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It feels like I'm missing one or two, and I'm definitely going slower than last year ... I blame my new magazine subscriptions ...
1. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore
2. A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
3. What I Know Now: Letters to my Younger Self - Ellyn Spragins
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl
7. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson, M.D.
8. Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
9. Fluke - Christopher Moore
10. The Courage To Be Single Mother - Sheila Ellison
11. Dust to Dust - Tami Hoag
12. How to Parent With Your Ex - Brette McWhorter Sembler
13. We Thought You Would Be Prettier - Laurie Notaro
14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
15. Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking - Barbara C. Unell and Jerry L. Wyckoff
16. Bloodsucking Fiends - Christopher Moore
17. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
18. Survivor in Death - J.D. Robb
19. Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
20. The Single Parent Resource - Brook Noel
21. The Bonesetter's Daughter - Amy Tan
22. Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen
23. The Pagan Stone - Nora Roberts
24. Justice Denied - J.A. Jance
25. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore
26. Naked Conversations - Robert Scoble, Shel Israel
27. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
28. The Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
29. Until Proven Guilty - J. A. Jance
30. Suite 606 - J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Langan & Mary Kay McComas
31. The Known World - Edward P. Jones
32. A Perfect Spy - John LeCarre
33. Desert Heat - J.A. Jance
34. Tombstone Courage - J.A. Jance
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Thursday, April 9, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
New reads
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24. Justice Denied - J.A. Jance
Along the lines of J.D. Robb, with a little Janet Evanovich thrown in (a very little) to lighten the load. I've since added like every J.A. Jance book to my "want" list over at Swaptree. Good, easy reading. Perfect for walking around with a kid strapped to your back, or the disjointed '10 pages here, 50 there' reading that most people do.
25. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore
Freakin' hysterical. Love this guy and the book is so damn original. You have to read something by Christopher Moore. You just have to.
26. Naked Conversations - Robert Scoble, Shel Israel
About how blogs have changed the way companies do business by personalizing "suits" and humanizing corporate entities. A really neat read.
27. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
Meh. I know I read this way back when, just wanted to get it knocked out again to refresh my memory. I wasn't overly impresse.
28. The Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
They must grade Newbery winners on a curve, because I didn't think too much of this one, either. But at least I clunked 'em out and when my oldest comes to me in 5 years or so and wants to read them, I'll know what they're about.
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24. Justice Denied - J.A. Jance
Along the lines of J.D. Robb, with a little Janet Evanovich thrown in (a very little) to lighten the load. I've since added like every J.A. Jance book to my "want" list over at Swaptree. Good, easy reading. Perfect for walking around with a kid strapped to your back, or the disjointed '10 pages here, 50 there' reading that most people do.
25. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore
Freakin' hysterical. Love this guy and the book is so damn original. You have to read something by Christopher Moore. You just have to.
26. Naked Conversations - Robert Scoble, Shel Israel
About how blogs have changed the way companies do business by personalizing "suits" and humanizing corporate entities. A really neat read.
27. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
Meh. I know I read this way back when, just wanted to get it knocked out again to refresh my memory. I wasn't overly impresse.
28. The Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
They must grade Newbery winners on a curve, because I didn't think too much of this one, either. But at least I clunked 'em out and when my oldest comes to me in 5 years or so and wants to read them, I'll know what they're about.
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Friday, March 6, 2009
Updated List
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I finished 'em all, so I liked them. If I can't get into or don't like a book I'm reading, I don't finish it. Probably makes me shallow, but it is what it is. I don't really have it in me to review each one, so if you want a recommendation or have any questions, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to fill ya in.
1. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore
2. A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
3. What I Know Now: Letters to my Younger Self - Ellyn Spragins
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl
7. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson, M.D.
8. Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
9. Fluke - Christopher Moore
10. The Courage To Be Single Mother - Sheila Ellison
11. Dust to Dust - Tami Hoag
12. How to Parent With Your Ex - Brette McWhorter Sembler
13. We Thought You Would Be Prettier - Laurie Notaro
14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
15. Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking - Barbara C. Unell and Jerry L. Wyckoff
16. Bloodsucking Fiends - Christopher Moore
17. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
18. Survivor in Death - J.D. Robb
19. Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
20. The Single Parent Resource - Brook Noel
21. The Bonesetter's Daughter - Amy Tan
22. Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen
23. The Pagan Stone - Nora Roberts
.
I finished 'em all, so I liked them. If I can't get into or don't like a book I'm reading, I don't finish it. Probably makes me shallow, but it is what it is. I don't really have it in me to review each one, so if you want a recommendation or have any questions, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to fill ya in.
1. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore
2. A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
3. What I Know Now: Letters to my Younger Self - Ellyn Spragins
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl
7. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson, M.D.
8. Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
9. Fluke - Christopher Moore
10. The Courage To Be Single Mother - Sheila Ellison
11. Dust to Dust - Tami Hoag
12. How to Parent With Your Ex - Brette McWhorter Sembler
13. We Thought You Would Be Prettier - Laurie Notaro
14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
15. Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking - Barbara C. Unell and Jerry L. Wyckoff
16. Bloodsucking Fiends - Christopher Moore
17. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
18. Survivor in Death - J.D. Robb
19. Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
20. The Single Parent Resource - Brook Noel
21. The Bonesetter's Daughter - Amy Tan
22. Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen
23. The Pagan Stone - Nora Roberts
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Monday, February 2, 2009
Latest Reads
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8. Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
A simple book, one I've been intrigued by since reading A Million Little Pieces. It wasn't life-altering or anything, but I did find some of the passages meaningful. I think the beauty of this work is that everyone who reads it can find something of meaning, and will likely finish with their own unique take on the material.
9. Fluke - Christopher Moore
I really enjoy Moore's books. They're really well-written, funny and bizzare. He and Carl Hiaasen may well be my two favorite fiction writers ...
10. The Courage To Be Single Mother - Sheila Ellison
Very cool book - I'd recommend to all single moms.
11. Dust to Dust - Tami Hoag
Good crime novel. I like J.D. Robb better, but I like Hoag more than I like Patterson or Cromwell.
12. How to Parent With Your Ex - Brette McWhorter Sembler
More of a pre-divorce primer than an after-the-fact book, especially if you are maintaining a somewhat amicable or better relationship with the ex and you can conduct yourselves like civil grownups where the kid(s) are concerned.
13. We Thought You Would Be Prettier - Laurie Notaro
Eh. I'm kind of over her stuff ...
14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
Original and (mostly) fun to read, but kind of difficult to read, too. Difficult in the sense of what happens to the characters, fun in the sense of the writing style, the language shifts and the narrative voice.
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8. Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
A simple book, one I've been intrigued by since reading A Million Little Pieces. It wasn't life-altering or anything, but I did find some of the passages meaningful. I think the beauty of this work is that everyone who reads it can find something of meaning, and will likely finish with their own unique take on the material.
9. Fluke - Christopher Moore
I really enjoy Moore's books. They're really well-written, funny and bizzare. He and Carl Hiaasen may well be my two favorite fiction writers ...
10. The Courage To Be Single Mother - Sheila Ellison
Very cool book - I'd recommend to all single moms.
11. Dust to Dust - Tami Hoag
Good crime novel. I like J.D. Robb better, but I like Hoag more than I like Patterson or Cromwell.
12. How to Parent With Your Ex - Brette McWhorter Sembler
More of a pre-divorce primer than an after-the-fact book, especially if you are maintaining a somewhat amicable or better relationship with the ex and you can conduct yourselves like civil grownups where the kid(s) are concerned.
13. We Thought You Would Be Prettier - Laurie Notaro
Eh. I'm kind of over her stuff ...
14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
Original and (mostly) fun to read, but kind of difficult to read, too. Difficult in the sense of what happens to the characters, fun in the sense of the writing style, the language shifts and the narrative voice.
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Thursday, January 15, 2009
Latest Reads
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There seems to be a bit of a self-improvement angle to most of my latest reads. And that's cool. Never hurts to improve oneself, even when you're Practically Perfect in Every Way.
3. What I Know Now: Letters to my Younger Self - Ellyn Spragins
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl
7. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson, M.D.
Breaking Dawn was good, but a bit too clean and neat an ending. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the book, as I did the other three in the Twilight series. Total easy reading, total fluff, but enjoyable, suck-you-in fluff.
The Great Gatsby took a little getting into, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. I can't believe that I had never read it before.
What I Know Now was a collection of letters that famous written would write to their younger selves. I found Camryn Manheim's letter to be the most applicable for me, and the most impressive, but I also jotted down words from Barbara Boxer, Olympia Dukakis, Macy Gray, Jane Kaczmarek and Nora Roberts.
Man's Search for Meaning. Read this book. Do it. The first half is about the author's time in concentration camps during WWII, but it's peppered with so much wisdom and perspective that it's mind-changing. The second half is about his approach to psychotherapy, which he called logotherapy (logos is Greek for meaning). Logotherapy "considers man as a being whose main concern consists in fulfilling a meaning and actualizing values, rather than (as psychotherapy does) in the mere gratification and satisfaction of drives and instincts."
Frankl believes that suffering is noble and has meaning in and of itself. That the meaning of life is found within the world, not within the individual, that man needs tension and disequilibrium to motivate him toward a goal and that "... each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible."
There was so much in this book that I found myself nodding about and recognizing in myself and in my own core beliefs, yet there was still more that I found myself realizing I *don't* achieve or recognize.
Who Moved my Cheese? is a small, quick-reading book that hopes to change how we look at and feel about change. Cheese is used as a metaphor for what each of us wants out of life, and the Maze that the Cheese is found in represents where we spend our time looking for the Cheese. Change happens, it's how we react to the change that determines whether we stay in one place waiting for our Old Cheese to come back or whether we venture back into the Maze to find New Cheese.
It's perfect for me at this juncture because I've had a lot of change over the past year, and I have a lot more coming. There's a phrase from the book: "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" that I need to incorporate as a daily mantra. I usually embrace and am inspired by change, but the big change coming - my returning to work outside the home and putting my kids in full-time care - scares the heck out of me!
.
There seems to be a bit of a self-improvement angle to most of my latest reads. And that's cool. Never hurts to improve oneself, even when you're Practically Perfect in Every Way.
3. What I Know Now: Letters to my Younger Self - Ellyn Spragins
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl
7. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson, M.D.
Breaking Dawn was good, but a bit too clean and neat an ending. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the book, as I did the other three in the Twilight series. Total easy reading, total fluff, but enjoyable, suck-you-in fluff.
The Great Gatsby took a little getting into, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. I can't believe that I had never read it before.
What I Know Now was a collection of letters that famous written would write to their younger selves. I found Camryn Manheim's letter to be the most applicable for me, and the most impressive, but I also jotted down words from Barbara Boxer, Olympia Dukakis, Macy Gray, Jane Kaczmarek and Nora Roberts.
Man's Search for Meaning. Read this book. Do it. The first half is about the author's time in concentration camps during WWII, but it's peppered with so much wisdom and perspective that it's mind-changing. The second half is about his approach to psychotherapy, which he called logotherapy (logos is Greek for meaning). Logotherapy "considers man as a being whose main concern consists in fulfilling a meaning and actualizing values, rather than (as psychotherapy does) in the mere gratification and satisfaction of drives and instincts."
Frankl believes that suffering is noble and has meaning in and of itself. That the meaning of life is found within the world, not within the individual, that man needs tension and disequilibrium to motivate him toward a goal and that "... each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible."
There was so much in this book that I found myself nodding about and recognizing in myself and in my own core beliefs, yet there was still more that I found myself realizing I *don't* achieve or recognize.
Who Moved my Cheese? is a small, quick-reading book that hopes to change how we look at and feel about change. Cheese is used as a metaphor for what each of us wants out of life, and the Maze that the Cheese is found in represents where we spend our time looking for the Cheese. Change happens, it's how we react to the change that determines whether we stay in one place waiting for our Old Cheese to come back or whether we venture back into the Maze to find New Cheese.
It's perfect for me at this juncture because I've had a lot of change over the past year, and I have a lot more coming. There's a phrase from the book: "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" that I need to incorporate as a daily mantra. I usually embrace and am inspired by change, but the big change coming - my returning to work outside the home and putting my kids in full-time care - scares the heck out of me!
.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Hello 2009
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Staring 2009 off with a bang are two books by Christopher Moore, who may be my new favorite author. His writing is fast-paced and funny, his turns of phrase downright hysterical and his books are like standing ankle-deep in the shallow end of the crazy pool. Carl Hiaasen (one of my other favorite authors) loves Moore, and I do too. With lines like: "In order to hold off the Forces of Darkness, you will need a number two pencil and a calendar, preferably one without pictures of kitties on it." How can you go wrong?
1. Practical Demonkeeping
2. A Dirty Job
Stay tuned for more of Moore, and here's to another 100+ books in 2009
Staring 2009 off with a bang are two books by Christopher Moore, who may be my new favorite author. His writing is fast-paced and funny, his turns of phrase downright hysterical and his books are like standing ankle-deep in the shallow end of the crazy pool. Carl Hiaasen (one of my other favorite authors) loves Moore, and I do too. With lines like: "In order to hold off the Forces of Darkness, you will need a number two pencil and a calendar, preferably one without pictures of kitties on it." How can you go wrong?
1. Practical Demonkeeping
2. A Dirty Job
Stay tuned for more of Moore, and here's to another 100+ books in 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
2009 100 Book Challenge
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Since I managed to complete the challenge last year, I'm definitely in again. Life this year might make it a bit harder to hit 100, but if I don't try I probably won't be as motivated to read. I'll use this post to keep my main list, and other posts for reviews/raves/updates.
1. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore
2. A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
3. What I Know Now: Letters to my Younger Self - Ellyn Spragins
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl
7. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson, M.D.
8. Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
9. Fluke - Christopher Moore
10. The Courage To Be Single Mother - Sheila Ellison
11. Dust to Dust - Tami Hoag
12. How to Parent With Your Ex - Brette McWhorter Sembler
13. We Thought You Would Be Prettier - Laurie Notaro
14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
15. Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking - Barbara C. Unell and Jerry L. Wyckoff
16. Bloodsucking Fiends - Christopher Moore
17. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
18. Survivor in Death - J.D. Robb
19. Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
20. The Single Parent Resource - Brook Noel
21. The Bonesetter's Daughter - Amy Tan
22. Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen
23. The Pagan Stone - Nora Roberts
24. Justice Denied - J.A. Jance
25. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore
26. Naked Conversations - Robert Scoble, Shel Israel
27. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
28. The Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
29. Until Proven Guilty - J. A. Jance
30. Suite 606 - J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Langan & Mary Kay McComas
31. The Known World - Edward P. Jones
32. A Perfect Spy - John LeCarre
33. Desert Heat - J.A. Jance
34. Tombstone Courage - J.A. Jance
35. Undead and Unwed - Maryjanice Davidson
36. The Salmon of Doubt - Douglas Adams
37. Hello, Gorgeous - Maryjanice Davidson
38. No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers - Elizabeth Pantley
39. Raising Children Compassionately - Marshall B. Rosenberg
40. Your One-Year-Old - Louise Bates Ames
41. Gentle Discipline - Dawn Lighter
42. Injustice For All - J.A. Jance
43. Trial by Fury - J.A. Jance
44. Taking the Fifth - J.A. Jance
45. Improbable Cause - J.A. Jance
46. Undead and Unemployed - MaryJanice Davidson
47. Run - Ann Patchett
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
.
Since I managed to complete the challenge last year, I'm definitely in again. Life this year might make it a bit harder to hit 100, but if I don't try I probably won't be as motivated to read. I'll use this post to keep my main list, and other posts for reviews/raves/updates.
1. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore
2. A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
3. What I Know Now: Letters to my Younger Self - Ellyn Spragins
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl
7. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson, M.D.
8. Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
9. Fluke - Christopher Moore
10. The Courage To Be Single Mother - Sheila Ellison
11. Dust to Dust - Tami Hoag
12. How to Parent With Your Ex - Brette McWhorter Sembler
13. We Thought You Would Be Prettier - Laurie Notaro
14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
15. Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking - Barbara C. Unell and Jerry L. Wyckoff
16. Bloodsucking Fiends - Christopher Moore
17. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
18. Survivor in Death - J.D. Robb
19. Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
20. The Single Parent Resource - Brook Noel
21. The Bonesetter's Daughter - Amy Tan
22. Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen
23. The Pagan Stone - Nora Roberts
24. Justice Denied - J.A. Jance
25. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore
26. Naked Conversations - Robert Scoble, Shel Israel
27. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
28. The Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
29. Until Proven Guilty - J. A. Jance
30. Suite 606 - J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Langan & Mary Kay McComas
31. The Known World - Edward P. Jones
32. A Perfect Spy - John LeCarre
33. Desert Heat - J.A. Jance
34. Tombstone Courage - J.A. Jance
35. Undead and Unwed - Maryjanice Davidson
36. The Salmon of Doubt - Douglas Adams
37. Hello, Gorgeous - Maryjanice Davidson
38. No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers - Elizabeth Pantley
39. Raising Children Compassionately - Marshall B. Rosenberg
40. Your One-Year-Old - Louise Bates Ames
41. Gentle Discipline - Dawn Lighter
42. Injustice For All - J.A. Jance
43. Trial by Fury - J.A. Jance
44. Taking the Fifth - J.A. Jance
45. Improbable Cause - J.A. Jance
46. Undead and Unemployed - MaryJanice Davidson
47. Run - Ann Patchett
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
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