Eat, Pray, Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert
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| This is the first book I did not take a photo of and I kind of liked it.... |
What [is this book about] This book is one woman's journey to healing. She travels to Italy, India and Indonesia in search for spiritual enlightenment and freedom.
Why [did I chose to read it] Well...I had seen this book in Costco and thought several times of reading it, but I never did because I was a little turned off by what kind of spirituality would be dolled out. I chose to read it because well, I like to eat, pray and love.
When [did I start and finish it] January 18-January 24
Where [did I get it] My cousin Lisa got me this book for Christmas. She also got me "The Joy of Cooking" which I am also excited to read, but it may not appear on this book list :)
Who [should read this book] Anyone who is confident in their own spirituality, anyone who loves a good real life story, and anyone who loves to travel.
How [will my life change as a result] I doubt it will.
[Final word] I don't believe it is a coincidence that I read this book just days after reading Bittersweet as both are the tales of one woman's journey to wholeness as told in first person. Shauna's is a tale of turning to Christ, while Elizabeth's is a tale of turning to Yoga and meditation. It was interesting to compare and contrast the characters. I think this book presented to me that while we may have differing beliefs, we all have one thing in common- we're human. And we deal with our pain in ways that isn't necessarily new or creative. We've been eating since the world began, we've been praying since we understood what that was and we've been loving just as long. While I certainly don't believe there are many ways to heaven, I believe there are many paths to finding Jesus Christ and we all have our own stories of how we got here (Eat, Pray, Love doesn't end with the author finding Christ or I venture to say it wouldn't be so popular). Regardless of how the book ends, I believe that even the most mislead person can come to discover Christ in the most unlikely of places.
One thing this book opened me up to realize is that eastern religions have some pieces that probably rightly belong in Christianity. I'd like to meditate more. Meditation doesn't belong to Buddhists or Hindus, but it seems we allow them to own it. Mediation is being quiet so you can hear from the one who doesn't usually shout over our busyness. It's just contemplating. Who couldn't use a little contemplation? Anyway, this was a good read. A bit of "candy" reading that doesn't change my life, but fills me up while I live in the pages.
One thing this book opened me up to realize is that eastern religions have some pieces that probably rightly belong in Christianity. I'd like to meditate more. Meditation doesn't belong to Buddhists or Hindus, but it seems we allow them to own it. Mediation is being quiet so you can hear from the one who doesn't usually shout over our busyness. It's just contemplating. Who couldn't use a little contemplation? Anyway, this was a good read. A bit of "candy" reading that doesn't change my life, but fills me up while I live in the pages.
*My goal in 2011 is to read 50 books. Pretty ambitions, I know. But I love to read and I am excited to take on the challenge. Probably the biggest reason it is a challenge is because I plan to read intentionally. What does that mean?
Well for me, reading more intentionally means three things:
1. less fiction. I can read a good fiction book in a couple of days!
2. more non-fiction and books I can learn from.
3. keeping this blog as my digital diary.
So here we go! Let's see how many I can do and what I can learn and share with you!
P.S. Would LOVE any suggestions you have for books to read this year!
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