The Book of Mindfulness: Finding Mindfulness in Unexpected Places
Details
Greatwoods Zen and the Charlotte Center for Mindfulness have partnered to offer a unique and engaging book club exploring mindfulness as it appears—sometimes intentionally, sometimes unexpectedly—through literature.
Each month, we read and discuss books where mindfulness is a major theme. These may be classic mindfulness texts, or works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, mythology, biography, autobiography, or personal memoir. Again and again, examples of presence, awareness, and insight emerge in literature—often in surprising ways. Discovering these moments together can be a special delight.
Each gathering begins with a short meditation, followed by a group discussion of our monthly reading.
Current Reading Theme
For our upcoming gathering, we’ll be reading Call of the Owl Woman: A Novel of Ancient Peru by K.M. Huber. Set in 6th-century Peru, this historical fantasy follows fifteen-year-old Patya as she navigates a severe drought, religious conflict, and her own unfolding destiny within the ancient Nazca culture (c. 100 BC–800 AD).
The novel weaves historical elements—such as the Nazca’s earth-honoring spirituality—with themes of courage, justice, mindfulness, and self-discovery.
While the book is not currently available in print through the local library, it is available on Hoopla with a free Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library card. It can also be found online at an affordable price through sellers such as ThriftBooks or eBay.
Questions
Mike Davis – [davismj001@gmail.com](mailto:davismj001@gmail.com)
Will Ritchey – [wjritcheydesign@gmail.com](mailto:wjritcheydesign@gmail.com)
Dana / Donations
This offering is supported by generosity. If you feel moved to contribute, you’re welcome to donate to either or both partner organizations:
Greatwoods Zen:
https://www.greatwoodszen.org/dana
Charlotte Center for Mindfulness:
https://www.ccmindful.org/donate.html
All are welcome—whether you’ve read the whole book, read a few passages that caught your interest, didn’t have a chance to open the book at all, are new to mindfulness, new to book discussions, or simply curious. We look forward to practicing and reflecting together.