A Special Announcement

Bridget hasn't been reading much.

She's busy over in Hawaii, getting married :)

Congratulations, dear!

- K

yong : book 10/25 : Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley

Wow. You gotta go pretty far back to find the last book I read. I couldn't remember what number I was on, and here it says I read book 9 of 25 on 2/17. That was at the very beginning of my second semester of student teaching, and I hadn't read jack since.

I picked up this book after seeing the movie recently. And this is one of that rare breed, where the movie is actually better than the book. I know, I can't remember if I've ever encountered another of these before myself. It's not that the book's bad; it's actually a solid product, workmanlike if not exceptional. But the movie, rather than diluting the original, elevates it to a whole different plane. Truly, they've taken a decent novel and turned it into an extraordinary movie. The first half has most of the same plot pieces, but in a somewhat different order; the second half is actually pretty much entirely different. Where the book ending is competent but commonplace, the movie...is one of a kind. If you can appreciate sharp, biting humor, this is a movie with six inch Ginsu fangs.

So forget the book, go see the flick.

P.S. Plot summary: You think your job's hard? Imagine trying to pay your mortgage by being the chief spokesperson for the tobacco industry. People love to hate Nick Naylor, because he's so damn good at putting a positive spin on lung cancer. Heh, seriously.

kayan : book 9/26 : Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

This book was recommended to me by my coworker who is also a good friend. One day, while chatting about our work situation and what we'd rather be doing, he blurted out, "have you ever read Cat's Cradle? You and I must be of the same karass."

"What's a karass?"
"You must read Cat's Cradle. I think you'd love it."

Coworker knows me well. Vonnegut is funny. I have several of his books sitting on my shelf at home. I'm going to read Galapagos next. I can't believe I didn't appreciate him when I was in high school.

Highly Recommended for spiritual kick-in-the-butt. OH! And this is a good summer beach book.

swingbeat 27/26: The Island of the Day Before by Umberto Eco

I watched The Name of the Rose few years ago, which was a book by this author. I picked this one up because I wanted to dig into his works, having heard so much about him. This book was translated from Italian.

This book definitely is not light reading. Imagine Neil Gaiman, chock full of literary and mythical allusions, in a novel. Some of the deeper chapters are impossible to get through if you're not in the right state of mind. But once you do, the writing, imagery, and wit are beautiful.

This book was written in the third person based on fictional notes by Roberto della Griva. This is an interesting style since it allows the (presumably 20th century) narrator to add asides and opinions on implausibilities of Roberto's story.

Roberto is a castaway who ended up survivng... By bumping into a deserted ship near the antipodal longitude (i.e. 180th meridian). This book is about his story, past histories, thoughts, philosophies, and rambling in his mind. The name of the book comes from a nearby island which exists just beyond the antipodal longitude, so it always exists one day before where Roberto was stranded. Interesting premise, and Eco uses the free time that Roberto has to talk about many subjects and stories in a Gaimanesque way (or rather, I should say Gaiman does it in an Ecoesque way).

He intersperses the main story with chapters based on Roberto's thoughts, e.g. various monologues of love, planets, and philosophy; they reflect what an 17th century man might think of those topics, given limited knowledge of the sciences compared to today. For example, Roberto postulates on the existence of infinite worlds and alien life based on observing deeply the fractal nature of a piece of coral, and letting his thoughts run freely. Whether his syllogisms are correct or not does not matter, it definitely is interesting reading if you can keep up.

In addition the author also writes a novel within the novel (as a castaway Roberto has much time) and the narrator surmises why Roberto thinks of certain plot lines based on his life and experiences.

All in all, this was a big book, but worth reading. Some parts might be hard to get through. The translation is written in a rich vernacular; there are quite a few words I had to look up :).

Recommended.

swingbeat 26/26: Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin

Yet another book by Martin, and he doesn't disappoint! There's no way I can tell you guys the setting without making it sound lame so I'll just go ahead and tell you - there's the Mississippi, antebellum New Orleans, steamboats, and vampires. :)

Now I'm normally a fan of vampire stories, and that's why it took me so long to get to this book. But I'm glad I did. There is the unlikely friendship between a vampire and a steamboat captain, and how their partnership affects the state of vampire-human interaction; all in the 1850's.

What a setting, and what a story. Martin's writing does not disappoint; I hope he continues writing books like this in the future. Highly recommended.

swingbeat: 25/26 Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

I finished this book and it's chock full of good stuff I don't know where to begin.

First off, this is a book by a Christian writer about his faith journey, but it's not just fo Christians. He has a post modern view of Christianity, and his writings and thoughts may shock the traditional Christian. I know that I've had similar thoughts and ideas as he has had in his doubts and questions of Christianity, and he tells many great tales of his myriad experiences(e.g. How many Christians did you know who lived in hippie colony for a summer?).

The writing style is easy, and I was able to finish this 230+ pager in one day. In each chapter, he talks about a particular topic (e.g. Grace) and how he dealt with it on his faith journey. (Btw chapter 18 on loving other people was very good). He doesn't spout the usual stuff that traditional preachers would say.

All in all, I think his views of Christianity coincide quite a bit with mine (chalk it up to both of us being Pacific Northest transplants) and I really liked this book. I'm gonna run out and buy it :)!

swingbeat: 24/26 Sunrise Alley by Catherine Asaro

I had read a chapter of another book by Asaro, and I liked what I read. So when I came across this one, I decided to give it a try. I was a little disappointed.

The story starts out as a handsome man appears capsized by the beach home of Samantha Bryton, world-reknowned bioroboticist. They blur the lines between AI and neuroscience in this near-future tale. The man is running away from a mastermind named Charon (how droll, honestly!) and he turns out to be dead man who was rebuilt with a new computer brain but with the imprints of the former memories (and consciousness?). He is beyond the forefront of current robotic technology, a specimen that everyone from Charon to the government wants to find.

Asaro could have done much with this idea from an ethical and philosophical point of view, in an intellectually Asimovian way. But she only touches upon the basic questions (what is life? Is a self-aware android a like a human?) and repeats them throughout the book. She makes the story an action-adventure, with Sam and the android (Turner) falling in love and running from Charon. the love story was lame and not really deep; Asaro wrote about Sam admiring Turner's a little too often without really making the reader see it as well. All we really got was that Sam fell in love with Turner for his looks :).

The title of the book is the name of a place where rejected AIs can go to find refuge from humanity. Eventually, these two stumble upon it and we meet some other AIs. It would have been interesting if Asaro had developed the society of AIs even further but we only get a superficial peek, and she did not even imply anything more or mysterious under the visible iceberg.

All in all, the setting had potential, but it turned out to be space opera that I eventually had to force myself to finish.

Bridget: 27/26: The Summer Country by James Hetley

I decided to try this writer again and discovered that this was the book that I read the rave reviews about. This one was much better than the one I previously blogged about. Much more complexity to the characters and a much smarter storyline.

I liked the way that the author was able to combine two different worlds and mesh them together so well. I also liked the fact that though some of the characters had supernatural powers, they weren't invincible. The characters also had complex psychological issues which made their story and background development much more interesting to read. Much more like the George R R Martin characters.

Basic plot. Emotionally distressed woman things that she is paranoid and schizophrenic due to a troubled past. Later discovers that she has powers which influence the symptoms she experiences. She gets caught between two worlds because of something she has that people from another world want. Story unfolds the resolution of this problem and gives her answers and strength to move beyond her troubled past.

Highly recommended for you fantasy buffs, though I feel that this book might be a little more interesting to girls because most of the main characters are women.

Bridget: 26/26: Dragon's Eye by James Hetley

I've reached mile 26 but still have a few more books to blog! I hope it is okay if I keep posting after this :)

I was at our local King County Library when I saw this book. At first I just though it was some teeny-bopper novel with some type of fantasy edge to it. After reading a few reviews online, I discovered that this writer was being compared to people like George R. R. Martin. I decided immediately that I had to get this book. If this guy were anything like Martin, it was worth reading.

Well this book wasn't as high a calibre book as that of George R. R. Martin but was good nonetheless. I like the flow of the novel and didn't find myself getting bored or confused by the introduction of many many characters. The themes in this book were not as adult as those found in Martin's writing either. Something I enjoyed was the strength and development of the characters. I also liked the fact that the women in this book were strong and not wimpy in any way.

Basic plot is that there is a magical family secret, a person in danger, and a rescue.

Recommended for fantasy lovers. Age level is probably somewhere in the teens.

Bridget: 25/26: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

This was a truly excellent book. I would recommend anyone to read this. This is more of a woman's novel than one that a man would prefer to read but Lisa See is a really wonderful writer. I laughed, I cried and really relished reading this book.

The story describes the relationship between two girls from two different towns who are bonded through a "laotong" relationship. In early China it was considered beautiful for women to bind their feet and make them the size and shape of a lotus (some as small as 3.5 inches long!). Two girls were bonded together by a matchmaker to keep an intimate friendship where they learned a woman's writing language called "nu shu" and passed messages to one another on a fan. This story follows the women through visits to each woman's natal village, to marriage, childbirth, and death. It was a truly moving book. I liked it better than both the Joy Luck Club and Memoirs of a Geisha.

Highly recommended.

Bridget: 24/26: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey

This was the second of the two books that I mentioned before that fell into the life changing books if I followed the principles within.

I was pretty drawn in to the ideas that were found within this book. This wasn't as quick a read as the first book but it definitely caught my attention. I had to do a lot more thinking and retrospection to understand myself within the paradigm described within.

This book teaches you how to look at yourself and change from the "inside out". I started to think about my mission in life and what I wanted to be known for when I die. It also made me think about the choices I made and how my personal goals affected these things. Another thing it made me think about was how I was spending my time and the type of activities I was participating in.

Recommended. Good book to read if you want a structured model to assist you in determining if you are spending your time doing the things that are important to you.

Bridget: 23/26: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

So I decided to go on a kick where I read books that fell into a specific category: recommended books that will change my life if I follow the self-help principles within. I was at half-price books and picked up two books. This was the first. I decided that if this book had some good pearls, I would pass it along to others.

This book was a pretty quick read. It was full of anecdotes and fun stories about historical figures who had personality traits and behavioral skills that Carnegie felt would improve anyone's ability to make friends and influence people.

Carnegie fills the chapters with ways to make people like you, winning people to your way of thinking, and changing people without making them resent you. Although the principles like "remember people's names" and "talk about things that are important to the other person" seem like common sense, sometimes we don't have that much sense when we are dealing with other people.

Recommended. You could probably just flip to the end of each section and pick out the principles that you don't practice and read up on those ones.

Kayan : 8/26 : Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

I picked up this little $5.99 pocket book at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in New Jersey. It was thunder and lightning outside, the kind that flashes the sky purple and pink at 9pm; but I stayed out late against my mother's wishes because (1) my friend had just recommended Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, and (2) I had cabin fever, and (3) I just had to go out and get the book. Right. Away.

So I'm at the all-white BN in Suburban NJ. With Cat's Cradle in one hand, and a chai latte in the other, I browse the "Summer Reading" pile and pick up Nine Stories. (What's so "summer" about "Flowers For Algernon" and "A Lesson Before Dying", I have yet to understand.) Coffee, check. Free sofa, check. I sit and relax. It's muggy inside too.

*Flash* *Boom!* The storm roars outside. The pouring rain sounds like hail on the ceiling. Then, *wehh-ooo*. Darkness. I had anticipated the power outage. The answer to the question that popped in my mind earlier in a Winona Ryder moment - "How many books should I stash in my handbag and just walk out with?" - is still zero.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The power comes back. I decide to get both books.

I don't remember much about The Catcher in the Rye, but I am glad I am giving J.D. another chance. There is a pattern in these nine short stories - originally published in The New Yorker, my favorite magazine. After 2 of these stories, I start to anticipate this pattern. I found myself covering parts of the page with my hand at those times, in an effort to stop myself from reading ahead and ruining the author's good intentions.

This is not to say the stories are predictable. That is the farthest thing from the truth. Reading each story was like meeting a new friend who has endearing quirks and who leaves an indelible image in your mind after you leave the party. And then one day, you'll see something or hear something, and it will remind you of that friend and make you think about your own reality.

Highly Recommended