Jason's Reviews

Sharon Salzberg has been teaching lovingkindness (metta) meditation for decades. In short, easy-to-read chapters on how to be more loving, she manages to teach without preaching. She juxtaposes practical ways to manage everyday disturbances with parabolic short stories, making this the sort of book you can pick up at any time and open to any page for a quick bit of wisdom. Highly recommended for fans of The Book of Joy. - Jason

Hilarious essays on race, gender, and pop culture by the host of CNN’s United Shades of America. Kamau is a self-proclaimed blerd (a black nerd) who writes as effortlessly about Michael Jordan and Spiderman as he does about being a cisgender male getting woke-schooled by a feminist. This book will inspire you to raise a fist in solidarity as often as it will make you laugh. - Jason

A magic school, time travel, hilarious talking birds and the end of the world! Charlie Jane Anders has written a genre-blending, trope-upending coming-of-age tale of two friends—a witch and a time traveler—whose inseparable paths alter the fate of the entire planet. Told in refreshing prose with an unpredictable ending that will leave readers of sci-fi and fantasy satisfied, All the Birds is a futuristic fairy tale for all. - Jason

In one story, a man dies of lovesickness; in another, a man learns of the death of his grade-school crush from an alarming late-night call. This is vintage Murakami: mysterious abandonments that lead to journeys of self-discovery, nostalgic narrators waxing poetic about romantic days of yore. Nods to the Beatles, Hemingway, and Kafka add flavor to this elegant selection of stories. A must-have for all Murakami fans. - Jason

Want to learn how to meditate, but don’t care to learn a whole bunch of dogma? This is the ultimate secular guide to the science of meditation by neurologist and outspoken atheist Sam Harris. You will enjoy the skillful he presents a case for Buddhism, as a philosophy and a practice, but not as a religion to join. For one month, I read Waking Up at night before bed, and it calmed me to sleep every time. - Jason

The world could end at any moment, and a dwarf artist who only paints in solid black is the sole possessor of the most destructive force ever made. This story is both post-modern-apocalyptic scary and pee-your-pants funny. Perfect for first time visitors to Vonnegut’s amazing brain or those looking to revisit one of the great American artists. - Jason

Fates and Furies meets The Terminator! It takes a literary look at time travel, and contemplates feelings of being in love while experiencing loss. The structurally unique narrative bounces between the titular wife, an artist whose loneliness inspires angelic sculptures, and the time-traveling husband, whose journeys always lead him back to pivotal moments in her life. - Jason

This is a gut-wrenching, heart-opening memoir. As Glennon recovers from multiple addictions, and deals with her husband’s infidelity, she goes on a deep spiritual journey, and in so doing rediscovers herself and a new relationship with god. She is a living example of how to be a Christian, a mother, AND a feminist. Uplifting, and impossible to put down, my wife and I both read this book in three days. - Jason

It is rare that a short story collection wins the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, but then this is a rare collection of short stories. Elegant, beautiful and heartbreaking, these are the stories of immigrant children trying to assimilate into Western culture, and falling in love, and being flawed. This is perfect prose. You will be in awe. - Jason

Rare autobiographical stories told for the first time by a great teacher and peace activist. Those who are already keen on the teachings of the Vietnamese monk will love learning more about his formative years. In his always accessible prose, the former Ivy League lecturer writes stories that will also appeal to fans of memoir and anyone interested in Vietnam War–era history. A blend of powerful storytelling and transformative wisdom by the world’s most famous Zen master.                   —Jason