Out of Africa, by Karen Blixen

I started this book because of our upcoming trip to Kenya. The author lived in Africa during the early 1900's. She and her husband moved to Kenya to start a coffee plantation which eventually went bust (not good coffee growing climate) and then she had to move back to Denmark. This book is written nearly 20-30 years later as she looks back on her life in Africa.

It's clear that she really loved Africa and the people there. She has a respect for the Africans that I think was rare in those days. Nevertheless, there are some aspects of her perspective that are very colonial and paternal toward the country and the people there. I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of the different types of people. The locals, called Kikuyus, the nomad Masai, and the Somalis (who consider themselves Arab and are "Mohammedans") are all portrayed as unique cultures.

The stories are told as little vignettes without any particular plot line that holds them together. But in the end these stories combine to paint a picture of a life in Africa that doesn't exist anymore. The lion hunts in the morning, flying freely over the country to observe the wildlife, acting as doctor/nurse/judge to the locals on her land, building dams for water supply, seeding ponds with fish - these are all tales of a historical time and lifestyle now gone.

Recommendation: I'm glad I read it and am looking forward to our trip to Africa.

The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch

As millions have already seen in his You Tube video, Randy Pausch does an incredible job of inspiring people to live a life of integrity and passion. Since he was dying from cancer at the time he gave his Last Lecture at Carnegie Mellon and when writing the book, his words carry a weight that we may not give to others. I read this book first and then went to watch his video on You Tube.

It's hard to say what this book does without sounding all cliche. I'm challenged to think about whether I'm living the life I dreamed. I certainly have always felt I should never get to the end of my life and have regrets. And I feel I've done a pretty good job of that. My life feels pretty good - I'm happy with the choices I've made and the options I've chosen. But for me, I'm challenged to think about things that I'm doing that are getting in the way of living my dreams. Quite honestly, I'm not sure I could tell you what are my dreams. There are things I'd like to do with my life that I haven't started yet. I'm not sure what they are, but this book and his video challenge me to start dreaming big and see what I can do.

Recommendation: Yes. Read this book. A profound look at the simple rules that make living a pleasure.

Milwaukee, by Bernice Rubens

For obvious resons, I noticed this book on the shelf at the book store.

It was a pretty quick read.

The overal premise is a woman on her deathbed who is cycling through all her painful memories so that she can reach forgiveness and reconciliation. Milwaukee is where one of the characters is from. It's not a book about Milwaukee (and I wasn't expecting it to be either).

It was an interesting story as the time perspectives kept shifting back and forth from her memory to the present. It did seem like she and the members of her family were quick to blame one another and get themselves into situations where they would hold grudges for the rest of their lives. I guess there are families out there like that. But it seemed a bit odd to me that after 16 years of what seems like a pretty blissful family situation then her daughter gets mad enough at her for one mistake that she never forgives her for the rest of her life.

Gee - I hope my daughter is a bit more forgiving than that.

And this one lack of forgiveness leads to a series of mistakes and instances that essentially lead to an entire breakdown of the family (sorry for any plot spoilers there).

Didn't love it. Didn't hate it.

Recommendation: Not really - there are so many other things to read.

Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert

I really enjoyed this book.

In Italy, the descriptions of food made me ravenous! I will forever remember her description of a pizza in Naples - Margarita with extra mozzarella. Yum! I can taste the salty, gooey cheese now. I want to go back to Italy just for that pizza. I'm sure I gained 10 lbs just reading her exploration of Italy.

In particular, I enjoyed her spiritual journey in India. There were times that I felt the descriptions of her discovery and exploration of her spiritual self were a bit indulgent. She freely admits that she has a personality that is very focused on herself - and I guess this was a lot of what she needed to discover. But what I really loved were her explanations of God. There are aspects of yogic thought that I really like - that God is me. In order to know God, I must come to know the me that is God. This I like - and it makes sense to me.

It explains to me why there are so many commonalities amongst our religions in the world. If God is us - then we must all innately know the goodness of God. C. S. Lewis wrote a book called Mere Christianity. In it, he tries to lay the groundwork for proving Christianity by pointing out the universal knowlege of good and evil (the Moral Law) that are known throughout the world. It is a great book for those who are looking for Chistianity to make sense. To me, it did a better job of pointing out the universality of humanity - and perhaps making the case that Christianity doesn't have the only path to God.

I'm spending a lot of time thinking about the spiritual path to God. Which, if God is here - is me, then there is no "path". It is more about discovering behind all the stresses and thoughts and distractions of life the person within me that is God. The person that can see the world through her heart. And look at life as a great opportunity to be. These thoughts have been circling through my head since I started this book.

Her final trip to Bali, in Indonesia, is more like a very relaxing holiday. It is nice to see her emerge from this great journey she's been on into a place where she is able to experience the joys of life. And really - that is what is happiness for - the ability to experience the joys of life. I spend a lot of time looking for experiences rather than enjoying the happiness of the moment. I'd like to change that.

Recommendation: If you're looking for something that will make you think about life and question the things that your always thought were important.