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Link looks interesting.

Update: I'm a little over halfway through Joyce Carol Oates's latest. Slow going--partly because I'm also trying to skim half-read Newsweeks that date back to 06. I think I'll be letting that subscription go.

Hey, Mellow, which Jeff Talarigo should I start with?

Hard to say, Martha. I will love the Ginseng Hunter for years, and am already thinking about re-reading it. His first novel (Pearl Diver) is, I think, more intense in story and less beautiful in language (although still very well done, IMO).

I have found the scenes in Pearl Diver coming back to me in the last few days even though it wasn't my favorite....you're in for a treat either way, I think, whether your preference is language or story.

(at this point we always say: "o god o god please let martha like this author!")

I'd relax. The Holocaust book left you with lots of political (literary?) capital (ol?) to spend.

A discussion of Vietnam reminded me of a lovely book that came out a few years ago, called "The Book of Salt." It's by Monique Truong.

The book is set in Paris, for the most part, in the home of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, although it is not really about them. It's narrated by their Vietnamese cook Bihn, a gay man who has emigrated from Vietnam to France, although he does not speak English, or not much.

This is one of those books I'll read several times before I begin to get the whole story, simply because the writing carries me away.


On a whole different note, I've just started "My Guantanamo Diary" by Mahvish Rukhsana Khan. As an American-born daughter of Afghani parents and a law student fluent in Pashto, she volunteered to work as a translator for attorneys working pro bono for those held in Guantanamo. It's promising; I 'll let you know how it goes.

Oh - the subtitle is "The Detainees and the Stories they Told Me."

I bought two books last week. "The Miracle of Mindfulness" by Thich Nhat Hanh, and "Three Cups of Tea", by Gary Mortensen. I've just started both of them.

EmmaG

Emma - I'll be interested to know what you think of Thich Nhat Hanh. If you like him I may be able to send you a couple of things...I struggle with him mostly because of a comment made by a zen master -- zen is pretty austere and I think Thich Nhat Hanh is a little more "warm and fuzzy." Neither is right; it's a matter of taste.

But I'm fairly sure I have his Living Buddha, Living Christ - if not that one it's another where he's bridge-building between Buddhism and Christianity. If you decide you're interested, pm me and I'll look around to see what I have.

Thanks, Julia. Living Buddha, Living Christ was actually the first one I bought. I also have Peace With Every Step. There are some videos of him on YouTube, which I like very much. I can see why you would think of him as "light." I also like Pema Chodron very much.

Woops, no you don't ma'am! I said he was "warm and fuzzy," and I said zen was austere. I think each one has value according to circumstance and taste.

Thich Nat Hanh is a lot deeper and smarter than I am and I can't call him "light."

I also like Pema Chodron, which sometimes surprises me, although sometimes I think she's a bit steeply priced.

Someone else you might like - it's been far too long since I read her - is Charlotte Joko Beck's "Nothing Special" or "Everyday Zen." These are nice meditations. Your library or used bookstore might have them; I bought my copies at least ten years ago, but they're still in print.

I'm glad you reminded me of Beck. She will be good reading this evening.
But - please, no, don't think I called Thich Nhat Hanh "light."

I so apologize. I mis-paraphrased you and I'm sorry. I have read a lot of Zen stuff...many years ago. Now, I have so much heavy reading in school, "warm and fuzzy" works right now.

Emma - we have known each other quite awhile and I am still learning all kinds of things about you! That's one of the reasons I've always looked for your posts.

Warm and fuzzy truly serves a good purpose. There are times when I need to pare away all the unnecessary distraction; there are other times when I need to be reminded that the world isn't as cold as it can seem.

Good night, EmmaG. Sleep well, and let's get together and foment a rebellion sometime, okay?