Ultraluminous   Katherine Faw
Very well written, emotionally bleak novel about a high-end prostitute working in Manhattan. A first-person narrative in clear, precise prose perfectly suited to the main character’s emotional disintegration. Even though you see it coming, devastating conclusion. A quick, powerful read.  

Bhagavad Gita
A beautiful and profoundly spiritual text.  This, more than any other “sacred” text I have read seems purely spiritual and conveys an understanding of life. I do not like the explanations for why it is acceptable for Arjuna to kill people, Krishna is a harsh god. I also am uncomfortable with the Lord/God references even though they can be understood to portray a reverence for the foundation of existence throughout the universe, which I liked. Loved the clarity and simple beauty of Mitchell’s translation.

Four Quartets   T.S. Eliot
Four of the most beautiful and philosophical of Eliot’s poetry. I used to read these poems every year, but it has been a while. Very rewarding to read them again, and I see things in them for the first time, my life having changed so much in the last couple of years. Even so, Burnt Norton and The Dry Salvages are still my favorites. “There is no end of it, the voiceless wailing.”                  “ but this thing is sure,

                          That time is no healer”

The Bear   William Faulkner
Read this novel forty years ago, and it seems just as great now. The beautiful, intense, well-crafted prose moves us through the lives of McCaslins and the death of the Mississippi wilderness symbolized in the hunt for and killing of Old Ben, a monumental bear that has eluded the encroaching civilization for generations. While I remembered parts clearly, it was fresh and powerful once again, got me through some tough stuff, as well.

The Wanted   Robert Crais
Latest in the Elvis Cole series. This time Cole and Pike help a woman track down her son and solve a series of eighteen burglaries of very high-end homes. Plot moves along well, and Crais’ prose is clear and readable, but there isn’t as much humor and emotional power compared to previous books. Wish Pike had been more involved, and the final confrontation was kind of weak. Nonetheless, a very enjoyable, quick, and entertaining read.