Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method by Rebecca Li: Sunday Salon

 

Title: Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method

Author: Rebecca Li    Publication: October 31, 2023 by Shambhala

Source: Wiley Saichek of Saichek Publicity 

My take on reading the Introduction and part of Chapter I, is that silent illumination means accepting and looking closely at your thoughts as they come while you sit in meditation. And not by trying to make your mind blank by focusing only on your breathing, etc. 

I have heard something similar to this meditation technique before. Allowing your thoughts to arise, examining them, seeing your reaction, and then letting them go. 

I will have to read more of the book to see how close that is to Rebecca Li's point. I am now curious!

From the Publisher's summary:

A modern guide from Chan Buddhist teacher Rebecca Li.

The practice of silent illumination is simple, allowing each moment to be experienced as it is in order to manifest our innate wisdom and natural capacity for compassion.

Rebecca Li shows us how we can recognize and unlearn our ... habits of mind that get in the way of being fully present and engaged with life. 

Illumination offers stories and real-life examples, references to classic Buddhist texts, and insights from Chan Master Sheng Yen to guide readers as they practice silent illumination.

Currently also reading:

For Book Club which I may or may not attend in December, I am reading, just in case I do go to book club, a novel on writing and plagiarism, 

Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot  (May 2021) is a psychologically suspenseful novel about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it. (goodreads) Was it okay for Jake to take his deceased student's plot and make it into his own novel, even though the student never wrote the book before he overdosed and died?

Lots to think about and discuss, especially since this is the third recent book with the same theme of writer plagiarism. The most recent was Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, which addresses plagiarism, stealing in the publishing world, and cultural appropriation. I reviewed this book in January 2023.

Review of novel on writer plagiarism reposted:

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, May 2023; William Morrow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I realized by a third of the way into the book that the title, Yellowface, refers to the old practice of using ethnic white actors to portray East Asian characters in film and on stage.

The title was fitting for this novel, I thought, as the main character and book narrator, June Hayward, not only stole the unpublished manuscript of her Yale college friend - acclaimed Chinese American author, Athena Liu - but also tried to claim to be Chinese by changing her name from June Hayward to Juniper Song. Her book photograph also made her seem to be Asian.
Athena's book detailed the World War I Chinese Corps of workers who went to Europe to help the Allies by doing the drudge work of war. June had to justify knowledge of that subject matter and appear to be an expert also on the Chinese and Chinese history.

This was a complex novel as it was told from only June's point of view. I didn't know whether to hate or to pity her for her devious strategies to gain fame and fortune from the stolen manuscript and to maintain her false identity as a Chinese writer. 
I saw the book had two purposes, however, to show the history of Yellowfacing and racism, and also to reveal the pitfalls of the publishing industry for writers. June felt the publishing world's need for diversity, which led them to focus on promoting promising authors like Athena Liu, giving extra publicity and help to get a book on its way.

I thought this novel was a brilliant addition to literary fiction and Asian American literature.

What's on your reading schedule this week and/or the rest of thejmonth?i

nly202

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday.

Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin: Sunday Salon

  NEW RELEASE

 

This is a reprint of a February 2023 review posted on this blog. I am reprinting it as the author has an extensive list of cities he is now visiting for book signings and readings, including in this city!

Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir by Curtis Chin  October 23, 2023, Little, Brown and Company

Genre: memoir, family drama, multicultural interest, LGBTQ

Setting: Detroit

The memoir is about growing up Asian in Detroit in the 1970-1980s. The publisher sums the book up best:

Nineteen eighties Detroit was a volatile place to live, but above the fray stood a safe haven: Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine, where anyone—from the city’s first Black mayor to the local drag queens, from a big-time Hollywood star to elderly Jewish couples—could sit down for a warm, home-cooked meal.

Here was where,... surrounded by his multigenerational family, filmmaker and activist Curtis Chin came of age; where he learned to embrace his identity as a gay ABC, or American-born Chinese; where he navigated the divided city’s spiraling misfortunes; and where ... he realized just how much he had to offer to the world, to his beloved family, and to himself.

My comments: 

As an Asian American living in the Midwest, I saw Detroit as both fascinating and dangerous, even as it declined economically and socially when it lost the auto industry and its economic power, and became a literal war zone, with riots and fires, a city soon abandoned by many long time residents.

I was delighted to read of this Chinese family that stayed and thrived even in dangerous conditions, because of their well-known restaurant with customers from all classes, races and religions, the common ground being love of Chinese cuisine.

The memoir describes a volatile Detroit during those changing times and the lives of the Chinese family, the Chins, as seen by third son, Curtice, a second generation son. Curtice's book covers his life there until he left after graduating from the University of Michigan to find his own way, as a film maker in NYC.  

The heady topics of his sexuality, his position in the family as the middle child of five, plus racism and discrimination, and the dangers of Detroit are offset by the humor with which Curtice Chin tackles his own personal life there.  The memoir is entertaining as well as informative and very considerate regarding many of the people he came in contact with in school, at work, and in daily life. This, in spite of the fact that the Chinese community there could not forget the murder of a family friend, Vincent Chin, considered an act of discrimination that was never fully punished. 

I can see that it took this long for the author to write this book, perhaps because of the sensitive subjects and also because gay rights and legal immigrant rights are now fully established. (At least, we hope so.) Kudos to Curtis for writing with so much insight and honesty, and presenting himself with delightful humor in between the very serious topics.

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves.

Sunday Salon: Everyone Here Is Lying; Daughter of Ashes, and Cheerfulness

A review

Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena

Published July 25, 2023, Pamela Dorman books. Library book

Genre: mystery thriller, suspense

It was interesting, sometimes distressing, to see how some families living on the same street interacted and responded when a nine-year-old autistic child went missing. Several people had secrets that prevented them from telling the truth to the police, and to each other, and slowed down the process of finding the missing girl.

The author captured people and families in distress who hide secrets so very well. It was an enjoyable suspense, although also disturbing to read about the hidden sides of some very realistic characters.

Caveat: I was a little concerned that the characteristics/personality of the autistic child in this novel could lead to generalizations about autism.

In my mailbox   

Daughter of Ashes by Ilaria Tuti, December 5, 2023; Soho Crime

Genre: thriller, Italy, crime fiction

Setting: mountains of Northern Italy

This is the fourth and final book in the Italian crime fiction series with aging detective, Therese Battaglia, who battles creeping dementia while she tries to solve an old crime that has haunted her for decades.

I was especially interested in how this detective would go about her work in spite of her escalating dementia. The setting in Italy also interested me, as well as that this is Italian noir!

Update: see my full review on goodreads.

And now for something more cheerful!

Cheerfulness by Garrison Keillor, May 13, 2023; Prairie Home Productions

Genre: personal anecdotes; nonfiction

Source: Wiley Saichek Publicity

Publisher: Veteran radio host Garrison Keillor uses personal anecdotes that inspires to choose cheerfulness in daily life. (publisher)

What's on your reading schedule this week and/or the rest of thejmonth?i

nly202

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday.

Sunday Salon: Visit to Toronto, Ontario and New ARCs

 Canada

I didn't get much reading done this past week as we took a brief trip to Toronto, Ontario, a city I love for family get-togethers at fabulous dim sum restaurants, plus eating Jamaican patties from a local bakery. This was my first time eating the patties the traditional Jamaican way, folded inside a roll of coco bread. 

Coco bread, africanbites.com

Coco Bread – a popular staple bread in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean made primarily with flour and coconut milk, then slightly sweetened just to tickle your tastebuds. Buttery, slightly sweet with a spot on firmness on the outside and softness on the inside. (africanbites.com)

Jamaican patties, Mission-Food.com

Jamaican patties are half moon shaped flaky pastries with bright yellow-hued dough and a spiced savory filling. They are considerably easy to make, are baked and not fried, and are excellent as a snack, light lunch, or party food.

Historically the concept of Jamaican patties was inspired by Cornish pasties which were brought to the island by immigrants. Curry and chiles were introduced by Indian laborers and African slaves. The combination has become a true Jamaican revelation. (Mission-Food.com)

How to eat: unfold the coco bread, place a whole patty on it, refold, and enjoy! Double the carbs!

Back at home I'm still finishing the rom com, Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen, and added new books to my bulging ARC digital library! 

A Nero Award–winning author got my attention. In Murder Crossed Her Mind, investigators Pentecost & Parker (Lillian and Will) look into the disappearance of a shut-in, an elderly woman with a phenomenal memory who might have known too much.

The blue wilderness book cover made me interested in Never Come Back. A family involved in lies, betrayal, and murder is the theme of this suspense by Edgar Award winner, Joe Hart.

What's on your reading schedule this week and/or the rest of thejmonth?inly202

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday. 

East Asian Traditions: Red String Theory, Lunar Love, Moon Cakes

 

Just read

Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen, January 9, 2024; Forever, NetGalley

Genre: romance, contemporary, Asian literature

The Red String of Fate is an East Asian concept based on Chinese mythology. The belief is that a red string connects two people in life, regardless of place or time or circumstance. Finding the person at the end of your string means finding your soul mate or life partner. The string may stretch or tangle, but it never breaks. 

In Red String Theory aspiring artist Rooney Gao meets Jack Liu while they celebrate the Lantern Festival during the Lunar New Year in New York. 

They are both handed a large paper lantern to light and release into the air, and on a whim, they follow the path of the lantern floating above the New York streets. 

Rooney keeps wondering if Jack is the person at the end of her string, her string mate, the one she is meant to be with in life. Jack is a NASA engineer who is all science and hard facts and he doesn't believe in myths or legends. 

This is also the story about artist Rooney who uses red string to create her art, both small and large. How she moves away from the shadow of her famous artist mother to establish herself as an independent artist is one of the main themes of the book. 

Love and her belief in the red string of fate leads her on in her quest for artistic independence. She and Jack try to test if fate and destiny are real, as opposed to hard and scientific facts. They create the Red String Theory, a list of activities to see if or how fate does intervene. The first activity is to do something they wouldn't normally do, and see where it leads.

A cute and entertaining romance with myth and belief in old traditions leading on the two characters, Rooney and Jack. A five star read, for all the cleverness in character delineation and plot devices.

Now reading

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen, published January 10, 2023; Forever

Genre: romance, contemporary fiction, Asian traditions

I decided to read the author's first book, Lunar Love, which is independent of the second novel I reviewed above, with different characters. It uses Chinese astrology and traditions for its theme.

The publisher's description:

This sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com (is) filled with Chinese astrology 

Always a matchmaker, never a match...

Olivia Huang Christenson is excited/terrified to be taking over her grandmother’s traditional matchmaking business. But when a new dating app threatens her Pó Po’s Chinese zodiac approach, she becomes furious. Especially when L.A.’s most-eligible bachelor Bennett O’Brien is behind the app that could destroy her family’s legacy . . .

            As the two businesses go head to head, Bennett and Liv make a deal: they’ll find a match for each other—and whoever falls in love loses. But Liv is dealing with someone who’s adept at stealing business ideas . . . so what’s stopping him from stealing her heart too? (publisher)

Chinese tradition:  it's Moon Festival time now in September, when the mid-Autumn Festival with the Harvest Moon is celebrated with moon cakes. Moon cakes are made of sweet red bean paste and an egg yolk to represent the harvest moon. Some moon cakes are made with lotus seed paste, which is yellow in color. 

I got my tin of four moon cakes from Costco! I wanted to get more as I found them not as sweet as the traditional red bean cakes. But still delicious!

What's on your reading schedule this week and/or the rest of the month?injuly202

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday. 

New Books: The Raging Storm and The Paris Novel

 

In My Mailbox

The Raging Storm ( Two Rivers #3) by Ann Cleeves

Publication: September 5, 2023; Minotaur

Source: ARC from publisher

Genre: mystery, police procedural, British crime fiction

When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity. But Rosco disappears again, and his body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove.

This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child and parted ways with. Superstition and rumour mix with fact as another body is found.

As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.

Ann Cleeves— award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both hit TV shows—returns with The Raging Storm, the third book in the Matthew Venn series. (publisher) 

\She is a prolific writer of crime fiction, with three different series featuring British detectives. I reviewed one of her other books, The Darkest Evening (Vera Stanhope #9) and enjoyed it but was impatient to have the ending wrap up more quickly.

Currently reading

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

Publication: April 30, 2024; Random House, NetGalley

Genre; historical fiction, women's fiction, Paris, food

It's all about 1980s Paris and a woman whose mother left her a will with instructions and money to spend time in that city. Stella discovers herself in Paris, what she really likes - food, fashion, art - and this takes her far from her circumscribed life as an earnest copy editor for a small publisher back in the U.S.  In Paris, she meets writers like Alan Ginsburg and James Baldwin, in the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore where she takes refuge when her hotel stay and money run out. 

I'm enjoying the book so far and wondering just what else Stella will discover about herself and about the city and its people.

See my full review on Goodreads.

What's on your reading schedule this week and/or the rest of the month?injuly202

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday. 

Sunday Salon: All the Light We Cannot See; Bernardine's Shanghai Salon

 Sneak preview of Episode 1 - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Early this month, I got an invitation from Goodreads and access from Netflix to watch on Sept. 10 the first episode of AllTheLightWeCannotSee, which is a screen adaptation of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize winning book.

Episode 1 on Netflix, in my opinion, was completely fabulous - the actors, the setting, costumes, everything... in spite of some negative reviews posted by critics. I'm looking forward to watching all of it in November.

The light we cannot see evidently refers to radio waves, communication that was made over wireless radio to pass on Allied information during WWII in France. The picture above shows Marie-Laure, a blind girl who nevertheless is able to help the war effort in St. Malo. She is on the radio in the picture.

I will have to reread the book to see if or just how much the film has changed the novel. The Netflix 4-episode series starts airing Nov. 2.

My very brief review of All the Light We Cannot See (2015) is here

Currently reading

Bernardine's Shanghai Salon: The Story of the Doyenne of Old China by Susan Blumberg-Kasoff

Publication: November 7, 2023; Post Hill Press, NetGalley

Genre: biography, Shanghai, historical

I've read several historical novels and books about Shanghai just before and during WWII, before and after the Japanese bombed and invaded the city. In Shanghai, Europeans and other Westerners lived cocooned and safe in the International Settlement, an enclave restricted to Europeans. This is another book that describes the social life and variety of people in Shanghai, including White Russian refugees escaping Communism and European Jews escaping Hitler's persecution.

I've just started the book, following Bernardine as she arrives in Manchuria and Shanghai to get married to Chester Fritz, a long time resident of the city.

Publisher's description:

Meet the Jewish salon host in 1930s Shanghai who brought together Chinese and expats around the arts as civil war erupted and World War II loomed on the horizon.

Bernardine Szold Fritz arrived in Shanghai in 1929 to marry her fourth husband. Only thirty-three years old, she found herself in a time and place like no other. Political intrigue and scandal lurked on every street corner. Art Deco cinemas showed the latest Hollywood flicks, while dancehall owners and jazz musicians turned Shanghai into Asia’s top nightlife destination. She introduced Emily Hahn, the charismatic opium-smoking writer for The New Yorker, to the flamboyant hotelier Sir Victor Sassoon and legendary poet Sinmay Zau. And when Hollywood stars Anna May Wong, Charlie Chaplin, and Claudette Colbert passed through Shanghai, Bernardine organized gatherings to introduce them to their Shanghai contemporaries.

She started a salon in her home, drawing famous names from the world of politics, the arts, and the intelligentsia. As civil war brewed and World War II soon followed, Bernardine’s devotion to the arts and the people of Shanghai brought joy to the city just before it would change forever.

What's on your reading schedule this week and/or the rest of the month?injuly202

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday.