Transcendentalism Up Close- HDT

Henry David Thoreau (HDT) was one of the founding thought provokers behind the Transcendentalism movement along with his good friend Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The idea that literature can be both a moral compass and a spiritual guide comes out of this moment. While this was a time of enlighten philosophical thought and new literary approaches in the 1830s, the writings of this era proved to be influential to various leaders for years to come.

That is enough of a history lesson this morning, I spent the last few days reading Walden (and re-skimming Civil Disobedience).  I forgot how much of a difference reading a deep thought provoking book in a classroom setting helps. While I was able to read the book, and I think glean through most of it, after taking a quick skim over Cliff notes I appreciate talking out deep/philosophical books out as you read them.

Walden is HDT sabbatical into Walden Pond. While the book is told in a seasonal cycle, he was there for a few years. During this time he emphasizes personal growth, spiritual development, and living the simple life. While there are plenty of literary analysis of Walden, I leave that for the experts. It was a hard read, but if you like philosophy read it. In other news, Civil Disobedience is something everyone should read at least once in their life.

Currently, I am reading Middlesex at the moment.

It is currently, 7 AM in my hometown. On this Thanksgiving morning, I needed to blog early before all the crazy wonderfulness of Thanksgiving starts. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

When Dogs are Personified

The Art of Racing in the Rain has been mentioned and recommend to me more times than I care to recall over the last 5 years. It is about a dog, and I am not super crazy about dogs so I skipped it. Wow, it is a truly moving, sad, well-written story. I almost gave this book five stars. First, Enzo, the dog is the narrator and recounts this heart-wrenching family story from his eyes. Human emotions are personified through his eyes as he protects his family of Denny, Eve, and Zoe through unimaginable events. The racing theme carries a nice subplot throughout the book.

Overall, Garth Stein creates memorable characters and a great plot. I highly recommend this book to all.

And now on the Walden and Civil Disobedience.

Happy Reading!

Memory Palaces

It is has been a busy few weeks over on my end, and I am finally catching up on both reading and blogging.

This weekend, I finished a fascinating read: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Josh Foer. While I had heard great things about this book, I wasn't quite sure what it was about. Literally, Josh Foer recalls his personal journey into the world of competitive memory competitions and expanding memory power with simple tricks (see Memory Palaces). There are tangents throughout the book, but the story and concepts taught in the book are pretty fascinating. It confirmed for me that humans are far more capable of many things than we make our selves out to be. 

This is not a fictional account. Josh spends a year training for these elite memory competitions where competitors memorize decks of cards, poems, faces, random information, and much more. It is a pretty quick, non-typical read. It is a great read, but I could have used less tangents. 

I just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain and am deep into Walden and Civil Disobedience. 

Happy Reading!

The Saga Continues

After a week, I finally finished LOTR: Two Towers. It was much tougher to read as it packs many details and story lines into a few days. Additionally, the first battle scenes occur in this book. Battle scenes are hard for me to read in any book, much less fantasy. It is important to remember that book is written in two sections: one that focuses on the Journey of the majority of the Fellowship and the other is on Sam and Frodo's battle into Mordor to destroy the ring. Parts of this book are amazing and you do not want to put it down. Others are so hard to read. I am glad I have read it, but I think it would have been more exciting if I would have read it before the movies came out.  I am ready to read the Return of the King to finish the series in December. 

Happy Reading!

A New Look at Satire

Don't move to Seattle, you can take a cruise to Antarctica, online personal assistants may be questionable,  nd mom's will do anything for their kids. These are just a few of the takeaways from Maria Semple's Where'd You Go Bernadette.

Semple uses tongue and cheek satire to address a few serious issues while creating a memorable story line with a few bizarre twist and notable characters. Bernadette and her husband Elgin move to Seattle. Soon after they have Bee who is brilliant. When her mother goes a little crazy and does not always adapt to Seattle,  their trip to Antarctica changes their family forever. The first 30-40 pages were a little scatter and I was skeptical. In the end, this turned out to be a great book. While I wouldn't put it in my top ten, it is definitely worth a read.

Currently, I am working hard to finish LOTR: Two Towers. I have 3 weeks off total before the end of the year so I think I still will be right on track!

Happy Reading!

When a Book Reads like a Conversation with a Friend

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns was Mindy Kaling's debut book. She writes pretty much what she thinks and how she feels and it is fabulous.

In her quirky take on life, Mindy reveals that the path to Hollywood was not smooth. She is not a size two, and "hooking up" needs to have a unified term. In short Mindy writes like she is having a conversation with you on her couch. You can laugh at loud, turn the page quickly when you remember a guilty pleasure, and just enjoy the book. I encourage you all to pick up this quick read!

Starting Where'd You Go Bernadette tonight for Book Club!

Happy Reading!

Orwell.. Satire and the Animals that took over

George Orwell is an amazing author. After reading Animal Farm, I realize just how much of a satirist he was until after reading Animal Farm. While 1984 was more of a warning of how the government can take over. Animal Farm was a satirical account of the Soviet Union rule.

The farm animal were personified into human characters. Orwell creates a story of socialism that looks good at first and then falls a part at the end. While there are plenty of critical analysis of  Animal Farm, I think everyone will enjoy the balance of light story with great political satire.

Good read. Orwell never disappoints.

Happy Reading!

Sometimes you just need a break

After reading some pretty intense books the last two weeks, I decided I wanted to read a light an easy read. Luckily, I had Sarah Jio The Bungalow on my list. I think I read the entire book in less than 24 hours. The story is captivating. While most of the story is told through a flashback, the two stories meet and mysteries are solved.

Sarah Jio brings together the perfect blend of character development, plot, and intrigue. Anne and her friend Kitty leave to serve as army nurses in the South Pacific in WWII. The stories the come together and plot twist make this a great book with a surprising twist at the end.

(PS: On a side note, I highly recommend reading this book on the beach or any tropical location.)


Currently evaluating my next book options.. can't decide off my list!

Happy Reading!

November Books

It is hard to believe it is November.  82 books are complete. 18 books left. That works out nicely to 9 books a month. I remember when I had only read 9 books and wasn't sure if I would be able to ever finish 100 books. With November and December come holidays, cold weather, and exciting football games! Reading has become a balance between work, social life, and just other commitments. I manage most of the time. I am not going to lie. I am glad October books are over. As a whole, they were not my favorite set of books. Let's hope that November books are much better.

On a side note, I am also going to try and spend a day or two updating most of the 100+ blog post. The old post don't have pictures, some need grammar and spelling edits, etc. Wish me luck!

Happy Reading!

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art of Remembering Everything: Joshua Foer
The Art of Racing in the Rain- Garth Stein
The Two Towers -J. R. R. Tolkien
Middlesex- Jeffery Eugenides
Walden and Civil Disobedience- Henry David Thoreau
Where'd You Go Bernadette - Maria Semple
Defending Jacob- William Landay
The Bungalow- Sarah Jio
Animal Farm- George Orwell
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Mindy Kaling

(Yes, I know there are 10 books. Just in case I get ahead or can't find a book!)

A Closer Look at Racism

In graduate school,  I had the opportunity to read many books and scholarly articles on student development theory. I explored racism, sexism, and many other ideas that students (or adults) in general grapple with in this coming of age time of life. While I could go into detail about Astin, Erickson, Cross, Helms theories on student/ self/racial identity  development theories, I think it is more important to realize they are there.

This week I decided to read "Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" by Beverley Tatum. While it brought up many of the ideas that I study, it brought up real issues of racial tension and white privilege that start at a very young age. I am not sure that this book was  full of brand new information for me because of articles I have read in the past, but it is always good to be reminded. I liked that it presented research and action items without being to text-booky.

Tatum has made much progress for the community. However, much has changed since the 1990s. Racism is still part of the American culture. Students still have major discrepancies in the education system, but the more aware we are, the more change can be created.

If anyone works with people directly or wants more context in how they deal with people, I highly recommend this book!

November book list is about to come out!


Happy Reading!