Fritjof Capra’s The Tao of Physics is a seminal work and can now be considered a modern classic. I recently re-read this book and can recommend it to anyone who is looking to reconcile the seemingly opposite worlds of modern science and spirituality – there are many such books now, but I think many of them owe a great debt to Capra’s work!
For as long as I can remember, I have been looking for ways of integrating the many ways there are of looking at the world into some kind of coherent whole (a bit like my own personal grand unified theory of everything!) – and along the way I have come across eastern spirituality which fascinates me, and quantum physics, which also fascinates me. In my world view, any philosophy, explanation or theory of existence and humanity which leaves out quantum physics and the mysterious makeup of the Universe that science is unravelling, is just a tad blinkered. And science itself is similarly blinkered I would say if it ignores some of the lessons that spirituality has to offer. It is therefore fascinating to read this book and discover that the ancient eastern spiritual knowledge has much to share with the world of modern physics! While Capra does not go into the why’s of these similarities, he offers a very detailed study of the similarities between the two ways of thinking which allow the reader to formulate their own questions – and it is my belief that, perhaps, the universe is trying to tell us something 
The book opens beautifully with an account of Capra witnessing what he pictured as a gigantic cosmic Dance of Shiva, and how this prompted some of the motivation to write the book. And we are then treated to a detailed study of how both schools of thought – Eastern Spirituality and Modern Physics – appear to point to the same “Truth” – that everything is interconnected, in a state of flux, co-dependent, knowable and yet elusive.
The book was first written in 1975, and in those days books were not subject to the dumbing down of some more modern releases, so in parts readers might find it heavy going, I certainly did, especially as my grasp of mathematics is not great, and some sections go into physics quite a lot. But this is a failing on my part and not the author’s and the more I read the book, the more I understand. It is certainly a beautiful book, and well worth reading, definitely one of those books that will irreversibly change the way you look at the world and yourself in the grand scheme of things.
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This is a great little psychological thriller on the “revenge theme” – and shows that the emotions involved in revenge can often lead to clouded thinking and misguided actions. Tom Clone is convicted of the murder of a young woman in this Alan Gregory novel, but years later a brilliant FBI agent uncovers new evidence that casts doubt on his case, and he is released. But release into a changed world withi his missing years of freedom signals the beginning of his problems, and as he unravels these with psychologist Gregory and event unfold, it becomes clear that someone from the past believes Clone is guilty, and they are about to exact a terrible revenge…
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I like Harlen Coben’s novels – they are fast paced, ideal reads for a weekend or over a couple of evenings, and The Innocent is no exception. In a roller coaster of twists and turns, the story of Matt Hunter unfolds, and it is a story of the past catching up, coming back to haunt! If you’ve had ups and downs in your life, you’ll be able to relate to Matt! Imagine, a chance incident sees you being robbed of several years of your life as you end up in jail. You’re finally released, and begin to rebuild your life – only for the ride to begin again, in the form of a video clip showing your pregnant wife, wearing a blonde wig, with another man in a hotel room! And meanwhile, a local cop, Loren, is trying to find out who smothered a teacher at the local convent, and why the dead nun had breast implants…
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Michael Connelly’s troubled but successful detective Harry Bosch comes out of retirement and is back to work with the Los Angeles police department – but this time he is working for a special department set up to close old cases – hence the title. The novel features Kiz Rider, a stalwart partner from other Bosch novels, and as usual features Bosch up against not only the cunning of criminals, but also the incompetence of his fellow cops – in this case the racism and incompetence of cops in a case that happened years ago. As the story of mistakes and tragedy unfolds, Connelly (and Bosch) are there to lead the way, and the aptly named novel brings some closure not only for the case in question, but also for Bosch and the family concerned, although as with all murders it can’t be said that the wounds are healed.
In all I found this a very good Bosch novel, well written and well paced, and the “closers” scenario is one which I think could work well for future novels.
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The best time to quit smoking is now! Well, if you smoke, and are thinking of quitting, don’t delay too long – I am writing this around Christmas as 2007 approaches, and a lot of people think of quitting as a new year resolution. Thank God I won’t have to this year, as I have now been a non smoker for over a year, as I quit just before Christmas last year, maybe to give myself a head start. How I remember the utter dread, the utter panic, the withdrawals, the tantrums, the irritability, the pleading with myself to just have one, one would be all right, but then I’d be hooked again, wouldn’t I?! But what I remember more than all the horrible things is the sense of achievement, the pride in knowing that I was refusing to yield to the temptation, that I was making it. I had tried many times before, using gums, patches, dummy cigarettes, lozenges, pure will power, and combinations thereof, but never quite managed it. In December 2005, I found the correct ingredients (and the experience of failing before certainly helped).
I think the key is motivation. A lot of people think, “Well, I have to give up because it’s bad for my health” but that’s the wrong attitude. If you really want to give up because you want to be healthy, that’s a better starting point (the mind is our best friend and our worse enemy!). I think if you really want to quit, you will quit sooner or later. It’s not easy, and that’s why you should use all the resources available to you. Quit with a friend (maybe one you like to beat!), try the patches or gum, maybe even get a life coach to assist you with your goal!
Hypnotherapy is one method that works for a lot of people, but maybe we’re not all rich enough to be able to pay a therapist (although they are good, and it does often work!) – this is where audio hypnotherapy recordings come in very handy, and bestselling hypnotherapist Glenn Harrold has produced The Ultimate Guide to Quitting Smoking Forever which could prove to be a crucial tool in your battle to give up smoking. Remember the mind is a powerful thing, the unconscious mind even more so – and Glenn Harrold’s audiobook uses advanced clinical techniqes together with relaxing music and sound effects to calm your body and mind and enable you to use the resources deep within yourself. With post hypnotic suggestions and layered affirmations, the two sessions on the CD safely and effectively reinforce your own desire to quit and help your mind to focus on and stick with your resolution. It might not work for everyone (nothing ever does) – but it’s got to be worth a try, and I have used Glenn Harrold’s recordings before with great success – see my review of his Motivation recording as well
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Stephen King has been my number one storyteller ever since I read Carrie way back when I was 10 years old; to a large extent, it was Stephen King who switched me on to the world of books as I sat, wide eyed, reading a very grown up book. Carrie wasn’t his best novel, but it was his first, and my first, so to speak. Ever since then, I have spent hundreds of happy hours immersed in Stephen King’s stories. Sometimes, the stories have not been believable – but the storytelling has made them so, and it has always been the storytelling that switches things on for me, rather than the the story itself. For sure, the stories have been and are intriguing, but what I have relished is the voice, the narrator, the sensual language that creates such rich thoughts and feelings in my head. King’s characters, too, have been part of the rich tapestry of his fiction, but always the language, the attention to detail, the sense that I am not reading a book but listening to an old friend, bringing the characters to life, really feeling a sense of how King believes he uncovers a story rather than creates it.
I was quite surprised to read some of the reviews on Amazon of Lisey’s Story, finding a lot of readers disappointed. Personally I have never been disappointed with a King book, as I always come to them with an open mind, and respect a writer who doesn’t churn out fodder for the bestseller lists, but who writes from the heartmind. Every King book is going to be a little different, he tries new things which may or may not disappoint the constant reader, and in my opinion it usually works, and even his weaker works are way better than the best most writers can output. Ok, so you know I’m biased, but I loved this story, Lisey’s story…
King has tried his hand at pretty much every genre there is, and Lisey’s Story is essentially a love story – but a love story with Kingian twists, especially so as the love story is told from a posthumous perspective, therefore making it also a story of grief. Through Lisey Landon, widow of bestselling author Scott Landon, we learn of a marriage that has its highs and its lows, its beauties and its terrors, and there are many small touches that give our glimpse into the world of the marriage intimacy and reality. Yet the story is as much about the present as the past, and there is plenty going on in the widow Landon’s life to keep her occupied. As I read I felt that the story is as much a ghost story as it is a romance and a thriller – for Scott Landon, although two years deceased at the the start of the novel, has a presence through Lisey’s memory that makes him as much a central character as Lisey.
Lisey’s Story is not a thrill a minute roller coaster ride as some King novels can be, nor is it filled with gore and insane characters (although there are some!) But the novel is haunting, and progresses at a quiet, unhurried rate, and as always with King novels, I come to care about Lisey very quickly, for it is with the language and the beautiful storytelling that King manages to make his characters so real, so quickly – and this was another old tale by an old friend that I thoroughly enjoyed reading
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For many years Dean Koontz (and I still have paperbacks and hardbacks from the days when he was known as Dean R Koontz) has been among my top 5 favourite writers, one of those whose books I ritually buy as soon as the hardcover is released. I remember plenty of classics such as Strangers, Lightning, Phantoms, Twilight Eyes, Midnight, Intensity and one of my all time favourites, Whispers, among many others. I have been reading some reviews over the last few years that have berated Koontz latest offerings, and I can’t help but feel there are probably two schools of people in this – those who remember the old stuff, and those who are coming cold to the new stuff. In either case, it would be hard to put the “new stuff” up there with the best, and all I can suggest to those who read Koontz’s more recent offerings, is to go back and read Whispers or Strangers, because whatever he writes now, Koontz has written some of the best modern thriller fiction ever written.
Unfortunately, The Husband, although a good enough read, does not fit into the category of Koontz’s best. I know there are particular market forces that are driving even bestselling horror writers away from the spooky genre and into the more “mainstream thriller” but I cannot imagine why someone of Koontz’s reputation, wealth, and sheer publishing clout would need to depart quite so completely from the stuff that is his trademark. Even when they get bad, there are few Koontz books that I don’t thoroughly enjoy reading, because there is usually something to redeem it, whether it be pace, plot, or character; however in The Husband, I felt I had come across a book that hadn’t really been written by the Dean of suspense himself, but by a lesser mortal. That’s not to say it can’t be enjoyed on a flight or on the beach, or curled up on the sofa, but it certainly lacks the dynamite and that certain je ne sais quoi that permeates many of the better books. The book starts off with an interesting enough premise, a poor gardener is suddenly told his wife has been kidnapped and they want 2 million dollars from him, and to prove a point they shoot dead a complete stranger while he watches powerlessly. Although the guy has no money, he is told he will need to raise it or his wife dies, and from what we find out later, things that should pop into his head at that point simply don’t, and are kept parcelled up until the story finds it convenient to release them, which is one of its main flaws.
A lot of people have berated Koontz’s love of and trust in human nature, the “goody goodyness” of his heroes, but I have found on the main this to be a bearable trait, and have liked many of his good characters, especially the ones with flaws,and most of them have had at least some flaws to make them human. Unfortunately this fellow and his wife don’t appear to have any flaws, and they both love each other more than any couple have ever loved each other before, a fact which Koontz is at pains to keep reminding us of. It’s there that some of the realism is lost for me, as if you’re going through a divorce, having a rough time, are a lonely single, or in an unhappy marriage, it is hard to empathise with people who’s relationship is so perfect, so sweet, so sickly, that instead the opposite reaction might set in, and the reader could actually get a bit jealous and think, well, they got it soooo good, they need a little pain to join the rest of the human race! In any case, as I ploughed through the novel, for the first time in a Koontz offering (apart from, perhaps, the second half of The Taking), I found myself not particularly caring what happened, because the characters seemed so blessed, whatever bad things happened it was inevitable that there would be a happy ending.
In fact when the end does come, it comes rather quickly, and I felt some suspense could have been created and sustained, but even the final twist falls a bit flat. And certainly, Koontz has written mainstream books before (just plain old bad guy books), but they have usually contained bad guys with a twist, bad guys nobody else could have thought of – take the villain of Intensity, for example!
I didn’t know how this review was going to turn out when I started writing it, and I am a bit shocked at how negative it is. I think the problem is, if I had read The Husband and it had been by anyone else, I would have thought it an OK read, but I’ve probably been spoiled! Koontz is still one of my top 5 living authors, and I hope he writes to his full potential again, I have spent so many hundreds of happy hours on the edge of my bed reading Dean Koontz novels, and there are ones I will read again and again in years to come – One Door Away From Heaven, From the Corner of His Eye, Odd Thomas, Midnight, Whispers, Seize The Night (where the hell is the third book in that trilogy?!) and Watchers to name but a few. I am not sure what the rationale is behind producing stuff such as The Husband, but I do hope Koontz’s next offering will be more, well… more Koontz
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As a meditator with some six months’ experience, I have gone some way on my path of meditation. Although it is a lifelong path, my first footsteps have started my journey, and even the longest journeys start with a single footstep. It has been interesting that in my personal journey over the last year, I have listened to many voices offering advice, all of which have helped greatly, but often the voice we ignore is the most important one: our own. My meditation practice has resulted so far in greater confidence, a calmer outlook on day today problems, greater ability to manage stress, and enhanced creativity coupled with more positive thinking. It is true to say that it has been one of the more worthwhile additions to my life in recent years.
Of course the only real way to learn meditation is to meditate – you could read all the books in the world on meditation and be very knowledgeable about the subject, without knowing what the meditation experience actually holds (for in many ways this cannot be put into words, it can only be experienced directly). However, we all need teachers, and although the best teachers are human ones, in person, books have always been an excellent substitute for those keen to learn and research. On my meditative journey, a number of books have proved very useful indeed in providing information on meditation theories, practices and techniques, enabling me to get started, and if not taking me on the journey, at least offering me signposts in the right direction. I will be looking at these books in due course on this book reviews blog, but for now I will start with a book that provides an excellent introduction for beginners, and the wealth of information inside may also be useful as a refresher for experienced meditatoThe converse of something I said earlier is also true – just because someone is an experienced meditator, does not mean that they know all about the theory and practice (indeed practices) of meditation. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Mediation is therefore a useful book for meditators at all different kinds of stages on their journey, and is most definitely not for idiots!
Written by Joan Budilovsky and Eve Adamson, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Mediation is succinct and comprehensive, giving enough information about all aspects of meditation to whet the appetite of the curious, equip the intrepid and inform the experienced. Like all Idiot’s Guides it is broken into easily digestible chunks, and need not be read all at once, but is the kind of book that can be dipped into, although I would recommend reading it all the way through in the first instance. I certainly found myself marking off segments which I would return to later. So, in plain English, the book offers information on how to find a meditation class if appropriate, how to use mantras and healing sounds, how to use visually based meditation techniques, how meditation can improve health, how to breathe properly when meditating, and explores meditation with yoga practice and poses, as well as different meditation techniques from around the world. There’s a summary of Zen techniques, tips for learning how to use meditation in daily life, such as in stressful situations, an exploration of the connections between mediation, sleep and dreams, and it also has some useful diagrams and photographs showing possible poses for meditation practice.
A lot of people claim they don’t have time to meditate, and there is certainly no point in trying to force or cajole people into meditating if they are not, at this time, interested – it would simply be impossible. When you’re ready to begin you’re meditative journey, you’re ready, and if you’re not, you’re not. However, I can honestly say that since I began meditating (now for around an hour a day), I seem to have a lot more time, my mind is more focused so I get things done more quickly, and if I happen to be behind schedule or have a deadline, it doesn’t seem to be a life and death matter any more, and believe me I used to suffer very much from stress and anxiety (although please note that I still do suffer from these, but the meditation has been a very useful addition to my armoury, and proves to be more effective the more I do it – one thing this book will tell you is that having too many expectations about meditation is why many people give up when a few sessions don’t transform there lives!) For sure we are all busy, and meditation may not be for everyone – but with a book like this available there is no longer an excuse to put off finding out at least a little more about meditation. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Mediation can be read over a few weeks, perhaps on the train or bus, perhaps 10 minutes a day during a lunch break. Indeed, you might even get so intrigued you make more time! Just analyse how much time you spend, say, chatting with a colleague, or watching soap operas, or perhaps moaning or worrying! Believe me, reading this book could change you life – although it is more likely rather to set you on a life-changing path, or give you potential for this, or perhaps less dramatically give you some food for thought about the mysteries of meditation
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To the paternally or maternally minded, the question “Is there any point having children?” must seem ludicrous, not to say unnatural, but there are people who ask this question. To echo Lionel Schriver in We Need To Talk About Kevin, if you’re in your mid thirties, successful, and happily married, why complicate things by having offspring – why RUIN things, in fact. Ok, people speak of bringing a little bundle of joy into the world, making new life – but little bundles of joy tend ot pee and puke and vomit quite a lot, never mind the fact they soon grow up, and end up being not so little bundles of hormones, aggression, neuroses and if parents are really unlucky, criminal violence. I have personally seen several colleagues on the verge of burnout due to the problems they’ve had with troublesome teenagers who were true angels until they reached that somehow magical number of years, and indeed who have been so well brought up, with all they could need and want, that their rebellious “wish you were all dead” natures could not possibly be a result of nurture, but indeed seeing as it doesn’t run in the family, how does nature come into it? The nature versus nurture concept is one raised in the book by this incisive writing in the epistolary format with an incisive style and at times remarkable turn of phrase; as she writes a series of letters to her husband, we are given a disturbing look into a pair of lives where the only way to find an answer to the question “is there any point having children” is to actually have one, and while the book sees this question answered to some extent by the end, at least from the narrator’s point of view, the answer is by no means clear. One thing we do learn is that having a difficult child, indeed having a child at all, can be one hell of a ride.
I had not read anything by Shriver before, as I usually stick to certain genres, so I am grateful to my friend Louise for giving me the volume for my birthday. The book certainly raises as many questions as it answers – and in particular the fact that one of the protagonists is also the sole narrator of events, giving us cause to question perhaps how much the truth has been edited for the sake of her pride, respect in the eyes of the reader, or sanity. Still, as much as some will detest this woman, despise her, I found myself enjoying the process of getting to know her, for although she might not have the happiest tale to tell, she tells it honestly (even if she hides some things, the things she does tell are told in technicolor) and even brutally, and has an almost poisonous wit at times. As I am not a mother I can only guess at what mothers will think of her, especially at some very particular moments – do they emphathise with her, sympathise, understand her? Or do they unconsciously do these things while their conscious censor forces them to despise her, to say “No mother could be like that…” Very intriguing – I certainly hope Schriver isn’t drawing on personal experience lest her offspring read the book and become damaged
The writing is well done and thoughtfully constructed, with a style that is polished and economical, falling just this side of the “literary”, although tabloid enthusiasts may struggle. The story itself has a number of, if not twists, at least brutal turns for the unexpected. I am not sure if other Lionel Schriver books are in a similar vein to this one, but based on this evidence of We need to talk about Kevin, I would certainly be willing to give another one a try. Thanks very much Louise for an enjoyable and though-provoking read for my Birthday
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Frankly, despite some initial interest and an initial hook with the buried alive surprise, for me this book became very unwieldy and slow during the midsection, the characters failed to spark my imagination or sympathies, and in the end it was all I could do to drag myself to the end, and that was because it was a loose end I wanted to tie up before going on holiday. Of course this isn’t to say it’s a bad book, as there are some good reviews on Amazon (although a few who also agree with me). If I think a book’s a cracker I will always say so, but conversely I won’t pretend to like a book if I don’t.
I think this might well be a problem with the continuing series format – maybe if I’d read the first and others in the series I would have had more interest in Sara and Tolliver and Lena, but for me this wasn’t generated on a standalone basis in the book – and I think this book catered much more for regular readers than the first time visitor to Grant County. Fair enough, regular readers should have their loyalty rewarded, but first time readers such as myself still need to be drawn into the story, or perhaps have it pointed out clearly that it is an ongoing series, and it would be better to read from volume one. I remember picking up a copy of one of Stephen King’s Dark Tower tomes, and on the first page the author told me NOT to buy it unless I’d read the previous volumes. I know each novel in a crime series is usually a separate novel, but it can be irksome for readers who come in half way through!
For reference, I have put Karin Slaughter’s first novel, Blingsighted, beneath the links to Faithless. If I were you I would read the Grant County novels in order, and think twice before buying a book because it is presented as the latest bestseller at the bookstore without checking if it’s one of a series beforehand!
I may give it some time, and then try the first novel with a fresh mind, but for now I have a stack of books to catch up on reviewing already
And the first Grant County novel:
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