Journal Entry 1 by cheesygiraffe from Florence, Alabama USA on Friday, July 23, 2010

When twenty-year-old Meng Ning declares that she wants to be a Buddhist nun, her mother is aghast. In her eyes, a nun's life means only deprivation - 'no freedom, no love, no meat'. But to Meng Ning, it means the chance to control her own destiny, and to live in an oasis of music, art, and poetry far from her parents' unhappy union. With an enigmatic nun known as Yi Kong, 'Depending on Emptiness', as her mentor, Meng Ning spends the next ten years studying abroad, disdaining men, and preparing to enter the nunnery. Then, a fire breaks out at her Buddhist retreat, and Meng Ning is carried to safety by Michael Fuller, a young American doctor. The unprecedented physical contact stirs her curiosity. And as their tentative friendship grows intimate, Meng Ning realizes she must choose between the sensual and the spiritual life 

Journal Entry 2 by cheesygiraffe at Florence, Alabama USA on Friday, July 23, 2010

I enjoyed this book because I learned a lot about Buddhism. The characters were okay but I wanted to smack Meng Ning upside the head more than once. She is very naive. Especially for someone that is 30 and lived in Hong Kong till she was 20 and in Paris for 5 years. There were things that never were confessed that should have been also. Otherwise, the places and the writing were terrific.

**read e-book on my Kindle** 

Journal Entry 3 by cheesygiraffe at BookObessed.com in Asian Swap, BookObsessed Swap -- Controlled Releases on Friday, July 23, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (7/23/2010 UTC) at BookObessed.com in Asian Swap, BookObsessed Swap -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Ordered from Amazon Marketplace. This is going to Loriped. Enjoy it! 

Journal Entry 4 by loriped at Keizer, Oregon USA on Monday, July 26, 2010

I received this book in the mail today and look forward to reading it.