7 posts tagged “books”
Not that you care what I am reading. But if you do, I have read (but am too lazy to review):
What have you been reading? Over my winter 'break' in Iowa I found the following book at home and picked it up for what was to be a surprisingly entertaining read. Janet Evanovich was actually recommended to me by a friend about four years ago, but I am a firm believer of better late than never (in most situations) [edit 01-31-2009: see #18 above]. The series is about a bounty hunter and the various adventures she gets involved with on cases--some of them are silly and some of them are exciting, and at least the fourth one read like some kind of quasi-mystery novel. It might be playing a bit too much into the whole 'let's create a character that is like the type of woman most girls or young women want to be' (someone who gets to dress up, someone whom multiple men are attracted to, someone who pigs out on desserts when upset, etc.)...but the dialogue and storyline was at least enough to make me laugh when I read it.
I was also given The Sirens of Titan as a holiday gift, a good portion of which I was able to read on my flight back to California, but which I only recently finished. It was great, as have been all of the Vonnegut works I have read, and I was surprised at how this book does not seem antiquated in any sense, despite it being written over 40 years ago... even the parts that have to deal with technology.
I was also given Outliers as a gift, and I am reading it now. So far, it reads like Gladwell's other books (The Tipping Point and Blink): easy to read and full of interesting anecdotes, statistics and specific examples to support his ideas and opinions. I don't think (not having finished it yet) it will offer any formula for becoming successful, but it might paint a clearer picture as to how people become successful and why others don't.
Sorry this post isn't too insightful or lengthy. I've just been too busy reading :)
Now that I have more time to read, I've been leafing through the following books:
The first book I bought on my own. I've heard a lot about it, and it's a very light read. After reading about a third of it, I'm going to throw this out there: there is no reason not to read this book. It is brilliantly simple, heartwarming, and is full of things I wish my parents had told me when I was growing up. In fact, my parents told me more often what NOT to do that what I could do... but that's another story for another time.
The second book is something entirely different. I picked it up from the bookstore as a favor for a friend of mine as a favor (the friend is male), and the book is targeted towards guys who want to pick up girls. I was very intrigued and started paging through it. I have not yet formulated an opinion or decided how the information I've gained could be useful, but it sure is an entertaining read. Women are referred to as 'targets.' You 'neg' a woman by delivering an ambiguous or insulting comment in order to demonstrate "a lack of interest in her" because this will come into play later. This is pretty much just the beginning of many chapters to come; I haven't read much of the book page by page.
But what I've read has been very interesting. For me, it's a funny example of the things guys will go through and think about in order to 'get' women. For a guy... I'm not sure. I think:
1. You may not want to execute the tips given.
2. You may find the information interesting but not applicable.
3. You are reading it for its comedic value.
4. This book will become your Bible* of sorts.
*And it even looks like a book of high quality. It's got a fake leather cover stamped with gold leaf, a red ribbon to mark your place, and gold page edges. Also, the copy I have was curiously found in the "high-risk" section (located on a bookshelf behind the registers) at the bookstore...
Two books I am currently reading (and they're good, or I wouldn't still be reading them...):
Sometimes, I wonder if the current lack of political policy concerning the creation of necessary environmental regulations will come around at a time that is too late to make a difference. In Lester Brown's book, Plan B*, which is available for free online, one of the first things he mentions is how earlier civilizations went into decline because of an issue with food shortages.
- The Sumerians' irrigation system backed up water behind dams and raised water levels, causing water to evaporate and creating soil that became saltier and saltier. They switched crops from wheat to a more salt-tolerant plant, barley, but this obviously wasn't a long-term solution and the food suppy began to diminish.
- The Mayan civilization went into decline because of deforestation and soil erosion.
- Easter Islanders, whose main source of food was from dolphins and seafood, cut trees to build canoes. When they cut more trees than the forest could sustainably yield, they became deprived of their primary access to food and their civilization, like that of the Sumerians and Mayans, began to go into decline.
- Our current civilization faces not only a potential food supply shrinkage but is also experiencing rising temperatures, falling water tables, and shrinking oil supplies. A question raised by Brown is: were the civilizations aware of what was going on but were "simply unable to muster political support," similarly to what we currently face with attempts to lower carbon emissions?
Today, the NYT article "Heat Invades Cool Heights Over Arizona Desert" is just another odd example of how we are aware, yet are seemingly unmoved to attempt to change the ways in which we live to reverse warming trends. It seems as if we are just going to sit and complain about how hot it is rather than actively move to change something about our daily lives, such as reducing energy usage or traveling in more efficient ways. Yes, you are only one person, but we are billions of people on the planet. There simply aren't enough resources to go around, unless you're shafting another country in the process of obtaining your own. It doesn't have to be costly or uncomfortable to live sustainably, although unfortunately I don't think the majority of the world is aware of this, much less the sustainability issue. For a more optimistic outlook, read Lester Brown's book. It's good.
*There is now also Plan B 2.0, still available for free online.
I never really appreciated the calming effect of reading children's books until I became super stressed out in college. While browsing the rack of reading materials at The Java House one day last year, I decided to pick up a children's book to read while waiting for my drink. As I read it, I smiled. How cute. How simple. How...uptlifting? By the time I was finished, I was in such a good mood, and it caught me by surprise.
That's when I realized: the fantasy world of children's books is possibly one of the best places
to escape life for a little while. There is just something about children's books that is safe, uncontroversial, and ultimately, appealing. My friend Caleb once
described the act of reading them as being somewhat of a Zen moment or experience, which I thought was a pretty fitting description.
Pick one up sometime--you might be surprised at how good reading it makes you feel.
Does anyone remember Harold and the Purple Crayon? What a great book.
As of yesterday, I was done with the penultimate semester of my undergraduate education. What happened in a semester?
- I went rock climbing for the first time in Monticello, Iowa with my lab and others--it was SO fun.
- I decided that I want to go to graduate school for the purpose of learning more in order to do more.
- I attended the annual Engineers for a Sustainable World National Conference, which was held this year on The University of Iowa campus, and I hosted a presenter for that weekend. Awesome.
- I went to see Robert F Kennedy Jr. speak at Clarke College in Dubuque, IA, which was pretty sweet.
- I volunteered at an event to scare elementary school kids for Halloween and got punched in the face by a little girl. This was not so sweet.
- I watched: An Inconvenient Truth (must see), The Sketches of Frank Gehry (pretty cool if you like Gehry), Borat, Waking Life, and Koyaanisqatsi (a version created today would probably make me really depressed). Yeah, just 5 movies. I don't have time to watch many things, but if you suggest something, it'll go on my list.
- I started reading The Tipping Point and got about 2/3rds through before I got super busy and ceased to resume reading. Even though I haven't finished it yet, I'm going to recommend it because it's really good.
Is that all? Well, I worked, studied, read, wrote, thought, talked, ran, swung, jumped, danced, slept, ate, drank, listened, walked, watched, cared, and laughed. Now I'm on break for a month, and it's time to catch up on sleep...
- catalysts behind social epidemics, such as the effect of marketing on trends
- why people act certain ways in certain situations
- the psychology behind crime, suicide, and smoking (among many other things)
The book also does a great job of presenting fascinating research results that should collectively influence the decisions you make, or at least change the way you think, and there exists a great potential for positive change if you apply his theories in the right way. If you want a better review than the preceding sentence, try here...
