The Celestine Prophecy - A Cautionary Tale

The Book

A really great idea, poorly executed, and yet James Redfield has sold something like 23 million copies of The Celestine Prophecy. Why? Well, because it's a really great idea for a novel, I suppose.

But just imagine if Dan Brown had written The Celestine Prophecy (23 mil.) in addition to The Da Vinci Code (80 mil.). If I were Redfield, I'd ask Dan Brown to help me write a revision of The Celestine Prophecy for the 25th anniversary of its publication coming up in 2018 (published in 1993, you do the math). It would sell another 20 million easy.

Because there's a lot to like in The Celestine Prophecy: jungles, the Andes, Machu Picchu. But there's also a lot to hate there too. I've tried three or four times over the years to read it but I just couldn't do it. And I like this kind of novel, one that tries to teach you something, especially something about consciousness, enlightenment, awakening--all that crap. Heck, I even write books like that myself and I still couldn't choke it down.

The problem is, it's just so poorly written, and that's where the cautionary aspect of this blog post comes in. The Celestine Prophecy was originally self-published, and it shows. Redfield sold 100,000 copies out of the back of his Honda--Accord-ing to lore (sorry, couldn't resist)--so at that point it must have been tough for the editors at Warner Books, which scooped up the publishing rights to the book after that, to talk much sense into Redfield. And what did they care, really? I'm sure they were happy to keep the printing press churning out twenty-dollar bills. This was an unholy union that I suspect damed the movie version to hell, Satan's spawn that it is, but we'll get to that in a moment.

You might also like: These articles about Eckhart Tolle

A "Lost" Review of The Self-Improvement Book Club Murder

Here's a 5-star review from last year that it appears I failed to post from a Harry Federci:

Author Todd Wright skillfully uses the rather ordinary theme of a murder mystery to explore the extraordinary difference between organized religion and what is known at the present time as New Age spirituality. Detectives Bookman and Berg - no first names are ever divulged - are assigned to a criminal case involving the murder of a young woman. In the course of their investigation, they are exposed to profound literature which radically alters their perceptions of reality. The teachings of Aristotle, Socrates, St. Paul and Jesus Christ all come into play in this most unusual crime novel. I highly recommend it to anyone with an open mind who wishes to explore the big questions of life and doesn't know quite where to begin.

Thanks, Harry!

Another 5-Star Review for The Self-Improvement Book Club Murder!

Another five-star review for The Self-Improvement Book Club Murder, this one from Karen G. Thanks, Karen!

 I've seen a spike in sales lately. Seems it's become a cult classic in Japan. I expect a feature-length anime film to be announced any day now.

The latest review of The Self-Improvement Book Club Murder is a good one!

AAA writes:

"The book is a great subtle murder mystery with unusual educational value. The plot intertwines and builds on a summary of the best-respected motivational, philosophical, and spiritual books of all time. Final plot twists inspired reading or rereading of several of the referenced books. It will continue to serve as a quick reference to the best of the best."

Thanks, Triple-A!

Rate My Haiku

Bluejay Through a Kitchen Window 

Drip in the kitchen
Bluejay in a barren tree
Keep pipes from freezing.

Why is haiku so fun to do? I think it's because they tend to just come to you, presenting themselves almost fully formed, arising out of a moment, very much like the moment itself.

Then you can look at it later and relive that moment, and remember that it was a moment, which in tern (no pun intended, this was supposed to be "turn") helps you to remember the present moment and come back to it quickly.

What do you think? Is this one any good? Feel free to put one of your own in comments.

Photo curtesy of Garden Walk Garden Talk.

Latest Book Review of The Self-Improvement Book Club Murder

Thanks to CLW for the latest review of The Self-Improvement Book Club Murder - A Mystery by Todd Wright:

Self Improvement AND Murder?The Self Improvement Book Club Murder, by Todd Wright, is a murder mystery about Detective Bookman's journey to enlightenment, along the way, he just happens to solve the murder of Sue Ellen Pinkus, who was a member of the so called Self Improvement Book Club. Detective Bookman and his partner Alec Berg are faced with some "Self Improvement" of their own as they search for clues within the books from the club.

Wright's work of fiction sent me on a personal quest to read the non-fiction books the club members were so passionate about, such as; A New Earth, The Power of Now, The Secret, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Think and Grow Rich, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and many more. Two thirds of the way through The Self-Improvement Book Cub Murder, I was no longer concerned with "who did it" (I had complete confidence in Bookman) instead I wanted to follow Detective Bookman's path of personal growth! I was encouraged to start my own Self-Improvement book club (one where we actually read the books) and I have recommended this book to several friends.

I enjoyed the fictional setting and appreciated Wright's depth of understanding of "New Earth" concepts, which were very obvious through the insights and application of those concepts he brought out in his character's daily lives, all in just over 200 pages! If you are a Tolle fan, you don't want to miss this book! I look forward to improving myself further with Wright's next book.

Who Would You Invite to Your Dinner Party?

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately. I don't know if it's because I'm going to win a contest soon or what, but it's kind of a fun question.

Almost as much fun as picking the guests is choosing the ground rules.

First, all of my personal friends and family are excluded. The reason for this rule is obvious. I can't invite all of them to this once-in-a-lifetime event, so I need to have recourse to a rule that excludes them all equally. That way I can shrug and say, "If it were up to me . . . "

But for this rule, I would invite my octogenarian uncle who would thoroughly enjoy the night, though he may not appreciate most of my selections. This would be especially true of my aunt who would undoubtedly be his date. I would invite them anyway if I could. But rules are rules.