Reviews with TLC

As a practitioner of yoga and meditation, Keeping It Simple: Imagine Being Whole by Audrey Austin intrigued me. Austin explores and explains each of the chakras in easy to understand terms complete with exercises to get the reader in touch with the individual chakras. She simplifies the mysticism surrounding the chakras and gives the reader a sense of the power of paying attention to one's chakras as well as the role each chakra plays in balancing one's energy and therefore one's life. Anyone looking for a better understanding of the basic idea of chakras or even those just interested in better understanding why they feels more balanced after yoga and/or meditation will find Austin's Keeping It Simple: Imagine Being Whole interesting.

Saturday night, March 8, 2014, a friend and I went to watch Vagabond Opera at The Majestic Theatre in Corvallis, Oregon. Our seats were close enough to see the color of the perfomers' eyes. The performance was energetic, exciting, and exhilarating. The eclectic mix of singing, dancing, instruments, acrobatics, and languages utilized kept the crowd engaged. The performers managed to make the audience feel almost like a part of the show without ever losing the entertainment aspect of their performances. Nothing felt forced or like it was done by rote. The performers genuinely seemed to enjoy their time on stage! It was delightful to experience, and I left feeling energized and inspired! I would suggest attending a show by Vagabond Opera if they visit a venue near you! And, for those in the Corvallis area, keep your eye on The Majestic Theatre for events!

Seducing Cupid by Karen L. Syed is a fun, sweet love story that made me in spite of myself. With a bit of the expected resistance to love so often found in love stories, Seducing Cupid manages to not be cliche. Syed twists the expected and gives a refreshing take on the discovery of a love connection. Seducing Cupid is a quick, fun, easy read perfect for a lighthearted escape from the real world.

I picked Emily Dickinson Poems up thinking I should study Dickinson's work. I'm fairly certain I read some of her poems in high school and/or college, but I'm not sure. Anyway, as with any should , this book sat in my to-be-read pile for a really long time. Occasionally, I'd pick it up and read a poem or two and then put it back. It was that should that kept getting in the way. Finally, I decided it was time to read these poems. I planned to read a couple each night before going to sleep. Most nights I decided to read "just two more" when I finished my planned reading for the night. Dickinson evokes a lot of emotion in her writing even when her poems aren't particularly clear as to whether they're meant literally or symbolically. Often, the poems left me conflicted between two potential messages as the wording felt open to interpretation. Notes of depression float beside appreciation for nature wrapped up in religious ideology in Dickinson's poe...