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dhiyanah's reviews
499 reviews
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
3.5
There were elements I loved about this story - the fig tree's narration especially. The vast array of intellectual tidbits in the novel felt overpowering, there were passages that meandered so far away from the characters it was as if they got left out in the cold. The writing was mostly engaging, though, which made the book quite enjoyable to read.
The Language of Plants: A Guide to the Doctrine of Signatures by Julia Graves
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
This book is such a resourceful starting point into exploring doctrine of signatures within plant medicine. I feel it works better as a reference text than something to read cover to cover.
Love and Longing: Yearning for the Face of God by Sukina Noor
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
Sukina Noor's poetry has a distinctively warm and luminescent resonance. She writes from a station of embodiment, honoring her journey as a Sufi mystic in today's world. The poems in this collection read like stars within a wider constellation, creating space and mapping out the wonders of devotion and surrender to the Divine. Some pieces read like doorways, keys unlocking expansive contemplation, while other pieces hold your hands to guide them up towards the sky, and then inwards towards the heart. This is poetry that embraces you, wherever you are on the path.
A Body of Water: Poems by Chioma Urama
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
These are poems that dive into the flurry and fury of ancestral memory. Chioma masterfully teases and explores the tension between unveiling hard truths of blood and land lineages with the desire for the gentle embrace of healing. Her playful use of form in the collection brought a stark brightness to the overlying voice of these poems - soothed in moments that feel like prayer or affirmation for kinder ways of remembering. Reading this felt like watching the agitated surface of deep blue ocean water, as it returns itself into flow after a long storm. Mesmerizing, challenging at times, and absolutely necessary.
Mirrors in the Earth: Reflections on Self-Healing from the Living World by Asia Suler
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
Asia Suler writes beautifully. Reading this book felt like going on a very relaxing, self-reflective, and wonder-filled walk through a spacious and lush garden. I enjoyed how she masterfully wove in her lived experience into the insights and declarations of hope that she offers us through this book. The prompts felt practical, in that they were simple, gentle, and made space for compassion to bloom. I'm grateful for how this book can serve both as a stand-alone resource and as a meaningful companion to her classes and meditations. I'll be revisiting this a lot in the next years, as I begin to step more fully into a healing and heart-centered relationship with the planet.
The Angels Knocking on the Tavern Door: Thirty Poems of Hafez by Robert Bly, Leonard Lewisohn
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
For those who's distanced from Hafez's language, each translation is a valuable building block to get to know the voice and illuminating fire of his poetry. Each translation is also just a reflection of the mirage of Hafez, gleaned by the translators and textured by their own reference points, informed by the Hafez they live with in their minds and hearts. I welcome any opportunity to sit with the works of this beautiful soul, and I really enjoyed this book. It reads like a comforting friend soothing the difficult parts of a journey that cannot be understood, only expressed. I also enjoyed Lewisohn's essay here, along with the notes on the ghazals at the end of the book.