March 23, 2009
Book reviews about a 13th century religious people and a life transformed in a magical amusement park
This afternoon, at SoulFood Books in Redmond, in a Beatnik-like bookstore reminiscent of one found in Ashland, OR, Jason and I attended a wonderful lecture and reading by author, Nita Hughes. Nita is a lovely, soft-spoken, yet determinedly passionate woman when it comes to the Cathars, which led her to writing two novels about them.
Cover of Nita Hughes book, The Cathar Legacy
We enjoyed hearing about the history, the religion, the way of life, and the secret of the alleged Cathar treasure. This supposed treasure is the basis for a potential third book in the Cathar trilogy that Nita is currently contemplating.
From what I’ve heard so far, the Cathar story is intriguing and I want to learn more so I bought both books. I’ll post a review on each book once I finish reading them so stay tuned.
Speaking of book reviews, I just finished reading, Life’s Golden Ticket, which was recommended to me by Deborah Voll.
Cover of Brendon Burchard's book, Life's Golden Ticket
From the website:
Life’s Golden Ticket is an inspirational novel about second chances in life and in love. It’s the story of a troubled man who visits an abandoned amusement park searching for clues into his fiancée’s disappearance. While at the park he experiences a series of miracles and meets a number of caring yet confrontational park employees who help him discover what happened to fiancée, understand why his life has turned out the way it has, and, finally, uncover the greatest gift of all—life’s golden ticket. The parable inspires readers to release the past, rediscover their strength, and resolve to make a greater difference in the world.
I like the parable-like premise of the book although I found parts of it to repeat other self-help books I’ve read. An example of stuff I’ve heard before is when the main character has to sign a form as the price of admission to the amusement park. The form reads:
- I agree to give up my dependency on my present experience and be open to possibility.
- I agree to give up my defense mechanisms and face the truth.
- I agree to give up my belief that change equals pain.
- I agree to give up my impulses to quit or leave my host’s side.
These types of principles, guidelines, or rules for life are quite vague and I didn’t feel like I needed them to set the scene for me. The originality lies in the storybook format and that makes the man’s journey of transformation interesting to follow until the end. I recommend this book as a quick, motivational read.
alottamusings 