Book #16: Holy Cow

Holy Cow
by Sarah MacDonald

I LOVED this book! I think it holds special irony for me because it's entirely set in India, and I've been experiencing much of what she's discussed in this book...it came at exactly the right time for me. :) Sarah MacDonald traveled around India during her early 20's, and left feeling as if she "never wanted to set foot in this crazy country again." 10 year later, however, she has quit her job and moved back to the country to follow love. (her fiance was stationed in India as an ABC reporter). Over the course of a 2-year work assignment, Sarah explores India's religions, culture, and it's people's most frustrating/lovable traits.

It just so happened that she went to Kashmir (I read this part right after we'd been to Leh, which is a part of the Jammu and Kashmir state), spent extended time in Delhi (I read this section while we were sitting in the Delhi train station for 7 hours), and visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar (which I read in our Amritsar hotel room). I read it at exactly the right time, and it helped me to identify the parts of India that I love and hate. This is a funny satire on a crazy country, and especially helpful for me as I process leaving this insane, passionate, dirty, colorful, cow-filled world.

**And with that, I'm over halfway to my goal of reading 30 books this year! I've got about 5 more just LINING UP to be read, and lots of time this weekend. Hmmm....love it, love it!