The Power of Now

I have no idea why I've seen this book on so many recommended lists. He gets a star for a few good nuggets on basic mindfulness, but otherwise comes off sounding like a self-appointed prophet of esoteric nonsense. There is no science, there are no citations and he freely twists quotes from (insert religious figure here) while talking down to the reader, as if spending a year sleeping on park benches has granted him valid credentials.

I practice meditation daily and read a lot in the personal growth/mindfulness categories, so it's not like I had it out for this book. The few good lines were in the first half, after which I started speed-reading as it went steadily downhill. Upon seeing that the last half inch of pages does not consist of citations, like most other books I read, I'm moving this puzzler to unfinished and moving on with my life.

If you're interested in mindfulness and learning to be more present in your life, read something by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Or better yet, get yourself a subscription to Headspace and start practicing it.