Spiritual Discovery

Anyone who has read Paulo Coelho knows that his stories are often fantastical tales that center on the mysteries of the spirit. Brida is the story of a woman on a journey of self-discovery who finds spirituality through magic. There were some definite surprises in this book. For example, sex is used as a means of obtaining spiritual power. After having read his explanation in the afterword I guess I can understand where he was going with that but it was a bit of a shock to the system when I actually read it in the context of the story. Without giving too much away I can say that there are two different sides to the 'magical coin': The Tradition of the Moon and the Tradition of the Sun. By studying either of these the individual is opening themselves up to God and all that He created. I liked it but in my opinion The Alchemist was far and away more powerful. If you're interested in his take on magic vs spirituality vs religion then I encourage you to give this book a try but if you're only reading it because you liked The Alchemist (oops) then you might be in for a shock.

The next book up for review is one that I was so excited about that I actually pre-ordered it as soon as I heard that it was coming out...and then it languished on my living room end table doomed to dust and sadness. :'-( And then today I decided that it was time to read it!! XD The book in question is Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. Besides being an absolute mouthful this book has all the earmarks of being one that completely knocks my socks off. Longtime readers of the blog might remember when I first found out about the awesomeness that is Erik Larson and his gift of writing the narrative nonfiction. (If you haven't read The Devil in the White City you are seriously missing out.) This book is about an American ambassador sent to Berlin with his family. At first, they're all caught up in the glitz and glam of the Third Reich until the horror unfolds before their very eyes. I'm already filled with suspense. O_O

I hope you guys are having an absolutely amazing weekend and that your week will be even better. KEEP READING!!