What I've been reading

Kidnapped
by Robert Louis Stevenson

narrated by B. J. Harrison

"Orphaned and penniless, young David Balfour sets out to find his last living relative. But in doing so he will become caught up in the greatest and most frightening adventure of his life, involving kidnap, shipwreck, murder and a dramatic flight across the Scottish highlands with the fiery, sword-fighting fugitive, Alan Breck Stuart."

This reminded me of The 39 Steps (in a good way) with a rattling narrative and a satisfactory outcome. My only reservation is that it relies a good deal on knowledge of Scottish history and geography, which are not among my strengths.

The Reason I Jump
by Naoki Higashida

narrated by David Mitchell

"This remarkable book provides a rare insight into the behaviour of autistic children. Using a question and answer format, Naoki explains why he talks loudly or repeats the same questions, and why he likes to jump."

This short book is written by a 13 year-old autistic Japanese boy in the form of questions and answers. He often speaks for all people with autism, and sometimes doesn't have answers to his own questions, but it's a remarkable book given his age and the fact that he is barely able to communicate by speaking. (N.B. the narrator is the author not the comedian of the same name).

Precious Teachers: Indian Memoirs of an English Buddhist
by Sangharakshita

"It is 1950, and Tibetan Buddhism has begun its exodus into India, with Kalimpong as a gateway. Urgyen Sangharakshita shares his recollections of those Tibetan gurus and traveling academics who lived in and passed through Kalimpong, a hill station at the foot of the Himalayas."

On the reading list for my retreat but not one of the primary texts, this is a memoir covering the period that the author lived in Kalimpong, India, within sight of Mount Kachenjunga in the Eastern Himalayas. There, at the junction of India, Nepal and Tibet, he met many spiritual Buddhist teachers who influenced his thinking, writing and teaching in the years to come. I've read his three other memoirs and not sure how I missed this one. It's not a beginner's book but I've now got enough of the basics to make sense of all the characters involved, and their place in the subsequent story of Western Buddhism.

The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047
by Lionel Shriver

"It is 2029. The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable fortune filtering down when their 97-year-old patriarch dies, but now their inheritance is turned to ash. Each family member must contend with disappointment, but also — as the effects of the downturn start to hit — the challenge of sheer survival."

This author wrote a (different) book that was made into a film that sounded much too challenging for me to watch or read. But a friend loaned me this book so I though it was worth a try. Some parts were simply boring (a dinner party where they talked about economic policy for a whole chapter), some traumatic (the description of a society breaking down into anarchy) but by the end I was glad I read it. I really won't try any more of her books though.

Middlesex
by Jeffrey Eugenides

"The story of Calliope Stephanides and her truly unique family secret, born on the slopes of Mount Olympus and passed on through three generations. Growing up in 70s Michigan, Calliope’s special inheritance will turn her into Cal, the narrator of this intersex, inter-generational epic of immigrant life in 20th century America."

I love a good family saga, and this tells the story of three generations of a Greek immigrant family, culminating in the birth of a baby with a chromosomal disorder that results in genital characteristics of both sexes. And that's it really, but the story of her progress to manhood is told alongside that of her parents and aunt and grandparents. I enjoyed it more than most of the other books I've read from the Classics list.

Living Together
by Sanghadevi

"For many of us, living with others offers both the greatest challenge and the greatest joy. We would all like to have a harmonious life, feeling connected to those with whom we live. Here we can discover how friendliness, co-operation, simplicity, meaningful communication and mutual vision can build fulfilling relationships."

With four days left on retreat I started to worry that the worst may happen and I might finish all the books I brought, or would be left only with a dry textbook, or even start a book from the Centre library and not have time to finish it. So I took a break from my own books and found a couple of suitable ones in the library. This one was so small I finished it in less than a day. The idea of living in communally in a Buddhist context has occurred to me as an option so it was interesting to read about what this author sees as important in making such an enterprise a success. This would be worth returning to if community living becomes a more solid ambition.

Ordination
by Moksananda

"Ordination: a spiritual journey, a noble quest, a lived myth, a rite of passage. Finding something of true value that evokes our faith and commitment is rare indeed, especially in a time when positive myths are in danger of disappearing."

Another short book that attracted me in the retreat centre library - I've asked for ordination, so might this book tell me about it? Luckily, nothing that was unexpected but a deepening of my understanding of what all this might mean. What it will actually mean will have to wait until it happens.

The Covenant of Water
by Abraham Verghese

"At the turn of the twentieth century a twelve-year-old girl is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch will witness unthinkable changes of the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss."

Another family saga which also happens to include a hereditary transmissible chromosomal disorder, but one which results in fear of water and deafness. It's set in southern India rather than America so there's a very different tone to the story, but it's well written and I was always hoping that the threads running through the book would be brought together satisfactorily at the end. And they were.