So, even though I had to study a lot in January, I still read quite a lot. I read 4 entire novels, finished one that I started in December and decided to not finish one at all. Still a good month. Here are the books I've read:

- Good Wives (second novel of Little Women) by Louisa May Alcott 4.5/5 ★ review

- Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olypiams #1) by Rick Riordan 3/5 ★ review

- Wonder by R.J. Palicio 5/5 ★ review

- The Dhammapada (Penguin Little Black Classic nr. 80) 1/5 ★ review

- Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer ★ 5/5 re-read

- Percy Jackson and Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olypiams #2) by Rick Riordan ★ 2/5 review

In February I don't have any homework at night for about two weeks, two weekends off as well and no school at all during the second week, which means I can read a lot in February. I'm hoping to read Just One Year by Gayle Forman, Fairest and Winter by Marissa Meyer, Tipping The Velvet by Sarah Waters, Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, Everything Leads To You by Nina Lacour, Jacob's Room and Mrs Dollaway by Virginia Woolf and A Clergyman's Daughter by George Orwell, so let's see how much of that I can actually read. I would also like to read Another Country by James Baldwin, so we'll see. It's a very ambitious tbr, but I really hope I can get to most of them.

What did you read in January?

Goodreads summary:

'Hate is not conquered by hate: hate is conquered by love. This is a law eternal.'

Captivating aphorisms illustrating the Buddhist dhamma, or moral system.

My opinion:

There were only quotes without explanation and without information who it was from. This made is so pointless and boring. It has 51 pages, but I stopped when I was at page 5. I cannot understand why someone would publish this as book.

Do not recommend this book at all.. I know there's a full version of it, but even the full version has the same layout as this one.

Whats is your opinion about The Dhammapada?

Over the summer I've collected Penguin's Little Black Classics, a collection of 80 little booklets from all parts of world literature. Now, I'm reading them in a random order.

This booklet contains 'Captivating aphorisms illustrating the Buddhist dhamma, or moral system. '

I must admit that I read and rated it purely based on reading it as a piece of literature, rather than spiritual. And, to be quite frank, it was not an easy read. It was not even a nice read. The aphorisms (at least the ones collected) are often almost the same and just stated slightly different, or one is stating it positively and another one negatively. This made it so far my least favourite of the Little Black Classics even though I thought it was interesting to read something for a change that I perhaps wouldn't have picked up on my own.

I’m not a fan of labels, but the best description of this review is of a “Christian” reviewing a “Buddhist” book. This is a timely book that coincided with my reading of TANTRIC COCONUTS. That book was a work of fiction with a life-teaching lesson that illuminated my eyes to this: a person can deepen their Christian practice by also following the teachings of the Buddha. To some, this is sacrilege. To the open and willing, there is amazement and transformation.

While many Buddhist Christian books focus on the Gospel of Thomas, and the producers of this book have much of that on their website, this book stays away from that focus. This book is primarily a teaching of the Buddha with many ancillary Biblical scriptures used for effect. Note: if you are reading this to deeper your Christian walk, make sure you are already familiar with the Biblical scripture used; know what you already believe.

As for this book itself, it took me a long time to work through it. This is a working commentary that often causes moments to pause, ponder, and reflect, inspiring long moments of meditation. I appreciated the introduction to many of the written words and sayings, much of it being overlooked by previous Westernized books of the Buddha. I’m especially thankful for the ongoing commentary to help my understanding of the older language and original translations.

There were quite a few surprises for me here: mainly about the sayings of disciplines, punishment, and punitive repercussions due to one’s own actions. I found that much of what is discussed in the early sections of this book would prevent much of that threating and rewards of the latter. Specifically, meditation with a disciplined focus will steer correctly.

Thanks to the folks at Light of the Spirit for sending this to me for review.

Death sweeps away - The person obsessed - With gathering flowers,  - As a great flood sweeps away a sleeping village. 

Well, what do you expect me to say - this is one of those things you take on or you see it as one big pile of bizarre and endlessly repeating stream of religious propaganda.  Take a guess which club I'm in. 

The book is a stream of fortune cookie quips that beg to be taken as super serious as can be.   Frankly,  it all sounds a lot as though it needs to be solemnly read aloud,  amidst a fog of crazy incense and each little paragraph of head-scratching advice is begging to be followed by someone hitting a gong. 

Y'know,  I've never been good at this whole "religious" thing,  I freely admit,  but taking this Buddhism class has really done wonders for just completely turning me off of the main tenets of the religion.  It seems like an enormously either self-righteous or horribly cynical view of everything in existence,  and does that bullshit that other religions do with hissing at the sight of pleasure gained by anything outside of this religious fulfillment that its worldview offers.   Blah blah blah how dare you enjoy physical self worth,  you're not worthy enough to experience Nirvana and the Earth is a shitty torture that needs to be dealt with, nothing more,  nothing less. 

This really was not the best text from the religion to make me feel all warm and fuzzy about the supposedly innocuous religion.   A constricting work that endlessly hammers in the same point over and over.