July 2018
56. The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth by Christopher L. Heuertz
Interesting read, but quite dense.
I most appreciated the sections of Enneagram types and solitude, silence, and stillness.
57. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
58. The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
59. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
60. Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems by Billy Collins
61. A Silence Opens: Poems by Amy Clampitt
Not my favorite book of poetry. Some good lines, but I never really connected to any entire poem.
Too dense without enough punch once I’d forged through the lines. 3/5
62. What I Thought I Knew: A Memoir by Alice Eve Cohen
63. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
64. When She Named Fire: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry by American Women by Andrea Hollander
One of my favorite poetry anthologies, the sort of book which is easy to dip in and out of, easy to turn a few pages and find a poem, perfect for reading and musing.
*65. The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
66. Spirit Maps: Follow the Exquisite Geometry of Art and Nature Back to Your Center by Joanna Arettam 4/5
67. Looking and Seeing: An Introduction to Nalanda Miksang Contemplative Photography by John McQuade
68. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrick Backman
Re read this book. Loved the characters and the storyline. 5/5
*69. Writing Away by Lavonia Spaulding 4/5
A Review of My Books about Mandalas (critiques to follow in a later post):
70. The Mandala Workbook: A Creative Guide for Self-Exploration, Balance, and Well-Being by Susanne F. Fincher 5/5
71. Natural Mandalas: 30 New Meditations to Help You Find Peace and Awareness in the Beauty of Nature by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma 3/5
72. The Art of Mandala Meditation: Mandala Designs to Heal Your Mind, Body and Spirit by Michal Beaucaire 3/5
73. Zen Mandalas by Suzanne McNeill 4/5
74. Mandala: Luminous Symbols for Healing by Judith Cornell 5/5
75. Creating Mandalas by Susanne F. Fincher 4/5
76. Mandala for the Inspired Artist: Working with Paint, Paper, and Texture to Create Expressive Mandala Art by Louise Gale 3/5
77. The Mandala Book: Patterns of the Universe by Lori Bailey Cunningham 3.5/5
August 2018
78. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
79. The Writing Life by Annie Dillard 4/4
80. Above Tree Line: A Memoir by Mary P. Montayne
Began reading this on a trusted recommendation, but I could not get into the story. When I started skipping whole pages and skimming to find something interesting, I stopped. 2/5
81. Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Great book. I loved the quirkiness of the main character. 5/5
*82. The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer
A favorite from my books of 2018. 5/5
*83. The Cloud Collector’s Handbook by Gavin Pretor-Pinney
*84. Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton
A classic. Must read for anyone interested in exploring a quieter life. 4.5/5
September 2018
*85. The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell
*86. Hygge: The Complete Book of Hygge To Discover The Danish Way To Live Happily by Sarah Jenson
Basic. Read as part preparation for Denmark experience. 3/5
*87. The Fruitful Darkness: A Journey Through Buddhist Practice and Tribal Wisdom by Joan Halifax
*88. Stop Look Breathe Create by Wendy Ann Greenhalgh
*89. The Cloudspotter’s Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds & The Cloud Collector’s Handbook by Anton Parshin
*90. The Wave Watcher’s Companion: From Ocean Waves to Light Waves via Shock Waves, Stadium Waves, and All the Rest of Life’s Undulations by Anton Parshin
So technical, dense. Not a page turner. 3/5
*91. When Wanderers Cease to Roam by Vivian Swift
Watercolors and little vignette’s from a Long Islander used-to-be-world-traveler who stays home for a year and documents what she notices. 4/5
92. nejma by Nayyirah Waheed
*93. The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meil Wiking
*94. Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process by Joe Fassler
October 2018
*95. Local Color: Seeing Place Through Watercolor by Mimi Robinson
96. Poets on Place by W.T. Pfefferle 4.5/5
97. The Overstory by Richard Powers 5/5
98. Eggshells by Caitriona Lally 2/5
99. The Greenhouse by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
“I’m in the middle of the woods, literally surrounded by trees on every side, and I haven’t the faintest idea of where I am. Can a person who has been brought up in the heart of a thick dark forest, where one has to beat a path through multiple layers of trees just to take a letter to the post office, have any conception of what it’s like to spend one’s entire childhood waiting for a single tree to grow?” 4.5/5
November 2018
100. The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals—and Other Forgotten Skills by Tristan Gooley
The US edition of ‘The Walker’s Guide to Outdoor Clues & Signs’ first published in the UK. It has been updated with US references but unevenly. 3/5
101. Monument by Natasha Trethewey
A selection of the Rumpus Poetry Book Club.
102. Fludde: Poems by Peter Mishler
A selection of the Rumpus Poetry Book Club.I think it’s me. I’m not up to the task of sorting through Mishler’s poetry. Not enough breadcrumbs to follow. 2.5/5
103. Carnival Evening: New and Selected Poems, 1968-1998 by Linda Pastan
I love this book of poetry. Many of Pastan’s subjects are of the ordinary, everyday variety. And well done. 5/5
104. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 4.5/5
105. Feeding the Dragon by Sharon Washington
Short Audible edition. Memoir of a daughter whose father worked in a New York City Public Library and an apartment on the top floor of a library was part of the deal. 4/5
December 2018
106. Emma by Jane Austin 3.5/5
107. Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sidman
Lovely. Poetry and illustrations are delightful; an informative blurb accompanying each poem gives a factual summary – snowflakes, beavers, trees, and more. I purchased this as a gift for my 4-year-old grandson. Now I might need to buy a second copy to ensure he gets his gift. 5/5
108. Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davis
Such a sweet book for beginning readers or read-to kids. Nature introduction at its finest. 5/5
109. Flashlight by Lizi Boyd
Highest recommendation. No words, but so much to invite conversations. My 5 year old and 4 year old grandkids both loved it and we “read” it repeatedly. 5/5
110. Pinocchio: An Origin Story by Alessandro Sanna
Wordless book. Stunning watercolor illustrations. 5/5
111. The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski 5/5
112. Family Trust by Kathy Wang 4/5
113. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Oh. Wow. All the feels. The power of poetry. Transformative. Highly recommended. 5/5
114. The Light of Amsterdam by David Park
I liked this book. I liked it a lot until the ending. Was that ending really a part of the whole? It felt like an afterthought, a disconnected scene, and left me disoriented. That said, the character development and interactions in the first 95% of the book was well done, and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I chose to read this book because of its Amsterdam setting, having recently visited there for the first time. I do enjoy being able to recognize landmarks and places of interest in a setting; the ability to give a setting a minds-eye view is satisfying. 3.5/5
About Bo Mackison
