It’d be nice if people actually read one or both of my blogs, but whether anyone does or not, I plan to keep plodding along putting a little something related to reading or writing (this blog) or to life (Mom’s Musings at wordpress.com/posts/jaynepbowers.com).

As we’ve all read or heard, “Good readers make good writers,” and lately I’ve been taking advantage of that advice by reading a variety of books, stories, and articles, some good and some better. I began rereading  As I Lay Dying this morning but soon gave it up after I remembered  its many characters, points of view, chapters, and stream of consciousness technique. I know it’s considered among the best novels of the 20th century, but Jewel and Darl required too much concentration earlier today.

Instead, I finished Breakfast With Buddha and reviewed it on Amazon.

“I ordered Breakfast with Buddha on the recommendation of a friend, not to learn more about the Four Noble Truths or the Eightfold Path, but to read a “feel good” book and be reminded of some important basics. Love is important. So are inner peace, compassion, a sense of humor, humility, and stillness.

“In the novel, Otto Ringling, a food book editor, takes a cross-country drive from New York to North Dakota with Volva Rinpoche, an affable monk who’s been foisted upon him by his sister Cecelia. Ringling and Cecelia’s parents have been killed in an automobile accident, and the two of them were to travel to their family home, a farm in North Dakota, to settle the estate. Cecelia, a beautiful, free spirited person, has become attached to Rinpoche and desires to leave her part of the estate to him to establish a holy center. She convinces her brother to make the road trip with the monk and promises to join them at the farm later.

“Annoyed with his sister, yet determined to make the best of the situation, Otto and the monk spend several days crossing the country, making stops along the way for the Rinpoche to speak at various engagements. The two men influence each other along the way, and Otto gradually softens up and begins to see his busy, worldly life through a different lens. He’s determined to show the spiritual guru some of what makes America great, including baseball games, gambling, putt putt golf, and fine dining. The reader (at least this one) doesn’t know whether Otto gets through to Rinpoche, but she does know that the monk influences Otto who, at times, meditates, does yoga, and fasts from a couple of meals.

“Breakfast with Buddha is a fun read, light and serious at the same time. While not a preachy book, the novels force the reader to take a look at her or his spiritual side.”