Owl Magic: Your Guide Through Challenging Times

Owl Magic by Mary Petiet is a quick but valuable read. I like its focus on providing a sort of blueprint for surviving during difficult times. 

Those times are NOW! 

I keep having to remind myself that all times in the history of the world have had their share of challenges, but somehow I always return to the idea that humanity should know better by now. We shouldn’t have to continue replaying these conflicts between good and evil, right and wrong. We should have learned our lessons about being kind and humble and following the Golden Rule.These times should be different, and it’s up to humankind to make them better. I am of the belief this will only happen through a spiritual reckoning that isn’t specific to one religion but embraces the unifying tenants of all of them.                                       

Inclusivity is key to the evolution of humanity, and this book captures the spirit of that realization. There’s no place for exclusion, bigotry, and hatred. Universal human rights are nonnegotiable. People who are not on board with that idea must not be tolerated or allowed into positions of leadership. Yet somehow today, here we are. This simple concept has been warped and ravaged throughout history, and the time has come for a post-Covid renaissance. As the author notes, “Such times of plague have historically led to times of change.”

Each chapter of this book begins with a grounding poem and ends with a yoga pose, meditation, and list of writing prompts for reflection. The whole idea is to provide strategies for quieting the inner and outer noise that makes introspection and the process of self-actualization difficult. Taming the "monkey mind".

What if everyone could be convinced of the importance of this practice? Would we all be led to the same well of humanity, connecting us to all the goodness and abundance life has to offer?

My favorite chapter “Apocalypse” invites us to acknowledge our fears utilizing the wisdom of the Universal Law of Courage. This deeply resonates with me. The ultimate fear of death may be the foundation for all our individual fears.

“What if we accept death as something as natural as birth, making it a natural experience instead of a scary one. From darkness comes light, and from death comes new life and innovation.”

What if, indeed? Owl Magic provides a map for humanity to follow as it evolves, once we are finally able to reject the greed and hate that currently envelops our world.

My secret wish is that all religions and countries—fictional divisions created by mankind—will accept the power of the Universal Laws: Connection, Love, Courage, and Potential. Finally, the Universal Law of Least Effort compels us to “accept things as they are” even as we endeavor to bring about the huge, positive social changes that are necessary. 

The Only Woman in the Room

The end of The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict is the best part. After reading the Author’s Note, I was inspired to watch this YouTube video that captures the spirit of Hedy Lamarr better than the book did for me. Reading this book was even more slow-going than usual for me because I felt that the voice was all wrong. Benedict is a lawyer, and I couldn’t help thinking that the tone was too “lawyerly” for the novelization of Hedy Lamar’s story. Benedict’s writing style seems more suited to a nonfiction slant similar to the approach taken by author Nancy Rubin Stuart when writing about the women in Benjamin Franklin’s life.

It’s difficult for me to be too critical though because I met Marie Benedict at a speed-signing at Titcomb’s Book Store this summer, and she is gracious and lovely! Two friends of mine, Deb J and Brenda, loved this book, so clearly Benedict’s style is appealing in ways that other people appreciate. 

I’ll be interested to compare the writing with that of The First Ladies, co-written by Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (who was also present at the signing and coauthored The Personal Librarian with Benedict). I bought that book but have lent it out to Brenda and Lisa while I slog my way through another solo-Benedict selection about Winston Churchill’s wife, Clementine. 

Olive, Again

It took me a while to settle into Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout, even though I couldn’t wait to read it after finishing Olive Kitteridge. One of the things I love about the Olive books is that it’s not just her story, but an amalgamation of intersecting lives in the fictional town of Crosby, Maine. Some of the chapters revolve around characters who have just a passing acquaintance with Olive and others who have deeper connections to her. It was interestingi to see who would be the focus of the next chapter and how Olive would turn up in their narrative.

Added Bonus 2/26/22: As an end-of-February-vacation treat for myself, I purchased the HBO miniseries on Amazon Prime and enjoyed every second of the four-episode, on-screen version of Olive’s adventures. Loved the casting, especially Bill Murray as Jack Kennison!

Oh, William

Reading Oh, William by Elizabeth Strout made my head hurt. I think it’s the character, Lucy Barton, who is telling the story that makes me want to step in front of a moving train. It was a quick read though.

So there’s that.

I read it in less than a week, after completing Olive Kitteridge, and waiting for Olive Again. But it still left me shaking my head. 

On a side note, Lisa really liked it. I can’t imagine why, but she says she like Strout’s writing style. I think the author’s voice in Oh, William was very different from that in Olive Kitteridge, too conversational, full of run-on sentences and rambling thoughts. Too distracting for me to work up the energy to give a shit about the weird-ass relationship between Lucy and Oh William.

Olive Kitteridge

 

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout was a slow start for me, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. Each chapter is like a separate novella introducing different characters that all have had some association with the titular Olive Kitteridge, a crabby but endearing, old woman from Maine. Several of the chapters dig deeper into Olive’s life including her relationships with her stoic husband, Henry and sullen only child, Christopher. 

As I said, it took me a while to warm up to Olive, but by the end I was laughing out loud at her over-the-top reactions to life’s little annoyances. Straightforward and set in her ways with misanthropic tendencies, Olive navigates life like an unyielding bulldozer. A retired school teacher, she manages to touch the lives of a variety of people in her town in both comical and serious ways. 

Now I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, Olive Again, to see what new adventures await the protagonist in her 70s. OMG I’m seeing a bit of my future in Olive Kitteridge! 

One Day in the ...

I just read One Day in the Desert and One Day in the Prairie by Jean Craighead George in less than an hour. These wildlife books always choke me up. The circle of life is something that has always tugged at my heartstrings, especially when it involves the suffering of large, majestic animals like lions and buffalo. I still can't think about the song from Born Free without weeping.

An injured and hungry lion is swept away in a flash flood in the desert. A herd of buffalo senses the danger of an approaching tornado in the prairie. I hope the kids like these beautifully written books that are full of great information about habitats and food chains.


Update: My fifth graders did like these books, and there's a whole series of them that the school has some copies of. Shockingly, some of my most reluctant readers loved these stories. Probably for their familiar, predictable format, but I don't care....they're learning about story structure and plot development, mixed in with a little science content.....it's all good!

Orphan Train

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline was a quick read with great subject matter. I loved the historical aspects and the storyline that centered on the turn-of-the-century children sent from New York City to the midwest to find families. An elderly woman’s recollections of her experiences as a young girl form the central plot of the book. Connecting this rich content with the present day events involving a teenager living in foster care in Maine felt forced and trite to me and was therefore not as compelling.

Oryx and Crake

I have read other books by Margaret Atwood—The Blind Assassin and The Handmaiden's Tale—and liked them, so when this book was recommended in a Facebook discussion, I decided to give it a try. Turns out there is a trilogy, and now I'm reading Book 2.  I downloaded the ebook version of Oryx and Crake from CLAMS and only had 14 days to read it . . . but I did it ! It is a manageable 2000-ish ebook pages on my iPhone, not intimidatingly long like the Outlander series.

I like the way Atwood writes. Her vocabulary is rich so reading on my phone with the instant dictionary function was great. The dystopian theme of this book is very familiar yet different enough to make it compelling, and the character development kept me rooting for their survival.

Got to get reading The Year of the Flood now . . . before my 14 days expire!

One Thousand White Women

I think I love historical fiction. Reading One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus reminded me of how I felt when I read The Red Tent. Instead of taking place during Biblical times, however, the setting is the American West during the late 1800s. When the characters are interesting and believable, I become totally caught up in their story and end up learning a great deal about how the time period shaped their feelings and actions.

May Dodd is a fictitious character who participates in a scandalous "Brides for Indians" program secretly concocted between President Ulysses S. Grant and Little Wolf, chief of the Cheyenne nation. The intent is to encourage peaceful relations between the native Americans and the early settlers during westward expansion. The book offers insight into a conflict as old as humankind — how diversity between people can be an enriching experience if we don't allow it to destroy us.