Liz: ...You can ask me some questions, but I don't want really write a full review. I want to be FREEEEEEEE!!!! *kindoMe: You wanna write that review?
Liz: ...You can ask me some questions, but I don't want really write a full review. I want to be FREEEEEEEE!!!! *kindof laughs*
Philip: How many stars did you give it?
Liz: 4
Philip: Why 4?
Liz: Because it was an Audiobook and it could keep my attention, which is impressive.
Philip: I like that we always listen to audiobooks on our way down to spring break. Sorry that I commandeered our first pick and ruined it.
Liz: Ok. Phil. You wouldn't have ruined it. It's just better when we choose together.
Philip: Yeah. I know. That's why I said sorry.
Philip: I'm saying that you're saying, "Are you really putting this in the review?"
Liz: I'm not saying that, though.
Philip: Okay... then what should I put?
Liz: I don't know, but I like it to be truthful.
Philip: Fair enough, fair enough. What was your favorite part?
Liz: Ummmmm... (wants to watch TV) When the... when the... maybe when we found out that her (view spoiler)[husband was crazy (hide spoiler)]
Philip: Yeah. I liked that part, too. I also liked the part about the dinosaur trees.
Liz: Ok.
Philip: Should I do the rest of the review on my own?
Liz: I'm sorry. I was just planning on reading. But you can ask me a few more questions.
Philip: No. I think you have it right. Reading is way better than reviewing, anyway. Maybe I'll go do the same. But I was happy to read this book with you. :)
...I think probably the water was too cold. I saw Titanic. It's cold water....more
"Do you even know how paper is made? It's not like steel. You don't put it into a furnace. If you put paper into a furnace, do you know what would hap"Do you even know how paper is made? It's not like steel. You don't put it into a furnace. If you put paper into a furnace, do you know what would happen? You'd ruin it!" -Michael Scott - (S5E20; "New Boss)
Guys: Join a book club. Start a book club. It's worth it. There's no chance I would have picked up this book on my own, and I really enjoyed it.
My favorite part was early on - more the history of writing, than about paper, per se - but it related, obviously. How writing developed. Differences in places it developed. How paper influenced that development.
The differences in paper... and paper that's not paper - like parchment. Papyrus. Etc... (I mean, I get it. I really do. But for all intents and purposes, it's paper - right? You're not going to sell me on that one.) (Okay maybe not ALL intents and purposes - because a lot of paper has different purposes... Like, we're using far less paper today - or are we? We seem to be shipping a lot more in cardboard (Amazon, etc...) (cardboard - i.e. "paper") boxes..., no?)(I have just decided to go for my parenthetical aside record. Start the clock.)
A key thesis in the book: The Technology Fallacy. ...I mean, that's the title of the prologue - and then comes up in some form or another like... a dozen more times... The technology fallacy claims that society develops technologies to meet its needs - to meet the needs of society. Often times we think that it is technology changing society - but it's society that develops technology to meet the needs of said society.
In general, I bought the argument. Society was clamoring for more written material - so (as they say) invention is born out of necessity. China invented paper, but used it for wrapping rather than writing.
On the other hand, I think there is something of a cyclical nature to this that Kurlansky ignores. The more technology grants access, the more the technology can spread. Salesmen CREATE and DEVELOP markets. When society realizes the technology, the demand arrives. He brushes against this with his discussion of inventors and businessmen, but I thought he could have conceded more.
I loved the nuggets in the book. The paper bombs from Japan. The paper made from linen, and the push to collect garments.
Paper mills creating their own electricity and feeding it back to the grid.
Recycling, and whether it's all it's cracked up to be.
It was good, and kept me interested.
And people brought paper to the club. Cool paper. We have an artist in the group, who, in his studies had to do half the stuff they described in the book. Lithographs, and block prints, different types of paper, water colors, sketches, etc... We had a guy bring old blue prints and a hundred+ year old book.
Join a book club. And sometimes read those books on paper* instead of an e-reader or audio. ...But also, you know... join a book club.
*I actually did this as mix of audio and hardcover......more
"Art is what you can get away with." - Andy Warhol
...Or so they say...
Sometimes I wonder how much gaslighting is going on. Like... Percival Everett?? "Art is what you can get away with." - Andy Warhol
...Or so they say...
Sometimes I wonder how much gaslighting is going on. Like... Percival Everett?? I hadn't heard of the guy, and then we read The Trees for book club, and in that "also by" section, it was like: bam bam bam bam bam! A trillion books by Percival Everett.
There's a scene in Wag the Dog (the premise of which is they have Hollywood manufacture a war to distract American voters from a presidential sex scandal 10 days or so before an election...) where they have to create a song, and make it seem like the song had been written in the 1930s... Good Ol' Shoe... They record the song, and put it in the National Archives and back date it. And then the whole world thinks this song existed forever, you know? I'm fairly convinced that THAT'S where Percival Everett came from. There's my conspiracy theory of the day.
Even if it's true, I'm going through a lot of his back catalogue, and just picked up James - which is not back catalogue, but recent... This guy is prolific. (The link is Everett on Seth Meyers discussing the book. ...Well, allegedly Everett, anyway.)
Possible spoilers ahead:
Erasure is a book about an intellectual black author, who gets frustrated that all books by black authors have to be BLACK books. Think rap, basketball, and the hood. Frustrated that "We's Lives in da Ghetto" gets printed, and optioned into a movie... and he writes his own blacksploitation parody memoir in protest on a lark. But it gets accepted. And published. And praised. And awarded.
This was made into the movie American Fiction in late 2023. It looks great, and I'm looking forward to watching it soon.
Do you remember when A Million Little Pieces - a memoir about addiction by Jame Frey came out? And he went on Oprah, and it was an Oprah's Book Club book, and then it came out that he'd faked a lot of it and people got pissed? That's the tension in this book. Our protagonist - Monk - has written a book that he's pawning off as true to life, but it's really a parody. And in trying to make his point, a bunch of counter points are made for him.
I think we have to be clear on something else, too. Everett's making a point about black books - but only certain black books. One could argue that The Trees/Erasure/James are ALL "black books." Even more, that Everett is gets some level of elevation from the praise of the "We's Lives in da Ghettos" even though these things are not the same. And I'm not sure where the cutoff line in the spectrum is. The Hate U Give? Kwame Alexander? Native Son???
Erasure is an exceptional book on its own merits. Funny and biting and sad. And it says the F word more than any book I've read in a while. Especially the meta section. That it was (allegedly) written in 2001 makes me wonder if Everett was ahead of his time, or if we've just been stuck in it longer than I've realized....more
The friend who recommend me this book asked me my thoughts. This is what I texted him:
Without showing my hand too far, I’m already pretty squarely whe
The friend who recommend me this book asked me my thoughts. This is what I texted him:
Without showing my hand too far, I’m already pretty squarely where he’s at. I did my best to be engaged in my small corner of community - joining the movement to protest the [redacted] County Immigration Detention Center a few years back - which ultimately stopped it from going in. Being [redacted]’s liaison for Teach [redacted] County, etc… etc…
I’m nervous of the rise and appeal of authoritarianism, but have good friends who are good people who embrace it. So, I just try to be patient and listen without letting bitterness creep in, but I can’t say I’m 100% successful, there.
And
"It’s hard to tell if he’s alarmist, or if we’ll all be wishing we’d all been ringing a louder bell…"
Maybe it's that I'm already there that I'm only giving 3 stars. Fatigue? But also, I can't see a book like this appealing to the people I think we need it to appeal to. And it felt like an appeal to keep the former president out of office, but the election is over, so it's like the echo of the screams into the abyss rather than the screams themselves.
Finally, it was a bit repetitive.
But I understand the message, agree with it, and hope to do my part....more
A few years ago, PBS came out with The Great American Read - you can see their list of books HERE. Memoirs of a Geisha had been on my to-read list forA few years ago, PBS came out with The Great American Read - you can see their list of books HERE. Memoirs of a Geisha had been on my to-read list for quite some time before that, and I'm still (slowly) making my way through that Great American Read list... I've read 58/100 of these, and several are in the queue.
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I'm sure it's not completely historically accurate. I feel like they just kind of glossed over the invasion of Manchuria, but maybe books shouldn't hit every major historical event, lest they all become some version of Forrest Gump. When Katrina hit, for instance, I was newly married, and we chose to live without a TV. Phones still had buttons, and we were T-9ing our way through everything rather than doom-scrolling the levy breakage. So maybe, in a way, it's more historically accurate to leave out important bits of history.
Maybe it's the American in me, but I loved the ending. I was certain it was not the ending we were going to get, and then: there it was.
Also, I spent some time looking at kimono, obi, etc... online. This was my favorite. It's from The Baltimore Museum of Art.. Definitely worth checking out....more
Eleanor used to listen to this audiobook when she was very little, "Muncha, Muncha, Muncha" about a rabbit that ate everything. The narrator would reaEleanor used to listen to this audiobook when she was very little, "Muncha, Muncha, Muncha" about a rabbit that ate everything. The narrator would read this one part really slowly... "Muncha... MUNcha... MUNCHA!"
Anyway, that first story: fantastic. I keep thinking about it.
Stephen King is a gift. A gift. His introductions are wonderful. The insights he gives as to who he reads, and who influences him, and where some of these ideas came from... How his processes change and how there isn't just one method of inspiration.
He says in the intro to UR that he took some heat for writing it - was called a shill for Amazon, or whatever. ...Whatever. I loved that story. I thought it was fantastic. I just saw that Will Patton* - who narrated a story or two in here - also narrated Hemingways to Have and Have Not... I didn't even know that story existed. And maybe it didn't.
In the intro to The Dune, King said that he thought he got the ending right in it. He did. I don't know if he said that because he gets criticized for his endings sometimes or not - maybe he spoke to that... I don't remember. But yeah: nailed that one.
The intro to Batman and Robin Have an Altercation was so good.
And Blockade Billy - what a baseball story!
And the Cookie Jar?
Alternate Reality is hotter than ever, and King is fanning the flames. Maybe he lit the match.
Very recommendable. I'm glad I read it. And I'm glad I started reading King late, because I still have a lot to look forward to.
*Audiobook narrators often make or break a book. I love Will Patton's narration. I just found that on Libby you can search books by narrator - which is also how I found that Hemingway novel. I'm guessing certain narrators have high standards - as such, I'm going to start choosing my next audiobook based on who is reading....more
Man, I finished this like... a month ago. I thought it was pretty good, and kept me entertained the whole time. I haven't read any of the other reviewMan, I finished this like... a month ago. I thought it was pretty good, and kept me entertained the whole time. I haven't read any of the other reviews of the book on here, but I imagine a lot of them have to do with how different the book is from the movie. I read quite a few books that have become movies, and there are always differences - but this one: dang. I thought there were a lot.
Not that I'm complaining.
The biggest: the monkey, the astronauts, and the cannibals.
I thought most of the book - including the war parts - seemed like Groom was writing from a place he knew and understood. But when he got to the astronauts and cannibals, it seemed like he was writing as someone who had read a MAD Magazine story, and taken it as factual and Gospel Truth, and then used that as source material in his own book.
Maybe that's why they kept it out of the movie?...more
Liz and I listened to this (along with Foster) on the way home from spring break. Between the two, I prefer Foster, but I think they're both deservingLiz and I listened to this (along with Foster) on the way home from spring break. Between the two, I prefer Foster, but I think they're both deserving of 5 stars. Soon, my average rating will be 4.998.
I have an Irish friend who interned at Roddy Doyle's "Fighting Words." Keegan did a reading there back in like... 2007, and he was invited, of course - but didn't go. He's kicking himself, now, as you can imagine. And I made sure to call him a loser....more
This was a book club book, and it was fun. Liz and I listened to it on the way down to Florida for Spring Break... The premise was fun and interestingThis was a book club book, and it was fun. Liz and I listened to it on the way down to Florida for Spring Break... The premise was fun and interesting. It kept us guessing. And spaced everything out enough so you'd forget that you suspected this person or that person, and then brought it back around to recast suspicion and remind you.
Since it was a book club pick, I didn't write the review immediately after spring break - because I was going to listen to what everybody else thought and then reframe my review accordingly. But as is inevitably the case: book club came and went, and I haven't had time to write a review. And so, all those great, insightful thoughts: gone.
I will say that for book club, we made a WHOLE bunch of categories, put them all into two hats, and then drew. And we had to choose a book from that category. We only get about a book a year, so it was risky. But it got some of us to branch out....more
"But you - you wanna give me a run-around? Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up? When all it does is slow me down." - Blues Traveler.
A quick note "But you - you wanna give me a run-around? Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up? When all it does is slow me down." - Blues Traveler.
A quick note on the quotes: I "read" this via audiobook. So, all quotes may be inexact, as I transcribed them by hand, and then typed them into the review. I'm still putting them in quotes, though. I'd like to think they're pretty darn close.
"We are all faced with a problem: bureaucratic practices, habits, and sensibilities engulf us. Our lives have come to be organized around the filling out of forms, yet the language we have to talk about these things is not just woefully inadequate, it might as well have been designed to make the problem worse."
"Freedom has to be in tension with something, or it's just randomness."
"Freedom, then, really is the tension of the free play of human creativity against the rules it is constantly generating."
There was a section early on in the book where Graeber wrote about a bureaucratic run-around. (Stop me if you heard this one before.) I can't remember it exactly, as it's been a month and a half since I finished this book. But his mom (I think) needed medical assistance. He filled out the forms, and submitted them, but submitted them to the wrong drop box. Or completed them with her name, and they required her maiden name. Or needed her to sign the documents. Or needed her to sign the documents in front of a notary public. Or didn't date the last form, so it could not be processed. Or had the insurance branch switch to a new location, so they would have to start over. Or. Or. Or. I can't remember it all, but we've all dealt with the automated answering systems that have 10 options - none of which fit our predicament. And after picking the closest option 14 times, we're directed to the top of the tree to start over. We've all dealt with it: and it stresses me out to write about it. I'll let you guess whether Graeber's situation ended well or not.
Bureaucracy is intended to make things more efficient. QA exists so we make and send out good parts. OSHA's rules and regulations came from somewhere. The EPA, and all of their hoops: the same. Each state runs their education system. Indiana's IDOE just said that teachers have to attain 80 hours of continuous training and retake the Praxis. Guess whose dime that will ultimately be on.
Bureaucracy is the Frankenstein story told in redtape and paperwork.
"A BA is required for jobs that by no stretch of the imagination need two years of full time training, let alone four.
...The promotion of college as a requirement of middle class life has resulted in the exclusion of the non-college educated from professions of public influence."
And how.
Graeber traces that path - from requiring credentials where un-needed, to forcing those trying to better themselves by attaining those credentials, to the financiers who get rich off of that credentialing.
When I was in college, and read Federalist 10 - my prof was quick to point out to the class that this was written for uneducated, 18th century farmers - so be careful about complaining about how difficult it was.
A lot of his point - and one I've come more and more to embrace is that uneducated - at least in the formal sense - should never be equated with stupidity. It's a view I've always held, but more-and-more don't just hold, but embrace tightly, and promote.
"Credentials function as de facto permission to speak. ...Ability is discounted without credentials, but the ability to purchase credentials rests - more often than not - on family wealth." (That might not have been a direct quote.)
...for everyone else, the main result for one's years of professional training is to ensure that one is saddled with such an enormous burden of student debt that a substantial chunk of any subsequent income one will get for pursuing that profession will henceforth be syphoned off each month by the business sector.
In some cases, the new training requirements can only be described as outright scams - as when leaders and those prepared to set up the training programs, jointly lobby the government to insist that, say, all pharmacists be henceforward required to pass some additional qualifying examination - forcing those already practicing the profession into night school, which these pharmacists know many will only be able to afford with the help of high-interest student loans.
By doing this, lenders are in effect legislating themselves a cut of most pharmacist's subsequent incomes.
It made me consider teachers, especially. In Indiana, there's been a push to allow more people in the classroom. We've got a transition-to-teaching program. You don't have to have had the education classes that were once required. Some teachers view this as the de-legitimizing, and de-professionalizing of the profession. On the other hand, the added fiery hoops they now have to jump through aren't and can't be viewed as legitimizing and professionalizing.
And considering the pay teachers get, and the amount of student loans they were required to take out to get the licenses they were required to have (at least before the accessibility of the transition-to-teaching...)
"Increasingly, corporate profits in America are not derived from commerce or industry at all, but from finance - which means, ultimately - from other people's debts. These debts do not just happen by accident. To a large degree, they are engineered."
We certainly need teachers. And we certainly have a lot of teachers with incredible amounts of student debt, yet to pay off.
Much of the book dealt with power. There was a story of a strike in Marseilles, and it's true reasons. It's worth picking up the book just to flip to that section. The workers made the improvements. Increased output. Made record profits. Did not get raises. More and more middle managers were hired who had clip boards. Took times. Took higher salaries. Came to the conclusion that they would need to relocate to a cushier place for themselves, where they could pay the laborers less.
"It's those who do not have the power to hire and fire who are left with the work of figuring out what actually did go wrong so as to make sure it doesn't happen again."
As someone who does have the power to hire and fire: dang: it is sometimes difficult to suss out what went wrong, how we can avoid mishaps in the future, what should be the consequences, etc...
The book is really about power, freedom, creativity and violence. That rule (i.e. bureaucracy) comes into play in all of this.
Speaking of play, there's another GREAT section on play vs games. Games having rules, play being free. Play always devolving into some (formal or informal) set of rules, becoming game. And language - having that tension between rules and the freedom to tinker and create.
Putting yourself in new situations - constantly - is the only way to ensure that you make your decisions unencumbered by the inertia of habit, custom, law, or prejudice. And it is up to you to create these situations. Freedom only exists in the moment of revolution, and those moments are not as rare as you think. Change - revolutionary change - is going on constantly, and everywhere. And everyone plays a part in it - consciously or not.
For me, the book was very accessible at the beginning, but became more and more academic as it went on. That makes it difficult for this style of off-the-cuff review. Especially since I only listened to audio, and don't have the time to delve deeper.
But there was so much - ideas shut down by the bureaucrat in the corner - we can't do that because "it didn't work before" or "it did work for someone else, but that means it's already patented and we wouldn't want to break (or look like we're breaking) copyright/patent laws."
"All the labor saving machinery that has hitherto been invented has not lessened the toil of a single human being." - John Stuart Mill
And bureaucracy as secret-keeping. I see this all the time - whether it's the self-preservation of the guys on the floor who don't want someone else to take their job, or administrative leave hush-hush because they don't want people to know they botched the "investigation." Or that song in Hamilton, lol - The Room Where it Happened.
The book warrants a second reading. READING, this time - with notes in the margins. But I've heard Bullshit Jobs pulls from this a lot, and might be worth jumping to.
Whatever the case, I think if you haven't read Graeber, it's worth jumping to something of his....more
I was trying to push this on someone, because I loved it. And I know they loved The Glass Castle. So, I was comparing the two. He said, that his frienI was trying to push this on someone, because I loved it. And I know they loved The Glass Castle. So, I was comparing the two. He said, that his friend couldn't finish the Glass Castle, because of how much it reminded him of his own childhood. And my wife, she said... she said, "but this book isn't really like the Glass Castle at all."
But it is. Southern childhood in poverty, or near there. Abuse - but complicated. There was assuredly love in both of these families. Gas-lighting. What it means to be a child. What it means to be a woman. Education and loss. Realizations and self-realizations.
But Liz. She said... she said, "It's like the Glass Castle, but with the hope of God." And I thought, "Yeah. That's accurate." But in a way that I don't think it would be off-putting to Christians, or former Christians. Especially people who have been hurt by the church, or by people claiming to be the church.
But maybe. I didn't really read it as a Christian book, so much as a glimpse into one person's existence, if that makes sense.
I listened to Beth Moore read this. I've never sat though one of her video-Bible-studies, so her voice was new to me. I thought it was just the best. Arkadelphia. What a name, am I right?
There's plenty we could dive into: racism, mental health, church hurt, childhood loss of friends, the mental toll of moving, cults of personality - both hers and the backlashes, and twitter storms. And read this book. Or listen to it.
But I have to bring up one topic that I didn't understand. Maybe spoilers, idk - this is a person's life we're talking about here.
Moore has (as far as I'm aware) always been very open about the abuse she's endured. And it was at the hands of her father. It sounds like - from this book - it was sexual abuse. Now, again, I listened to it, so I may have missed something.
And in the book, she talks about going to his deathbed and holding his hand. And she talks about the coverups in the Southern Baptist Convention and other Christian spheres of influence. She does not talk about her pedophile dad doing hard time. She talks about love and forgiveness.
I think that's the hardest thing to reconcile about Christianity as a whole, and the book in particular.
We tend to look at our own situations as individual situations, and then not lump them in with the multitudinous situations that are so very similar to our own. But we're pretty good and self-righteous about judging those (very complicated, individual) situations.
I'm going to expand this into an essay sometime soon, about grace and forgiveness being the singular draw and achellies heal of Christianity. It has both helped me (personally) immensely, and really set my mental health back a couple degrees.
But I don't want to poo-poo this book. It was phenomenal. A read worth a reread - especially if you're in my circles....more
Read/Listened to this for a second time, with a different narrator. Still didn't love it. So sue me. I got to book club, and during the discussion, I Read/Listened to this for a second time, with a different narrator. Still didn't love it. So sue me. I got to book club, and during the discussion, I was like: did I even read the same book? I feel like that rarely happens, but 100% happened this time....more
Fair enough, this isn't the version I read - and I didn't read: I listened. I had a difficult time tracking with the narrator, which, as you know makeFair enough, this isn't the version I read - and I didn't read: I listened. I had a difficult time tracking with the narrator, which, as you know makes it difficult.
I've still got two weeks before book club, so I'm getting another edition, and trying again: although it's another audiobook version.
My friend Peter, who also listens to audiobooks, assured me that the new edition is better than the one I started with. (I think he had the same problem as I.)
So, two stars for now, but I'll come back and give it a proper review after I give it a proper listen.
OH! My sister used to LOVE Agatha Christie. Maybe she still does. But she was one of those who would read the last chapter first. So now maybe I'm duplicating that - albeit in a lengthier fashion....more
There was a lot to like in this book, but there may be too many large gaps in my cultural knowledge for me to really take to it.
I appreciated a lot ofThere was a lot to like in this book, but there may be too many large gaps in my cultural knowledge for me to really take to it.
I appreciated a lot of Klosterman's humor - the "but that too will be a lie" was really insightful and honest, albeit a little damning.
And when he wrote that being interesting has been replaced by being identifiable, I thought to give it at least four stars for that line alone.
Apologies to my future self for not writing down my thoughts earlier. This book would have to be read again for me to get it, and that's probably not happening.
But I am going to read "The Nineties." And I'm going to pay closer attention, and review it more quickly upon finishing....more
I'm going to let Eleanor determine how many stars to give How to Read Literature Like a Professor. She read it for her Honors English class... Maybe iI'm going to let Eleanor determine how many stars to give How to Read Literature Like a Professor. She read it for her Honors English class... Maybe it's IB English... I'm not sure. But it was part of her summer reading. I asked her if I could read along, and she said yes: of course.
I thought it was great. My biggest take away (and something I've learned on my own, of course - especially after these last 15 years or so) is that the more you read, the more you have a grasp on what stories are. You can't see what authors are doing, if you can't connect it to what's been done.
In a simpler sense, the One-Story - i.e. literature - is a bit like the formulaic mystery or chick lit romance or John Grisham lawyer books: you can often kind of see what they're doing well in advance. The tropes are - by their nature - well worn. But in the One-Story, the ruts aren't so clearly defined. In Joe Hill's NOS4AT2 - we know, we know Charlie Manx is a vampire. I mean: the book's license plate title is a hat tip to the second most famous vampire of all time. But we also see it calling back to Joe's dad's seminal masterpiece, IT - which is also a vampire novel. NOS4A2 recalls King's Christine, as well - which I know even without having read it. But I'm going to read it, because the more you read - the more connections you can make.
I've read a not-insignificant amount. I won't say I've read a lot, but I have read more than most people I know, and I've read more of the classics/challenging literature than most people I know. But this is my beef with the book: even though I've read quite a bit, there are a lot of books out there. So there was a lot of room for spoilers.
I think, in general - the more you read, the less spoilers become an issue - so I wasn't as bothered about this as I would have been 20 or even 10 years ago. A book now becomes less about what happened, and more about the book itself. More about the writing. Certainly spoilers would still be an issue in some areas - but probably moreso with books of cheap thrills and jump scares than The Dubliners or Willa Cather.
If I'm not making sense: have no fear. I'm bringing Eleanor in to give her take on this book. Not all books. But who knows. This book is a book about all books, so we'll see how it goes.
Dad: Okay, Eleanor - first off, what class did you read this book for? Secondly, did you like the book? Third, what did you like about it, what did you dislike about it? Fourth, do you like your teacher? Fifth... just kidding, that sounds like enough for now.
Eleanor, laughing: Ummmmm... What was first again? I actually can't remember. I got distracted by your fifth.
Dad:...
Eleanor: OH WAIT! I ACTUALLY REMEMBER NOW. As soon as you start writing it down. First: The class I read it in: I read it in IB English.
Dad: Is that class difficult?
El: Uhhhhmmmm... Not so far, but I've only had three classes of it. So it's a bit hard to say.
Dad: Yeah. Also, sorry. I already gave you 4 questions. Continue.
El: Second: Did I like the book? I have to say this was one of the better non-fiction books I've read. There were parts I could relate to, and understand. And there were parts where the author said stuff that made me laugh a little bit. ...Because that was exactly what I was thinking. Actually, I think that happens a lot in books we read together for some reason.
Dad: What do you mean, "Exactly what you were thinking?" Can you give me any examples?
El: Chapter 16 was called, "It's All About Sex." Chapter 17 was called, "Except Sex." The author said it was frustrating that when authors wrote about stuff such as waves breaking on a shore, they were talking about sex. But when sex was actually going on, they were talking about something completely unrelated. I had been thinking, "wow... sometimes this doesn't make sense. It seems like sex should definitely be about sex if everything is about sex." And then it wasn't. So, I laughed at that part.
Dad: Yeah. I thought he did a good job of incorporating humor into it.
El: What I disliked about it - sometimes the chapters could get a bit long. The chapter on Geography - most of it was examples that I'd never even heard of.
Dad: I'll say that's one thing I liked, reading it at the stage I'm in - I'd read SO many of the books he referenced.
El: The chapter on vampires also felt long to me, but then again, that could be because I lost my place and ended up reading chapter 24 (the chapter about diseases) for 15 extra minutes. I was so confused, but they had the same story as chapter 2 (the vampire chapter) for reference. So, that's how I got mixed up. I searched for name Daisy Miller a few times, clicked one spot extra and ended up on chapter 24 instead of chapter 2.
Dad: Yeah - I think your Braille Reader is probably really handy for finding stuff sometimes, but if I'm holding a book, I can tell the difference between chapter 2 and chapter 24 pretty quickly.
El: But you can't read in the dark either.
Dad (laughing): Very true.
El: I was really confused on how diseases related to vampires... and then when I got back to the vampire chapter I thought: man... when's this chapter going to be over...?
Dad: That's funny. I read a book about Vampires being a disease. Like... they were caused by a virus. It's called The Strain.
El: Huh. Well, I guess that works. Now if we ever need to connect it in English class, I'll be able to connect it very easily.
Dad: Yeah - it was really good. So, do you like your teacher was the next question.
El: Yeah, I do. She does a good job of incorporating discussions into lessons, so that it's not just work sheets the whole time.
Dad: What are you reading for that class right now?
El: The Great Gatsby. We just finished chapter two, and I'm guessing we're going to start the next chapter tomorrow.
Dad: Do you feel like you're reading it like a professor?
El: Uh. When I'm thinking about it.
Dad: Do you like the book so far?
El: Yeah, I do.
Dad: For this book: How many stars?
El: Um. I'd say four, but there are so many different ways to rate books - as we've talked about.
Dad: I think four is a good number for this book. Thanks for reviewing it with me.
El: Thanks for reading it with me. It made it more fun.
Dad: Any time. Maybe I'll pick up The Great Gatsby again. It's been a while.
El: Yeah. And then we can review that one, and bring up "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" in that review.
I got Field of Dreams from McDonald's - when they were doing some type of promotion. ...I think we got Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade this way, toI got Field of Dreams from McDonald's - when they were doing some type of promotion. ...I think we got Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade this way, too.
But man... I didn't love Field of Dreams. I didn't get Field of Dreams. It felt to me as boring as baseball. I think I was probably too young for it.
I liked this book well enough. More than that, though, (as always), I liked the book club discussion so much more. That was great. And a couple of us stayed after and hit a whiffle ball around. The whole thing - the book, the discussion, the whiffle ball game, and baseball itself is a not-unhealthy-dose of nostalgia.
I liked J.D. Salinger being in it, and the not-so-subtle commentary on the writing process.
It had its problems, but was a solid choice.
...Liz probably wouldn't be to keen on me driving cross-country to kidnap someone based on a dream I had. ...Just saying. But maybe she ends up seeing a bunch of dead ballers, too. I guess that would change things....more
Liz and I listened to this (as well as Small Things Like These) on our way home from Florida. Between the two, I liked this one more. I thought it wasLiz and I listened to this (as well as Small Things Like These) on our way home from Florida. Between the two, I liked this one more. I thought it was wonderful. It's like that line's vibe from Billy Joel, "It's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes."...more
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