Eat, Pray Love & The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Holiday greetings!  Merry Christmas etc....

I've finished 2 books since I last blogged, (and my space bar isn't working right) so this may be long, or it may be short and un-spaced.....

First: Eat Pray Love.  What a wonderful book!  I really enjoyed reading this, as I could identify with Ms. Gilbert's search for something more.  I found it enjoyable, and thought provoking.  I'm actually interested to see the movie now, although I don't think the movie could be as good as the book.  Anyway, definitely a good read, very recommendable.

The second book was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, by Mark Haddon. Again, a really GOOD book.  It was a really interesting experience to be put into the shoes of someone with autism/aspergers syndrome, and I thought that the subject of disabilities was treated respectfully and thoughtfully, as were the difficulties that other people experience when meeting or trying to help or interact with someone who struggles with these difficulties.  Again, highly recommended.  I'd love to hear comments!

                        I've got one more from the library to read - Good Bones, by Margaret Atwood, which is a collection of short stories, then I think I'll change eras, and go back in time for a while, as I was lent copies of Tess of D'Ubervilles and Jane Eyre.... see you in the future!  Happy reading!

The God of Small Things

I've finished the first of my books from my new winter reading project: The God of Small Things,  by Arundhati Roy.  It was an entirely different read than pretty much anything I've read recently.  To describe the book in one word, I would choose "bleak".  The whole story seems, to me, to be lacking in any (I'm pausing while I search for an appropriate word here) sense of "goodness".  The characters are all definitely "human" - using the term to mean petty, mean, and generally selfish - without any of them seeming to have any redeeming qualities.  Perhaps I've read too many romance and fantasy novels, where the characters, even the "bad guys" generally have at least some sort of redeeming quality, but I found this book astoundingly depressing!

All of that said, it was an interesting read, although at times a little confusing, as Ms. Roy moved back and forth between the "present" and the "past", and sometimes it was hard to tell when a given event was happening;  but this also kept me interested in the book.  You had to read the whole thing to see the whole picture she was painting.

I'm not sure if I would recommend this to read or not - it's not a comfortable book to read, but it was intruiging.

Now, on the the second book - I think I'll read "Eat, Pray, Love", by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I haven't seen the movie, so I would request no spoilers on the story line etc., but, as always, I would welcome anyone who wants to read along with me!  

A Change in Plans

Hi!  I've decided to change the project a little.  After reading through the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die", I was amazed and slightly appalled at how few of them I've actually read.  Now, I don't think I will EVER read all of them - some of them don't interest me in the slightest (The Shining, for example), but I am going to try to read many of them!  Therefore, I'm moving away from my original intent of reading my way through the non-fiction stacks to reading my way through some classic fiction.
The first book I've chosen (since I had it at home, unread until now) is "The God of Small Things".
I don't think I will get through these books quite as fast, as they aren't usually the kind of books one reads through quickly.  I really want to enjoy them and find out why they would be in a book like the one above.  (1001 Books....) Anyway, I'd love it if anyone wanted to read along, and kind of discuss the books with me!  Thanks for your understanding, and thanks for reading!

To Read or Not to Read

Hello!  I have just finished flipping through 1001 Books You Must Read Before you die, and I am absolutely astounded at how FEW of them I have read!  I mean, I read, on average, 2 - 3 books A WEEK, and I have only read about 20 of the books that they reccomend, at least in their entirety.  I have read excerpts or abridged versions of a few more, during English or Lit classes in high school.  There were a few that I read at my dad's urging in high school - mostly John Wyndham (The Triffids et. al).
I am almost tempted to shift my focus from the non-fiction stacks to read a few of the "classics"... or at least some of the 1001 books they reccomend!  I'm going to have to think about that.
I was sometimes amused, and sometimes shocked, at what made the list, and what didn't in this book!  Some are obvious choices, while others seem obscure to me, but I suspect that I have lived in the land of "brain candy" (thanks to my friend Tamara for the term!), otherwise known as the SF/Fantasy and Romance sections of the library for so long that I've somehow managed to avoid reading much of anything that is "classic".

What do you think?  If you were picking a book that should be on a list like this, what would you choose?  I think I'd add "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" and "Anne of Green Gables", but I will admit that those are two of my favorite books of all time, regardless of their literary merit.

As always, I'd love to see comments!

Books 4,5, and 6

Good Afternoon!  I've been flipping through my next three books, and I am realizing that the books I've chosen are really just that - "flipping" books.  You know, the kind that you really want in your personal library, because you only need to read a page or two at a time.... I'll introduce you, so that you understand my meaning.
Book 4:
Title: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Author: Preface, Peter Akroyd; Written by over 100 International Critics
Dewey no.: 011.73 ONE
Publication Date:  3rd Ed., August 2006

This one, I hope to get a copy of someday - if a book is good enough to be in the "top" 1001, I think I will read it.  As I flip through, I'm going to make a list of the books I HAVE read, and see how many of the top books are on it....

Books 5 and 6 are similar, and later (when my kids have gone to bed) I'll blog about those ones too!

In an effort to get some comments going, would anyone tell me what your FAVORITE book is, and why?

Winter's Here!

As the temperature has dipped - significantly.... - I'm hoping to get back on the reading wagon.  However, I think I may have to adjust my rules slightly.  I don't know if I should keep going shelf by shelf, or create some sort of other system, since I'm really getting bored with "conspiracy theory" type books.  I've already read my way through two, and I'm just not enjoying this section much anymore.  My third book (which I haven't blogged about yet) has been pretty much a dud as far as capturing my interest, and the 4th (which I tried out this morning) may be better, I'm not far enough into it yet.
So - my conclusions are that: 1. There are definitely interesting books in the non fiction section!  The first two books were good enough to convince me of that; and 2. There are certainly books, or perhaps types of books, that truly don't capture my interest.  Therefore, I am instituting a new rule.   I can STOP reading if I choose... even if I've already blogged about a particular book.  If I can't stop reading something that I'm getting bored with, I will end up putting the whole project aside, and I think that it's worth more than that!  So.  Now that I've cleared that up, I think I might have to head to the library at some point today!
Enjoy the cold with a good book and a cup of coffee! (PS - for those of you who drink coffee, my friend just showed me something great - put a little bit (about 1/2 teaspoon) of cinnamon in the bottom of your coffee filter before adding the grounds for a REALLY tasty treat!)

Book 2!

So I think I'm finished with conspiracy theories - I might read a little more for my own interest, but outside of what I've already said, there's not much more I can think of to say!  All in all, it's an interesting, informative book - I am just starting to dream conspiracies, and I think for my sanity, I'm going to stop now.    However, my second book isn't that much better, as far as weird dreams go.

So, here's the info on book no. 2 of The Winter Reading Project!

Title: Loch Ness Monsters and Raining Frogs; The World's Most Puzzling Mysteries SOLVED
Author: Albert Jack (random note of absolutely no importance to the actual project, but may be kind of interesting - my hubby is Jacky Steven Albert....)
Call No.:  001.94 JAC
Published: 2009 Random House Paperback edition

Well.  I'm just starting out with this one, so I don't really have much to say about it yet, other than it looks like I might not read a whole lot of this book.  (It depends when I can get to the library next)  Again, it's interesting, but not quite what I was hoping for.  The author claims on the front cover to "solve" the worlds greatest mysteries, then goes back on that promise in the introduction; "Given that I {Mr. Jack} am a fan of the unknown and the unexplained, I have not set out to be a mystery buster in this volume.  Instead I just wanted to tell the story, provide some little-known detail, and offer a rational explanation wherever I could." (Introduction, p. xii)

So although I was a little disappointed at first, I'm going to continue reading, as he DOES supply a reasonable hypothesis for the first few stories!  I'm going to go read now; you should too!  Happy reading!

Book 1: The Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories

So, this is the first book to read this "winter".

THE BOOK:

Title: The Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories
Author: James McConnachie and Robin Tudge
Dewey Decimal Number: (might only apply the the PGPL, I'm not sure) is 001.9MCC
Publication Date: September, 2008

So far, I've only read the first section, and started the second.  It's interesting, and I can't read very much at a time, simply because some of these conspiracy theories are frighteningly intriguing.  I can see how some people can believe them - even intelligent people!  However, I'm also finding that a lot of the time - and this is probably me and my non-political brain here - that I just don't care that much.  Seriously, why must there be a conspiracy about Tutankhamun? (p. 4 in the book)  I mean, the historical information is interesting, but does it really matter why he died, or whether he was assassinated or died from an illness?  History doesn't exactly change however he died - he's still dead, right?

Anyway, like I said, it's an interesting book, and is certainly informational about the different theories.  I appreciate the note the authors put in in the introduction:

"Though we have tried to be open-minded and judicious while seeking out the best-substantiated accounts of events, that still doesn't mean you should treat any of the other theories (or any of the "facts" related by us in our discussion of them) with anything other than complete disbelief."  (page x of the Introduction, The Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories).

This book is meant to be a primer on the different theories, not a proponent of any individual theory or group of theories, and I would love to thank the authors for writing it, as I would never have thought that there could be so many of them!

I'll post more as I continue to read!

The Beginning

After working as a page (briefly) at the public library, I realized that there are TONS of neat sounding books in the non-fiction section of the library.  Also, I realized that I have become a little stagnant in what I have chosen to read!  I have been reading "escape fiction" almost exclusively, with the periodic journey into the knitting pattern section. So I gave myself a task - to read AT LEAST one book from every shelf in the non fiction section of the library.  So, starting at 000, I chose two books to start me off.  I will continue this until I have read through the entire non fiction section.

My rules:
1.  I will chose no more than two books at a time, to facilitate actually reading them, instead of returning them to the library unread.
2.  I will at least attempt to read the entire book - although I also reserve the right to stop reading something that I find  entirely boring, or that is otherwise bothersome. (i.e. disgusting, going to give me nightmares....)
3.  I reserve the right to read MORE than one book if I find a section that is very interesting to me, applicable to my life (i.e. child rearing, knitting, TaeKwonDo)
4.  I will post here about my opinions.  I AM NOT a professional book reviewer or scholar.  This blog is a way for me to express my opinions about the books I am reading, and to track my progress on this self appointed task, it is not intended to be an actual "book review", nor am I desiring to do anything other than promote reading things that one may not generally choose to read.

For those who may read my opinions - feel free to comment (respectfully please) if you disagree, or if you agree!  I would ask that posts stay respectful, and that if you have chosen to comment without reading the book itself, that you are careful in your posts - ignorance is never pretty!

I welcome any comments and would love to find others who would join me in my quest to expand my mind and my interests!

Happy reading!