Reading Challenge-September Update

This month was a month of reading surprises! I found a series that I’m loving and keep picking up the next book almost the instant I finish the books before. (My October reading maybe entirely this series!) I read a book about sweetgrass, corn, the movement of frogs, basket making and the power of gratitude. I laughed out loud and found myself moved to tears more than once as I walked through each essay in this wonderful book. Finding an all-consuming series and wonderful writing about grass- these types of surprises are what make the reading life such a wonderful adventure. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series by Louise Penny Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1)A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #2)The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #3)A Rule Against Murder (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #4) I LOVE this murder mystery series, I can’t stop reading it. These books about murder investigations are comforting and beautiful, in a surprising way. Chief Inspector Gamache is the head investigator of murders in Quebec. For the most part, these are set outside of Quebec in a quaint little town deep in the woods near the Vermont border. Three pines is a town that time forgot. The books focus on the humanity of the living more than murder scenes and scary storylines. Inspector Gamache is a true gentleman and renaissances man. You can feel his kindness, empathy and commanding leadership through the pages. The author, Louise Penny writes with such beauty about the people, scenery, and food. They are lovely, enchanting books. As I’m progressing through the series I see a larger story is unfolding about the characters, but it moves at such a gentle, comforting pace. This series has been on my radar for a while, I’m glad I finally took the time to start reading them. Life is a choice. All-day, every day. Who we talk to, where we sit, what we say, how we say it. And our lives become defined by our choices. It’s as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful. so when I’m observing that’s what I’m watching for. The choices people make” ― Louise Penny, Still Life Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer Will Schwalbe (author of Books for Living, a book I enjoyed earlier this year) believes that anytime you knock over a book in a bookstore, it means you have to buy it. The book has chosen you. I didn’t knock this book over, but it caught my eye at two different book stores. I knew it was choosing me, and I’m so glad it did. It is a collection of essays, exactly as the subtitle says; indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teaching of plants. It’s beautiful, disturbing, awe-inspiring and hopeful. There were essays that brought me to tears, and others that made me giggle and I’ll never look at corn, beans, and squash (called the three sisters in indigenous wisdom traditions) the same way again. It’s not a quick read, I slowly savored each essay. “Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them. Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life. Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer. Never take the first. Never take the last. Take only what you need. Take only that which is given. Never take more than half. Leave some for others. Harvest in a way that minimizes harm. Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken. Share. Give thanks for what you have been given. Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken. Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.” Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Sharing Silence: Meditation, Practice and Mindful Living by Gunilla Norris I found this book in the most wonderful used book store in Pullman Washington. It was a narrow little space with tight shelves and used books overflowing in piles on the floor. I could have spent all day. My kids, not so much. I love the adventure of a used bookstore. You never know what you might find. I had heard a few people mention and quote Gunilla, so when I found this book, I bought it. Her writing is some of my favorite kind of writing; poetic, lyrical, simple and profound. I look forward to reading more. Politicians and visionaries will not return us to the sacredness of life. That will be done by ordinary men and women who together or alone can say, “Remember to breathe, remember to feel, remember to care, let us do this for our children and ourselves and our children’s children. Let us practice for life’s sake.” ― Gunilla Norris The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo When I was not-so-patiently-waiting for my next Inspector Gamache book to arrive from the library this book came up on a Kindle Daily Deal. It was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick with compelling reviews. I enjoyed this book. It was magical and a bit mysterious. It reminded me a bit of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, a book that I read earlier this year set in Myanmar. I love when authors are able to capture the mystical culture of Asia. It’s the story of a young orphan boy, a British doctor, and a young girl, that are drawn together in a strange and mystical way. The story jumps between different characters and their storylines, I wondered at times how in the world it was all going to come together, and yet it did. A very beautiful book. “In Cantonese, two was a good number because it made a pair. Three was also good because it was a homophone for sang, or life. Four, of course, was bad because it sounded like death. Five was good again because it made a complete set, not just of the Confucian Virtues, but also for the elements of wood, fire, water, metal, and earth.” ― Yangsze Choo, The Night Tiger Enter your email to subscribe– It’s only ever used to notify you of new questions from The Art of Powering Down.

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