Eat, Pray, Booooo

I just finished a book that has affected the lives of many women.

Thing is, I didn't really like it. And that shocks me, because everything about the book should be right up my alley. Like my blog, it is written by a woman who is searching and tells her story in a very personalized, stream of consciousness kind of way. It is filled with romance and heartbreak and travel and spiritual insight and ... It bored the life out of me.

First off, I didn't really like the woman. She seemed whiny, pathetic and unable to be on her own. I judged her for jumping from her marriage into another love affair and then, at the end of her travels, ending up with some random guy. It could be that I didn't like her because she represented all the parts of myself that I don't approve of...I am not certain. Point being, I wasn't on her side.

Not to mention the pages of description of the history of the countries she was traveling in and the background of the religions she was studying. That doesn't make for a badly written book - quite the opposite I'm sure - but it does make for a bored Konkin. I found myself constantly flipping forward pages and pages. Eventually, I was reduced to scanning whole pages in an attempt to make the book end faster.

Yet, within the story were gems. Little parts or sentences or concepts that stuck out. For example, the description of Indonesian meditation described by her old medicine man at the end of the book. He tells her to meditate by sitting quietly with a huge smile on her face for a period of time. It struck me as pure genius the minute I read it. Sitting, quietly, smiling. Brilliant. Meditation is always dealt with with such seriousness. I dare any of you reading this to try it. Sit with your eyes closed somewhere quiet and then smile. Regardless of the mood you are in, just grin like a fool. And sit. It transforms you. And for some insane reason it is really hard. Maybe because we have all gotten so damn good at our suffering.

Ah, well. This isn't the first time that my tastes haven't followed the pack. I laughed out loud after reading the first few pages of the first Harry Potter book...and not in a good way. And I would rather sit through a week long lecture on mathematical biosciences than read the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. I hate The Da Vinci Code and now I can say that I was sadly disappointed in this new bestseller.

Though I have found a new TV show to watch. Friday Night Lights. Hating the cool, feminine, spiritual book and loving the TV show about a red neck football town.

Shit. I gotta get out of Moose Jaw.