Just Read....

 

 Long story short - I read this book recently.  I found the whole story very intriguing - I saw this woman once on 20/20, which is what made me pick it up at the booksale in the first place.

Basically, in short, this woman remember every single day of her adult (and teenage) life.  She can recall everything from every given day.  Aside from the oddness of this - what I find most odd is that she can identify the day of the week and the specific date of every event.  As if it's not enough that she, specifically, remembers ever day - I can think of many days of my life in which I remember what happened, but never even thought about what date it was and was sometimes confused at times about what day of the week it was.  

Anyhow - scientifically - brain scans prove this woman is, scientifically, different.   I can remember random details from random events - like what everyone ordered at dinner from a random girls' night out (maybe this is my four years of waitressing coming into play).  I once corrected a close friend about the date in which she lost her virginity (and she conceded I was correct).  However, I cannot touch this woman.

There were a lot of random tidbits throughout this story that sparked my interest - the fact that this woman was never heavy but her mother constantly tormented her about her weight, the fact that she met her husband in an internet chat room (before meeting someone online was trendy), the fact that she's a young widow who has her dead husband's, uh, genes preserved so she can one day have his baby....  Sigh.

I am most curious, however, if there is anyone else out there like her.  She is the only documented case of this circumstance - I wonder if there are others.  Hmm.  

 

Filene's Basement Wedding Dress Sale

So, today, the Chicago Sun-Times had one of its book sales. It looked a little like this....



Despite the pushing and shoving, I was able to get some good finds. For instance:



It will help give me material for my next Tina Fey impersonation. I couldn't help but think some of my coworkers were looking at me and possibly judging me, for it gave the appearance that I'm a 'Sarah' fan. This is why I sometimes hate buying books at public places, like bookstores. Unless it's a typical best-seller, someone is judging your choice and making assumptions about your personality. I always say the book I'm looking at is a gift for someone, even if it isn't. I, at first, loved amazon for the reason of buying books in private, UNTIL they started recommending books to me that 'I might like based on other books I've viewed'. Ugh. Anyhow. The goodness of a booksale can't be passed up for this reason alone. I got some other good shameful products while I was there, including....



In short - how to find your soulmate using THE SECRET....I look forward to panning it in a review shortly....

Also,



California Dreams Seasons 1 & 2. For nostalgia purposes alone...don't judge.

Advanced Book Review....

So, as you all know, I periodically get free advanced copies of books from my work. The latest one I got was Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty - the fifth and supposedly final book in the "Jessica Darling" series.

Anyhow - I like teen lit because it seems as though all adult women lit has the exact same story line (an aspiring writer, single, struggling to make ends meet in the big city who somehow puts it all together and finds Mr. Right in 300 pages or less). Even if there isn't that much variation in the teen world, at least the age gap puts a little separation between the parallels of these character's lives (circa page 25) and my own.

Anyhow. So I have now read all five books in this series. I realize no one other than Piper has any interest in reading a book report by yours truly, so I'll try to keep it brief. This wasn't my favorite of the series (I think the first or third would be my favorite). My main criticisms of the book are that it was highly highly predictable, the symbolism is heavy-handed, and the character development becomes redundant. Other than that, I find the main character too easy to relate to (I think I found the word cynical about 27 times throughout the book) and likable enough, so I did enjoy the book and would recommend the series to anyone who enjoys reading fiction.

I know, often times, authors will create a main character who mirrors herself - I wonder how much I would have in common with Megan McCafferty. I must say, she has been published multiple times, so I may be a little jealous of her. Anyhow. The book drops at some point mid-April. I'm guessing Piper will read it (or get a critique from some of her students). Anyone else out there read this series?

Goals

Ok, I know I have raised several questions in the past about making new year's resolutions - however, one resolution I usually make it to read a certain number of books in the coming year (and I encourage others to make this goal as well - the number of books depends on the individual).  I do believe last January, a study came out that said one in four Americans did not read a single book the previous year.  

This past year, my goal was twelve books - I happened to luckily exceed it by one book.  Obviously, I should aim a little higher this coming year, but I don't want to overdo it.  However, I do want to challenge myself.   Hmm.    

(This reminds me that I am supposed to review my books from this past year - still working on that one.  Maybe a better resolution for me would be keeping my blog promises.)

What would be a good new goal?  Fifteen seems too small (I almost did that this year); eighteen a little too large.  Seventeen is too odd of a number - I don't like it.  Maybe I'll go for magic sweet 16.  

However, I am NOT at a shortage of reading material - I got seven new books and a Borders giftcard for Christmas.  That, and I have a large quantity on hand from the beloved Sun-Times booksale.   I have a ton of books that I am excited about reading, which is always good.   In fact, I started reading one of my new books (see above).  

My only problem is I'm almost a third of the way through it and I fear I may finish it before 2009, which cannot happen.   This book needs to be counted against 2009, NOT 2008.  I CANNOT have a budget surplus - that will only penalize me for the coming year.  

Blush...A Spade Was Called....

Quote from the book I'm reading:

"What did bother her about most blogs was their wistfulness.  No matter how self-effacing the bloggers were, they clearly believed themselves on some sort of world stage, where they just might be attended to."

Sigh.  

Currently Reading....

The Writing Class by Jincy Willett....

You know, review to come....

Sidenote:  antp, I think you would specifically like/appreciate some aspects of this book....

Bizarro Work Perks

So a good friend of mine who shall remain nameless received a 20 lb turkey (!?!?!)  from her company as a Thanksgiving bonus.   Although this is great if one is hosting a Thanksgiving party, I imagine it to be a bit awkward if one already is going by someone else for Thanksgiving - there's suddenly an odd obligation to cook this large bird....  Also, what about vegetarians?

However, I know this is not uncommon.  I get an unlimited supply of free/$1 brand new hardcover books (which I find to be the BEST PERK IN THE WORLD).   That, and I get to sometimes ride the elevator with Richard Roeper.  Oh, not to mention the Jerry Seinfeld Bee Movie meet and greet - that was, as Mastercard would say, priceless.  

Anyone else have any interesting/bizarre work perks?

I Made It!!!

So, at the beginning of the year, I made the goal to read 12 books for the year (one book a month pretty much).  I started out strong, finishing one book by the end of January, however, I seemed to hit a lull.  It was May and my book log was still at one; it didn't seem as though it was going to happen.  

However, I looked deep into my soul and channeled the spirit of a younger me.  Never one to give up on a goal, no matter how bleak things looked - I found my adrenaline to sprint to the end.  With almost two months to spare, I reached my goal.  I just might do a victory lap-book.  

My 12 books, in an attempted chronological order:

-- The Secret of The Secret  by Karen Kelly

-- Microtrends by Mark J. Penn

-- Debunked by Richard Roeper

-- If I'd Known Then edited by Ellyn Spragyn

-- Olive Kitteredge by Elizabeth Strout

-- Nerds:  Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them by David Anderegg

-- Aruba by Dave Holloway

-- Friend or Frenemy by Andrea Lavinthal and Jessica Rozler

-- The Tenth Circle  by Jodi Picoult

-- How to Get Sued by J. Craig Williams

-- Dear Zoe by Philip Beard

-- Slackonomics by Lisa Chamberlain

Piper, I hear you over there.  Reviews to come (if they haven't been published already).

Is Anyone Self-Proclaimed 'Corporate Material'?

So, I'm reading a book called "Slackonomics" which lists a lot of observations about "Generation X".  There's an entire chapter dedicated to the fact that many young adults, throughout the late '80s to the present, have declared themselves "not the 'Corporate America' type".

I find this amusing because almost EVERY FRIEND I have has declared him or herself as such!  I  have quite a few friends who have gone back to grad school to get out of Corporate America and into the school system or some other 'non-corporate' field of work.  Aside from them, I have a lot of friends who are working corporate jobs and feel 'misplaced'.  

Here is my question - is anyone out there 'the Corporate America' type?  Or, more simply, does anyone consider him or herself 'Corporate America material'?  Also, realistically speaking, there are however many corporate careers and there are only so many non-corporate jobs out there - someone's going to need to do the corporate jobs and some of the 'non-corporate' people are going to be out of work (or forced into Corporate America, which some people might say is what is happening now).  

Also, what, exactly, do these people define Corporate America as?  Is it every job outside of self-employment, the arts or the educational system?   Is it really the nature of corporate jobs, or is it just some stigma associated with them (being stuck in a cubicle dead-end job under florescent lighting doing the same monotonous tasks without any creativity)?   

Another point the author brought up was back in the late '80s and early '90s, people did things that went against the mainstream and called it 'alternative'.  Soon alternative became the norm.  Will Corporate America become the alternative career choice?  (and possibly become more appealing in the process?)  What are your thoughts?

It's Been a While Since the Last Book Review....

So I recently finished the book "Dear Zoe" by Philip Beard - it only took me four days. In a word, excellent.

It is very brief and to the point (only a little under 200 pages). It was actually written by a man from the perspective of a teenage girl (although it was more from the perspective of a human than a woman, per se). I think he did a very good job - he didn't go in-depth on the trials and tribulations of being an adolescent woman but moreso on the struggle of her and her family after losing the youngest sister on 9/11/01 in a separate accident.

Anyhow, in a short period of time, he really crafted some interesting and highly believeable characters. I don't really know how to describe how he did it so well all that well, but he just did. It was fiction but not boring, predictable, generic, or over-dramatic. And it appears as though most everyone on amazon.com agrees with me.

Anyhow, kind of embarrassing. I am NOT an emotional person. I honestly cannot remember ever crying at a book or movie (Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, or any of the other traditional tearjerkers didn't do it for me). In fact, normally these types that try too hard to go for the emotional factor just make me want to groan and roll my eyes. However, something about this book got to me.

Not a big deal, ONLY I was reading it on the el while packed in like a sardine ON THE WAY TO WORK. I was, for a moment, one of THOSE GIRLS. I'm sure the people around me wondered what had happened to me this morning (if they read the book, they might understand). Em, THIS is why they make waterproof mascara. Anyhow, I get to work before almost everyone else I work with, so I was able to do enough damage control in the necessary amount of time. Crisis averted.

In fact, I'm going to have to cut this post short because I'm writing it in a public place right now - work - and thinking about this book is starting to get to me again.

Anyhow. Move along, nothing to see here.

Banned Books Week

So, my mother recently informed me about banned books week coming up soon.   Also, with Sarah Palin allegedly wanting to get multiple books banned - the topic has been brought up moreso often than usual.

I am not sure how I feel about the concept of banned books.  I have read a handful of the books that typically appear on the 'banned books list' and I definitely think someone somewhere is being waaaaay too sensitive.  There's definitely less offensive and/or controversial material in said books than in, well, every other form of media children are exposed to. 

However, that being said, I don't know how I feel about the concept of banning books.  There's a certain level of,  say, decency required of every other form of media and there are certain regulations out there.  I'm not saying some books should 'disappear', but perhaps a little regulation in some way wouldn't hurt.  

Now, I am certainly no expert on the matter - in fact, my information on the subject is very limited.  I didn't do any research for this post - this post is my attempt to do research.  I probably have more librarian friends than any other non-librarian - most who read this blog.  I do not know much about the matter - I would like some feedback.  :)

Nerds!

Ok, so as my readers probably realize - I own a lot of books.  In case I haven't mentioned it before, this is because at the Sun-Times, every couple months we have 'booksales' with brand new hardcovers for $1 each.  It's a really well-loved employee perk - the inside of a booksale looks much like the Filene's Basement wedding dress sale.  

Anyhow, I was just looking over a book I snatched about four months ago - "Nerds:  Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them", by Dr. David Anderegg.  The first line of the book description is "Are you socially awkward?".  How could one not be intrigued?

Anyhow, I haven't read the book yet, but in the brief description, he defines nerds (those who are technologically and academically advanced or passionate about niche subjects) and how the social stigma and stereotype we have associated with them is potentially greatly affecting our society.

It sounds kind of quirky at a first glance, however - as children begin to discover what it means to be a "nerd", does this affect their academic performance and discourage them from getting involved in certain interests?  On a larger level - this could possibly affect us in a competitive global economy!  International math and science testing shows American teens coming in 24th place amongst the world's most developed nations.   There have been a lot of studies looking in to why American teens don't do better, considering our quality of life and quality of education available.  I think this man could be on to something!

He also raises the idea that we may be affected by certain social stereotypes long after we should know better.  I find this interesting because in a previous blog about another book - I noticed a lot of famous and successful women milling over their childhood unpopularity - it seemed interesting to me that people in their shoes could be stuck on something so seemingly trivial.  I even raised the question - are nerds the ones ruling the world?  Are they (painfully ironically) not smart enough to realize that their own nerdiness is a good thing?

America - we need to re-market the nerd for our own good! 

I cannot wait to start reading this book.   And I, for one, fully embrace the nerdiness associated with being interested in reading about nerds.