[The Tao of Pooh]
[The Te of Piglet]
It is undeniably difficult to write a book that is at least half-decent. It is ten times more difficult to write a sequel to a book that has reached the first level of decency.
The Tao of Poohwas a success because the analogy between a simple, childish character of Winnie-the-Pooh and the fundamental teachings of Taoism was original, and more importantly, appropriate. Thus when the opportunity came for the purchasing of
The Te of Piglet, I did not hesitate. The analogy made sense to me even before having read the book.
Using The Tao of Pooh as an introduction to Taoism as a philosophy, this time Benjamin Hoff goes a little deeper into the same subject, but scrutinizing and actually criticizing his society and the whole of the so-called civilized world. But first of all, let's understand why such a puny little character is chosen. My question to you is: Why Not? If Pooh were to represent the masculinity of Taoism, why wouldn't little Piglet represent the femininity of Taoism? That is to say, Pooh represent the 'yang' 陽 and Piglet the 'ying' 陰. Pooh is larger in size and popularity, whereas Piglet is small and whose voice and opinion is often ignored or unheard. This is not to say that Piglet is docile and that Pooh is violent. They are different. However, they are not the antithesis of one another. It is the harmonious combination of their qualities and virtues that makes this Taoist idea complete. The 'tao' 道 and the 'te' 德 must both be realized, appreciated, and practiced. The 'te', however, like Piglet, is often ignored or unheard by the majority. It is understandable for such a small detail to be neglected. However, paradoxically these neglected small details often are of great importance.
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One uneventful evening, while on my way home after an ordinary private tutor session, I was somehow driven towards finding a Sherlock Holmes book to occupy my free times in the mornings. While I strolled into the Eslite across from National Taiwan University, I was extremely disturbed by the fact that I could not readily find any copy of Holmes. After some ten-minute search, I finally found a decent copy - The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Modern Man Library.
記得當天晚上結束家教後回家的路上到台大對面的誠品,試圖想找一本福爾摩斯小說來看。但令人失望的是,找了老半天,才找到一本。原本以為這種經典之作應該很容易找到才是,怎麼花了我幾十分鐘才找到?不過最後終究還是找到了一本包含『探險記』和『回憶錄』的福爾摩斯。
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[For your enjoyment of the book, no plot is revealed in the following article.]
[The cover shown here is different from the cover of the book I possess.]
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[For your enjoyment of the book, no plot is revealed in the following article.]
This is my second book by Eco. Somehow I finally understand the force that had always been pulling me away from his books. Though I had enjoyed Baudolino very much, Foucault's Pendulum is a completely different experience. Don't get me wrong, though. Eco is great. The fault can only be the readers' if the reading produces pain, rather than joy. One has to be adequately informed, prior to their reading, in a wide range of ideas and theories in order to insure the utmost pleasure.
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One of my favorite ways to spend the weekend, or any free time I have at hand is to walk into a book store with a marvelous collection of English books and see what treasure there is waiting for me to uncover. However, it has become harder and harder to find what I define as 'treasure'. I suppose this has very much to do with my growing appetite for reading, and hopefully my growing maturity in the habit as well. A good book is not easy to find. A great book is even harder. Yet they exist. And to prove that to you, I now present to you the five books that have completely changed my life.
我在週末或是任何空閒時間最喜歡做的事情就是走進書店看看有什麼寶可以挖。不過好書越來越難找。極品好書就更別說了。也許是因為累積下來我讀得書越來越多,也或者是因為我的閱讀習慣越來越成熟[希望啦],不過挖寶的歷險記是一次比一次艱難!不過呢,好書還是有的。所以接下來就是要介紹五本完全改變我生命的書籍。由於都是原文書,所以本篇文章的內文我都是先打英文,才將重點整理出來打成中文。而我比須先聲明,我從來都沒修過翻譯,對於翻譯可以說是一翹不通。所以中英都看得懂得朋友們,請別雞蛋裡挑骨頭。Typo歡迎告知,但翻譯內容就別太強求了,好嗎?
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by Esther and Jerry Hicks
This is the only book you'll ever need to enrich yourself in anyway. Learn how to make all your wildest dreams come true, and learn to appreciate what you have just so you can have more!
Sure, by all means dismiss the idea as some rediculous money sucking scheme. And you're more than welcome to ignore this book when you are given the opportunity to purchase it. Please do so at your own cost. You'll never find out how much more you could have and how much more you could have been as a result of depriving yourself of the chance to understand what this is all about.
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by Alan Armstrong
Any book containing kids and talking animals may very well be classified as 'children's literature'. But a truly well-written work need to charm not only the young readers, but also older adult readers as well. Whittington certainly lured two grownups into reading chapter after chapter aloud every night before bed.
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by Umberto Eco
If you are able to find satisfaction in reading a contemporary novel, then congratulations. Because they are of a rare kind. But if you are able to find the satisfaction of a number of books within one, then that one book must be the diamond among books. I dare not proclaim Baudolino as such, but it is definitely a rare gemstone.
What you can expect is a tint of the Da Vinci Code and the Historian, but more sophisticated; the legend of King Arthur, but more humor; fairy tales and folk-tales, but much more serious.
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by Elizabeth Kostova
Transylvania, garlic, the cross. They have one thing in common - vampires.
The Historian is written in a form not unlike our other well-known best-seller The Da Vinci Code. A mystery awaits to be solved, and ancient secrets are revealed by people seeming least related to them. One can find action, romance, mystery, death, and of course a slight of humor. These seem to be the essential ingredients to a successful novel today.
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By B.K.S. Iyengar
Light on Life is a book no yoga practitioners should ever miss out. The wise and more than experienced octogenarian shares with us his own stories and gives advice to his yogic readers. It is full of wisdom, yet just as enjoyable as any other book. The journey every yogi or yogini has to take may be long and difficult. This is when the book certainly comes in handy in helping to boost up one's spirituality.
I remember that first asana session after having begun the book. It was the most delightful session I think I have ever had in my entire yogic experience. The final resting asana was so profound that it took me a few minutes after to realize that I was back in the real world. Afterwards, i was physically light and spiritually unbound.
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Here is a list of the earlier book reviews. Click on the title of the book to read the review posted on my old blog.
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Mrs.Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
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