Skip to main content

The Aleph by Paulo Coelho

By
The Aleph
Super Quick Synopsis ~ An author goes on a spiritual journey traveling via the Trans-Siberian Railway with his following (admirers, devotees &/or employees). While life paths intertwine meaning is attempted to be found in each experience (often only by the reader;). Travel, loss, spiritual growth, past lives, kindness, forgiveness, rituals, religion are all subjects visited.

But “Whats it all about Alphie?” well you’ll just have to read the book!




Mining for pearls in a sea of databases....
I often find if you do some research, into any subject, you find a gem. This gem inspires you to appreciate the author and his writing. I found many pearls on my journey to find endearing qualities about this book.

My favorite Ocean City Free Public Library mining database this month is Films on Demand, AVOD. AVOD provides Streaming technology allows you to access high quality video content via the Internet.

AVOD offers two video on Coelho:

The One and the Many: Pilgrims in a World of Faith (53:00)
Whether for pardon, healing, inspiration, or enlightenment, a pilgrimage can be a journey through the kingdom of spirit. In this program, Paul Coelho, author of The Pilgrimage; His Holiness the Dalai Lama; the director of the Tiberias Center for Kabbalah and Healing; and others reflect on the history and significance of major pilgrimage destinations, including Santiago de Compostela, Mecca, Bodh Gaya, the Jordan and Ganges Rivers, the tombs of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai and Kôbô Daishi, and Chamundi Hill. (53 minutes)” http://avod.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=11716&xtid=11738

Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist of Words (48:00)
With sales of more than 32 million books in 51 languages, Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho is one of the most widely read authors in the world. This program captures Coelho’s story through conversations with the award-winning writer and those who know and admire him. Coelho’s use of a symbolic language, designed to transcend the intellect to speak directly to the heart, is discussed along with colorful incidents spanning his life, from his youthful involvement with the hippie movement to his emergence as a world-class author. In addition, The Alchemist, a number one bestseller in 29 countries, and some of his more recent writings are examined. (48 minutes) http://avod.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=11716&xtid=30017

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fault Lines by Nancy Huston

By
Shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008, Fault Lines takes an interesting narrative approach and follows four generations of a family counter-chronologically. Family secrets start to unravel as each generation's character is revealed. We first meet 6 year old Sol, a coddled spoiled brat of a character, as he and his family are on a trip to Germany to revisit a long-lost relative. Huston then introduces the reader to the other generations; his father Randall, grandmother Sadie, and great grandmother Erra. As each character's story unfolds, you can see how each narrative weaves into one. The last section, which centers on Erra, is the most eye-opening one and is the final piece of the novel's puzzle. I don't want to say much more because it'd be giving too much away, but suffice it to say, it's a pretty intense (and sad) read.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

By
A short but very moving tale about a man who uncovers the awful truth about a former lover. Michael is 15 when he first meets Hanna, who is 36. Despite the creepy age difference, the two become lovers, though Michael is far more captivated by the mysterious and distant Hanna than she is to him. Their affair is all too brief and one day, Hanna just disappears. Years later, Michael unintentionally sees Hanna as the defendant when he is observing a court case for law school. As Michael slowly learns about Hanna's horrible past, he must struggle to accept the question - if he loves (or loved) a monster, what does that make him? There is redemption in the end, but it's very bittersweet. And of course, they made a movie out of this one. If the weather is decent, perhaps I'll go see it this weekend - Kate Winslet is supposed to be fabulous.
1 comment
Read more

"A Banquet of Consequences" by Elizabeth George

By
      Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mystery series is probably one of my favourites in the style of English detective stories. It's the series that I keep returning to, when I slip into a reading rut and can't focus on reading something new, particularly to the first book in the series A Great Deliverance. While there are lots of decent mystery series circulating now, the first book in George's Lynley stories has a certain grim insistence about it that keeps drawing me back to it. And in her latest contribution to the series, George has written a story that in many aspects parallels her first--however, these parallels did not become immediately apparent until the climax of the story.       One of the things that I like best about Elizabeth George's writing is that she realises that a lot of times, the supporting characters can have better story potential than the main title character. She uses this to her advantage in almost all of the Lynley seri...
3 comments
Read more