Small Pleasures: Finding Grace in a Chaotic World (Hardcover)

by Justine Toms (Author)
Key Phrases: trim tab factor, flash mobs, New Dimensions, Miss Roxie, Julia Butterfly Hill (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this collection of meditations, Toms (True Work: Doing What you Love and Loving What You Do) offers harried overachievers a moment of respite, directing them through daily contemplation and humble rituals to reflect on wide-ranging topics—Buddhist proverbs, activism, service, connection with nature and the dynamism of sparkle brain, a flexible and adaptive mindset. The diminutive essays are vaguely organized under broad sections (A Wider Landscape, Animals and Nature As Teacher, Be an Activist Without Driving Yourself Crazy, Circles and Friendships, Celebrations and Rituals) that are appealing, but do not offer a cohesive enough thread to sew together the author's prescriptions. Two pieces do deserve special attention: A Sense of Place, a tender tribute to childhood, and Circle of Your Own: Take The First Steps, in which Toms credits Rev. Mary Manin Morrissey with the notion that everything is born twice—first in the imagination and then in the physical world—a compelling axiom as well as an elegant subtheme for the entire volume. Rather than a cover-to-cover read, Toms's slender book can best be accessed when needed and according to mood. (Oct.)
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Review

"[Small Pleasures] will help you to see and know yourself and the world in an eye-opening way. . . . So read on and awaken to what lies within." Bernie Siegel, MD, author of Love, Magic, and Mudpies

"[Justine Toms's] mature spirituality shines in stories and examples that you ll be delighted to read and to share. What a rich gift we've been given." Joan Borysenko, PhD, co-author of Your Soul's Compass

"[Small Pleasures] touches the heart or hits a nerve or inspires doing something on the spot. A wise book from a wise woman with a great inner kid." Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD, author of Goddesses in Every Woman

"These reflections are like conversations with an old friend straightforward, sensible, comforting and inspiring. They satisfy." Sylvia Boorstein, author of Happiness Is an Inside Job

--Endorsements

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Pub Co (September 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571745866
• ISBN-13: 978-1571745866
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #656,382 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Huge Pleasure, October 9, 2008

By	Linda Merryman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am familiar with the voice of Justine Toms as the sensitive, insightful, intelligent interviewer on New Dimensions Radio. Getting to read her words at a very sweet slow pace, just as I need to hear them or before I go to sleep at night, is such a treat. It is a HUGE pleasure to read Justine's varied reflections of a life well lived on a spiritual path.

Linda Merryman

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small Pleasures, October 8, 2008

By	Michael Anthony "mtoms" (Ukiah, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This is an extraordinary collection of essays,which will enhance and enlighten your daily life.Justine Toms draws upon a rich treasure trove of life experience that includes spending time with literally hundreds of the world's leading social architects,creative artists, scientists and spiritual teachers.
M.A.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great pleasure, March 3, 2009

By	Mirabai Starr - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This little book of wisdom gave me great gifts of inspiration and encouragement. At a time when many of us struggle to turn our attention from the private pursuit of awakening to the overwhelming task of alleviating suffering in this world, Justine offers intelligence, humor, and practical suggestions for being of service while celebrating the priceless gift of "this precious birth." Reading this book gave me the deep breath I needed to go forth and see how I might be of use.