Review: A Soul's Calling, by Scott Bishop

 

A SOUL’S CALLING
Scott Bishop 
Wanderlust Publishing House
January 4, 2013
Print Version: 341 pages
0615695353
List Price $14.95 Paperback





Once in a great while a book lands in my lap that is breathtakingly beautiful and at the same time personally illuminating. Such is the case with A Soul’s Calling by Scott Bishop.  
This is the story of Scott who has the ability to communicate with the Other Side.  It is during his encounter with the Spirit World that he realizes his soul is in jeopardy.  As he grapples with this revelation, he makes a choice to travel to Nepal.  He expects a mythical adventure that will take courage, but his soul beckons him to go. He must face Mount Everest in hopes that the Spirits will help to mend his soul.

Scott is an attorney who is not exactly your typical experienced mountain climber.  He describes himself as conservative, predictable and responsible. Undaunted, he researches the feasibility of the trek and physically trains for the arduous journey.  He gathers a melange of symbolic objects and prayers with obvious personal significance.  He believes he will need these things when he reaches Base Camp.  Along with the requisite guide, (reticent and wary of the American) Scott is eager to begin the climb.  Soon he realizes his preparations have fallen very short of his actual needs and he must adjust.  The challenges begin early on as he must overcome his fear of heights and acclimate to breathing at high altitude.  On the ascent, each stage of the climb gets harder, with seemingly endless stairs and rugged terrain. Each day he feels weaker with increasing doubts and an ominous outlook.

A Soul’s Calling will take you where most will never go. The author builds drama and captures the nuances of the sweeping resplendent landscape.  He allows all senses to experience this man’s pilgrimage, the natural rhythm of his journey unfolds with fluidic imagery. The prose is rich with visual brilliance, words so carefully blended together. Scott Bishop captures the majestic and graceful soul of these virginal peaks.  He unveils the simple serenity and spectacular attraction of the Himalayan Mountains.  A Soul’s Calling is a humbling and reflective novel that will polarize most readers. 

Visit Scott Bishop's Homepage


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Disclosure: The author provided a free digital copy of his book.  This review is submitted without bias.


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2013].

Review-Radio Shangri-La, by Lisa Napoli

RADIO SHANGRI-LA
Lisa Napoli
Crown Publishers
February 2011
$25.00/$28.95CAN, Hardcover
304 pages
978-0-307-45302-0.

Review by Wisteria ©

It has been said that you can go just about anywhere within the pages of a book. When you read Radio Shangri-La I believe this belief is close to achievable.  Lisa Napoli was looking for happiness. In her forties, working in public radio, she was more than unhappy. So much so that she took a course in happiness where she learned that writing down three things that brought her happiness each day would lead to some sort of enlightenment. She diligently did her homework assigned, with limited success.
When an opportunity to travel to Bhutan to help with a start-up radio station, Kuzoo FM, crossed her life path, she surprised herself by taking the job. Her account of her journey to the small country nestled between India and China, seemingly untouched by the modern world is a breathtaking journey of self-discovery.  After all, when the country measures its wealth by the Gross National Happiness and not the GNP, there must be something to this story?

Napoli has a comfortable writing style that flows easily and is a quick light read. She is humorous with just the right balance of her philosophic discovery without being preachy.
If anything, everyone will want to travel to Bhutan, but the cost may dissuade you. The travel and tourism tax collected by the government is about $200.00 per day. Not to mention, the prohibitive cost for a hotel that for most is astronomical.  Travel in and out of Bhutan is an arduous adventure. As the author discovers, because of the mountains that surround Bhutan’s only airport, it is known as the “scariest airport in the world.” That’s  a comforting travel tip to keep in mind along with the seemingly endless hours of travel from the United States.

The author is more than a tourist during her many visits to Bhutan, so her perspective is less visitor and more a foster citizen, temporary yet welcomed.  To replicate her experience would be impossible as a casual tourist. However, the unimaginable beauty and majesty of the Himalayan landscape and its people who hug Bhutan with happiness must be an experience in a lifetime.

I highly recommend Radio Shangri-La for anyone who wants to discover Bhutan, an extraordinary country.  As you follow Lisa Napoli’s quest for happiness, you just might uncover three things that will bring happiness to your own life.

Disclosure: The copy of this book was an ARC provided at no cost for an honest review by Crown Publishers. 

Author Website: http://www.lisanapoli.com/radio-shangri-la/



© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011].