A Short Presidential History Lesson

Based on my need to read on every topic possible, it should be no surprise that I chose to read Presidential Command by Peter W. Rodman. This book discussed the presidency from Nixon to W., and how foreign policy changed. It was an interesting read, especially in the sense that I learned many details that were ignored in my high school history classes.

I think the biggest lesson I got from this book was what makes a good Secretary of State. Rodman mentions that "Naming a strong individual...requires a considerable self-confident on the part of a president" (p.60). This really explains why Barack chose Hillary.

Overall, I would recommend this book to my friends who enjoy political science, but I'm very much looking forward to a different book.

Room

Room by Emma Donoghue was one of those books that really made me think. What would it actually be like if you never knew outdoors? If the extent of your existence was an 11x11 garden shed?

The fact that Donoghue is able to re-create the voice of an (extremely sheltered) five year old boy speaks wonders about her writing. His mother, known only to us as "Ma", was kidnapped at age nineteen while crossing the street for class. She spent two years alone before she had Jack. I can't say if I would do the same in her position. And hopefully, I'll never know.

It's nice to read a book as fresh and new as this one. It's not the same re-packaged concept you see regularly in the book store.

Cutting For Stone

Why this book didn't get more praise, I'll never understand.

Cutting For Stone is a first time novel by Abraham Verghese, a Professor of Medicine at Stanford. I mention this because he uses his knowledge throughout the entire book. Set between Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and New York City, Verghese weaves the story of twin brothers. At times gut-wretching and other times inspiring, this novel made me appreciate good story telling. Since I'm getting to this post almost a week after finishing this book, I don't have any fresh thoughts. I did, however, bookmark the book like a crazy person.

'Life...is like that. You live it forward, but understand it backward." p. 9

"To be around someone whose self-confidence is more than what our fist glance led us to expect is seductive." p.53

"...there was no single equivalent English word. Tizita meant memory tinged with regret" p. 152

I love words like this. It makes you realize the English language doesn't really explain emotions very well.

"the uneventful day was a precious gift." p.317

"you must always look in the direction you want to go and never at what you are trying to avoid." p. 323

My current life motto. You must envision the positive to bring the positive into your life.

"She fingered the diamond ring on her finger, a present that he'd given her the last time they renewed their yearly vows." p. 429

One of my favorite parts of the book was the love story between Hema and Ghosh. Ghosh was in love with Hema for years, and when the twins were born, Hema made a marriage pact with Ghosh that was supposed to last a year. It ended up lasting over twenty years. It's such a simple idea: a yearly vow. With almost 50% of marriages ending in divorce, I myself have become skeptical of the concept. But a yearly vow is an easier achievement. And it's a more new-age, realistic approach to marriage.

"Death is the cure of all disease." p. 486

I think some people forget that there is only one real cure.

"'Call me old-fashioned,' Deepak said, 'but I've always believed that hard work pays off.'' p. 508

The first thought that popped into my head after reading this line was "God I hope so!" I've always admired (and secretly despised) people who can accomplish a lot with very little work. However, I am not one of those people. I've come to value hard work as it's own lesson. Much like the quote from Arthur Ashe, "Success is a journey, not a destination."

On a final note, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I think the book does a wonderful job explaining what love looks and feels like. My favorite character had to Ghosh. What an inspirational man.

Nine Ways to Cross a River

Nine Ways to Cross a River by Akiko Busch read just like a river. It was slow and dragging to the start, had some good pulls in the middle and slowed down at the end. Overall, I was glad I read it because it reminded me of the beauty of nature, especially the kind I am so unfamiliar with, rivers. However, the process of reading this book was almost painfully slow at times. Busch has an interesting writing style and can write well, but sometimes she writes in a way that just puts you to sleep. In the end, I did find quite a few sentences and parts throughout the book that stood out to me.

"one objective of traveling with another person is to have them there to...disparage and otherwise diminish your fears." p.30

This quote reminded me of my time in Venezuela, and how I went bungee jumping because my friend Maggie convinced me it would be worth it. Guess what, it was.

"To have an expertise in anything may require a small distance." p. 36

"beauty without clarity" p. 52

I thought this phrase was one of the best ways to describe some of the most beautiful things in the world.

"There are limitations to everything we do in life." p. 82

"'the loss of the sense of self separate from the world around it is sometimes accompanied by a feeling of union with the environment.'" p. 109

"great art is simply clear thinking about mixed feelings." p. 119

"there are times when a straight line is impractical and ineffective" p, 155

"the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." p. 184 (Einstein)

"We are after the same thing, trying...to find some place on this earth that makes us feel as though we belong there...some sense of give in the earth and rock that will allow us to pass through." p. 185

A "Crash Course" on the Auto Industry

Before reading Crash Course, I had no clue what car was made by General Motors. Okay, I'll be honest, I'm not sure if I know after finishing the book. I decided at the beginning of this year I would read more business literature. As an aspiring marketer, business publications would serve as an extra educational experience while I continue my long and draining job search.

I was excited to read this book because I felt I missed the big picture of what happened in the automobile industry in 2009. Cars are not a hobby of mine, so I understood the government provided some aide, but I didn't understand the logistics behind it all. While this book was a bit dry at times, it was helpful in understanding the full picture of the auto industry and how it collapsed.

Oddly enough, my favorite part has nothing to do with cars. On page 49, Ingrassia recalls a meeting that a few junior GM executives had with chairman Thomas A. Murphy. This meeting fell on Ash Wednesday. Murphy was a devout Catholic and was wearing the ritual ashes on his forehead. One of the young executives "dipped his finger into a nearby ashtray, dabbed a smudge on his own forehead, and...walked in to meet the boss. Years later he would be come an executive vice president of the company." Just genius.

Sapphire is no Mark Twain

I just finished the book Push by Sapphire. This same novel was made into the popular film from last year, Precious. I'll confess, I saw 15 minutes of the film before I read the book. I really enjoyed the cinematography and styling of the film, but based on my family's reviews, not sure if the film is worth finishing. The book was a mildly enjoyable read. It was a struggle to read through at times because, as it is written from the view of the illiterate Precious Jones, many words and phrases were off. That must speak well for all of my former English teachers, as my head was constantly doing a grammar and spell check during the entire book.

As a story, the book is no easy tale to take in. Precious has been raped by her parents since a young child and at the beginning of the story, has one child by her father, and another on the way. Over the course of the book, Precious begins attending and excelling at an Alternative School, where she learns to channel her past abuse into poetry. The end of the book features the stories of the other girls in Precious' class. I really liked how it wrapped up the whole book, but would have liked to see their voices more prominently in the book.

Overall I give this book a 3.5, decent enough to recommend but not an absolute favorite.

New Year, New Face

A New Year always brings change, and this year, I'm gonna try something a little different. This blog began as a reading competition back in 2009 with the goal to read a new book for each week in a year. While the contest has come and gone, I have enjoyed writing about each book I've been reading. In my quest to catch up with our evolving technology, I've decided to revive this blog and continue writing about my reading. Enjoy!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I had a feeling I would like this book.

My mom and Grandmother were over the moon about it, so I was curious to see just how good of a book it actually was.

It was so touching. I had never looked at how World War II had affected the Channel Islands. Truth be told, I wasn't really familiar with the Channel Islands before this book. I definitely recommend it to everyone and anyone. It even made me appreciate the little child character (Kit was her name, she seemed just too cute for words).

"...you make me happy, you never bore me, you're interested in the things I'm interested in..." p.153, I feel this is such a beautiful way to explain how you love someone

"I've got no time to be profound" p.170

"One year as his wife, and I'd have become one of those abject quaking women who look at their husbands when someone asks them a question." p.214

"institutional amnesia" p. 250, just a great phrase, describing France after the war

"This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it." p.274

Ishmael

This is the second "philosophy fiction" I've ever read. It is also one of the most inspirational books I've had the chance to read. There are so many wonderful ideas that either I've always believed myself, or now fully understand. The best way to explain this book is through my favorite quotes:

"Food is everywhere and one picks it up almost absentmindedly, as one takes a breath of air...one does not think of feeding as a distinct activity...Rather, it's like a delicious music that plays in the background of all activities throughout the day." p.12

-I think this is such a healthy way to look at food. As humans, we've made it something loathsome and grotesque, when it started as something beautiful and natural. I think if we looked at food and eating the same way as described, a lot of food related problems could be eliminated.

"There are times when having too much to say can be as dumbfounding as having too little. " p. 24

"If you can't discover what's keeping you in, the will to get out soon becomes confused and ineffectual." p.25

"Why is it that no one is excited? I hear people talking in the Laundromat about the end of the world, and they're no more excited than if they were comparing detergents. People talk about the destruction of the ozone layer and the death of all life...And they seem perfectly calm." p.44

-This quote reflects a tendency humans seem to have. The idea of destruction of the planet and disappearance of species seems so distant. It's like we are the cause, but we will never fully feel the consequences, but that's not true.

"Crime, mental illness, suicide, and drug addiction are features of an advanced culture." p.146

The True Bad Girl

"The Good Girl's Guide to Bad Girl Sex" is not a bad book, if you're a "good girl".

The author separates girls into 4 categories:

-the bad girls

-the good girls who are ignorant

-the good girls who like sex, but don't understand their sexuality

-the prudes

Being a bad girl reading this book, it was just a review of everything I already knew for the most part. Eh, maybe my sister will benefit more.

Rant(s)

Confession: this was my first Palahniuk.

At the beginning I was intrigued. Didn't really know what was going on, but enthralled all the same. Palahniuk introduced us to Buster "Rant" Casey, a strange soul, who's story was told through the people he met/loved in his life.

In the middle, I wasn't sure I liked the book anymore. It was grotesque (not in the fun way) and wasn't making sense. All over the place, with no reason why. I knew I would finish, but I was feeling very negatively toward it all.

At the end, it all came together. Once I started looking at the metaphors more closely, it made sense and shook me up a bit. I don't want to go to in depth for those who haven't read it, but Palahniuk basically tears into the younger generation and the need for some form of stimulation to live life. Its very chilling, and really made me look at my life a little bit.

Overall, I enjoyed it. Chuck Palahniuk is no Kurt Vonnegut, but he does know how to get into your head.

Life at These Speeds

I didn't expect this book to be good. An 8th grader in track watches his whole team die in a fatal accident.

But it was actually really good. Nicely written, realistic tone. Good for anyone.

Random Family

This true story was so depressing.

A journalist followed 4 generations of women from the Bronx through their trials and tribulations: drug addiction, pregnancy, first love, death, prison.

It highlighted everything that was wrong with society then (1980's) and today. From Health Care, to Jump Start programs, these men and women are the ones suffering.

Outliers

Malcolm Gladwell believes exactly what I have always known: that success is a combination of hard work and luck.  There are a lot of hard working people in the world, unfortunately not all of them are lucky enough to be successful.  

It makes me wonder what I've done in my life for ten thousand hours.  Several things come to mind, however I don't think I can apply any to my career (reading would only work if I was intending to be a book editor, which I definitely am not).

In the end, however, my dad is right.  While is was a very interesting read, in five, ten years, it will be dated.  

"Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning."

In the Company of Angels

At first, I thought it was alright.  Not great, but alright.  But the plot never really grew.  These characters were stuck in their battles almost.  And then the author throws in a random bit about the Mother Superior's family doing scientific testing on children.  Save yourself and don't read the book.

The Prophet

Pretty good.

Very inspirational for a 100 pager.

I loved the part where he talked about teaching and influencing children, but not controlling them.  Definitely a lesson some people could use.

Here's my favorite quotes:

"Work is love made visible."

"Yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream."

"Beauty is not a need but an ecstasy."

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

For the first time ever, I have successfully re-read a Harry Potter book before seeing the movie.  In fact, I still have yet to see the movie!

But I do love this book.  Its intricate yet subtle.  It answers a lot of questions yet creates more holes to the trilogy.  Easily one of my favorite Harry Potters.  Its also one of the first times that J.K. Rowling emerges as a true(ish) author.

All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

With a title like that, I expect something witty, different and inspiring.

Instead, I found clichés in every sentence and barely anything that really moved me.

Well, except maybe this quote, which I feel is very appropriate for parts of the United States:

"My country was dry, as only a country filled with Baptists could be." p. 25

Overall, not something I'd be recommending any time soon.

Love in the Time of Cholera

I love Gabriel García Márquez.  Easy to read he's not, but he's easily one of the most eloquent writers I've seen.  The man could write about the most grotesque subjects, and they could be beautiful.

I definitely enjoyed this book, even though it took me 2 months to finish.  While there were definitely odd and uncomfortable scenes (a 70 year old bedding a 13 year old is a bit much for me), I couldn't help but be mesmerized.  

"Florentino Arizo stated it another way: 'The world is divided into those who screw and those who do not."  He distrusted those who did not: when they strayed from the straight and narrow, it was something so unusual for them that they bragged about love as if they had just invented it.  Those who did it often, on the other hand, lived for that alone. "  p. 183

"Old people, with other old people, are not so old."  p. 312

Less Speech More Secret

Tom Rob Smith is a very excellent writer.  He writes in a very fluid, detailed style that makes his books impossible to put down.

I absolutely loved "Child 44" and read it in 3 days.  His sequel on the other hand, "The Secret Speech" was a bit harder to get into.

It had much of the same elements and I definitely recommend it to people.  It was more out of personal taste that I just didn't like it as much.  I guess I was missing the gore and suspense the other one had.  And I suppose the personal character battle just wasn't the same.