_Fifty Shades of Grey_ by EL James

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Jun 262012
 

_Fifty Shades of Grey_ by EL James

It might concern me that a novel like this is on the top of New York Times bestseller’s list, or it might concern me more that people are flocking to read this novel over other literary works. However, literature always is a reflection of the times, it seems and I think that this novel is no different.

When I read the reviews of this book and asked on my Facebook page about it, I got a very diverse response. The best advice I received was from my aunt – to just read it and see for myself. So, I did.

The main synopsis is that a young college graduate (or soon-to-be at the beginning) meets a young rich business philanthropist (is there really such a person?) and they have sparking chemistry. Anastasia is sexually innocent and an introvert with the appeal of being naively beautiful. Christian Grey is a young man with a dark past and dark pleasures. Somehow they try to make a relationship of sorts work, which entails graphic scenes of bondage play and sexual encounters. The love story is intertwined with Ana’s natural hesitation to continue in a relationship with the ‘dark’ physical side.

Although I wouldn’t say it is the best writing I’ve ever read, I will say that it made running on the treadmill go very quickly! πŸ˜‰

It’s sort of hard for me to believe that this is part of a trilogy. While it wasn’t a bad read, I wasn’t so involved or invested in the characters’ stories to warrant wanting to read more of their relationship and there isn’t enough of a voyeur in me to want to continue reading about their sexual encounters. Still, now I can say I’m up on what is topping the bestsellers’ lists.

_Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking_ by Susan Cain

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May 252012
 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World…

_Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking_ by Susan Cain

When I am running on the treadmill I generally read since I’m not really in to watching TV and now it’s too hot to even think about going outside – not that I would anyway….

A while back, I saw a Ted Talk with the author on this book. Then, when I was in Philly a woman mentioned it in one of my workshops as a way of understanding people. So, I thought I would get it when I finished my last one.

I have always known that I am quite introverted and although I like to be social at times, I generally prefer to be in my own head. It was nice to read that I’m not totally crazy and that as I’ve often wondered, the world is not fair to those like me. We’ve known from the time of Freud and Jung that people are different with preferences on how social we want to be, yet somehow the world has lost balance in appreciating our differences.

Cain did a nice job of including all her research as well as interweaving stories of people she had interviewed about their extrovertness or introvertness. Although I admit I got a little worn out by the end of the similar arguments, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book for a few reasons: 1) I felt somehow validated to continue to be introverted, but with desired balance; 2) It’s a great resource to add to my reading list for my dissertation since it goes to recognizing and appreciating the differences in people as a leader; and 3) I just enjoy discussions sociological and psychological in nature. πŸ˜€

In any case, a very nice non-fiction read. It seems I’m on a non-fiction kick these days…. However, I have some fiction saved up on my iPad for the summer holidays! πŸ˜‰

More to come…

-T

 Posted by at 09:38

_Steve Jobs_ by Walter Isaacson

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Apr 292012
 

_Steve Jobs_ by Walter Isaacson

Like the man, I found the varied reactions of people to the book to be passionate. The few people to whom I mentioned that I was reading this book gave me responses such as “He was such an asshole that I couldn’t keep reading it,” or “He focused too much on doing drugs and this is suppose to be a role model,” or “He really wasn’t much of a man in terms of a human being,” and so on.

While I was utterly shocked at his methods of criticism and his attitude towards people, I have to say I totally disagree with the negative comments.

Of course, everyone knows that I am an Apple/Mac fan. I have been for years – perhaps from the time that I learned to play Artillery on the Apple I in elementary school. We had a Commodore 64 when it first came out and my parents embraced the computer age ensuring that my brother and I were literate with this new technology for our future. I always wanted to own my own Mac, but they were out of my price range for years. My friends in high school and college were more the ‘Wozniak hacker-types’ rather than the ‘Jobs-creative-elites’.

I never knew the history of Jobs and Apple before he returned and changed the world. The book was fascinating for me.

Okay, I will agree Steve Jobs was not a nice person. I will agree that he was selfish and self-centered about most things. I will agree that he may not be the ideal role model in terms of lifestyle choices. I will agree that he may not have been a great family man. However, I will not agree that he shouldn’t be admired, respected and given the awe he deserves because of the above.

This man and his colleagues contributed to the greatest advancements in our history. Apple products are ubiquitous around the world! There is no denying he accomplished greatness, despite the path he took to get there.

In so many ways, IΒ  related to his personality, philosophy and general attitude. Why can’t we just tell people when something is shit directly? Why can’t we be expected to achieve greatness in everything we do? Why can’t we want each and every person to contribute to the betterment of society and our world today?

Anyway, I didn’t know him personally, so I can’t make any judgements of his character. I do know his products and learning more about his passion for the creation of them, I’ve gained an even greater love for the products. πŸ˜€

-T

 Posted by at 08:17

_1Q84_ by Haruki Murakami

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Mar 282012
 

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

_1Q84_ by Haruki Murakami

I am not actually sure what prompted me to purchase this book on my iPhone Kindle, but when I was searching for something to read in the future, this title kept coming up. So, I figured I would give it a try.

Although Murakami is quite popular, I have only managed to read one of his novels – _A Wild Sheep Chase_. Generally, I don’t get into the postmodern style, but something drew me to this one.

It was worth the read, though it did take me some time to get through it. The story switches from the perspectives of different characters in the novel with two – Tengo and Aomame – being the central characters. For the first part of the book it is not clear how these characters are related, but slowly the connections are revealed and the idea of fate, destiny and soulmates comes into play. There’s quite a bit of spiritual discussion throughout the story as well as social issues that are particular to Japan.

I wondered if I didn’t have any background with Japan if I would have understood or enjoyed it as much. However, the art is in the storytelling and I believe that it was well-written overall.

πŸ˜€

_Middlemarch_ by George Eliot

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Jan 302012
 

_Middlemarch_ by George Eliot

I can’t even remember when I started reading this on my iPad as a distraction from my academic reading. The synopsis of the story is better written here, than I could do it justice.

It wasn’t one my top novels. It was similar in style to a Jane Austen novel and though I do love her works, I do also find them tedious after a while. The upside for most of Austen’s works is that they aren’t too long. I thought that _Middlemarch_ would never end….

Although this novel has received a lot of praise, I found it difficult to engage in it for longer than a few pages and while some scenes kept me intrigued or feeling for the characters, others just left me wanting to skip through faster. I suppose this is natural of any lengthy piece of work.

The themes and period descriptions are quite strong and of interest in our modern day, though. Perhaps I need more time to ponder on those.

I’m wondering if I’m just losing my classical taste and allowing my brain to rot in ‘trash-novels’ instead. Though, it has been ages since I’ve read anything that has kept my attention long enough to really get absorbed. Probably, it’s just a period of my life where academic texts are going to be my main source of entertainment and other distractions will be sought to allow me to procrastinate…. πŸ™‚

Anyway…I started reading a Vietnam memoir that my dad sent for Christmas, so that’s a change!

πŸ˜€

_Letters to a Young Teacher_

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Dec 092011
 

_Letters to a Young Teacher_ by Jonathan Kozol

I don’t really know if this counts as pleasure reading, but most of my reading lately consists of journal articles or primary sources for my dissertation topic. However, as I was perusing our library at ZU, I found this book. Since I had read _Savage Inequalities_ by Kozol before, I thought it would be interesting to read.

It did not disappoint. Kozol puts together a collection of his correspondences to a young teacher named Francesca. What was interesting was that the same issues that Kozol dealt with as a new teacher in the ’60s are still in existence today. How is that possible?

Also, I noted an underlying comment on the type of teacher that matters to students, parents, and the system. There’s a quality of caring, empathy and sacrifice in the kind of teacher who truly reaches out and wants to make a difference in the lives of his/her students. Sometimes I forget that I used to be that kind of person. It’s so easy to let the world, our workplace, colleagues, etc. to get us down about wanting to make a difference. However, holding on to that optimism and ideals is really needed to truly succeed….

It’s time to dig that person out and let her shine! πŸ˜€

_Hello Kitty Must Die_

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Aug 262011
 

_Hello Kitty Must Die_ by Angela S Choi

So, the cliche saying of “Don’t judge a book by its cover” could also apply to book titles. However, when I was searching for something new to read on my iPad Kindle, I came across this title a few times. I could relate because the sickening expansion of Hello Kitty around the world makes me a bit nauseous. Thus in my quest to force myself to read contemporary literature now and then, I decided to download it.

Hello Kitty has very little to do with the story except that it is a reference to the Asian peeps of the world. From a Chinese-American viewpoint, Choi writes about a successful Chinese-American woman, Fiona, who struggles to make her Chinese and American identities and cultures work together, but finds release for her frustrations in this endeavour with her friend Sean. Sean is a serial killer who never admits directly to his love of murder, but Fiona knows (in fact helps choose the victims) and eventually begins to pick up his habit in her own way.

It was an interesting storyline and a pretty quick read overall. I was a bit surprised at the amount of cynicism and generally pessimistic attitude of the characters. Perhaps it is a sign of the times since it is contemporary fiction, perhaps it is the general way of thinking nowadays, whatever it is, I am not there yet and really don’t want to be ever. Still, it is always good to experience everything and I am very glad that I was spontaneous in this book choice. πŸ™‚

More to come…

-T

(I will probably be taking a break from pleasure reading for a bit as I must return to academic reading… πŸ™ )

_Now You See Her_

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Aug 252011
 

_Now You See Her_ by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

While I was hesitant to read another Patterson book so soon after my last one, I was looking for a quick read for the plane rides on my way back home. This one was a quick read, which I finished in one day due to a sleepless night before my second day of traveling.

The main character runs from her past in Florida and creates a new life for herself in New York City. The story explains her past and then the present brings her back to having to face the past she had tried to ignore. In general it was a pretty cookie-cutter storyline, but the twists and turns were interesting enough to keep me quite engaged.

I was glad I did read another Patterson book as they are definitely quite good for traveling! πŸ˜€

More later,

-T

_The Plague_

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Aug 242011
 

The Plague by Albert Camus

_The Plague_ by Albert Camus

Albert Camus (pronounced ca-moo and not cay-mus as I would like to say it) is an interesting author from Algeria. He wrote _The Stranger_ (published 1946), which I read quite a few years ago after my college friends gave it to me as a gift. I hadn’t heard of him before, but I remember enjoying the book, though I can’t currently recall the story.

When I came across _The Plague_ in one of my searches for books, I thought I would give it a go since it is also considered a classic (I think).

The story follows characters in the town of Oran, which is affected by a strand of the plague. The main characters were men, which was interesting as the women were either mentally unstable (Rieux’s wife) or motherly (Rieux’s motherly) or idealistic (Rambert’s wife and Grand’s main character of his novel). While the men are of varied backgrounds and different personalities, they are forced together by the quarantine of the plague.

Overall, I liked the read and enjoyed the style of Camus’s writing. The portrayal of females is rather typical of the time in which he wrote, so I can forgive that. πŸ˜‰

More to come,

-T

_Three Cups of Deceit_

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Aug 112011
 

Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson,…

_Three Cups of Deceit_ by Jon Krakauer

Upon sharing with some colleagues that I had really enjoyed reading Greg Mortenson’s _Three Cups of Tea_ last summer, someone said that he thought that Mortenson had been ratted out as having made up some of his story. I hadn’t heard this before, but it bothered me because I had been really been moved by this book. Another friend of mine has also been reading it with her son and thinking about doing the Pennies for Peace program promoted by Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute.

So, I came across Jon Krakauer’s title _Three Cups of Deceit_ and decided it was time to read it especially since I really respect Krakauer’s writing.

Krakauer reveals through correspondences with members of CAI and characters mentioned in the original book many untruths told by Mortenson in his book. Krakauer explains that he had offered an opportunity for Mortenson to be interviewed to dispel these allegations, but suddenly (conveniently) became unavailable shortly before the scheduled interview.

How disappointing to read these facts about a story that was so inspiring and had re-energized me in why I believe in education and my profession. Of course, these facts do not change how I feel, but it is a huge disappointment that a man who had such ability to inspire and motivate could be such a jerk as to lie and embellish when his story could have been just as effective without it. I wonder how people live with themselves and continue to sell their stories despite all the lies….

I am reminded as to why I am so skeptical about charities and stories of great giving…. πŸ™

So, on to other reading….

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