I've been dipping in and out of Rumi's Selected Poems for a couple of weeks and I don't think his poetry is for me. 

I'm having the same reaction towards Rumi's work as I had towards Khalil Gibran's The Prophet, ... and Paolo Coelho's The Alchemist. I just want to tell the poems / books to move along and pester someone else. 

It just doesn't grab me. So, I'll be passing this book on to a friend who seemed quite interested when I jokingly quoted "let darkness be your candle".

I think Rumi deserves a more patient reader than I am. 

My fifty-second podcast is up on the New Books Network website! In it I interview Brad Gooch about his biography of the 13th century Sufi poet Rumi. Enjoy!

Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.

Jalaluddin Rumi

Happy 80th birthday, Coleman Barks! Most English-speaking fans of 13th century mystic poet Rumi are readers of Barks' interpretations. Barks is a poet and literature professor who paraphrases existing translations of the Rumi's work.

Elif Shafak is one of the critically acclaimed writers with an exuberant style of writing of the modern era. Her style of writing is simple yet poignant and so very understandable for the humblest of minds. I myself am a personal fan of such a writing style…which reaches out to the masses without being heavily laden with wisdom and experiences.

The biggest feature of this novel is that each and every word of this beautifully written book is a quotation, worthy of sharing to the world.

It was one of those reads that took me a long time to finish but God it was the best one I have read. The beauty is in the alternating stories, both written in different times, but sprawling the generations like a timeless fable. This book will make you love life and God again. Its writing is impeccable, the writing style is easy to follow yet very allegorical. It points out the marathon of life we all are in and how we need to make time for the beauty of things to settle in before we move on to the next one. It talks about how the love of God can bring two people from different parts of the world together. It talks about the power of God. It is so much more than all I have written in this short book review. The complete attraction point of this book is the simplicity yet profoundness of its description of God in a modern world where religion is taken out of context everyday. Must read! If its not on your reading list yet, make it ASAP a part of your Reading Challenge 2017.

Love.

Rumi quote for Holy Week and Easter!