Eat, Pray, Love

I ended up enjoying this autobiographical tale, of one woman's journey of the spirit and the senses, much more than I thought I would. The author chronicles a year spent searching for the "balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence." Her prose is fresh, charming, humorous, and reverent all at once. I found myself identifying with Ms. Gibson on a number of levels: I'm a divorcee; I'll be traveling in Italy later this year; and perhaps most significantly, for me, is that her Guru is my Guru. In fact, the middle third of the book details her four-month residency at the ashram in India where Siddha Yoga took form. So, naturally, I had an immediate fondness for the book. Among recent books I have read, this story of self-discovery ranks quite high, and I feel confident recommending it to others.

Incidentally, I came across this work of art by an artist named Julie Blackmon. (Check out her website.) Note what the person in bed is reading. I chuckled.