Mia's Picks

A Fine Balance

Attention: open in a new window.

afinebalance by Rohinton Mistry

What an incredible novel! So many customers have recommeded this for so many years. Not only is the plot captivating, Mistry's writing style is both humorous and genius. Here were some of my favorite quotes: "You know Maneck, the human face has limited space. My mother used to say, if you fill your face with laughing, there will be no room for crying." This one is so beautifully gross: "After he finished she sat and threw up beside his snoring, rumbling body. During the night he awoke and enlarged her little splash with a torrent of bilious vomit. Later, she heard a slurping and opened her eyes; rats were supping on their mingled effluent." (p 448). I loved this observation on aging: "The stick wristed figure looked nothing like the Dina Aunty he had left eight years ago. Eight years in passing were entitled to take their toll; but this-this was more than a toll, this was outright banditry." (p. 594). A Fine Balance is an exquisite depiction of human tragedy, compassion and love. Five out of five stars!

The Nectar of Devotion: The Complete Science of Bhakti Yoga

Attention: open in a new window.

nectarofdevotion by A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupda

This classic Vedic text describes union with the divine through devotional service.

Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man

Attention: open in a new window.

portraitofanaddict by Bill Clegg

Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man by Bill Clegg. Clegg was a

successful literary agent in New York City when he began smoking crack.

It is a surprisingly lucid, and certainly candid account of the

unrelenting search for oblivion that is addiction.

Clegg was a successful literary agent in New York City when he began smoking crack. It is a surprisingly lucid, and certainly candid account of the unrelenting search for oblivion that is addiction.

I Know I Am, But What Are You?

Attention: open in a new window.

iknowiam
by Samantha Bee

Bee is the Most Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. These essays and observations are hilarious..not PC, so cuidado on that count, but the gal can turn a phrase. It's laugh out loud funny.

Tinkers

Attention: open in a new window.

tinkers by Paul Harding

This first novel just won the Pulitzer Prize. Don't look for plot here; the novel begins with, and is narrated by, a hallucinating protagonist on his deathbead. What follows are a series of beautifully written observations and recollections. Get this: " I should say that the sermons my father gave on Sundays were bland and vague. Parishoners regularly drifted off to sleep in their pews and it was common to hear snoring coming from this or that corner of the room. My father's voice droned on about the importance of every little creature in the field, ennumerating practically every crawling, swimming, flying beast he could and reiterating that it, too, was as important as any of God's creations. And consider the rats in the grain, he would say. And the barking crows, and the squirrels collecting nuts. Are they too, not God's creatures? And the foraging racoon."

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Meth Addiction

Attention: open in a new window.

beautifulboy.lg by David Sheff

I listened to this story on compact disc; it is a harrowing account of the insidious nature of addiction.

Every Last One

Attention: open in a new window.

everylastone by Anna Quindlen

I love Quindlan's writing style...just wait to read the genesis of the title. Chilling!!

A Life Worth Breathing

Attention: open in a new window.

alifeworthbreathing by Max Strom

Up with yoga! Strom describes how

we can achieve our true destiny, that of an integrated soul living an

authentic life of meaning, success and joy. To me, that means yoga as a

form of prayer, of practice with pure intention.

Up with yoga! Strom describes how we can achieve our true destiny, that of an integrated soul living an authentic life of meaning, success and joy. To me, that means yoga as a form of prayer, of practice with pure intention.

Light on the Path of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Attention: open in a new window.

lightyogasutras by BKS Iyengar

Compiled over 2,000 years ago, the sutras are a collection of 196 aphorisms pertaining to the philosophy and practice of yoga. This is the clearest commentary on the sutras that I have ever read. As one who is always looking for a way out, this excerpt fits: "There is a tendency to associate the renunciate of Patanjali's eightfold path with the recluse who conquers the temptations of the flesh simply by rejecting the civilized world and dwelling in places where no temptations exist. Of all the discussions of how to belong to the world, act in it and yet remain unsullied, pride of place is often given to the debate between Lord Krsna and Arjuna on the eve of battle. There, Krsna makes it plain that action cannot be avoided; because inaction is also action; and that selfish action, attachment to their fruits, lead to ensnarement."