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Booked for the Day

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

On Monday, August 7th, the Booked for the Day Book Group met to discuss, Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo.  Here are a few things we discussed during the meeting:

  • Most of the group felt the book was a pleasant surprise. It was a sweet book, the writing was very good, as was the character development. In addition is was thought provoking without being preachy. We decided that it was an enjoyable summer travelogue with humorous highlights. Merullo put a different spin on his story and used humor to help with the heavy topics.
  • Even though most of us enjoyed the book no one felt the need to read the next books in the series, Lunch with Buddha and Dinner with Buddha.
  • There was not an event or remark in the novel that convinced anyone that Rinpoche was the real deal but most thought that was intentional and as it should be.
  • A few members did meditate so they could relate to the inner peace it brought to the characters.
  • A few members did not like the ending. It was hard to imagine that Otto, at the end, would knee, bow and touch his forehead to the floor in front of Rinpoche. We could see him believing in some of Rinpoche's ideas but not bow in front of him, it almost seemed silly and farfetched. One member mentioned that Merullo spoke about his ending in an interview and said he wanted Otto to have a physical reaction at the end of the story.
  • One member who did not enjoy the book thought Otto was arrogant. With his upper class life it was hard to sympathize with him. He lived an uncomplicated life devoid of any real struggles or conflicts. Otto was able to have time to contemplate life unlike most of us.
  • A few members talked about similar experiences with their sisters when they made last minute announcements to get their way. So they understood Otto feeling that he was tricked.
  • We read that Merullo took the cross-country trip he describes Otto and Rinpoche taking. We found his descriptions of the places and experiences he had very realistic.

These are just a few things mentioned during the discussion. Please feel free to add any of your thoughts in the comment section.

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