Thank you Sounds True Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book is a conversation on living, between three wise men. I loved the way in which the book was written between the three authors and found lots of lovely, thought provoking gems amongst the conversations.

The main message I came away with was, don’t take life too seriously, drop the ‘I’ and live in awareness.
A lovely book to remind the reader of what is truly important.

A monk, a philosopher, and a psychiatrist walk into a living room. It sounds like the beginning of a funny joke.

Instead, it’s the beginning of a great book. It’s what happens when you put Matthieu Ricard, Alexandre Jollien, and Christophe André into a room for nine days. We get to eavesdrop on their most interesting conversations about life and love and happiness.

Each man contributes something unique to the conversation. Their life experiences, with their limitations and advantages, provide specialized perspectives. We can count on Ricard to throw in beautifully beneficial Buddhist ideas, Jollien helps us understand life with a permanent disability, and André steers us toward good mental health.

It’s a book you need to read slowly. The concepts are big. And sometimes the advice is large, too. But they also have the ability to break it down into small bites, making it easily digestible for all of us.

“In talking about our own journeys and the difficulties we have had in becoming better human beings, I think we can help our readers a little. All humans are alike: we have to work hard to be better.”

“• Create little mantras of self-compassion: ‘Do your best, and never hurt yourself.’ • Lighten up. Say to yourself, ‘My ego is a little bike, not a big SUV!’ • Take a ‘shower of gratitude’ every night. This will remove ego’s useless cobwebs, bring joy to your heart, and reveal to you all your inner and outer strengths.

My only criticism is that it is occasionally hard to follow who is doing the talking. Each section begin with the author’s name, but after a few page turns, I lose track. It's not always pertinent to remember who is currently carrying the conversation, but it does help to keep it all in context. (Granted, I was reading on a Kindle; perhaps it is easier to keep track in the hardback version.)

Overall, I highly recommend this book. The conversations are honest. Inspiring. Honest. Supportive.

“Don’t get discouraged. It is one of the great tasks in your life to work on your emotional balance. . . . There are no shortcuts on this journey. But you always get to your destination if you keep walking.”

My thanks to Net Galley for the review copy of this book.

This book really didnt grab my attention nor keep my attention. I really didn't like it. I felt like it could been better if it was straight to the point.