Books #7-9

I haven’t been keeping up with my blogging lately – in fact I have an IRA post that has been sitting on my Word document that I haven’t finished writing but I have been keeping up with my 22 Before 23 List. In fact, since I’ve had a little time on my hands, I’ve been catching up on reading tons of books. And since I haven’t been keeping up with my blogging, I thought I’d just compile them into one post.

Book #7: Ella Enchanted
Does this count because I’ve read it before in the 6th grade or something? Eh, why not. While I was in Austin for Thanksgiving, Ella Enchanted was on TV and I remembered the movie being way worse than the book. But I couldn’t remember what was different. So I picked up the book and reread it. The book was WAY better.

Book #8: Give and Take
I had to read this book for work as part of our work book club, though we call it “enrichment” instead of book club since that was sort of an old-timey connotation. “Give and Take” is written by Adam Grant, the youngest tenured professor at Wharton. He categorizes people into three types: givers, matchers, and takers. He then goes on to explain why each has its own merits but ultimately those who are “self-focused, otherish givers” are most successful. I think my feelings on the book are somewhat mixed. Some parts I honestly felt like, “Duh, people who give back obviously get more out of life.” And though he does give plenty of examples of givers that have become very successful, it got a little repetitive. I think “Give and Take” probably merits its own blog post but that will have to wait for another day.

Book #9: The Fault in Our Stars
Cue the water works. This book has been on my to-read list for a long, long time. I’ve read “Looking for Alaska” and I do enjoy John Green, but for some reason, I just haven’t gotten around to reading his books. But that’s going to change! “The Fault in Our Stars” is a heart-breaking book, but John Green manages to capture the words of a 16-year-old, cancer-ridden girl so poignantly. He doesn’t set out to write a happy ending YA book, but instead one that’s truthful and has a lot of self-referencing. It makes me wonder, is John Green a mirror of Peter Van Houten, the author in “The Fault in Our Stars?” I haven’t done extensive research on the book, but I think there’s a lot of to be unearthed through his writing. Anyway, I finished this book on Christmas Eve and it made me feel that much more grateful that I had my family around me with everyone happy and healthy.

So there we have it, that’s three books since my last post, which was about three weeks ago. I think that’s pretty good progress on my 20 books before I turn 23. The next few books I’m looking to tackle are going to be doozies. I’m going to read “The Gunslinger” by Stephen King, attempt “The Fellowship of the Ring” (I know, I know, how can I not have read these books already), and “Why We Broke Up), by Lemony Snicket. That last book I started after “The Fault in our Stars” but honestly, I had an emotional night after John Green’s novel so I needed a break from all the waterworks. Anyway, here’s my quick book update, I may try to finish up that IRA post that I’ve had sitting on this document for a while now…