Griffin Book Club

I mentioned in my date night post that Gavin and I formed a book club.  We are currently entering month four, and so far it's been pretty fun!

January: The Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

For our first month, I chose the behemoth of a book I was alerady reading for fear I'd never have time to start and finish another book!  I accidently read this book.  I was actually trying to read another Follett book that several people had recommended to me, Pillars of the Earth.  Somehow, I got this one instead. I'm not a huge historical fiction reader, although I do like it occasionally.  I liked Follett's writing style and the book was fun and easy to read.  Gavin liked it as well, although we didn't discuss it much because I was fairly far ahead of him most of the month.

February: Moonwalking with Einstein, Joshua Foer

I read a lot of dorky books.  Read ahead to next month if you don't believe me.  But I'm pretty sure this one takes the dorky cake.  That's not to say I didn't find it interesting, because I certainly did.  But it's still the dorkiest book I've read in a long time.  I know lots of people consider Professional Poker Player as a fringe profession... what about professional memory expert??  Still, overall I enjoyed reading it and Gavin and I had lots of interesting conversations about things in the book.  More importantly, we had intersting conversations about us, our lives and our dreams inspired by things in the books.  THAT'S what I really hoped to get from this book club, so in that sense, the book was a huge success!  I have no interest in having a better memory, especially using the methods discussed (the book isn't a how to book, although it presents a few methods).  I much prefer to rely on notes, calendars, and books than my memory.

March: My Brief History, Stephen Hawking

While the number of books he sells would indicate otherwise, I always feel alone in enjoying Hawking's books.  I've read most of them and I just like them.  I consume science media for entertainment more than for education and his books are easy to read, but still leave me with a sense of accomplishment and 'brain growth.'  I thought it would be interesting to read aobut his life.  It was... for me.  Gavin wasn't really impressed.  He was also annoyed that Hawking couldn't discuss his life without discussing his work in detail (especailly time travel.) I was a little surprised by Gavin's adamance.  The man is passionate about his work so to me it makes sense he would talk about it, I'm sure if you saw the earlier drafts of his autobiography it would be more prevelant!  Not much to discuss in the book though.

April:  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig

I haven't read this book, but  I did raise my eyebrows at Gavin when he announced it at this month's book!  I'll let you know next time what I thought.

Books!

The last few months it has been a struggle to keep up with book club! Still, I made a commitment so I work hard and read each book.

September: And the Mountains Echoed by Kahlid Hosseini

October: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

November: The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

 It's been awhile and I don't really remember September's book.  I think it was fine.  Is that a glowing review?

I was surprised when the October book was not more popular!  I chose it for the obvious theme of Halloween but several of the readers really disliked it.  I'd read it before and I enjoyed it a bit more this time than last time.  And I think I'll read it again.

This month, we read The Kitchen House.  I really liked it.  I can't say I enjoyed it.  A book about slavery and substance abuse isn't exactly enjoyable, but it was a compelling book and I'd highly recommend it. 

I also finally got a book I'd been on the waiting list for at the library Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman.  Gavin had watched the TV show and people seemed to like the book.  I did like the book.  I do not like the author.  Throughout the book I kept thinking, Oh, she's about to grow up! She's about to turn the corner and stop acting like a dolt about her decisions.  Nope.  No luck.  I did find the first hand account of prison fascinating. Gavin and I also had several interesting discussions about the book vs the TV series.  (Which apparently are not very similar!).  

I'm not sure what's next on my reading list.  Reading time is limited, but I much prefer reading or listening to watching netflix so if you have suggestions, let me know!

The Latest and Greatest from Book Club

I'm a bit behind in my book club summaries.

May: So May was a bit of a fiasco.  I was hosting, but I missed April and everyone forgot so they picked a new book.  I didn't know about it and I read the book I'd told everyone during the March meeting.  I read Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams.  (Complete with Peruvian snacks at my house for the meeting... oh well!)

In June we read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. That was not an easy book.  It the story of a young women with cancer and focuses primarily of her struggle to connect/disconnect with the world in light of her illness.  It's a young adults book and as I read it, I wondered how old I would want my children to be before they read such a book (the answer clearly being dependant on the child).  I'm glad I have quite a few years before I'll have to address such questions.

As an aside, another thing struck me was that the main character is hesitant to reveal a book that has had a significant impact on her life because doing so reveals so much about her.  The more I thought about this, the more I realized how true it is.  The books that we love do tell others a great deal about us, probably more than we realized sometimes.  I suppose the same could be said for our preferences in other media realms, but at least for me, books have a special place and the impact tends to be more profound and lasting.

In July we read Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple.  I overall enjoyed the book.  There were aspects that annoyed me, but I enjoyed the story as long as I didn't take it too seriously.

This month, we read  Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and my goodness it was a headfull! The first problem is that I tend to read on several devices (primarily my iPad and my phone).  I sometimes have sync issues and end up rereading part of the book.  This is pretty much the worst book for that problem.  The story restarts again and again with minor variations each time.  You can imagine how frustrating that was given my sync problem.  "Did I read this one yet? No it's different... right? Wait.." Even without the sync issue I think I would have been annoyed at the restarts and trying to keep track of what year it was and how old the main character was and in what state of alive/dead.  I was so confused by one character that I've enlisted Gavin to read the book in hopes of gaining some clarity. (He's expressed similiar furstration with the story layout).

I have a quirk that makes some people crazy.  When I'm reading a book, I'll occasionally stop and read the last chapter.  Ms. Semple saved me the trouble by writing the last chapter first.  So the entire book, you know where you are ultimately going, but you can't help feeling like you're being drug two steps forwards and one step back over and over.

I think the book has potential for some very interesting conversations and is therefore a great book club book.

Book Club: Paris in Love

I missed book club this month.  (Thanks a lot unscheduled shift hour change...)  It was a really hectic week at our house anyway, as I worked full time this week for the first time since Colin was born.

Paris in Love Eloisa James

Anyway, I wish I'd known I wasn't going to make it.  I would have quit reading this book on about page 10 and never looked back.  I hate not finishing books.  But, I don't count this as a book, so no problem.  It's NOT a book.  It's literally a bunch of the author's facebook and twitter updates printed!  I am not joking.

Apparently the author is romance author.  She must be quite popular to get away with this atrocity.  If I wanted to read your twitter updates, I'd follow you on twitter.  Now I want my $11.99 back!

I dislike the twitter concept anyway.  Call me out of touch, but I prefer to read a blog post that takes more than half a second to punch out on a cell phone.  But to pick up a book and find it full of these disconnected tidbits was just infuriating.

I won't even give this "book" a real review.  Ug. /end rant.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I also read The Hunger Games Series this month.  I know I'm super behind the curve, but after hanging out with a friend who is very into juvenile fiction, I was inspired to try to read it again.  (I'd tried once, but our Kindle Account blacked out the pages so I ended up reading The Dark Tower series instead).

I enjoyed the book series.  It reminded me of a cross between The Giver by Lois Lowry and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.  (As a side note, a found out there is apparently a 4th book in The Giver series looking up the spelling of the Author's name, yay!)  I didn't think The Hunger Games was as good as either of the other series, but that could also be a generational preference.  I expect if I had read it when I was younger, I'd like it as much or more.  I am unlikely to see the movies, although I'm curious how they'd portray the costumes.

I am also in the process of attempting to read the most boring book ever written on the most boring topic ever considered.

The Meaning of Everything  by Simon Winchester

I don't really have any idea why I decided to pick this up, but it might be about time I put it back down...

I'm really lacking in books I'm excited to read at the moment.  Although if our current sleep troubles continue, baby sleep books are going to top the list! :)

Book Club

So I'm again a month behind in book club.

In February, we read The Buddha In the Attic by Julie Otsuka.

I didn't like it at all.  It was written in first personal plural; we, us, our, etc.    It was also clearly written for the twitter generation.  Each part of the story consisting of no more than a few sentences before moving on.  While my age would indicate I'm a member of the twitter generation, I am not.  I think it has the potential to be a great story, actually a bunch of great stories, but this presentation didn't work for me.

This month, we read Talk, Talk by T.C. Boyle.

The book was a fictional story about a deaf women who is the victim of identity theft.  I was super confused and a bit annoyed by the book.  For one, I don't understand why the women has warrants and is felony car stopped while the guy who stole her identity is using it successfully to buy a large Condo, purchase cars, and otherwise conduct life with no problems.  The thief does acknowledge that he missed a few payments, but nothing that would result in the dramatic start to the story.  The conclusion, which I won't spoiler, just in case my glowing review convinces you to read it, is equally baffling.  In case you didn't get enough, the epilogue muddies things up just a little bit more.  Of course, it's been almost two weeks since I've gotten a good nights sleep, so I might just be a little sleep deprived and cranky!

I'm currently reading (listening to) The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene.

It's a very lengthy book about the physics of the universe; a topic I find incredibly fascinating.  I think the book is approachable and easy to read (I could do without the pop culture examples).  I would be interested to hear the perspective of a non-scientist, but I don't think I'm going to convince Gavin to read this one any time soon....  I listen primarily during my commute and tell Colin all about what I heard while I feed him in the evenings.  Because I've studied physics and read lots of physics books, the concepts aren't new to me, but I still enjoy the delivery and the opportunity for early science exposure for baby!

I don't know what book is next for book club, but in the meantime, I have lots of Dr.Suess and Construction board books to keep me busy!

Book Review: How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm

Surprisingly, I've been reading quite a bit.  Sometimes I read while feeding the baby, but most often I read when winding down after the baby has gone to sleep. Gavin often admonishes me to sleep as well, but I need some time to unwind.  Recently, Colin's schedule has been very predictable, at least at night.  We take a bath at around 7 and play for a while in his room.  Then I feed him for a very long time and he's asleep by 9.  He was waking up at either midnight or 230, but (knock on wood) the last few nights he's gone all night!

Anyway, one of the books I've finished recently is How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm by Mei-Ling Hopegood.

I really liked it!  (Unlike the last parenting book I read).  I encouraged Gavin to read it as well.  I suppose it's not surprising I like it.  If I were forced to define our current approach to parenting, I would call it 'the middle path.'  For most hot topic parenting issues, we look at the extremes (there are always extremes) and aim for the middle.  In this book, Hopgood explores the parenting methods and practices that differ dramatically from culture to culture.  From sleep habits to potty training, to discipline, the book provides interesting examples and in most causes cultural context.

There are lessons, good and bad, to be taken from every culture.   In some cultures babies eat 20 times a day, in some, they are feed on a rigid schedule every three hours.  In some cultures, babies are permitted to cry until they fall asleep, in others their mothers comfort them immediately.  In some culture children are potty trained beginning as early as they can sit up and in others it's much later.  In all of the extremes, the majority of children grow up to be well rounded, healthy, functioning members of society.

For me, that is the primary lesson of the book: there is more than one way to successfully parent a child.  It's something I try to remind myself whenever I find myself becoming overwhelmed or feeling like I'm doing something wrong.

Didn't I feed you Yesterday?

In addition to my book club books, I'm also back to Audio books.   Most recently, I downloaded an audio book for my commute last weekend.


Didn't I Feed You Yesterday? by Laura Bennett

I downloaded this book because I was in a hurry and it was available instantly, but I can not for the life of me tell you why I added this book to my Library Wish list in the first place.  I suspect it's because I love self help books, I was very pregnant and it had 'guide' in the subtitle.  I love self help 'guides,' no matter how gimmicky.

Only it wasn't a self help book at all.  It was just a book about some designer from some reality TV show I have zero interest in.  Apparently America decided she was a bad mother during her appearance on "Project Runway".  My guess is this book was her way of defending herself, although it seems to me she is trying to convince herself as much as she is trying to convince the rest of the world.

I'm new to motherhood, but I already detest "The Mommy Wars".  I have some pretty strong convictions about the most important aspects of how we will raise Colin, but I have no right to judge anyone else's decisions as long as the child is safe and their needs are being met.  Still, when you decide to be a reality TV show contestant, you are intentionally putting yourself in front of American to be judged and discussed.  That's the point of reality TV (and a big reason why I hate it).  Despite what Ms Bennett tells herself and writes in her book, I think she has been much more affected by this judgement than she admits.

I could discuss the things I disagree with in the book, but anyone who likes (no, loves) to spend $1000.00 on shoes is so different than me that dissecting things we disagree about would take an entire book in itself.  As an example, I would never suggest that someone regularly chew nicotine gum as a method of weight control...

Book Club Catch Up!

Amazingly, I've managed to keep up on all of our book club books!  I haven't managed to post my thoughts on them.

November: Girl Gone by Gillian Flynn

This book was super creepy!  Overall, I really enjoyed the book.  I don't know if it was because I was incredibly pregnant and very tired, but I approached this book like I approach most TV shows.  I didn't try to figure it out (much), I just floated down the story as the author led me.  I was surprised that some of the aspects that really surprised the other girls in my book club (notably the ending) didn't surprise me, but I expect that is largely a result of my recent life experience.  I won't ruin the book, I think this would be a great read for a vacation.  Easy to read and fun, even if quite dark.

December: The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriart

Maybe it's because I read this on the heels of the previous month's book, but I expected it to be creepier.  It started off that direction, crazy ex-girlfriend stalker who is one of the Hypnotist's patients in order to spy on her.  But it wrapped up way too neat and tidy.  I suspect that is one of the elements that separates what many of the book club girls call "Chick-lit" from typical fictional novels.  While the genre will never be my favorite, I can see why people enjoy it.  I read the book in one day, curled up on the cuddle sofa with Colin taking frequent breaks to nurse and nap.  Even if I'd hated the book (which in honesty, I didn't), I would have loved the experience of reading it!

January: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

I'm not sure what I thought of this book.  I think what made me a little crazy about it is that it focused on too many characters which made me feel like the author had more than one story he wanted to tell, but only had the time and energy for one book.  Then, in order to tie them all together, he just added a chapter about "All the ruined lives" and titled the book after that 'theme.'  It made me think back to my brief stint as an author because this is something I struggled with as well.  I had too many different perspectives I wanted to write from.  I lack the skill and strong storyine to successfully tie them all together into a cohesive and compelling story.  Walter did a much better job than I was headed towards, but I still think the book would have benefited from one less 'main' character, (May I strongly suggest the assistant??) and one less story line (her love story with her crappy boyfriend/the writer??).  I missed the meeting on this book, so I'm not sure how others felt about it, although I'd be curious to hear.

Our next book club book will be The Buddha In the Attic by Julie Otsuka.

Book Review: The Dark Tower Series and Street Gang

If it seems like I've been doing nothing but reading lately, that's a little bit true.

I'm still working, but when I get home, I often need a break to cool down and relax (and sometimes nap).  Plus, my audio books are my commute friends when I don't carpool.  I don't mind my commute, but at 50 minutes each way, that's some serious listening time!

Yesterday I finished both the book I was reading and the audio book!  The book is a slightly bigger deal as it was the last book of Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series.

I started the books because I was bored and they were in Gavin's kindle library.  I have read lots of Stephen King books over the years, but the covers of the books and Gavin's descriptions made me think they might be a little too Science Fiction for me.  Of course, I've since decided that I adore science fiction (and I actually like quite a few fantasy novels as well).  My problem with starting a series is that I hate to NOT finish books (or series) so if I start, I want to finish and that's quite a commitment to make!  The Dark Tower books didn't take me too long to read and overall I enjoyed them.  There was apparently a chronological gap in when they were written and I thought there was a corresponding style, flow and plot gap, but even with that I enjoyed the series.

I was slightly annoyed at King's faux ending.  King writes the alleged end of book, then a chapter about why you should stop reading and leave it at that and then writes the end of the book.  I suppose it makes sense given his roll in the plot, although I won't spoiler those who haven't read the books.

As I finished the book and read the epilogue, I found myself remembering my very brief (22 day actually) stint as an 'author'.  The creative process is fascinating to me and I half wish I could participate in NaNoWriMo this year as well and likely will again at some time in the future.  I had a fun thought experiment where I imagined what my stories characters would be doing now as I'd created a premise and then left the story, possibly never to be touched again. I also found myself fascinated by King and the way his life's story affected his story and his writing.

The Dark Tower books aren't horror books, although King's propensity for horror does sneak in occasionally.  And I can't say that he matches the imagination and magic of Tolkien's world in the Lord of the Rings books as he set out to do (although to be honest, it was such a major book early in my literary explorations that I don't think I'd accept a book even if it had).  I'd still recommend it to anyone looking for an adventure to set off on for a while.

For the record, the book did made me cry, although during the same day I also cried during my listening to Street Gang as well as while watching an episode of Animal Planet's "Fatal Attraction" so it could have been a pregnancy hormone issue!

The Audio book "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael David probably wasn't suppose to be a tear jerker (although there are a lot of deaths over the course of the history).

I listened to the Audio book read by Carroll Spinney.  I was not a fan of the reader.  I didn't recognize his voice as that of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.  I tend to be a bit picky about my readers.  He was very compelling, my problem was that he seemed to speed up and slow down in odd places and occasionally his lack of pauses left me confused.  Unfortunately the Overdrive app on my phone doesn't allow for each 10 second recall, so I just kinda moved on.  I'm sure it's partially my fault as well.  Most audio books rarely get my full and undivided attention.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the book is a story more of the creators of the series that the characters in the series.  I was just expecting to hear more about the evolution and history of the characters, which was certainly covered a small amount, more than the lives of those involved in their creation.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and it brought back memories of watching Sesame Street.  I also enjoyed hearing a little bit about the cast and creation of Avenue Q which I'm still hoping to eventually see based on my enjoyment of the soundtrack.

I don't know what I'll read next.  I imagine I have at least a few more weeks before my reading time is greatly decreased.  I should probably be reading educational parenting books, but it's just not working for me yet!  Oh well!

Book Review: "How the Hippies Saved Physics" by David Kaiser

I'm always excited to see a new science book available for checkout from the library online.  Especially since I'm still elbows deep in Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series.  

So I read (listened to) How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival by David Kaiser.

If nothing else, this book reminded me that I am, at my Core, an Engineer.  The book covered the fringe physics research from about the 1950's through present day.  I don't like fringe.  That's not entirely true, but I can solidly and easily place myself among the critics throughout the book who thought that studying parapsychology and ESP as scientific amounted to basically nonsense.  I can't help myself.  I like Newtonian Physics.  I like things I can see, touch, understand and break down to pieces that make logical sense to me.

I am, however, willing to accept that this particular rigid and logical way of thinking isn't what develops new ways of looking at the Universe and the basic make up of matter.  In college, things like Bell's Theorem and non-locality gave me a headache.  This apparently hasn't changed much.  Even in the context of a pop audio book when things go too far out for me, I simply zoned out for a few minutes until it came back to something I could relate to a bit better.

Discovering that some of the theories of Quantum Physics were first explored and discussed by hippies on drugs and lounging naked in hot tubs doesn't really help legitimize it in my mind.  I refuse to accept that mind altering substances of any ever kind reveal any type of greater understanding of the universe.  My world view insists that I believe that any type of understanding comes from hard work, and clear headed thinking.  But I'm an engineer and the world benefits from me holding this position.  I'll leave the mind altering drugs and consequent 'discoveries' to the philosophers, artists and fringe physicists. 

Book Club: Succeed Because of What You've Been Through by Rhonda Sciortino

If it seems WAY too soon for another Book Club book review it's because the last one was out of order. I read October's book before September's!  Luckily for me this month's book was a short easy read and I've had a decent amount of down time to read.

This month's book was Succeed Because of What You'e Been Through by Rhonda Sciortino.

I put off purchasing and reading this book.  I suppose it's partially because I'm still working through The Dark Tower Series, but I also just wasn't in the mood for a self help book.  A surprising fact given the shear volume of self help books I've read over the years.  I think part of the problem is that I was put off by the title.  "Because of what I've been through??  What does it matter what I've been through?  Succeed because you put your body and spirit into it, it doesn't matter what's in the past!!"  Turns out that's kind of the point behind the book.

Overall, I think the book had some very good points.  It's the type of book I would have read in college and enjoyed, although at some points it was a little too "Law of Attraction" heavy for me.  While it has always been my belief that hard work and perseverance will pay off and are the only way to success, it has never been my belief that hard work, even coupled with REALLY believing, can guarantee you achieve ALL of your financial and personal goals.  I guess I'm just too much of a pessimist for that.  Too much of life is out of our control for me to believe that, although I'm totally on board that hard work, sacrifice, changing negative past behaviors, letting go of mistakes and recognizing the cost of your goals will get you closer to your goals than you are now.

I was also impressed with the author's ability to state the facts of her past without hosting "The Pain Olympics."  The Pain Olympics is a concept used sometimes in my grief group.  The idea is that it's easy to look at other's and insist that my hurt is worse than your hurt.  From the outside it's easy to make these types of judgement, but they are useless, hurtful and inaccurate.  Everyone has faced their own unique set of challenges.  Some of us have been luckier than others, but everyone has fought their own battles and faced their own demons.  

Personally, what I took from the book was a relatively small exercise.  I'm trying to look at negative things in a more positive light.  In particular, to phrase them verbally in a more positive light.  I'm creative and I can creatively describe the same situation in lots of different lights.  My goal is to actively work on using brighter lights for darker moments.

I'm looking forward to tonight's discussion.  I'm interested to learn more about the women in my book club.

Book Club: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

I'm a month ahead in Book Club.  The book for next month was available via ebook from our Library (if you have an iPad, smartphone, or kindle, check your library's electronic section.  I'm surprised by all of the books available, audio and ebook format! Also, Sara do you know any other resources for electronic borrowing?)  There was a wait list, so I added myself and got the book early, so I'm a little out of sequence.

The book I read, next month's book, was Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

It didn't take me long to realize that I really didn't like Cheryl.  The copy I got from the library had Oprah's book club notes which were equally annoying to me.  Oprah commented on various passages and why she was so impressed with Cheryl's strength and independence.  I commented on various other passages about why I was so annoyed by her ability to blame others for most of her problems and stumble through life so unprepared (although it seemed to serve her relatively well, considering).  Not far into the book there was this, which I'm sure didn't help my general opinion of the author:
"I got an abortion and learned to make dehydrated tuna flakes."  Just another day in the life?

Still, the idea of an epic journey to give yourself a new perspective is exciting.  While I'd never heard of the Pacific Coast Highway, the places along the way (at least in the California part of the journey) are familiar to me and her descriptions are fantastic.  

Travel is a genre I've typically just skipped.  Although I love travel, the idea of reading about it always seemed boring to me.  But based on the travel books I've read, I'm thinking I should rethink that idea.  A few summers ago I read "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner and really enjoyed it.  So I can again thank book club for broadening my reading spectrum!

I also recently started Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series.  I was midway through the 4th (and in my opinion by far the worst) book and welcomed a break!  If I ever get through the series, I'll write a review.

Reading Updates!

To help get back in the swing of blogging, I thought I'd start out with a fairly innocuous post on reading.

I've been doing a ton of reading lately.

I'm a bit behind on my book Club books:

June: The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomon

It's been a few months since I finished the book and the details are fading.  It was a quick read, I think I read it in less than a week (maybe even a weekend).  I was a bit disparaging about the book as I was reading it, but Gavin's cousin pointed out that I hadn't put it down in hours.  The book is a type of romance set during WWII.  A Jewish girl from Vienna flees to the UK where she becomes a maid at Tyneford.  I've said it before, but the magic of book club is picking up books you'd never read and going on a new adventure.  

July: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

I read almost all of my books on the iPad Kindle app.  With the Kindle app, it starts you on page 1.  Consequently, I rarely see the cover of book club books and I was started to find a few pages in that this was a war book.  Seeing the cover, this is fairly obvious, but without that hint and with only the previous book club books as a guide, I was caught off guard.  The writing style is a bit hard to adjust to, but I think it's a great book.  The author writes about the experiences (and imagined experiences) of soldiers in Vietnam.  As you can imagine, it is not a light book.  It gave me a perspective of Vietnam veterans that is nothing like my previous views.  It's not an easy to read book, but I was glad I read it.  Coincidentally, Gavin is taking a college class on the history of the Vietnam war and I'm interested to hear his thoughts on some of the things I read.   

August: The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

We had some last minute shuffling in our book club (I'm now helping with organizing the meetings!) and in July lacked a host for August.  I suspect it may become more difficult to host in the coming months, so I volunteered.  There is a pile of about 20 physical books on my desk that I've been intending to read and this was on top, so I quickly, and with a little bit of anxiety (hard to recommend a book you haven't read and know nothing about!), chose it so everyone could get started. My mom recommended the book and gave me a copy.  She thought I would like it primarily because of some of the animal tidbits.  She'd read it because of a reference in a book by Max Lucado, one of her favorite authors.

I enjoyed reading the book.  The story moved along well for a book that is primarily about a castaway alone with a tiger on a boat.  (I had a very hard time with the movie Castaway (boring!) so I was a little nervous when I realized we were adrift on the open ocean for the foreseeable future...)  I did not enjoy the ending.  Still, there is a movie scheduled for this fall and I'd like to see how they adapted the story for theater.

Outside of book club I've also been reading!  I recently discovered that our library has an app to allow content to be downloaded directly to my iPad and phone.  I've used the electronic library before, but this is so easy, I can't wait to catch up on all the new releases since I stopped making the solo trek to Palm Springs to the company of audio books!  I've already made a dent:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot 

One of the women in my book club recommended this book to me.  I always love her thoughts on books so when I saw the library had the book, I jumped on it!  It was an incredibly fascinating story about the woman behind the famous HeLa cells used in a vast majority of modern medical research.  The book follows her personal history, the history of her family, the history of the cells and delves into the frighteningly complex world of privacy rights and modern medicine.  All of the story lines were incredibly interesting.  I'm not sure if the author intended you to like the Lacks family or not.  I'm also not sure to what extent my self identity as a scientist (eh, I'm an engineer, but if we're grouping into 'scientist' or 'non-scientist' I'm clearly the first) affected by opinion of some of the ethical issues raised by the author.  Regardless of what side of the debate you ultimately land on, the book does a fantastic job of bringing to light some of the issues of scientific research and human tissue law.

Super Mario by Jeff Ryan

I'm a product of the 80's and you can't really think of the 80's without picturing that little pixel guy in red overalls.  The book was relatively short, so while I'm no real gamer, I decided to download the audio book. It was actually really fascinating.  It was fun to listen to descriptions of games I remember playing as a child (and not as a child! The book even covered the wii!).  Almost every (nintendo) system mentioned, I'd played.  Video games have existed pretty much as long as I have, so I had no idea that they are actually about the same age as I am.  My only complain about the book is that I disagree with Ryan's conclusion.  For one, I don't know that the book really needed a conclusion.  But also, the author concluded that someone had to bridge the gap between 'casual' game players (those who tend towards the Wii/Move intuitive gaming system and simple action based games and the 'hard core' gamers who like involved complex  games and d pad control systems.  I think the camps will always be separate, although ironically, I straddle the middle.  I don't play many video games anymore, but I enjoy everything from Wii sports and Mario Party to the Elder Scrolls and Fable.  But the experiences are different and not everyone will enjoy both.   

If you remember playing the original Super Mario Bros, or even better Super Mario Bros III, you'll probably get a kick out of the book.

Cheap by Ellen Shell

My most recent book, I finished it just minutes before starting this blog post, is Cheap.  I can't really explain what lead me to read this book.  The only thing I can guess is that it's my propensity towards books with single word titles like those by Mary Roach or Malcom Gladwell.  I can't imagine many other reasons for picking up a book about economics for a light summer read.  I also liked the cover art (not the cover art shown above, my copy had a map of the US made out of dimes and nickles).  The book is basically the history of 'discount stores.'  Everything from Walmart and Ikea to the outlet malls and discount racks at department stores.  I thought it was incredibly interesting to look at the retail market 'from the other side.'  I almost always hate shopping.  One of the stores that I love and hate the most is Kohls.  While Shell doesn't specifically address Kohls, she does address their business model.  If you've ever been to Kohls, you'll recognize that it's almost impossible to pay full retail at the store.  Everything is almost always marked down either by a sale of some sort of a discount.  I once paid full price for a shirt I needed for a date only to return literally three days later and buy the same shirt (in another color) for half the price.  It was frustrating.  The author does a good job of detailing some of the implications of modern consumerism and disposable culture. Ironically, I listened to most of the last chapters of the book while wandering around my local Target.  Sorry Shell, I guess I didn't get your full message!

Not sure what's next on my book list, but I'm always looking for suggestions!

Book Club: The Happiness Project

I just finished the latest book from my book club The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

It was described to me as fun and easy to read and I agree.  It's a great book club feel good book for summer. 

The author documents her one year goal to be happier.  I thought her outlines were great, her goals were interested and personal enough to make the book approachable.  I wasn't a huge fan of the random pages dedicated to comments made on her blog.  If I wanted to read those, I would read the blog.  Overall I really enjoyed it.

I won't be started my own happiness project.  But mostly because I already have a very similar sytem in place in my life.  I also envisioned as more of a life map/game plan than a happiness project, but it's not that dissimilar.  Every year in December, I sit down and write down all the categories in my life and come up with specific goals for each.  Some goals are specific like "run a 5k" or "convert family files to electronic files" and some are more general "be neater" or "be more involved in the community" which are then broken down into specific goals that particular month.  It's always worked out pretty well for me, and I'm sure it will benefit this December from some of the ideas in the book.
 

Book Club: What the Dog Saw

This month I hosted book club.  In our group, the hostess picks the book.  I waffled, I debated, I had to be talked down from suggestion Ayn Rand more than once, but months ago I decided I'd go with either Mary Roach or Malcolm Gladwell.  While we read a lot of "Chick Lit" I wanted to choose a book that was a little more me while still being approachable.

Eventually, Terrence convinced me to go with the newest Gladwell book What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures.

It wasn't hard to convince me, I really like Gladwell (while despising him, of course) and Terrence convinced me he finally gave up on shoving that square peg into the round hold.  Well, maybe not entirely.

The excellent thing about Gladwell is he is a fantastic researcher and an entertaining writer.  I sometimes think of his as the Huell Howser of human psychology.  Huell Howser is a local TV personality who can literally be SO excited about a group of rocks some man in the desert collects that despite yourself, you are compelled to watch a little more closely just in case you're missing something in that group of rocks.

Who, besides Gladwell, could make an entire chapter on Ketchup and mustard?  Who could then go on to also write about the history of women, through the lens of birth control and hair dye, and the lessons of the Challenger Tragedy?


As I read the first chapter, I became concerned that some of the women would give up on the book before finishing the first chapter.  But the great thing about the book was each article was stand alone.  I hoped everyone would find one they could relate too.

In the end, several did give up on the book.  But the topics are so relevant that we were still able to have meaningful and interesting discussion even with those who didn't finish the book.

I'm interested in next months book as well, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

Anyone reading anything else interesting?

Book Club: Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo

This week's book club was a short book, but I expect that the conversation's it causes will not be.

So first the easy part: book summary according to me:

The book is about a man who's 4 year old son has a burst appendix resulting in near death and emergency surgery.  Over the next months and years, the family slowly comes to realize that the boy had an out of body experience and went to heaven during his surgery.  The father is convinced when the boy has knowledge of what his parents were doing during his surgery as well as seemingly first hand knowledge of theological concepts he had not been taught at church or by his parents.

I almost didn't write a review of this book and even typing this I'm tempted to stop, leave it at a summary and walk away.  I have no idea what book club will be like.  There are so many directions to go...

How about the the question answered by the title.  Is heaven for real?  If you have a strong opinion one way or the other, I doubt this book will change your mind.  People who believe in heaven will see it was a confirmation of the faith they hold.  Those who don't, will point out that children overhear lots of things and could have pieced together the story, even innocently.  There's probably some science and brain chemistry issue that could be introduced into the debate as well, although I don't intend to delve into that aspect now.

So you're reading my blog, you probably want my answer. Is heaven for real?  In times of loss, I think it's only natural to cling desperately to the hope that loss is temporary, that eventually the pain will go away completely and we will reunite with our lost loved ones.  And I love that beautiful thought.  I really, really do.  I've clung to that hope and ridden it across dark times.

But, I'm an engineer, I can't change my nature.

"Our first rule here, Miss Taggart," he answered, "is that one must always see for oneself."

Lucia Lucia by Adriana Trigiani

New month, new book club book!

This month's book was Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani.

The book is a frame story primarily about the life of a young Italian self proclaimed 'career woman'.  More clever readers can probably guess her name.  It follows her life through two engagements, the birth and death of a niece, being left at the alter and ultimately living her entire life never living anywhere other than her childhood bedroom which has now been renovated into a small apartment in the building her father once owned.

Sometimes I feel like books should come with a warning sticker regarding certain content.  I guess my current life place makes me overly sensitive to particular scenes and situations. When they come up in movies or TV shows, I just change the channel.  However since I already committed to reading this book I was stuck and survived.

This marks my fifth month in book club.  I've been lucky to have not had to miss any meetings yet and I've successfully completed all of the books.  I am really enjoying book club as a way to get together with people in my neighborhood and exchange ideas with people very different than myself.  It's a great group of women and they have been incredibly warm and welcoming.  In a few months I'm hosting! Wish me luck!

Book Review: Kindred Spirits by Sarah Strohmeyer

This week I finished this months book for book club.

To be honest, I'm tempted not to write a review at all under the advice of my mother that if I can't say something nice...

But in the spirit of honesty and this being my blog, I couldn't stand the book.  This really isn't a surprise, it's essentially a chick flick in book form.  I have the same problem with it that I have with chick flicks: Archetype characters, predictable plot, every thing is always perfect in the end and wrapped up with a bow.  I hate not finishing books, but after a particularly annoying scene involving a group of chemical engineers (who, apparently, are all socially retarded men who only cut loose in random hotels with women in their pajamas singing karaoke) I seriously considered ending it right there.

On the plus side, it did greatly increase my opinion of my own writing, which I hate to admit, is much more like Ms. Strohmeyer's than the literary geniuses I'd prefer to emulate.    

I can see why people would enjoy the book: a tale of friends sipping martinis and surviving hard times only to come upon greener pastures and find that friendship prevails after all.  It's just not meeting me where I am, I guess.  I already know I'm in a bit of a dark phase, maybe I'll read it again someday and love it.

I'll close my review with a quote directly from the book:

"It was the kind of crazy circumstances [found] only in books.  And not very good books, at that."  :)

Reading, Writing and Arithmetic

It's like I'm in grade school all over again!

I've finished "Half a Life."  The purpose of a book club must be, at least in part, to get you to read books you would never look twice at otherwise.  I also think it's interesting to try to figure out why someone would choose a particular book and I look forward to finding out a little bit more about that when we meet next.  The book was a memoir of a man who hit and killed a classmate at his high school.  It's essentially the story of how he lived with, or through, or around, the event.  Books, and stories, are amazing because quite frequently they meet you where you are, no matter where that is.  I was drawn to his conclusion which, to paraphrase, is things don't go away and you can't escape the past.  And it's not strength that makes you more or less able to cope, it's human nature.  How true that is.  Despite our vastly different stories, I could relate to him.  Books are magic.

And then there's writing!  Yesterday officially started NaNoWriMo!  I (awkwardly) attended a 'write-in' kick off event in Mission Viejo where I successfully completed my first 1600 words!  Go me!  My story seems to be taking on a life of it's own.  I'm functioning under the working title of "The Tracks" and the assumption that it will awful when (if) it's done.  Still I have a goal: 50,000 words this month, a little over 1600 words a day.  One more or less completed novel in November.  Jen is participating as well, although I haven't heard her progress yet.  Mike also committed to some amount of involvement, pending my daily success, while we were in Vancouver although the details of which have yet to be clearly recalled by any of the witnesses.  

I really just threw in Arithmetic because I thought it made the title awesome, but in the way of basic math, I have been testing out Mint.com this month as a financial tracking cloud based software.  It's fine, but to be perfectly honest, I'm way happier with my personally created excel sheets (although import is a bit tedious and they became slightly more complicated each year).  Eventually, I recognize the necessity of a more streamlined process, but for now I'm holding out.  Maybe Mint will grow on me?

I know I'm late with my Halloween post and will do my best to get that posted ASAP.

Book club: Third Book

New book club book.  "Half a Life" by Darwin Strauss.  I've only just started it so I have essentially no opinion of it yet.

From what I can gather so far, it's the autobiographical story of a guy who killed a girl when he was 18.

On a book club note, I actually had quite a good time discussing "Swapping Lives".  One of the more interesting aspects of the conversation was to hear how some of the women in the club found it to be very similar to life in Ladera.  I realized that my experience in Ladera is entirely different than theirs.  I like Ladera.  I love the trails for running, I love Taco Mesa, I'm waiting with bated breathe for the opening of Selma's.  I wave at my neighbors when I drive home from work (and huff at their never used street blocking basketball hoops when my inner cranky old lady gets too close to the surface).  I socialize when I'm invited and have the time.  But I am completely oblivious to the social posturing that is apparently rampant.

It was fascinating, although a little scary, to glimpse an entirely different side of my community.  Book club is pretty much exactly what I was looking for: a way to meet and connect with people different than myself.