The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch
I received this book as a present from my maternal grandparents this past Christmas. Before receiving the book, I had no knowledge of the internet sensation that had sprung up around the video of Mr. Pausch, a CS professor dying of pancreatic cancer.
This particular book is largely based around that "Last Lecture." It is an instruction manual of sorts on how to achieve dreams. As such, it is rife with advice and adages.
For some reason I was never able to truly lose myself in the book. There was a disconnect somewhere. This was especially disheartening because I felt guilty for not being able to find that connection. Unless you have children or cancer has deeply affected your life,
Skip it.
May 21, 2009
May 14, 2009
perseverance
The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls, © 2005
autobiographic memoir; 290 pages
Perseverance is defined as steady persistence in a course of action in spite of difficulties. There is no better word to describe how Jeannette Walls, a contributing writer to MSNBC, is able to overcome her family situation and create a successful life for herself. This memoir describes Walls's life growing up in a nomadic family with an alcoholic father and apathetic yet moralistically stubborn mother. If her parents weren't bad enough, wait until you meet the extended family.
What sets this memoir apart from others I've read is it's readability. Interesting lives make good memoirs, but interesting lives plus the ability to write make great memoirs.
Thanks for the recommendation Dave and Cara.
read it
Jeannette Walls, © 2005
autobiographic memoir; 290 pages
Perseverance is defined as steady persistence in a course of action in spite of difficulties. There is no better word to describe how Jeannette Walls, a contributing writer to MSNBC, is able to overcome her family situation and create a successful life for herself. This memoir describes Walls's life growing up in a nomadic family with an alcoholic father and apathetic yet moralistically stubborn mother. If her parents weren't bad enough, wait until you meet the extended family.
What sets this memoir apart from others I've read is it's readability. Interesting lives make good memoirs, but interesting lives plus the ability to write make great memoirs.
Thanks for the recommendation Dave and Cara.
read it
May 11, 2009
liquid
The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin'
Bill Zehme, © 1997
biography; 245 pages
My expectations were high when a friend loaned this book to me. Based on the fawning review I received, I naturally assumed it would be great. Inevitably, of course, I was let down.
The premise of the book is to let readers in on the way Frank lived his life through intimate stories and quotes. While many biographies hunt up endless minutiae to flesh out a man's life, this particular book opted for scattered relations instead of a chronological account. In many ways it was interesting and somewhat enlightening, but one a whole I found it a disappointment. Though it was by no means the intent of the author, I ended up feeling sorry for Frank Sinatra. Instead of eliciting envy and awe, there was pity. His supposed "art of livin" appeared empty and callow. While I am by no means a teetotaler, the reliance on booze for a good time made his (and by association so many others) life look sad.
Unless you are a die-hard Sinatra lover, SKIP IT.
Bill Zehme, © 1997
biography; 245 pages
My expectations were high when a friend loaned this book to me. Based on the fawning review I received, I naturally assumed it would be great. Inevitably, of course, I was let down.
The premise of the book is to let readers in on the way Frank lived his life through intimate stories and quotes. While many biographies hunt up endless minutiae to flesh out a man's life, this particular book opted for scattered relations instead of a chronological account. In many ways it was interesting and somewhat enlightening, but one a whole I found it a disappointment. Though it was by no means the intent of the author, I ended up feeling sorry for Frank Sinatra. Instead of eliciting envy and awe, there was pity. His supposed "art of livin" appeared empty and callow. While I am by no means a teetotaler, the reliance on booze for a good time made his (and by association so many others) life look sad.
Unless you are a die-hard Sinatra lover, SKIP IT.
May 9, 2009
taxing
The Twilight Saga
Stephanie Meyer, © 2005 - 2008
vampire fiction (young adult)
If you haven't heard about Twilight by now you should probably contact Guinness Records to find out if they'll declare you the most out of touch person on the planet. Until this past summer I could have competed for that award. While dating a young woman in a lazy Arkansan town, I first discovered the Twilight saga. It was via her adolescent sister that I obtained my first knowledge of this story of star-crossed teenage lovers. Prior to that particularly warm afternoon in a poorly ventilated Mexican dive, I had never caught so much as a whiff of this vampiric saga. I was peacefully oblivious. As the weeks wore on I began to hear more and more about this "sensation" that was gripping the short, sugar-infused attention spans of female adolescents. I then began to realize that this phenomenon was not limited to overly dramatic fourteen year old girls. Actual adults were being swept up in the mania. I'm never one to dismiss any craze that promotes reading, so my level of intrigue was slowly being ratcheted up by the attention bestowed on the saga.
Despite this, I still had no real plans to read the saga. I was content with ignorantly poking fun. Then a co-worker began reading the first book (on the recommendation of her sister) and suggested I read it when she was finished. About two days later she was. The book sat, slowly gathering dust on my dresser for a couple weeks before I got around to opening it up. It was methodical (a trait I was soon to discover in all the books within the series), perhaps a quintessential example of rising action. The series is built as a formula. Step one, build the character(s). Step two, introduce possible love interest. Step three, build their relationship. Step four, throw a wrench into their bliss via danger. Step five, happy ending. While this formula varies slightly from book to book, the general process holds true (of course, in books 2-4, the happiness that ends the prior book is usually upended to drive the story forward).
What I mean to highlight with the above knowledge is an answer to the rabid popularity. Much like The Da Vinci Code or any number of best-sellers, what is being devoured isn't literature so much as it is suspense. An itching desire to find out what is going on in the story. They seek out our basest emotions. But this "suspense" is just a part of the craze behind the series. Females connect with Bella (the protagonist). They connect with her feelings of uncertainty, inadequacy, heartbreak and deep desire. In many ways she is that "regular girl," nothing overtly special about her on the outside, but she holds a wealth of internal fortitude. She blossoms into something special as the saga advances. The author does a great job of selling this, of throwing out the character bait to the reader. The audience takes it. Every female reader sees a little bit of herself in Bella.
This series is definitely geared to a younger audience. Beyond the actual writing, it is most obvious in the handling of the physical relation between two of the main characters. For the most part the issue was glossed over. Nothing more than kissing ever occurred. It was in the fourth book that true allusions to coitus appear. It was, of course, post marital though and thus, I assume, made it okay for the influential adolescent set.
Most of my complaints about the saga are rooted more in my own arrogant literary predilections than any true qualms with the saga. Though I found it to be quite formulaic and somewhat predictable, it was engaging. While I knew the final outcome would, no doubt, be a happy one, I still very much wanted to know and thus continued to read. Which, I suppose, is a good sign. The series is a bit of fluff, an easy yet engrossing read. I consider it not unlike a Lifetime special movie or some such romantic piece that overtly courts your emotions instead of your head. Which probably goes a long way in explaining its hysterical popularity among so many women. And at least one begrudging man...
Consider It.
Stephanie Meyer, © 2005 - 2008
vampire fiction (young adult)
If you haven't heard about Twilight by now you should probably contact Guinness Records to find out if they'll declare you the most out of touch person on the planet. Until this past summer I could have competed for that award. While dating a young woman in a lazy Arkansan town, I first discovered the Twilight saga. It was via her adolescent sister that I obtained my first knowledge of this story of star-crossed teenage lovers. Prior to that particularly warm afternoon in a poorly ventilated Mexican dive, I had never caught so much as a whiff of this vampiric saga. I was peacefully oblivious. As the weeks wore on I began to hear more and more about this "sensation" that was gripping the short, sugar-infused attention spans of female adolescents. I then began to realize that this phenomenon was not limited to overly dramatic fourteen year old girls. Actual adults were being swept up in the mania. I'm never one to dismiss any craze that promotes reading, so my level of intrigue was slowly being ratcheted up by the attention bestowed on the saga.
Despite this, I still had no real plans to read the saga. I was content with ignorantly poking fun. Then a co-worker began reading the first book (on the recommendation of her sister) and suggested I read it when she was finished. About two days later she was. The book sat, slowly gathering dust on my dresser for a couple weeks before I got around to opening it up. It was methodical (a trait I was soon to discover in all the books within the series), perhaps a quintessential example of rising action. The series is built as a formula. Step one, build the character(s). Step two, introduce possible love interest. Step three, build their relationship. Step four, throw a wrench into their bliss via danger. Step five, happy ending. While this formula varies slightly from book to book, the general process holds true (of course, in books 2-4, the happiness that ends the prior book is usually upended to drive the story forward).
What I mean to highlight with the above knowledge is an answer to the rabid popularity. Much like The Da Vinci Code or any number of best-sellers, what is being devoured isn't literature so much as it is suspense. An itching desire to find out what is going on in the story. They seek out our basest emotions. But this "suspense" is just a part of the craze behind the series. Females connect with Bella (the protagonist). They connect with her feelings of uncertainty, inadequacy, heartbreak and deep desire. In many ways she is that "regular girl," nothing overtly special about her on the outside, but she holds a wealth of internal fortitude. She blossoms into something special as the saga advances. The author does a great job of selling this, of throwing out the character bait to the reader. The audience takes it. Every female reader sees a little bit of herself in Bella.
This series is definitely geared to a younger audience. Beyond the actual writing, it is most obvious in the handling of the physical relation between two of the main characters. For the most part the issue was glossed over. Nothing more than kissing ever occurred. It was in the fourth book that true allusions to coitus appear. It was, of course, post marital though and thus, I assume, made it okay for the influential adolescent set.
Most of my complaints about the saga are rooted more in my own arrogant literary predilections than any true qualms with the saga. Though I found it to be quite formulaic and somewhat predictable, it was engaging. While I knew the final outcome would, no doubt, be a happy one, I still very much wanted to know and thus continued to read. Which, I suppose, is a good sign. The series is a bit of fluff, an easy yet engrossing read. I consider it not unlike a Lifetime special movie or some such romantic piece that overtly courts your emotions instead of your head. Which probably goes a long way in explaining its hysterical popularity among so many women. And at least one begrudging man...
Consider It.
April 29, 2009
timeless
The Hobbit: or There and Back Again
J.R.R. Tolkien, © 1937
fantasy; 290 pages
I know this isn't contemporary, but it has been on my 'to read list' for years. I borrowed an old copy from KG, which added to the experience of this great story. The Hobbit follows the adventure of Bilbo Baggins and an expedition of dwarves to reclaim their treasure guarded by the dragon Smaug. I was pleasantly surprised by the light-hearted tone Tolkien uses for this story.
My only prior exposure to his work are the Lord of The Rings movies. Although I'm glad I finally read this great story, I'm not sure I'm going to dive right into the trilogy. Not quite ready for the time commitment...yet.
read it
J.R.R. Tolkien, © 1937
fantasy; 290 pages
I know this isn't contemporary, but it has been on my 'to read list' for years. I borrowed an old copy from KG, which added to the experience of this great story. The Hobbit follows the adventure of Bilbo Baggins and an expedition of dwarves to reclaim their treasure guarded by the dragon Smaug. I was pleasantly surprised by the light-hearted tone Tolkien uses for this story.
My only prior exposure to his work are the Lord of The Rings movies. Although I'm glad I finally read this great story, I'm not sure I'm going to dive right into the trilogy. Not quite ready for the time commitment...yet.
read it
April 27, 2009
sonic
Across the Great Divide: The Band and America
Barney Hoskyns and The Band, © 1993
non-fiction; 430 pages
As I'm sure many of you are aware, I'm a huge fan of The Band. So, while I personally contend that they were the greatest ensemble of all time (and will argue this point with anyone willing to engage), I feel that I'm discerning enough to look at a dissection of their career with an open and judicious mind.
It was with some excitement that I first began reading Across The Great Divide: The Band and America. Barney Hoskyn's examination of the relation between the great nation and the largely Canadian group is a triumph of music scholarship (I don't buy into the contention that the Pilgrim's Progress essay within the seminal Mystery Train by Greil Marcus is more revelatory at all). While the volume tells the story of The Band, it's greater purpose is its exploration of America revealed through the eyes of these four outsiders from the north and their full-throttle razorback from the Delta. Hoskyns relates how the quintet was able to pull back a curtain and illuminate the essence of America through both their musical arrangements and their lyrics. In addition to this, he also builds on how their elucidation of America changed the shape of modern music and garnered fawning acolytes out of people like George Harrison, Eric Clapton, etc.
Marvelously researched and easily readable. Hands down a must for anyone with a passing interest in (popular) American music and/or the history of its aggregate parts.
Consider it
Barney Hoskyns and The Band, © 1993
non-fiction; 430 pages
As I'm sure many of you are aware, I'm a huge fan of The Band. So, while I personally contend that they were the greatest ensemble of all time (and will argue this point with anyone willing to engage), I feel that I'm discerning enough to look at a dissection of their career with an open and judicious mind.
It was with some excitement that I first began reading Across The Great Divide: The Band and America. Barney Hoskyn's examination of the relation between the great nation and the largely Canadian group is a triumph of music scholarship (I don't buy into the contention that the Pilgrim's Progress essay within the seminal Mystery Train by Greil Marcus is more revelatory at all). While the volume tells the story of The Band, it's greater purpose is its exploration of America revealed through the eyes of these four outsiders from the north and their full-throttle razorback from the Delta. Hoskyns relates how the quintet was able to pull back a curtain and illuminate the essence of America through both their musical arrangements and their lyrics. In addition to this, he also builds on how their elucidation of America changed the shape of modern music and garnered fawning acolytes out of people like George Harrison, Eric Clapton, etc.
Marvelously researched and easily readable. Hands down a must for anyone with a passing interest in (popular) American music and/or the history of its aggregate parts.
Consider it
amazing
Maniac Magee
Jerry Spinelli, © 1990
children's fiction; 180 pages
Maniac Magee was my favorite book growing up. My 5th grade class read just finished reading this book together. While it was not everyones favorite we enjoyed it and had some great conversations. Here are a few choice excerpts from our final writing assignment where students were asked to describe what this book made them think about or a lesson learned.
...when someone gets tired of going to school or work I would say don't give up just keep on running, it will pay off for you one day.
[Maniac] is not doing it for fame, respect, or himself. He was thinking of others. I think that in the future, you should do more selfless acts and less selfish acts and think of others. That would probably make people friendlier.
I think the most important thing about a home is a family that cares about each other.
You should get your education so if you don't go to the pro's you can do anything else you want.
and my favorite...
Racism starts with ignorance. If you don't know what other people are like then just don't assume things about them. Try to get to know them.
Maniac is an orphan who runs away from his aunt and uncles house to a racially divided town. Through is adventures and friendships he is able to bring the town together and find a home of his own. I really enjoy reading this book with this age group because it covers great themes like friendship, family, racism, and acceptance.
read it
Jerry Spinelli, © 1990
children's fiction; 180 pages
Maniac Magee was my favorite book growing up. My 5th grade class read just finished reading this book together. While it was not everyones favorite we enjoyed it and had some great conversations. Here are a few choice excerpts from our final writing assignment where students were asked to describe what this book made them think about or a lesson learned.
...when someone gets tired of going to school or work I would say don't give up just keep on running, it will pay off for you one day.
[Maniac] is not doing it for fame, respect, or himself. He was thinking of others. I think that in the future, you should do more selfless acts and less selfish acts and think of others. That would probably make people friendlier.
I think the most important thing about a home is a family that cares about each other.
You should get your education so if you don't go to the pro's you can do anything else you want.
and my favorite...
Racism starts with ignorance. If you don't know what other people are like then just don't assume things about them. Try to get to know them.
Maniac is an orphan who runs away from his aunt and uncles house to a racially divided town. Through is adventures and friendships he is able to bring the town together and find a home of his own. I really enjoy reading this book with this age group because it covers great themes like friendship, family, racism, and acceptance.
read it
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