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…

Book #6: Fangirl

Well that was fast: another blog post, another book review. I hope you aren’t too put off by my intermittent blog posts but working full time and tutoring on the side leaves me exhausted most days and I’m just dying to crawl into bed by the end of the day.

So for my sixth book this year, I read “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell. It’s the first book in the official Tumblr book club and though I didn’t follow the chapter guidelines exactly, I read the book in my own time and just finished it this afternoon.

I think I’m most impressed by Rainbow Rowell’s ability to write like a college freshman. She captures the anxiety of moving into a new dorm and the insecurities of reaching past what you’re comfortable with. Cath is a reliable narrator, unlike the character in the stories she writes, and her being a twin, adds a new layer to a character that is already so unique.

“Fangirl” is an easy read thought I didn’t love the interjections of fanfiction and the real “Gemma T. Leslie” text. Mostly because I have an incessant need to know the entire story and not just parts. I think the book would be able to stand on its own without those intercalary chapters. To me, they don’t add that much to the story other than proving that Rainbow Rowell is able to switch penning characters with believable skill.

All in all, a fast and easy read. I completely relate to Cath as being part of a fandom though my experiences with fanfiction are not nearly as extensive as hers. My favorite fanfic is easily the The ShoeBox Project.

What about you? What are your favorite fanfics?

Speaking of Jason Nazar…

He (his blog here) wrote this great article on Forbes.com about 20 Things 20 Year Olds Don’t Get. I think it’s a really smart article that anyone starting their new job should read and acknowledge and do. Here is my top three from his article:

Social Media is Not a Career – I definitely needed to hear this. While I was in college, I thought I could make a career out of Facebook posts and tweets. WRONG. It’s important to know how to do these things but a job they do not make.

Don’t Wait to Be Told What to do – this was a mistake I made in a past internship. I thought as long as I finished what I was assigned, I was on a good track. WRONG. It’s not enough to do just what you’re told; ask what you can do to help out. Ask if there’s anything else you can learn to do. Ask if you can design the office shot glasses (ok, maybe this is specific to my company).

Read More Books, Fewer Tweets/Texts – I completely agree with this statement. That’s why I’m making it a point to read 20 books by my next birthday. We need to be consuming depth, not just quick headlines. I find it so important that we read. Even if you want to read stuff online, that’s fine! Just make sure you’re learning something. It’s not enough to know a hurricane happened. Know what you can do to help, how many were injured, whether there’s anything that will happen because of it. Learn. Always and often!

What do you wish you could tell 20-year-olds of todhttp://www.jasonnazar.com/ay?

Some Overdue Posts: Book #4: Ready Player One

I am late on posting and I apologize! I had a crazy (but fun) long day at work yesterday and when I got home, I was completely exhausted. So thanks for reading and get ready for a lot of updates!

I finished book 4 out of 20 for my 22 Things list! I read “Ready Player One” and I really loved it. I got the suggestion from Lara’s Book Club (I mean Lara is only one letter away from Clara) because the summary just sounded so interesting. I'm a huge fan of science fiction and Ender's Game is one of my favorite books to read over and over again.

“Ready Player One” is set in the future where global warming has melted the polar ice caps and earth has pretty much become a wasteland. As respite from the depression that is around them, populations around the world check into OASIS – a virtual reality where you can be anything you want to be and it’s accessible for free! In the beginning of the novel, the creator of OASIS, James Halliday, passes away and in his will, he declares a contest. Hidden within the many worlds of OASIS is a hidden egg and whoever finds it wins ownership of OASIS and all of Halliday’s fortune.

Pitted against each other are “gunters” (the shortened version of “egg hunters”) and the Sixers, members of a huge corporation who wants to take over OASIS and charge people for it. Our protagonist is Wade Watts, an orphaned student who lives with his aunt and escapes daily into OASIS where his friends are.

As the story progresses, Halliday’s obsession with 80’s pop culture permeates the novel as the characters study his life and his favorite decade in order to solve the puzzles that lead to the hidden egg. One can’t help but geek out and reminisce about all the great stuff the 1980s gave us: Pac Man, Monty Python, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, just to name a few. My favorite parts of the book were the intricate details that Ernest Cline uses to describe the OASIS and how players can completely immerse themselves in the game. I almost wish the description was even more languid and expanded upon because the technology he describes is so cool. Google Glass looks like a pair of hipster lenses compared to the visor and haptic gloves used in the OASIS.

www.experiencepoints.net

My next book is “A Beautiful Mind” by Sylvia Nasar. I’ll admit to never have seen the movie but I’m certainly curious about it and having studied a little game theory in college and the subject really fascinated me. I’m hoping reading the book first and then watching the movie (which is the reverse order since the movie was released first but who cares) will give me better insight into this profoundly interesting professor and individual, John Nash of the Nash equilibrium.

The Secret Sauce of Great Recruiters

I came across this article on LinkedIn today and I found it highly relevant to what I’m doing and applicable to other jobs as well. Recruiters should be compassionate, intuitive data smarts, a great salesman, and, in my opinion, amazing communicators. But not just recruiters, everyone should have these skills!

With an ever present emphasis in “well-roundedness” and being an “all-around” candidate, I think it’s important that every person, whether you’re recruiting or being recruited, work on this skill set. It’s not just the secret sauce of great recruiters, but the secret sauce of a great human being!

LinkedIn articles are great and they really put into perspective the hiring process, from all ends. It's becoming some of my favorite reading material. What are some of your work reads?

Book #3: And the Mountains Echoed

Khaled Hosseini is best known for this two prior books, “The Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” In his newest book, “And the Mountains Echoed,” he explores yet another piece of Afghan history that deals with changing governments and the intertwined qualities of being a family. The story is told chronologically from multiple perspectives and Hosseini does a great job of leaving the reader curious about how exactly one story relates to another.

The book starts with a parable about a monster that steals children from nearby Afghan villages. What is thought to be a terrifying monster is actually a generous being that provides for the children what their parents cannot. The story is told to Abdullah and Pari, the brother and sister whom the novel revolves around. Following the parable, Pari is sold to a wealthy family that cannot have children of their own and what ensues is stories told from every which perspective, making the reader wonder if these two separated siblings are ever reunited.

The stories told echo familiar themes within Hosseini’s work: class struggling, oppressive regimes, and the power of family. Hosseini has once again written a masterpiece that brings the history of Afghanistan to the attention of the reader.

http://www.andthemountainsechoed.com/

Book #2: The Storyteller

During my trip to the east coast, I had a little down time here and there when I had to entertain myself while my sister went to work or during the flights. I got into a bunch of reading and finished “The Storyteller” by Jodi Picoult.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors: I’ve been slowly working through all her novels and her writing style, while predictable, is one that works. Her books usually address a controversial topic (which makes it great for book clubs) and then while working through the plot, Picoult will reveal a twist that turns the book on its head.

My sister told me I read too many sad books. I started off my 20 books with “Flowers for Algernon,” and “The Storyteller” has many heartbreaking moments. It explores the stories of a Holocaust survivor and the repercussions it has on her family, a former SS guard, and whether forgiveness is anyone’s to give. It’s told in Classic Picoult style: in multiple perspectives with each viewpoint leaving you hanging on.

The story focuses on Sage Singer, the grandaughter of a Holocaust Survivor, and her budding friendship with Josef Weber. Josef asks Sage for her word in participating a promise that seems unthinkable until he begins to reveal his past.

I don’t want to give away anymore of the story than I have to because it’s truly compelling and worth the read. I leave you with my high recommendation to read “The Storyteller” and mull over the pictures that Picoult has painted about everyone affected by the Holocaust.

jodipicoult.com

Flowers for Algernon

I don’t usually get really emotional over books because I can usually get past the fact that they’re make believe but “Flowers for Algernon” really tugs at my heartstrings. It’s one of those books that we read in 8^th grade and recognize as a sad story but the true essence of the book didn’t hit me till much later on.

While rereading the book this last time, I became extremely emotional over the story. I think it’s because I realized all the nuances that make Charlie Gordon’s existence so devastating. While he’s in a state of mental retardation, he fails to realize that his so-called “friends” are making fun of him when they laugh at him. After undergoing brain surgery, he is once again separated from his peers when his intellect creates a chasm of social ineptness between him and others. No matter what he does, he is unable to ever fit in, which is what he’s always wanted. Though he thinks that “being smart” will allow him to overcome the social shunning he’s experienced all his life, his smartness only serves to alienate him further.

When I was in the 9^th grade, we learned about a story telling technique called the “hero’s journey.” “Flowers for Algernon” epitomizes that journey by giving very literally interpretations of the call to adventure and return, but it only serves to make the story that much more shattering. Not only that, but Charlie’s return to his original state actually leaves him that much more worse off.

I’m not even sure how much this post can capture the emotion of this book but it certainly is worth the reread if you’re looking for books from your childhood. I’m using it as the first of the 20 books I’m going to read for my goal in my 22 Things list. I know it’s technically a reread but what better way to start of a goal than with something you love!

The Fantasy Genre

I’ve been trying to get through several series/books lately but I think I’m stuck in a bit of a rut. I’ve always been a fan of the Fantasy & Science Fiction drama (my favorite books include the Harry Potter series and Ender’s Game) but recently, I feel as though my palate hasn’t been as satiated with the books I’m reading. I’m not one for DNF-ing (did not finish, I borrowed that acronym from http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/) but I’m getting a bit fed up with the genre.

I’m a huge fan of “young adult fiction” even though I think I’m supposed to have grown out of that phase by now. Sadly, I haven’t and I’m constantly reaching for those books like “Gossip Girl” and “It Girl.” They’re not the most the mind-engaging books but any reading is good, right? (Just nod along like you agree)

I’ve been alternating between two series in the Fantasy genre: “Blue Bloods” and “The Mortal Instruments.” I remember seeing them on the shelves a while ago and my sister seemed to like them so I thought I’d give them a try. I think my main problem with these books is the shallow depth of character of the female protagonists. Both series tout secret societies of otherworldly humans (in BB it’s vampires who are superior and in tMI it’s Shadowhunters or demon hunters) that protect that mundane human world without them knowing it. They both have teenage females that are about 15 years old who are the main protagonists and they are beautiful without knowing it and everything they do and touch seems to need a string of adjectives that go out the door. (If this were AP Lit, I would have an absolute field day writing the compare & contrast essay on these two series.) The writing styles are comparable and it’s almost as if these stories could take place in parallel dimensions because their simple structure is so similar.

While I realize these are fantasy books, since when is every female full-bodied…everything… and every male has a well-sculpted body, despite the fact that they’re barely past puberty, if not still in it, and who has all that time to work out? Let’s be real, a vivid imagination when it comes to reading can give the future generations a much more unattainable version of reality than television ever could. And why must the girl always passionately make out with the “bad boy” much to her good friend’s, who is also a guy, chagrin?

This female protagonist with two males love triangle is shaping out to be the basis of too many young adult novels: the Twilight series, The Hunger Games, etc. These are just two more to add to the numerous that are out there. I’m tired of reading about the weak, yet beautiful heroine who is somehow magically able to overcome whatever her circumstances. Give me some female characters with girth: Hermoine, who is described as having bushy brown hair but bossy and intelligent, Anna Fitzgerald (from My Sister’s Keeper) whose struggle is whether to keep her sister alive or not.

Most young adult fiction is certainly fun to read but it’s not considered classical literature for a reason. While it’s fun to be transported into a fantastical world, many of these stories don’t teach a greater lesson than a generic “Through perseverance and hard work, you can overcome all obstacles.” Take note that I say “most” young adult fiction and not “all” because I recognize that there are plenty of works out there that fulfill more than this basic outline structure. NPR has a list of the best young adult novels out there, compiled from a list made up of polling their readers. “Twilight” is on there but also “Catcher in the Rye.” It might be worth perusing for my next reading adventures.

NPR's Top 100 List.

Summer Reading Lists

Just a quick follow up on my summer reading post. My school sends out a summer reading list ever year to the new, incoming freshmen class and it’s not required reading but it’s a list of books recommended by staff, student and faculty to tide you over while you anxiously wait for school to start. I didn’t know about this until after I graduated but it doesn’t lessen the quality of the books!

This year’s theme was “What Would Seniors Read?” It’s a bit of a strange theme and I’m not even sure what exactly it means – I’m guessing books that us graduating seniors would read? These lists contain everything from old classics to expository writing and it’s a really comprehensive list! Some of my favorite lists are “Banned Books” and “Favorite Book When I Was 18.”

If you’re looking for some new reading material, I suggest take a look at these lists!

I really wanted to use a photo I saw a while back with these people reading books and the books each had different scenes that were popping out of them and engulfing their heads but I cannot for the life of me find it. So this one will have to do instead.

(e)Books vs. Audiobooks

Now that I have some time before my job starts, I have somewhat of a mini summer vacation to tuck into to some books. Every summer while I was an undergrad, I was either taking class or interning or both, so it’s nice to have a few weeks to relax and not think about studying.

I’ve picked up a few new books to read, including Mindy Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” and “Forrest Gump” (the book before the movie). I read most of my books on my iPad now since it’s faster to download them and it’s cheaper than buying a physical book. I also have a bad habit of reading several books at the same time so it’s nice not having to carry around three different books.

I find that I still have a strange nostalgia towards certain books. I’ve reread the entire Harry Potter series a few times through and even though I have them as eBooks, I still reach for the hardcover books I own when I feel like reading them again. I guess it’s because I associate certain memories with reading those books like when my sister and I read the entire 7^th book in the car after we bought it, switching off every chapter so that no one would get ahead. Or reading the 4^th book in a shopping cart at Costco while my mom pushed us around. I don’t get so attached to my eBooks, maybe because I haven’t had as much time to read or maybe I can only really read on my iPad indoors because of the backlighting so there isn’t as much opportunity to run around with my “books.”

Last year, I also started listening to audiobooks. I was hesitant to do so at first because I’m usually pretty restless and find it hard to concentrate on one single thing for long periods of time. As I’m writing this post, I’m watching Video Game High School (which is an incredible movie. I highly recommend it. Incredible in a "completely funded by Kickstarter and created by YouTube stars" kind of way. Just watch it.), I have a Photoshop file open for this post, I occasionally scroll through Tumblr, and I’m building a new playlist on Spotify (follow me here!). Something about our millenials I guess - the generation of multitaskers. I’ve found that I like listening to audiobooks as I fall asleep. It’s the only time where I have nothing else to think about and can just listen to the book. But the problem is, it’s hard for me to listen to “new books” – i.e. books I haven’t read before. I’ve listened to series that I’ve read at least once, like “The Hunger Games,” or “The Great Gatsy,” or more recently, the entire “Series of Unfortunate Events.” But listening to a new book makes me anxious because I feel the need to stay up and not miss a detail. Listening to a book I’ve read before helps lull me to sleep, and it makes for some pretty awesome dreams too!

What do you prefer? A hardcover book? An eBook? An audiobook?

Which would you rather? I'm going to go ahead and say this is one of my weaker Photoshop attempts...