REVIEW: Downward Dog, Upward Fog by Meryl Davids Landau

Downward Dog, Upward Fog
Meryl Davids Landau
Kindle edition

Lorna Crawford is a 33-year-old event coordinator in the marketing department of an ice cream company.  She has her usual group of friends, a successful boyfriend, a caring sister and a belittling mother.  She’s been feeling “off” about her life: where she is and where she’s going.  She thinks meditating and yoga may be a way to help her out of her funk.  (Click the image to be taken to the Goodreads page).

All in all, I didn’t really care for this book.  This is disappointing because it’s been on my to read list for AGES, and I’ve enjoyed other books that had yoga as a theme, and because I actually bought the Kindle version since I couldn’t find it at the library.  Waste of $4. There may be some spoilers in my review.

Anyway, I felt Lorna was pretty whiny and didn’t act like a 33-year-old.  She constantly talked about how she would normally act or react in certain situations (negatively), so her transformation in a matter of months – when people who practice for years before they reach the point she does – is rather far-fetched and unrelatable. She is constantly filled with self-doubt, which is surprising considering the successful job and whatnot. I was just kind of annoyed by Lorna’s character.  She goes from commenting how she would think a snide remark to gushing to complete strangers.

I felt it was kind of like a research paper where there were lots of quotes and references to books and authors and yogis, etc.  I read a review on Goodreads that does a better job of explaining how I felt about it.

A mini book marathon

In my last post I mentioned that I read four books over my week vacation.  It felt like a little marathon, how many books can I get through? I started out at the airport, bright and early, 6am.   I’ll just give brief synopses of the books, without giving too much away.

I began with Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.  The story is set in a futuristic society in which young genius children are bred for space warfare.  It focuses on a boy named Ender who goes through many trials and tribulations while in “Battle School” learning the ways of the warriors and the fight against the Buggers (an alien race).

I forget who mentioned this book to me, but I kept it in the back of my mind for a few months and then bought it on my Kindle a couple of weeks ago. First, I had no idea how old the book was. Second, it was kind of hard for me to remember how old, or rather how young, these kids were.  BUT I really enjoyed it nonetheless. I felt bad for Ender and the other children, but I think it was more because they were so young and that they never knew what it was like to be regular children. I kind of kept hoping that Ender would defy the adults by making friends with some of the other kids (and keeping those friendships) instead of just having the commander-subordinate relationship that resulted. (But I think that’s just my emotional self talking). It’s interesting that Card would make children the warriors in this society. Makes the phrase “the children are our future” have a bit more meaning, no?  I definitely recommend this book!
I have added Speaker for the Dead to my Kindle.

Next I moved onto Yoga Bitch: One Woman’s Quest to Conquer Skepticism, Cynicism, and Cigarettes on the Path to Enlightenment by Suzanne Morrison. Morrison regales readers with her story of a short period of time in her life when she questioned things and was scared while on the cusp of big changes in her life.  She enjoys yoga and decides to attend a 2 month yoga teaching retreat in Bali with her favorite yoga instructor.  Part narration and part journal entries, this book really takes readers into the mind of Morrison and, as a 26 year old woman, I can relate to some of her story.

Funny, last year when I went to Aruba I read Eat, Pray, Love which also talks about yoga. Morrison is funny and easy to relate to.  The copies of her journal entries while on her 2-month retreat in Bali were very entertaining.   I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole “pissdrinker” thing, I definitely don’t think I’d be able to do it; though I suppose one might never know what situations one can get into.  Whenever I’m done reading a book about yoga, it really makes me want to get back on my mat and go full force. I lack self-discipline, however.  But I’m really trying!  I’d recommend this one as well.

Then I moved onto Locked in Time by Lois Duncan.  Young adult novel about a girl who goes to live with her father and his new wife and 2 step children and learns that there is something strange about her new step family.  Through some detective work, she discovers a weird secret and must convince her father to escape before it’s too late.

I’m pretty sure I’ve read other books by Duncan in the past and I probably liked her others better than this.  Then again, I was much younger when I read it. It’s your average young adult novel.  It was a short read.  But I think I have outgrown these types of books.  It’s an easy-to-follow plot and the reader can figure out what’s happening early on (especially if you read a summary beforehand!).  Like I said, it was pretty short, so the whole issue is resolved pretty quickly.  I know an adult novel would probably be twice the length with more twists and turns and a little more depth to the characters. Overall, it was fine.

The last book I read on my trip was If Jack’s in Love by Stephen Wetta.  Jack is a young boy from an ostracized family. His dad is constantly out of work, his mom is ugly and his brother is a huge bully and trouble-maker. Jack is a bright young boy but no one but a girl classmate (and Jack’s crush), Mrya, realizes his potential. When Myra’s brother Gaylord goes missing not too long after Jack’s brother Stan threatens him, Jack’s family is ridiculed even more; did Stan do something to Gaylord?  (Set in the 1960′s)

I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about it.   And I haven’t really figured out the title yet…

Oh I forgot in my earlier post: I also read the December issue of Yoga Journal.

(all photos are from goodreads.com. Click the image to be taken to the page)