Atchison Blue: A Search for Silence, a Spiritual Home, and a Living Faith by Judith Valente, 181 pages

My sister lent me this book.  I am happy to say you can also check it out from the library.  Judith Valente has spent a lot of time at Mount St. Scholastica monastery in Atchison, Kansas.  I have been to Atchison many times since moving to St. Joseph, but never visited Mount St. Scholastica.

This is a memoir of Judith Valente's time at the monastery with the sisters, and her struggles to be a better person.

It was a lovely little read and I really do need to visit someday . . .

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, 196 pages

The Alchemist is a little fable of a book, originally published in Brazil.  Santiago is a young man in Spain who became a shepherd because he wanted to travel.  He meets a gypsy who tells him she wants a tenth of treasure he finds at the pyramids.  He's not looking for treasure and had no plans to go to Egypt.

He meets an old man who tells him to follow his personal legacy and he will find his treasure.  So, Santiago, referred to as "the boy" leaves Spain to find his personal legacy.

Lovely little book.

The Power Of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle, 195 pages

“The Power Of Now” is a spiritual enlightenment book. The writer has studied many religions, and has built his philosophy on finding happiness from what he has learned. I found many sections that really spoke to me, and many times his thoughts made me reflect on my current views about happiness. I do agree with the author that many of us become so caught up in just getting through life that we really are not living life.  

Although I do not believe there is one philosophy that can be true for all of us, I do believe that by listening to the ideas of others I can only grow. I enjoyed the book immensely, and look forward to reading more of this author’s work. 

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo, 323 pages

Breakfast with Buddha is a book club selection for two of the library's book clubs this year.  It is a novel that reads like a memoir.

Otto Ringling is a happily married father of two, living in New York, with a good job in the publishing industry.  His parents recently died and he and his flaky sister Cecilia need to sell the family farm in North Dakota.

Cecilia is afraid to fly so Otto agrees to drive her from her home in New Jersey to North Dakota.  When Otto gets to her house he finds out she wants him to drive her guru, Volya Rinpoche there instead.  And . . . she wants her portion of the family farm to go to the guru.  A long road trip and enlightenment ensues.