Smirnoff for the Soul, by Yakov Smirnoff

In the midst of reading Listening is an Act of Love, I took a brief hiatus to read Smirnoff for the Soul by Russian-American comedian, Yakov Smirnoff. The book was a Christmas gift from my boyfriend Tim's mom. His parents live in Branson, Missouri, and when we visited them this past Thanksgiving, we sat in Yakov's own theater, as part of a packed house, as Yakov gave one of his well-known performances. This comedian, who first came with his parents to America in 1977, has one of the most inspirational success stories I've come across. Reading his anecdotes can cause even the weariest, most bitter American to take heart and see our "Land of the Free" in a better light.

Yakov and his family arrived with barely the clothes on their backs, and now Yakov owns his own theater in Branson, and it's one of the biggest attractions of this destination for many who visit this locale of the Ozarks. Smirnoff for the Soul is truly a shot of "100 Proof Pure Wisdom Gift-Wrapped in Laughter," as the book's cover advertises.

Yakov is more than a comedian. Though the pages of his books are filled with jokes, between the laughter, he imparts wisdom with a personal touch, sharing the lessons that he's learned firsthand from all stages of his life -- from the importance of being humble, to driving on, held together by nothing but the convictions of his own beliefs, pursuing personal goals no matter what others say, and being a good father to his children.

In my opinion, because Yakov comes from the perspective of having been a newcomer to this country, which many of us who were born here sometimes take for granted, he truly has a fresh approach to many of the issues he touches upon. I enjoyed this fast, fun read that also spoke to my soul in a number of ways.

Sunday Salon: Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is my first post on the Sunday Salon, and I'm currently reading Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert.

I just completed Book One of three within Gilbert's memoir -- the part that focuses on her time spent living in Italy -- and I can't read any further. Well, that is, not until I seek out some Italian cuisine to quell my raging hunger. After reading descriptions of a number of culinary delights found in places like Rome and Sicily, an empty stomach just would not do.

Gilbert's book stirs the appetite, but not just through references to food. Eat, Pray, Love is a delightful romp through Italian history, culture and language, as well as human emotion. I found myself nodding my head in understanding at the sorrows of relationship difficulties, and moments later, learning that the true Italian language sprang from the prose of Dante himself.

In my estimation, Gilbert is a brave, intelligent woman who has set upon a new and exciting adventure, and is having a blast; maybe, authentically, for the first time ever. But, rather than a voyage of distance across three countries, the author also travels through episodes of healing and self-discovery, and we get to share in the journey. Her writing is deeply personal, and it embodies universal themes, such as coping with the pain of divorce, discovering our own personal truths and choosing to live by them, battling with depression and more.

Gilbert's writing style is sharp, witty, and constantly unexpected.

Next stop on the Elizabeth Gilbert train... India, for some soul-searching.

Hand to Mouth, by Paul Auster

I picked up this short memoir about the author Paul Auster's life while browsing in the Daedalus Books & Music Warehouse Outlet in Columbia, Maryland. I knew the name from having read his novel, In the Country of Last Things, a few years before.

The book focuses on Auster's years as a struggling writer, made much more difficult by the fact that he philosophically railed against settling into the status quo of 9-to-5 working society. Even after graduating from the prestigious Columbia University, he preferred instead to tag onto random spurts of blue collar work where he found it (Merchant Marines, dishwasher, etc.) and to take on stints of freelance work in French language translation when he could get them. He moved through life, just getting by like this, for over a decade, from odd job to odd job, continuing to write whenever he had spare time.

One can't help but admire Auster for holding on so doggedly to his writing, that, at times, seemed to be the only glue that held him together. Where someone else may have tossed it all aside, the person Auster describes as himself in this book plodded on, seemingly toward a goal that would end with him becoming a writer or else destroying himself in the process. There was no other way. He didn't say he chose to be a writer; it chose him.

Had he not suffered these setbacks and woven such a tapestry of unique characters into his world, one wonders if he would have become the unique writer he is today. These experiences, coupled with the urgency that kept him churning out the written word were a second education to his Ivy League one. So many of us would never be so bold as to attempt to ride the winds of life without that safety net, the regular paycheck, at least by our own volition.

One of my favorite ways to look at art (to include the creative craft of writing) is that it supports life, and not the other way around. That's what came back to mind when I read Hand to Mouth.