When Breath Becomes Air Paul Kalanithi Vintage 2016
August 3, 2018 at 1:13 pm | Posted in Biography, Uncategorized, When Breath Becomes Air | Leave a comment
For those with the nerve to look into the face of death Paul Kalanthi’s story of receiving a terminal illness diagnosis at the age of just thirty-six is a story that will bring you face to face with the dragon.
Paul Kalanithi was a talented neurosurgeon with a degree in English Literature which he has used so eloquently to write his story of life in the face of a diagnosis of inoperable lung cancer. Through his writing Paul looks to answer the questions of ‘how to live a meaningful life’ and ‘how to live a life that is good enough’ for himself and as a gift for us the reader.
Amongst the honesty and poetry of Paul’s words as he searches for these answers, Paul’s story of receiving his diagnosis, his treatments and final passing is heartbreaking but it also donates the loan of Paul’s honesty and valour to the reader to use to bear to look into the face of death.
Despite the subject matter this book is not dark and depressing but is an affirming and focused exploration of what it is to live and love in the world and to die and leave the world. Unsettling, poignant, poetic and necessary.
The book in haiku; when breath becomes air, when doctor becomes patient, when we look at life
The Signature of All Things
February 1, 2015 at 1:15 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 3 CommentsTags: Book Clubs, book review, Books, good book reviews, Great Reads
The Signature of All Things
Elizabeth Gilbert
Bloomsbury 2013
What a wonderful treat ‘The Signature of All Things’ is. I was initially put off buying this book by Elizabeth Gilbert’s fame from the arguably precocious ‘Eat Pray Love’ but thank goodness I suspended my judgement because this novel is truly awesome in every sense of the word. It’s literary, compelling, different and spiritually underscored. It follows the life of Alma Whittaker a girl born at the turn of the century in the 1800’s to a father who has built an import export empire on his own steamy grit, taking no prisoners on the way. Alma is intelligent, diligent but not conventionally good looking and in no way destined for a typical life of a young lady of her time.
Alma develops a lifelong love for botany and a strong business mind under her father’s tutelage which is sometimes welcome and oftentimes forced. Her work takes her to deep questions about evolution which in turn take her on several journeys; emotional, physical, financial and spiritual
I can’t do this book near enough justice with my review. Alma is such a real and complete character, the setting of Philadelphia is such an apt backdrop for this story and every step it takes you on just feels so right and most splendid of all where the story ends is so glorious for professional women.
The book in haiku: Read, enjoy, wonder, forget how to eat, pray love, renaissance woman
Its Sarah’s Books 4th brithday! 2014 in review
February 1, 2015 at 12:05 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentThe WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,100 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 18 trips to carry that many people.
2013 in review
January 14, 2014 at 1:56 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentThe WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 750 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it would take about 13 trips to carry that many people.
It’s Sarah’s Books 2nd anniversary to celebrate here is 2011 in review
January 27, 2012 at 3:00 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 1 CommentThe WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,600 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 27 trips to carry that many people.
To celebrate Sarahs-Books 1st anniversary we are sharing WordPress’s assesment of our first year blogging – here is 2010 in review
February 17, 2011 at 4:48 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentThe stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,500 times in 2010. That’s about 6 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 26 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 36 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 2mb. That’s about 3 pictures per month.
The busiest day of the year was February 5th with 91 views. The most popular post that day was About.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were WordPress Dashboard, fishinginbeirut.com, twitter.com, facebook.com, and dlrlibraries.blogspot.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for christmas book, “socks on her hands”, sarah’s books, christmas reading, and skippy dies.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
About January 2010
8 comments
Is romantic Ireland dead and gone?..not with the click of your mouse March 2010
5 comments
Christmas reading December 2010
Welcome Gil Adamson! February 2010
4 comments
Where isolation is beautiful and death delivers transparency….. August 2010
1 comment
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