I read John Green's blog and find him charming and funny in that dorky way I admire oh so much, so when I found "An Abundance of Katherines" at Bookpeople for just $3.99 I snatched it right up. So glad I did.
At first the narrator (an 18 yr old child prodigy) really bugged me but he quickly grew on me and then I couldn't put the book down. This is a sweet, satisfying story that I think quite accurately captures the awkwardness and uncertainty of too smart for their own good kids trying to figure out what happens next. Since the narrator's a know it all, it also has lots of fun little tidbits of "huh" including a couple revelations about John's favorite inventor, Philo T. Farnsworth. Definitely worth a read.
Also, this video of John Green sortof conquering his fear of heights is friggin adorable.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Winter Reading
I've been making a point of going to bed a bit earlier to get in some more reading time and have been really pleased with my recent choices -
Ian Bank's The Crow Road - my most recent Indiespensable delivery turned out to be this amazing book by a very highly acclaimed British author that I'm embarassed to say I'd never heard of. Really intriguing and engaging story with one of the best opening lines in the history of literature ("It was the day my grandmother exploded"). Part coming of age story and part murder mystery, it left me wanting more of all of the main characters. I'm already planning to read it again to catch all of the clues and intricacies I missed the first time.
And on completely the other side of the coming of age spectrum, Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty. A fun and easy read chock-full of strong female characters. Setting the book in 19th century England boarding school offered some interesting perspectives about what it meant to be a girl/woman at the turn of the century. There's certainly some cheesiness and the plot's pretty convaluted at times, but the author really captures the unique struggles of female friendships. I randomly picked this one up off of the shelf at Bookpeople cause it was a staff pick and only found out AFTER reading that it's a trilogy. I'm curious enough to at least give the next one a try and I think this could be a nice counter balance to the pining of the Twilight series.
Finally, for something completely different - Freakonomics. This one was John's suggestion and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Economics (math) isn't really my thing, but the use of engaging examples to answer life's random questions really drew me in. I can't really speak to the accuracy of any of the arguments (I think there's been some debunking, and several of the concepts are pretty radical), but I do find myself considering the "why's" of things a bit differently, which I think is a good thing.
Ian Bank's The Crow Road - my most recent Indiespensable delivery turned out to be this amazing book by a very highly acclaimed British author that I'm embarassed to say I'd never heard of. Really intriguing and engaging story with one of the best opening lines in the history of literature ("It was the day my grandmother exploded"). Part coming of age story and part murder mystery, it left me wanting more of all of the main characters. I'm already planning to read it again to catch all of the clues and intricacies I missed the first time.
And on completely the other side of the coming of age spectrum, Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty. A fun and easy read chock-full of strong female characters. Setting the book in 19th century England boarding school offered some interesting perspectives about what it meant to be a girl/woman at the turn of the century. There's certainly some cheesiness and the plot's pretty convaluted at times, but the author really captures the unique struggles of female friendships. I randomly picked this one up off of the shelf at Bookpeople cause it was a staff pick and only found out AFTER reading that it's a trilogy. I'm curious enough to at least give the next one a try and I think this could be a nice counter balance to the pining of the Twilight series.
Finally, for something completely different - Freakonomics. This one was John's suggestion and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Economics (math) isn't really my thing, but the use of engaging examples to answer life's random questions really drew me in. I can't really speak to the accuracy of any of the arguments (I think there's been some debunking, and several of the concepts are pretty radical), but I do find myself considering the "why's" of things a bit differently, which I think is a good thing.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Quick Update
I keep reading that personal blogging is dead. Given that it's been more than a month since I posted, maybe so...
It's not that things aren't happening, cause they are. There was meeting the Governor and getting to start at the very front at the Race for the Cure, and lots and lots of other running, and I started going to church, and I hated and then kindof liked the Twilight movie. And I'm feeling really good and comfortable in my own skin, for the first time in a long time or maybe ever. And I think I'm in the midst of a major shift in the way I see myself and my role in the world. Funny thing about major philosophical/spiritual/metaphysical shifts is that it's a bit tough to get thoughts around them while ongoing. So maybe all of these things are topics for another day, and I suppose a reason that you and I both should keep coming back here.
I'm also much more into Twitter these days, so you can also follow me there if you find yourself thinking, "Man, I wish I knew more about what Becky's up to..."
It's not that things aren't happening, cause they are. There was meeting the Governor and getting to start at the very front at the Race for the Cure, and lots and lots of other running, and I started going to church, and I hated and then kindof liked the Twilight movie. And I'm feeling really good and comfortable in my own skin, for the first time in a long time or maybe ever. And I think I'm in the midst of a major shift in the way I see myself and my role in the world. Funny thing about major philosophical/spiritual/metaphysical shifts is that it's a bit tough to get thoughts around them while ongoing. So maybe all of these things are topics for another day, and I suppose a reason that you and I both should keep coming back here.
I'm also much more into Twitter these days, so you can also follow me there if you find yourself thinking, "Man, I wish I knew more about what Becky's up to..."
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Girl Books vs. Boy Books
I just finished Christopher Paolini's Brisinger, the 3rd book in (now he tells me!) a 4 book series. I liked it in general - the world he's crafted is beautifully elaborate and the characters are all pretty intriguing. BUT, man do the fight scenes drag on in this book - even more than Tolkien. There's a 10 page scene about forging a new sword, more decapitations than I can count and at least a dozen battles.
While I was dredging through what felt like the millionth battle, I was reminded of Brian's assessment of Stephenie Meyer's The Host. Basically he liked the story (one of the aliens who has taken over the planet falls in with a band of human resistance - drama ensues) but thought there were way too many descriptions of girly feelings. I LOVE the way that Meyer's handles girly angst, which is probably also why I'm such a big Twilight fan, and I think Brian would be super into Paolini's Inheritance Cycle cause the fighting scenes are beautifully crafted.
To think that our preferences are because I'm a girl and he's a boy is certainly an oversimplification, but it still has me wondering. Am I hard wired in some way towards the girliness?
While I was dredging through what felt like the millionth battle, I was reminded of Brian's assessment of Stephenie Meyer's The Host. Basically he liked the story (one of the aliens who has taken over the planet falls in with a band of human resistance - drama ensues) but thought there were way too many descriptions of girly feelings. I LOVE the way that Meyer's handles girly angst, which is probably also why I'm such a big Twilight fan, and I think Brian would be super into Paolini's Inheritance Cycle cause the fighting scenes are beautifully crafted.
To think that our preferences are because I'm a girl and he's a boy is certainly an oversimplification, but it still has me wondering. Am I hard wired in some way towards the girliness?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Lowered expectations
I do the New York Times crossword puzzle whenever I can get my hands on a copy. For those of you who don't know, it gets increasingly harder as the week goes on - I can generally finish through Tuesday, by Saturday I'm totally screwed.
So, I was thrilled when I finished today's puzzle (a Thursday!) in all of about 15 minutes. Then I read the small print next to the puzzle - "all the daily puzzles this week have been contributed by puzzlemakers under the age of 20. Today's crossword is by Lucas Gaviotis Whitestone, 18 of New York City. He is a first year student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. This is his first puzzle for The Times."
Doh.
So, I was thrilled when I finished today's puzzle (a Thursday!) in all of about 15 minutes. Then I read the small print next to the puzzle - "all the daily puzzles this week have been contributed by puzzlemakers under the age of 20. Today's crossword is by Lucas Gaviotis Whitestone, 18 of New York City. He is a first year student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. This is his first puzzle for The Times."
Doh.
Monday, October 13, 2008
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