MOViN' of the MiNDS: Book One

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2008 is finally here - thus, the official start of the MOViN' 101.1 book club, MOViN' of the MiNDS, is here! Judi Diamond and I have been anxiously awaiting the first meeting. We were pleasantly surprised to see an immediate positive response from some loyal listeners, and even more pleasantly surprised at the ever-growing interest. I would once again like to stress that this is open to anyone and EVERYONE. The more, the merrier! It's going to be a great chance for us to get to know you on a more personal level, as well as provide some much-needed food for thought. If you are even remotely interested in joining, simply email me or Judi, and we'll get you all of the pertinent information.

MOViN' of the MiNDS is also going to serve as a year-long book drive (the details of which are still being finalized, but will soon be divulged). Start rounding up those old novels that you were tempted to toss, and we'll have all of the drop-off information for you soon! Plus, over the next twelve months, I'll be collecting books at various promotional outings. So, if I'm scheduled to be there, wherever "there" may be, feel free to bring any books you wish to donate along.

(I thank you in advance, because I know you. And you are generous and good.)

All of this in mind, Judi and I are well aware that it's a ridiculously busy world that we live in, so we'd love to give you the chance to participate, if only in spirit. Each month, I will post the Movin' of the Minds book pick. Feel free to grab a copy and engage in discussion here!

January Book Pick

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Publisher's synopsis: A celebrated writer's irresistible, candid, and eloquent account of her pursuit of worldly pleasure, spiritual devotion, and what she really wanted out of life.

Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want - a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be.

To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world - all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way - unexpectedly.

An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society's ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.