Anne Cushman and Enlightenment for Idiots

I received an email from Anne Cushman that her book Enlightenment for Idiots was named by Booklist as one of the "Top 10 First Novels" of 2008. congratulations, Anne!

Booklist said that these ten first-time novelists "will undoubtedly become second novelists. In other words, these novels show talent above and beyond the usual first time out."

Anne is one of the teachers at Spirit Rock's Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training which I love love love. I can't wait to go back for the last 10 day retreat in April, but I'm sad it will be the end of the training. Anne emailed me back in March saying how she loved this blog and then realized that this writer and the Spirit Rock student were one and the same. besides me, she also sent her book to her other favorite yoga bloggers. I was more stunned that a professional writer liked my blog (you can read Anne's comments in the sidebar) than I was about getting a free book!

I loved Anne's book and having traveled to India I certainly resonated with the Indian scenes she created. get Anne's book for every yogi on your gift list this season, I know they'll love it.

And who knows? maybe I'll write a yoga book one day....but I think it would be more along the lines of Hunter Thompson style, a roman a clef about my little piece of the yoga world.

Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was made into a movie with Johnny Depp. hmmmmm....let's see....now who could play moi? Susan Sarandon? Sandra Bernhard? Kathy Griffin?

Nope, none of the above. it has to be Susie Essman. Susie played Susie Greene, the wife of Larry David's manager on Curb Your Enthusiasm:

"Mrs. Greene will not suffer a fool or overlook the slightest slight; she invariably sees through every one of Larry and Jeff's lies and mischievous ploys and rips into them. These hilarious bouts of withering sarcasm and uninhibited insults have become her character's trademark...."

Yup. Susie Essman it is.