principles that lead away from suffering and towards our true purpose and birthright – the striving for, the right to be happy.
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Another crime fiction thriller hot on the heels of my last book review, and in this thriller crime fiction guru James Patterson teams up with old partner Andrew Gross to smelt another scorching story from the word processor! Judge & Jury stars features the unlikely heroine of a reluctant member of a jury Andie DeGrasse in a mob case, and in Nick Pellisante, FBI Agent, we find the hero, as they end up pursuing their own brand of justice when the system fails them and Dominick Cavallo escapes punishment from the law…
Whatever literary purists may say, James Patterson’s (and his co authors’) thrillers are incredibly accesible books and make fiction available to those who might otherwise not have an hour to site and wade through lengthy chapters of interminable prose! The books are fast paced and incredibly easy to read – on the train, in a lunch hour, even while a bowl of pasta cooks! I love escaping into these novels for short dips or long chunks, and am always ready for the next James Patterson!
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Been getting into reading thrillers again lately, and in this field James Patterson needs no introduction as perhaps the master practioner of the genre at this moment in time! Cross stars (for I like to think of these books as written in a very cinematic style!) that stalwart old favourite Alex Cross in what is billed as the most terrifying and most emotional Cross ever, weaving together elements of the past and present to create a mixture of intrigue, tragedy, shock and resolution. As you might expect from a Patterson novel (I won’t add the the number of superlatives such as unputdownable, or the lightsocket image) the pages turn fast, and I was as intrigued by the story of the vicious Butcher, Michael Sullivan, as I was disturbed by this callous, terrible villain.
All in all a jolly good read for these cold winter nights, and the next Cross novel is already out in hardback! Cross is high octane, high adrenaline fiction, one of the best Alex Cross novels to date – read and see what you’re missing if your unfamiliar with the Cross series!
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Michael Palmer’s Fatal is a brick of a book and a rollercoaster of a read, taking us through sinister intrigue, political conspiracy, 2 love stories, extreme violence and plot twists that keep on on coming! It took me a few nights to read this excellent book, and I was hooked from the first few pages as the very believable and complex central character Matt Rutledge drew me into the narrative from the outset, as I cared about what happened to him, which is quite unusual sometimes with modern fiction. The novel begins with an explosive prologue, as a cafeteria worker with flu-like symptoms suddenly begins haemorrhaging from every part of her body, and then in Boston a brilliant musician of sound mind develops acute paranoia which proves fatal. In Matt Rutledge’s West Virginia town of Belinda, a mine worker suddenly goes berserk in the mine causing death and injury. What can the connection be between the mine, its owners, and the deaths from strange causes across the country, which appear to have no connection? And how does the new super vaccine, Omnivax, fit into the picture? Matt Rutledge is determined to find out, enlisting help from some unexpected quarters – but will his quest for the truth prove fatal?
All these question ran through my mind, and finding the answers was an enjoyable journey through the eyes of the central characters as they put the pieces of the puzzle together at great risk to themselves. This was the first Michael Palmer book I’d read – but just now I’ve been to Amazon and ordered 5 more, that’s how good a read this was, it was a book I could totally escape into and enjoy the story, looking forward to my next instalment each night, and in a way I was sad to finish it. Michael Palmer’s Fatal comes highly recommended by this book reviews blog!
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