Judy

Read this novel for no other reason than to be “whooshed” away by the stunning language and phrases the author evokes through the characters and their lives. If you happen to come away with a deeper awareness of Ethiopian history and culture, as well as Islamic and Muslim traditions–that's a plus.

Interesting points of view on the Catholic clergy and child sexual abuse crimes that exploded during the last decade or so. The main narrator is the sister of a Catholic priest accused of inappropriate contact with a young boy, but the book also looks at the case through the priest's police-officer brother, the mother of the young boy, and the priest himself.

I felt sympathetic towards all the characters, so I thought the novel did a good job of making the reader aware that these abuse-by-clergy scandals have many different sides and painting any one person as the “villain” is simplistic.

I've never thought of myself as someone who would like listening to opera and I mostly just like reading about the history of opera, but this book has actually encouraged me to try listening to the music. The author wrote so beautifully about the way the music makes both the singer and the listener feel, that I'm intrigued. However, the plot was somewhat melodramatic with the love stories and the foreshadowing of the unhappy ending, which is why I gave it the 3 stars.

While I did give this book 2 stars for hooking me right into the story, after the first third of the book, I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the overwritten, hit-you-over-the-head “profound” connections she makes to events in her past history.

The last third of the book read like she was trying to make the book longer by adding a bunch of hazy off-trail experiences to match the time it took her to hike the last leg of the trail. It felt like I was reading a reality TV show, planned out to astound you with the senselessness of a person's thoughts and actions so you could maybe feel like at least you're not THAT bad.

I had higher expectations for the book as a whole, but at least I did find out about the Pacific Crest Trail–a trail system I had no idea about.

Quick little read compiled from discussions in a capstone MBA class at the Harvard Business School. On the last day of class, the author asks the students to apply the theories they've studied to a special case–themselves. The discussion is framed around answering 3 questions:
How can I be sure that
*I will be successful and happy in my career
*My relationships with my spouse, my children, and my extended family and close friends become an enduring source of happiness
*I live a life of integrity

The theories the students have studied are attempts to predict what will happen to a company, but now the students discuss how these theories might guide their own decision-making about themselves to arrive at a successful, fulfilling life.

I appreciated the straightforward purpose of the book and the obvious depth of commitment and integrity the authors shared through their anecdotes and thoughts. Emphasizing that finding the likeness, commitment, and metrics you're going to use to measure your life is a process, not an end, also makes this book an uplifting and motivating addition to my personal development library.