Every day, new books arrive in the offices of Utne Reader. It would be impossible to review all of them, but a shame to leave many hidden on the shelves. In “Bookmarked,” we link to excerpts from some of our favorites, hoping they’ll inspire a trip to your local library or bookstore. Enjoy!
Mary Paterson was forty years old when her father died and felt suddenly
destabilized and adrift by the loss. Paterson’s response to this life
crisis was to embark on a pilgrimage to Plum Village, the retreat of
Nobel Prize-nominated Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. The Monks and Me (Hampton
Roads Publishing, 2012) chronicles her 40-day journey arriving at the
conclusion that it is important to always find a home within ourselves.
Mindful breathing and remembering The Four Noble Truths helps Paterson
find peace among distractions in this excerpt taken from the introduction.
Ana T. Forrest, creator of Forrest Yoga, says the key to self-actualization is to understand your fear and then hunt it down. It’s not about killing fear but becoming its ally–taking its power. Forrest’s book, Fierce Medicine: Breakthrough Practices to Heal the Body and Ignite the Spirit (HarperOne, 2012), chronicles her transformation from an abusive childhood to her position as a national leader in emotional healing through Yoga. In this excerpt from chapter one, “Stalking Fear,” she tells of how to get past one of the biggest blocks to happiness through self-study and training–how to go from victim of fear to its attacker.
Tammy Strobel lives with her husband in 128 square feet. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. After years of living with high stress and high debts, the pair changed their attitude toward the stuff in their lives, deciding to dramatically cut the clutter. Strobel blogged about the lifestyle changes and found a huge, receptive audience. You Can Buy Happiness (and It’s Cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too(New World Library, 2012) is her “biographical manifesto,” a combination of her story and advice on how to join the simplicity movement.
 Shopping){kind=link}