What are you reading the week of Sunday, July 12, 2015?

[scarletwoman]

A bit late in the day (after midnight here), but I ended up being out all day and just got home.

Anyway, yesterday I finished The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison. It's the first book of an eight book series featuring an imprisoned former Chinese forensic inspector, set in Tibet.

I thought it was totally awesome. 400+ pages, so it took a while to get through it. However, it's beautifully written, fully engaging, a complex plot, wonderful characters, with a fully accurate portrayal of Tibetan Buddhism, and an unflinching account of the ongoing cultural genocide in Tibet at the hands of the Chinese government.

I went into this book with an already extensive knowledge of the political situation in Tibet, which I have began following in the late 70s/early 80s, and became involved in the Free Tibet movement. I'm also fairly well-versed in the whole history of the Chinese invasion of Tibet, as well as Tibet's pre-invasion history. Additionally, I studied and practiced Tibetan Buddhism for several years, receiving teachings in person from several Tibetan lamas.

So, with all that in my background, this book was obviously a perfect fit for me. I have no idea how someone who's not familiar with any of the above would react - however, it won an Edgar Award for Best First Book in 2000, so it would appear that it has appeal for a wider audience than just students of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism.

I'm now over half way through the 2nd book of the series, Water Touching Stone, and it's been very hard to put down. I am thoroughly in love with what this author is doing.

On Eliot Pattison's website, he has a page explaining why he's writing these books: http://www.eliotpattison.com/why_i_wrote_about_tibet.html - if you think you might be interested in this series, please go read it.

Anyhow, here's your weekly reading thread - have at it!