I read a lot of lists about books. I search for lists on line to see what other people are reading. I always read the New York Times book review and best sellers lists. If there's a list out there I'm on a quest to find it! So I thought it might be fun to do one of my own. I'd like some group participation though! I will recruit my book club to help me out as well, the more the merrier!!
I'd like to know your list, if you'd be so kind as to share it & in the end I'll post the master list here for you to see. What I'd like to know is this: if you were building your own personal library and had to start from scatch what 25 books would have to been it right off the bat? I will assign 1 point for the 25th book on your list and 25 points for the 1st book, in the end giving us an idea of how many we have in common. I bet we'll be surprised! The more people who participate the better!
If nothing else I bet this list will compile a great reference if you're looking for what to read next! If you just read along and don't have an account, email me. If you could have your list to me by March 12th that would be great! I can't wait to see whats on it!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
This is Where I Leave You
I finished the book This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper last night. I'm not sure if it is just because I've been reading so many books from other eras lately or if it was just that great of a book but I really enjoyed it.
The story is about the Foxman family. They are your typical dysfunctional American family. Three brothers, a sister and a mother who can't seem to remember she's past her prime. (I kept picturing Joan Collins from the Dynasty years)
The book begins with Judd, the character from who's point of view the book is written, finding out about the death of his father. The fathers dying request is that the family sit Shiva for a week. The thought of spending that much time with his family is really not what Judd is up for....you see he just found out that his wife is having an affair with his boss. Ah, the plot thickens!
Through the next week we follow Judd through coping with the death of his father, dealing with the demise of his marriage & rediscovering his crazy family. Of course the story wouldn't be complete without a bombshell delivered by his estranged wife right in the middle of it all. (As if him finding her in bed with his boss wasn't enough) Oh, and did I mention that his mother was famous for writing a book on how to raise children? You just KNOW that is going to lead no where good!
The story ends without really putting together all the answers for you. You are left to assume what you well however, it was good enough for me. I didn't find I needed all the i's dotted or t's crossed. It was a story about life & family after all & when do we really ever get to know all the answers when it comes to our own life & family?
This book is not for everyone. There are some graphic scenes and lots of language & talk about sex but I have to tell you I laughed out loud. I could just SEE these things happening. Like when Judd's little nephew came to the dinner table proudly displaying the "poop he made in the potty" you just couldn't help but visualize the scene in your own dinning room with your own family. And when the poop landed on someones plate through a series of unforeseen events....you couldn't help but wonder who's plate it would have landed on in your house. Or the time when the family went to Synagogue & somehow or another a joint appeared....you can imagine how that turned out.
I loved the Foxman family and their quirky neighbors and friends. I'm pretty sure I know them......
Four out of Five Stars
The story is about the Foxman family. They are your typical dysfunctional American family. Three brothers, a sister and a mother who can't seem to remember she's past her prime. (I kept picturing Joan Collins from the Dynasty years)
The book begins with Judd, the character from who's point of view the book is written, finding out about the death of his father. The fathers dying request is that the family sit Shiva for a week. The thought of spending that much time with his family is really not what Judd is up for....you see he just found out that his wife is having an affair with his boss. Ah, the plot thickens!
Through the next week we follow Judd through coping with the death of his father, dealing with the demise of his marriage & rediscovering his crazy family. Of course the story wouldn't be complete without a bombshell delivered by his estranged wife right in the middle of it all. (As if him finding her in bed with his boss wasn't enough) Oh, and did I mention that his mother was famous for writing a book on how to raise children? You just KNOW that is going to lead no where good!
The story ends without really putting together all the answers for you. You are left to assume what you well however, it was good enough for me. I didn't find I needed all the i's dotted or t's crossed. It was a story about life & family after all & when do we really ever get to know all the answers when it comes to our own life & family?
This book is not for everyone. There are some graphic scenes and lots of language & talk about sex but I have to tell you I laughed out loud. I could just SEE these things happening. Like when Judd's little nephew came to the dinner table proudly displaying the "poop he made in the potty" you just couldn't help but visualize the scene in your own dinning room with your own family. And when the poop landed on someones plate through a series of unforeseen events....you couldn't help but wonder who's plate it would have landed on in your house. Or the time when the family went to Synagogue & somehow or another a joint appeared....you can imagine how that turned out.
I loved the Foxman family and their quirky neighbors and friends. I'm pretty sure I know them......
Four out of Five Stars
Saturday, February 20, 2010
It's Girl Day!
I'm just going to warn you right off that this blog has nothing at all to do with books.
Today is "GIRL DAY"!! It's a day I look forward to having as soon as the last one ends. It's a day where 3 of my oldest and closest friends, all of them from grade school, get together and spend the day. We don't really care where we go or what we do as long as we have a complete, uninterrupted day together. Although I will say we've done some pretty fun stuff! We've gone to plays and art exhibits, shopped, toured historic homes and found fabulous places to eat. It's a day where we each can leave our troubles behind if we want or bring them with to sort through with the people who know us best. The thing I think I look forward to the most is the laughter. I know when I come home there will have been a days worth of memories made and laugh lines creasing my face.
Although none of us live that far apart it always seems to be a challenge to get together. We have lofty goals and ideas but life gets in the way and we're lucky to make it happen twice a year. I am so lucky to have great friends, all of them, and I hope they know how much they bring into my life.
Today we are just hanging out in Fargo, meeting for coffee, a movie and an early dinner. I can almost hear the conversation now.....
You know, since we are going to be downtown that could mean a trip to one of my favorite stores, Zambroz, and guess why I love it? They carry an amazing selection of BOOKS!!! (guess I was able to work books into it after all)
Today is "GIRL DAY"!! It's a day I look forward to having as soon as the last one ends. It's a day where 3 of my oldest and closest friends, all of them from grade school, get together and spend the day. We don't really care where we go or what we do as long as we have a complete, uninterrupted day together. Although I will say we've done some pretty fun stuff! We've gone to plays and art exhibits, shopped, toured historic homes and found fabulous places to eat. It's a day where we each can leave our troubles behind if we want or bring them with to sort through with the people who know us best. The thing I think I look forward to the most is the laughter. I know when I come home there will have been a days worth of memories made and laugh lines creasing my face.
Although none of us live that far apart it always seems to be a challenge to get together. We have lofty goals and ideas but life gets in the way and we're lucky to make it happen twice a year. I am so lucky to have great friends, all of them, and I hope they know how much they bring into my life.
Today we are just hanging out in Fargo, meeting for coffee, a movie and an early dinner. I can almost hear the conversation now.....
You know, since we are going to be downtown that could mean a trip to one of my favorite stores, Zambroz, and guess why I love it? They carry an amazing selection of BOOKS!!! (guess I was able to work books into it after all)
Sunday, February 14, 2010
What are your reading habits?
Do you ever go on a buying spree and then run out of time to read? Or maybe you buy so many that you don't know where to start....I have these problems. Now not only to do have too many physical books to read but I have too many virtual books as well.
Do you reread your favorites? Have you ever hated a book so much and then had this amazing discussion about it and had to read it anyway? Have you ever started a book and then a year or two later finally gotten around to finishing it? If you answered yes to any of these questions raise your hand.
Or how about this one....have you ever read a book that took so much out of you that you couldn't read again for a really long time? I had that happen to me a few years ago when I read I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. It was a long book & it took me a while to get into it but Oprah loved it so I kept reading. When I finally finished it, it had taken so much out of me emotionally that I literally didn't read another book for a year. I just couldn't imagine ever being that invested in another book.
So tell me, what are your reading habits? What pit falls do you encounter? How do you get out of a reading slump? How do you finally dig into that book that you've been putting off forever? Is there a book on your shelf that keeps calling your name? What is it and why haven't you read it? I'm curious....am I the only book lover who has to talk themselves into reading from time to time?
I leave you with this final thought. It's my favorite paragraph from I Know This Much is True. I'm not to proud to say, I read it with tears streaming down my face. Both because I found it so fitting (to the book as well as my own life) & because I had finally finished the journey.
"I am not a smart man, particularly, but one day, at long last, I stumbled from the dark woods of my own, and my family's, and my country's past, holding in my hands these truths: that love grows from the rich loam of forgiveness; that mongrels make good dogs; that the evidence of God exists in the roundness of things.
This much, at least, I've figured out. I know this much is true."
Do you reread your favorites? Have you ever hated a book so much and then had this amazing discussion about it and had to read it anyway? Have you ever started a book and then a year or two later finally gotten around to finishing it? If you answered yes to any of these questions raise your hand.
Or how about this one....have you ever read a book that took so much out of you that you couldn't read again for a really long time? I had that happen to me a few years ago when I read I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. It was a long book & it took me a while to get into it but Oprah loved it so I kept reading. When I finally finished it, it had taken so much out of me emotionally that I literally didn't read another book for a year. I just couldn't imagine ever being that invested in another book.
So tell me, what are your reading habits? What pit falls do you encounter? How do you get out of a reading slump? How do you finally dig into that book that you've been putting off forever? Is there a book on your shelf that keeps calling your name? What is it and why haven't you read it? I'm curious....am I the only book lover who has to talk themselves into reading from time to time?
I leave you with this final thought. It's my favorite paragraph from I Know This Much is True. I'm not to proud to say, I read it with tears streaming down my face. Both because I found it so fitting (to the book as well as my own life) & because I had finally finished the journey.
"I am not a smart man, particularly, but one day, at long last, I stumbled from the dark woods of my own, and my family's, and my country's past, holding in my hands these truths: that love grows from the rich loam of forgiveness; that mongrels make good dogs; that the evidence of God exists in the roundness of things.
This much, at least, I've figured out. I know this much is true."
Saturday, February 6, 2010
My Nook has arrived!
I have to admit, I've been like a little kid at Christmas lately. I can't remember the last time I was so excited to get something. Although I like gadgets and electronics I don't generally spend the money on them. I saved for the better part of a year so that I could buy myself this Nook. Those of you who know me know saving money is not something I am good at......This was a pretty big deal for me.
My Nook, hereby known as Gatsby, arrived on Thursday after a month long wait. I didn't have time to do more than get it out of it's packaging (which was a bit tricky) and charge it up.
I brought Gatsby with me to work on Friday. It was my last day at the VA and a couple of my friends there are thinking of getting one and wanted to see it. I didn't have it fully up and running so we couldn't play much but they were able to see it in person and get a better idea of how it's suppose to work.
I was done early so I stopped at the local B&N, hopped on their Wifi and got registered. Here is where the fun started. After I registered, the books I had previously purchased didn't show up in my library nor was I able to purchase anything while I was in the store. I went to the Customer Service desk to ask for help. The first person I talked to, although nice, admitted to knowing "absolutely nothing" about the Nook. He called someone else, presumably a manager, she came up and told me she "was the most electronically challenged person around". Again she was nice but could only offer to call CS. (this much I could have done) The guy I talked to on the phone explained to me how to "side load" the books that I had ordered. Now I don't mind doing this but am thinking it takes a little of the fun out of having a gadget. To top it all off, Gatsby had a tendency to freeze up on me. (typical man) I'm getting a bit worried at this point.
I went home, sideloaded the books I had. They still didn't show up in my library but were there as documents so I could still open and read them. Connected, without incident, to my home Wifi but still wasn't able to purchase things on line. I was able to get to the online shop, go through the order process but kept getting an error telling me it didn't go through. Now at this point I am nearly in a panicked state....what have I done! I've given up my BOOKS for this......THING! UGH!
I then went to B&N's web site. Watched a few tutorials, read more of the manual, got on the boards & searched for answers. While on the nook web site I found that a new update was released yesterday. During the next week it would automatically download to my Nook however, if I wanted, I could manually download it now. I decided to manually do it. This process went easily and painlessly and I'm happy to report ever since the update all of my issues have gone away. My books showed up in my library, I was able to scroll through the covers, I made a purchase from the unit and nothing froze up. Gatsby and I then settled in for the night. When I woke up this morning my copy of the New York Times was already waiting for me & I read it in bed.
As of right now I love my new toy. I am looking forward to a weekend of reading and getting to know Gatsby better. We are planning a trip back to B&N to check out the "in store experience" as soon as I'm done posting this.
I hope Gatsby & I continue to be happy together and are able to go on many amazing journeys!
Until next time, happy reading!!
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
--Groucho Marx
My Nook, hereby known as Gatsby, arrived on Thursday after a month long wait. I didn't have time to do more than get it out of it's packaging (which was a bit tricky) and charge it up.
I brought Gatsby with me to work on Friday. It was my last day at the VA and a couple of my friends there are thinking of getting one and wanted to see it. I didn't have it fully up and running so we couldn't play much but they were able to see it in person and get a better idea of how it's suppose to work.
I was done early so I stopped at the local B&N, hopped on their Wifi and got registered. Here is where the fun started. After I registered, the books I had previously purchased didn't show up in my library nor was I able to purchase anything while I was in the store. I went to the Customer Service desk to ask for help. The first person I talked to, although nice, admitted to knowing "absolutely nothing" about the Nook. He called someone else, presumably a manager, she came up and told me she "was the most electronically challenged person around". Again she was nice but could only offer to call CS. (this much I could have done) The guy I talked to on the phone explained to me how to "side load" the books that I had ordered. Now I don't mind doing this but am thinking it takes a little of the fun out of having a gadget. To top it all off, Gatsby had a tendency to freeze up on me. (typical man) I'm getting a bit worried at this point.
I went home, sideloaded the books I had. They still didn't show up in my library but were there as documents so I could still open and read them. Connected, without incident, to my home Wifi but still wasn't able to purchase things on line. I was able to get to the online shop, go through the order process but kept getting an error telling me it didn't go through. Now at this point I am nearly in a panicked state....what have I done! I've given up my BOOKS for this......THING! UGH!
I then went to B&N's web site. Watched a few tutorials, read more of the manual, got on the boards & searched for answers. While on the nook web site I found that a new update was released yesterday. During the next week it would automatically download to my Nook however, if I wanted, I could manually download it now. I decided to manually do it. This process went easily and painlessly and I'm happy to report ever since the update all of my issues have gone away. My books showed up in my library, I was able to scroll through the covers, I made a purchase from the unit and nothing froze up. Gatsby and I then settled in for the night. When I woke up this morning my copy of the New York Times was already waiting for me & I read it in bed.
As of right now I love my new toy. I am looking forward to a weekend of reading and getting to know Gatsby better. We are planning a trip back to B&N to check out the "in store experience" as soon as I'm done posting this.
I hope Gatsby & I continue to be happy together and are able to go on many amazing journeys!
Until next time, happy reading!!
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
--Groucho Marx
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