Catch Up!

Okay, I really stink at blogging.  I planned to blog on every book I read, but it ain't happening, folks!  So, here is a quick catch up:

Critical Condition by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele - A must read!  But be careful -- your blood pressure will sky rocket!  The authors competently prove why medicine cannot be operated like a Wall Street Fortune 500 Company.  And after revealing all that is wrong with modern medicine, they share their ideas of how to fix it. Enlightening!


The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin - a delightful and encouraging experiment on how to find more happiness in your life even if you think you are already quite happy.  She even provides a web page with tools to start your own happiness project or a happiness project group.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby  - The author, in his late forties, is a victim of locked-in syndrome following a stroke.  Despite not being able to talk or move, he dictates this memoir by blinking his eyes.  I am told that it was made in to a movie, but I haven't seen it yet.  Really inspires you to overcome your own adversities - most are mild compared to Jean-Dominique's.

The Primal Teen by Barbara Strauch - a cerebral yet enlightening work especially if you live with teens!  I valued the information shared if not the bland style in which it was presented.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Story of three women in the south during the Civil Rights Movement - two black and one white - and the complexities of relationships between the white southern women and their black "help."

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse - a modern classic, was very timely for my own spiritual journey.  Philosophy in story form.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - I cannot believe I waited until I was 42 to read this book on teenage rebellion.  Ha Ha  At first, it moved slowly, but I so enjoyed Salinger's language and style.  It reminded me of the first book I read this year - The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Lisey's Story by Stephen King - My first Stephen King novel. (I read his memoir On Writing years ago.)  And I must say - I was enchanted!  Not just by the plot (which was wonderful), but by his style, his language, his insight into relationships.  Yeah - it was weird.  I mean, can Stephen King NOT be weird?  But is was a cool kind of weird -- like The Green Mile weird.  It has been a while since I read a novel that I was sad to say goodbye upon completion of the final page.  This was one of those stories...

I Don't Like My Neck by Nora Ephron - A witty little collection of essays on aging and other stuff...  By the way  - did you know Nora Ephron wrote You Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally?  And at times, I could pick up on those musing dialogues that speckle her works.  But this was - on the whole - a disappointment.  I expected to be guffawing a bit more - instead, I grew tired of her self-absorbed Manhattan life.  It was a quick read -- perhaps due to lack of substance.


Okay - so that is a very quick update.  I have completed 16 books as we enter week 20 of 2010 - four books behind.  But I will be going on a long car ride with Steve in a few weeks, so hopefully I can catch up!  Thanks for rooting me on!

Ursula Le Guin's Gifts

I first met Ursula Le Guin when I was in middle school. I had just finished Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I was wallowing in a post-read depression. My brother, ever intuitive to my reading nuances, introduced me to Le Guin’s Earthsea Trilogy. Set in the mythical world of Earthsea, the trilogy tracks the life of the young wizard, Ged, from adolescence, through middle-age, and completes the cycle in Ged’s wizened golden years. I fell in love once again and found a balm for my Tolkien-tried heart. (Of course, I would re-read Tolkien’s trilogy AND the Silmarillion two more times after this. That is the beauty of making friends with books - you can revisit them again and again and again...)

So it was with much enthusiasm and anticipation that I picked up a “new to me” Le Guin work, Gifts. While supposedly a mythical setting as well, the tale was clearly reminiscent of the Scottish highlands complete with clans, keeps, and kilts. These highlander clans all possessed unique “gifts” such as calling animals, unmaking, and crippling -- gifts they used to protect their clans and support their keep. Until two young people started to question why the gifts were used defensively when so much good could be accomplished if used for the betterment of all the clans. Thus the focus of the book is on the two young protagonists -- Orrec and Gry -- and their private rebellion against their clan by refusing to use their gifts.

It was an intriguing read as I once again fell in love with Le Guin’s writing. And I have since discovered that it is the first in a series called The Annals of the Western Shore. So now, of course, I simply MUST read on to book two - Voices.

As much as I delighted in my reacquaintance with Ursula, I must be truthful when I say Gifts comes no where near the magnitude of her Earthsea Trilogy. Of course, this could be a matter of perspective when we take into consideration I first read the Trilogy on the heels of Tolkien. Perhaps I should reserve judgment until after I complete an adult reading of the Earthsea series. And of course I will keep you updated on the Western Shore series as soon as I finish Voices.

Where have I been?

Okay - some of you have asked me on my Facebook wall whether I am still pushing forward with my goal of 52 in 52. And my answer to you is "YES!" But here is a little run down of what has been going on the last few weeks.

First - I was ahead of the game while I was down in NC with Steve reading two books in one week. But when I arrived home, I contracted shingles, and my doctor put me on prednisone. Holy Smokes! You will not believe what I accomplished in just one short week from that steroid high. Let me suffice to say that there is not one file drawer, kitchen drawer, closet in my house that is not purged, color coded, and organized. Needless to say, my wild frenzy did not allow my body enough down time to sit and read. Hence -- I fell behind schedule.

Subsequent weeks, I continued to compile all our tax information for our CPA which took precedence over blogging. However, after I came down off the prednisone, I did continue to read. Unfortunately, the previous frenzy affected my hardwiring a bit, and I resorted to my old ways of reading five plus books at the same time.

As an overview, I have been reading the following: The Primal Teen (neuroscience's PROOF that teenagers are crazy), Critical Condition (do NOT read if you already have high blood pressure -- it is an investigative piece about the state of our health care system), The Happiness Project (totally delightful and a perfect foible to Critical Condition), The Butterfly and The Diving Bell (autobiography by a French man that spent a year in lock down syndrome following a stroke), Gifts (Ursula Le Guin's latest fantasy novel for young adults), Julie and Julia (book the movie is based on).

Okay - so that was six books! I did finish Gifts yesterday and will post a review soon. My plan is to finish all these "almost finished" books, and then get back to my "one book at a time" resolution. I should finish many of these "half reads" this week which will put me back on track once again.

Looking forward to the interactive nature of this blog.

Week Six - Book Six: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

This book was my suggestion for my book club. It was met with mixed reviews anywhere from "I LOVED it!" to "It was so depressing." While I did LOVE it, I can easily see why others would find it a real downer.

Once again, I was delighted by the style and layout of the book. Each chapter was a short story in itself from the perspective a various residents of the Maine town in which Olive Kitteridge lives. As you read each chapter and become engrossed in that person's life, POP! all of a sudden, Olive Kitteridge appears on the scene. The reader learns to love and hate (and everything in between) Olive from the various glimpses one gets of her as she connects with each individual life. It is a very unique writing style that reminds me of several movies and television dramas that also depart from the classical linear story telling structure. Movies such as Crash and Babel and mini series such as Lost. Just when one begins to wonder what this person's story has to do with the main character of the book, Olive appears. Some times she interacts with the character. Other times, she does not but is only observed and critiqued.

There are specific chapters that are purely Olive's perspective, and it is delightful to get inside this woman's life and thoughts as you see the other characters through her eyes. The author has done a wonderful job reenforcing the fact that in real life, there are no stock "black hat/white hat" people. People are people, and one must learn to accept the whole person - warts and all.

Week Four - Book Five: The Personal Efficiency Program (2nd edition) by Kerry Gleeson

Apparently, there is a 4th edition of this book now. The one I read was published in 2000, so it was a bit outdated regarding technological advancements. But still -- no matter. It was a jump start for me to grab control of my “spiralling out of control” business tasks.

I found this book on the shelf of the house I was staying in with Steve this week in Winston-Salem, so I was motivated to finish it before we returned home again. I was unprepared for my reaction to its simple mantra of “Do It Now!” I started compiling focus sheets and project plans which pushed me on to tackle the annually daunting task of compiling all our tax related receipts and records for our accountant.

I don’t know if this book is all that compelling, or if it just hit me at the right time (January is the month to organize, right?). But it gave me the tools to jump start what has lived latent in my brain for the past year. From there, I subscribed to the Home Office Organizer podcast (in iTunes) and joined the No Guilt Big Goals 30 Day Challenge (just google it) all in an effort to get my life back on the right track of order and efficiency.

So my projects? Get my taxes stuff to my accountant by the middle of February and get my home office organized by the end of February. There! I posted it so now I have to do it, right?

Somewhere in there is the goal of finishing my book. (Don’t ask me which one -- I’ve started writing several.)

Week Four - Book Four: The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

Steve picked this book up the last time we went to B&N for “coffee.” Dr. Gawande is a general surgeon, and so many of his anectdotes are medical and applicable to Steve’s life. However, being the calendar keeper/schedule maker/color coding freak that I am, the idea of a book about checklists piqued my interest. Needless to say, I finished it within 24 hours of starting it.

Fascinating is all I can say -- how the simplicity of a clear cut highly developed checklist can improve surgical safety, build skyscrapers, save lives of airline passengers, keep investment firms afloat during financial crisis! Amazing.

While it is obvious this book is an asset to medical and/or business professionals (of which I am neither), I would encourage ANYONE to read it. The thesis is just too simple to pass over. (Of course, I’ve been making checklists for years and couldn’t survive without them. Now I am vindicated!)

Bees Review

Sweet as honey! :) In a way, Lily reminded me of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. I loved the innocence in which she related with the “colored” women in her life, and the joy she felt when they included her in their joking about the “white folks.” At one point, Lily says she doesn’t know why color matters at all. Wisdom beyond her years...

I could go on, but I am choosing to remain silent so that I can ponder this book in my heart. It is that kind of book.

Just read it if you haven’t already done so!