October Books

Wow it is hard to believe, we are heading into the last stretch of 2013 and the last 27 books. That is technically 9 books a month. I am not sure how the last months will play out, but I am excited. Choosing some of the last books has been interesting. Goodreads is my savior. It is great to take in suggestions and filter out what I want to read this year and what I want to read in the future.

Right now, I have 11 books on the October list. I am not sure how far I will get on the list, but I would love to knock out 10 with the holidays coming up. We will see. Thanks for always reading the blog and supporting me along the way. As always, send me your suggestions, feedback!

On a side note, I spent the weekend at the Baltimore Book Festival. It was amazing.

Keep Reading!

Happy Reading!

Fellowship of the Ring,  J.R.R. Tolken  (I am still working on this from September)
The House of Hades, Rick Riordian
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Trip to Heaven and Back, Todd Burpo
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
Morrie in His Own Words, Morrie Schwartz
Fish:A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results, Stephen Lundin
Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?  Beveley Daniel Tatum
Beloved, Toni Morrison
The Shinning, Stephen King
Middlesex,  Jeffery Eugendies

The Classic Key to a Girl Becoming a Woman

Growing up, I loved to read Judy Blume. I read many of her books growing up. Somehow I missed Are you There God, It's Me Margaret? When I started reviewing list of must read books, It came up multiple times. I decided it was time to check out this classic.

Blume as always does an amazing job blending together a short plot and character development with few pages. She leaves the reader wanting more. Even better, every girl and woman can relate to her coming of age story of "becoming a woman." Finally, her religious crisis and need for answers reminds of that we don't always have all the answers. There is some God out there that everyone interprets differently.

It is truly a brilliant coming of age book. I encourage you to pick it up.

Happy Reading!

When A Book Causes Stress

Most of the time I think I am pretty productive person and manage life fairly well. I know I can always improve and streamline the process, but I make it work. When life gets crazy for future reference, I do not recommend reading a book with multiple action items that you cannot act upon immediately. David Allen's Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity is a good book in theory, but I am not sure people live there lives like this realistically.  Technology and instant communication drives our input range to new highs. While I agree there are some great take aways from this book, some would take days and weeks to complete stop your current system to implement.

Focus on week to do list.
Keep paper handy to empty your mind.
Create a system for managing work flow.
Act on items that can take under 2 min,
Remember a "Do it, Delegate it, or Defer it" mentality.

There is more advice in the book. All is good, but I am not sure I could suddenly implement this all this week. Hence this book stressed me out reading, but it was a good read. Overall, check it out if you want to know more.

Finished Are You There God It is Me Margaret? I hope to put the post up in the morning.

Hard to believe September is almost over.

Happy Reading!

Laughing All the Way

Sometimes you just want a light read and a time to laugh. Sometimes you can stay up late and read a book in 1 or 2 nights. For me this book was Tina Fey's Bossypants. It was fabulous!

While I have heard from multiple people that the Audio book is great, I decided to read it. I literally laughed so hard I was crying at points. Tina Fey writes like she is sitting next to you. It is refreshing to see how she became such a great comedian from such a humble background, yet she never forgets her roots.

I highly encourage all to read this book. If you are not a fan of comedy, this may not be your favorite, but it is well worth the 2-3 hours it will take you to read.

Happy Reading!

Jumping into Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Still aiming for 9 books in September. Cross your fingers.

When I Don't Agree with Mainstream.

If you haven't noticed, I like to read. For the most part, I tend to read fairly mainstream books, classics, and a little bit of everything in between. Sometimes I stray and find a treasure. For the most part, I like a book to represent humanity but still end well. Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner which has been praised universally was a rough read this past week.

While the writing was one of the better books I have read this year, the story and up and down roller coaster of the plot left me disliking Amir and the overall climate of the book. The book reminds us that there is an innate good and evil and each of us and there is incredible power in forgiveness.

The Kite Runner has  received praise from all over. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was not what I received. Read this book, but be warned it is not all sunshine and rainbows. It is a critical look at two different worlds of pre 9/11 Afghanistan and even pre/post Russian Afghanistan.

I am about to finish Bossypants. It is hilarious! Love it!

Gladwell..Round 2

A few days ago, I finished Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.  It was a good book, but it was not earth-shattering. I loved Outliers, but The Tipping Point, I realized, was full of ideas and concepts I had heard and learned most of my adult life. A few people can influence thousands. One change can impact many. I studied marketing and communication in undergrad, and these brillant ideas are researched in school.

I am not saying his anctodotal stories are not great, but I think this book has changed over the last ten years. Social media and technology has revolutionized the impact of connectors and maverns. We are no longer six degrees away from any one person, but closer to two or three.

Overall, if you want to understand the value of an idea and influence, read the book. Otherwise, I think this book has been updated over the last few years.

Happy Reading!

Finishing Kite Runner soon!

Cuckoo's Calling.. Different type of Character Development

After about a week of reading and socializing, I finally finished J. K. Rowling's The Cuckoo's Calling. It was a good book, but it was very detailed oriented and character driven.

Strike and his assistant Robin re-open a tragic case of a suicide or possible murder of a famous model in London. Overall, the book seemed to drag a little bit. I had a hard time getting through the first 200 pages. However, the last half of the book was great. The Cuckoo's Calling is much better the Rowling Casual Vacancy, but it was still not the magic of Harry Potter.

I'm about to finish The Tipping Point.

Happy Reading!

When you Fall for Characters..

 Reflecting back on The Fault in Our Stars by John Green my mind went so many places. First off this was a great book. While two young lovers fight cancer, Green is amazing at creating characters you love and keeping the plot moving.

Hazel and Gus travel in search for answers to the end of a novel. This search and quest for answers reminds me so much of myself. Occasionally, I have stayed up for hours creating entire stories and what if scenarios about the end of a book. There is nothing better in a book then when you can connect with a character. Hazel learns an important lesson that is good for us all to remember that many characters are imprints of authors life. There is a time and reason for the end of a book. Usually we just have to accept this.

I just kind of rambled here. Starting Cuckoo Calling Tonight!

Happy Reading!

Big Brother is Watching You

George Orwell's 1984. I am not sure I have the words to describe this book. I both love and hate this book at the same time. Everyone should read this book at least once. Orwell articulated a negative utopia and dictatorship government so well.

Orwell balances character development with plot and interesting twist as well as a dire warning. This mixture is the key reason I love this book. Orwell truly wrote a great  book. However, the idea of a totalitarian government taking over the world, lying and manipulating the past gets under my skin. In high school, I liked this book and said that was interesting. Today, I grasp with the idea that someone could come up with these ideas of how the government could control people.

Everyone should read 1984 at least once. Everyone should understand how the government works. More importantly, 1984 highlights the important of words and literary works to show knowledge and truth. I hope this book reminds you all to read and share the power of learning!

Happy Reading! Starting  The Fault in Our Stars

September Books..

September... this just might just be one of my favorite months of the year! New semester starting, Football in the air, New TV episodes, and amazing Fall weather. Wait where does reading fit into this! My goal is to read 9 books this month, but it is my birthday month so I get to do what I want, right?

In order to read all the books I can and enjoy the month. I am reading books that I want. Only a few of my classic themes will emerge. For the most part I am reading books that I have been excited about for a while!



1984- George Orwell
The Fault of our Stars- John Green
The Fellowship of the Rings- J. R. R. Tolkien
The Cuckoo's Calling- J. K. Rowling
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference- Malcolm Gladwell
The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini
Bossypants- Tiny Fey
Are you There God? It's Me Margaret- Judy Blume
Getting Things Done. The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Enjoy!

Happy Reading!