Great Books

A good book makes you want to live in the story.

A great book gives you no choice.

Book Echoes



What book echoes in your heart and has changed who you are?

 

Insomnia

"I cannot sleep unless I am surrounded by books." 

~Jorge Luis Borges

Book Light

"Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world
a door opens to allow in more light."

~Vera Nazarian

No Encore for Delta

Lynn Harrell is a professional classical cellist who travels all over the world to perform. Traveling as a cello soloist means a lot of flying and trusting airlines with a delicate, multimillion-dollar instrument as checked baggage. Thus, like many cellists, Mr. Harrell has to buy a second full-fare ticket for his instrument to travel in the cabin with him.   

Over the course of his career, Mr. Harrell has been accumulating miles for his cello’s second full-fare ticket, and those miles have helped reduce the cost of the flights for the instrument.

Then Delta Airlines abruptly terminated his membership in their frequent flyer program, cancelled all his miles, and permanently banned him from their program. His offense? Nothing more than accruing miles for the full-fare tickets purchased for his cello.

Mr. Harrell responded by saying he was taking his business to an airlines that would allow him (and his cello) to accrue frequent flier miles. But the story doesn’t end here for me. This kind of corporate stance makes me indignant and, in silent support of traveling cellists all over the world, I will no longer fly Delta. Said succinctly, my relationship with Delta has ended on a sour note. I applaud Mr. Harrell for carrying on without missing a beat.   

Old Book Smell

I've always loved the smell of secondhand bookstores. Who knew there's actually science behind it?

Smelling Salts

I’ve never fainted from excitement while reading, but I must admit the image fascinates me. A woman was said to have had this response when she read French Renaissance essayist Montaigne's work. I love the possibility that people can experience such strong visceral reactions to what they’re reading that they faint. New ideas are thrilling, and they should energize and excite the writer and the reader. Why don’t we have more excited readers? Maybe it’s because we don’t have more excited writers.  

There are a breathtaking number of possibilities and experiences in front of us each day; yet we often find ourselves thinking the same thoughts, seeing the same things, and responding in the same ways. An excited writer has the power to awaken us to the possibilities, breathe life from the page, and encourage us to live like the bases are loaded—with enthusiasm, intense curiosity, and passion.

As an excited reader and writer, I’m fascinated by ideas and simple concepts under complex surfaces, and I’m always looking for connections between disparate things. Being a student of life is required if our words are going to have the power to shock into truthfulness, help others to see things in different ways, and create a highly reflective surface that shines others’ brilliance back at them.

 
One of my favorite quotations is from Ram Dass, who said, “We're all just walking each other home." What a lovely journey that can be when we’re walking with those who reflect and enhance our brilliance. Don’t forget your smelling salts.