I'm almost exactly halfway through Hemingway's True at First Light. Frankly, the book makes me want to shoot myself. Hemingway just talks in circles, but never actually goes anywhere. So far, Ernest has been left in charge of an African village, has a wife named Mary who must kill a lion for reasons that are never explained but apparently is a life or death situation, and has nightmares about hanging a man from a neighboring village referred to as The Informer.
Predictions for the second half of the book? Mary kills the lion, The Informer gets hanged (hung? I think it's hanged...both look wrong).
Because I hate this book, I have been reading very little and instead using my time on the train to play my favorite iPhone game: Jetball. If you haven't downloaded it, you should. Or not, because actually it's kind of addicting. Sorry.
I have also been cheating on this blog with my other lower maintenance blog where I post whatever I'm currently coveting. Shameless plug: covetit.blogspot.com
BUT, everything is about to change.Today, my shipment from Amazon.com arrived.
Items included:
Snoop: What your stuff says about you - Sam Gosling, Ph.D. (I'm fascinated by our fascination with stuff)
Sarah's Key - Tatiana De Rosnay (NY Times bestseller that seems to be getting lots of positive press)
Little Bee - Chris Cleave (#1 NY Times bestseller. The Washington Post says it will blow me away. I should know better than to trust these by now, but I just couldn't resist)
Inside the Mind of the Shopper Herb Sorensen, Ph.D. (Yup, I'm a nerd and I'm totally fine with it)
Freakonomics - Levitt & Dubner (Also a New York Times bestseller, but more importantly, EVERY guy I know lists this book as a favorite. Conversation material for my otherwise super awkward dates? Hello.)
And finally, the highly anticipated Marry Him. I'm already on page 40 post lunch break.
These books sponsored by: my cousin Greg and my company who both generously provided me Amazon gift cards for Christmas. Thanks!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
What should I do with my life?
On a whim (and because it was in the $3.99 book bin at Borders) I purchased Test Your Own Job Aptitude: Exploring Your Career Potential - Jim Barrett and Geoff Williams. The check boxes on the front cover were what did me in. Why yes! I would like to find out how to become fully satisfied in my career, discover my natural talents and find the job that's perfect for me!!
After a brief overview of how to use the book, (other than read it, draw in it, or burn it I'm not sure what ways there are. I guess you could use it as toilet paper in a pinch...) chapter 2 launches right into testing your abilities. 40 pages of questions across 7 topics. Here's how I did on the test:
Verbal reasoning: A
Numerical reasoning: A
Perceptual reasoning: C
Spatial ability: A
Acuity skills: A
Analytical ability: A
Technical ability: E
Hmmm...apparently I am not very good at looking at unfolded shapes and determining which 3D shapes could be made based on them or anything mechanical/technical. Possible careers to rule out based on this? Apparently nothing. Barrett and Williams assure me that it's not all about what my abilities are since I could:
a) go back to school for more training
b) motivate myself into learning about these things
c) become magically smarter overnight
There are some suggested careers for people who score high on just 1 ability, and then some for those who score high on just 2. I'm not really sure how to use this since apparently I'm good at 5 things. Looking at all of the combinations, apparently I can do almost anything. So far, not helpful.
Clearly I need to move on to chapter 3 to determine my personality which of course means more questions.
They use a FLAG scale.
I'm definitely more Sensitive than Factual, more Calm than Lively scale, more Passive than Aggressive. I'm a little stuck on the last one, I score an 11 out of 20 for Independent vs Group. This makes me an SCPI or and SCPG. The description for SCPI is "The Loner". I decide to go with SCPG as my personality type which is described as "The Supporter". Suggested careers: Therapist or nursery school teacher.
Chapter 4 is all about motivation and figuring out what I want to do means, you guessed it, more questions. I actually found this part to be very helpful. You have 3 points to assign to 2 options. Would I rather be: an interpreter or a gardener? A statistician or a politician? Some are easy 3 points for one and 0 for another. Others sound equally unappealing and I struggle to assign one the 2pt majority. But at the end I have my motivations in 7 categories:
Literary: 51
Creative: 49
Social: 26
Executive: 26
Research: 42
Practical: 26
Administrative: 30
The book provides suggested careers if you have just one primary motivation which I skip. Clearly I have 2 that are almost tied. I skip to the combined areas to see that my suggested careers are: advertising copywriter or film reviewer.
Then the book encourages me to go back through and list every career suggested to me based on my primary and combined scores. The list is about 20 professions long but the moment I start to look over them some definite themes emerge:
a) Author, novelist, journalist, editor, literary critic
b) Counselor, therapist, psychologist, anthropologist
c) Teacher, nursery school teacher, language teacher
Fascinating! There's a follow up section such as barriers to achieving my goals where I write a little blurb about what's standing in the way: lack of education/certification for some of these, the fear of risking a steady paycheck, the dread of going back to school, etc...
Then finally at the back of the book, a career index. It becomes very clear this book was written in the 80's. Milkman, silversmith, blacksmith: all there. Noticeably missing: Venture capitalist, investment banker, software engineer, pharmaceutical sales rep...
To my surprise, market researcher is listed: Acuity and analytical abilities with a factual, calm, and independent personality with research and administrative motivation. This explains why I'm good at my job, but crave more human interaction, and sometimes feel like it's not fulfilling.
$3.99 to find all this out? The book is a bargain if you ask me! I will happily loan out my copy to anyone interested in taking this test, though it does have markings all over it. But hey, at least I didn't use it as toilet paper!
After a brief overview of how to use the book, (other than read it, draw in it, or burn it I'm not sure what ways there are. I guess you could use it as toilet paper in a pinch...) chapter 2 launches right into testing your abilities. 40 pages of questions across 7 topics. Here's how I did on the test:
Verbal reasoning: A
Numerical reasoning: A
Perceptual reasoning: C
Spatial ability: A
Acuity skills: A
Analytical ability: A
Technical ability: E
Hmmm...apparently I am not very good at looking at unfolded shapes and determining which 3D shapes could be made based on them or anything mechanical/technical. Possible careers to rule out based on this? Apparently nothing. Barrett and Williams assure me that it's not all about what my abilities are since I could:
a) go back to school for more training
b) motivate myself into learning about these things
c) become magically smarter overnight
There are some suggested careers for people who score high on just 1 ability, and then some for those who score high on just 2. I'm not really sure how to use this since apparently I'm good at 5 things. Looking at all of the combinations, apparently I can do almost anything. So far, not helpful.
Clearly I need to move on to chapter 3 to determine my personality which of course means more questions.
They use a FLAG scale.
I'm definitely more Sensitive than Factual, more Calm than Lively scale, more Passive than Aggressive. I'm a little stuck on the last one, I score an 11 out of 20 for Independent vs Group. This makes me an SCPI or and SCPG. The description for SCPI is "The Loner". I decide to go with SCPG as my personality type which is described as "The Supporter". Suggested careers: Therapist or nursery school teacher.
Chapter 4 is all about motivation and figuring out what I want to do means, you guessed it, more questions. I actually found this part to be very helpful. You have 3 points to assign to 2 options. Would I rather be: an interpreter or a gardener? A statistician or a politician? Some are easy 3 points for one and 0 for another. Others sound equally unappealing and I struggle to assign one the 2pt majority. But at the end I have my motivations in 7 categories:
Literary: 51
Creative: 49
Social: 26
Executive: 26
Research: 42
Practical: 26
Administrative: 30
The book provides suggested careers if you have just one primary motivation which I skip. Clearly I have 2 that are almost tied. I skip to the combined areas to see that my suggested careers are: advertising copywriter or film reviewer.
Then the book encourages me to go back through and list every career suggested to me based on my primary and combined scores. The list is about 20 professions long but the moment I start to look over them some definite themes emerge:
a) Author, novelist, journalist, editor, literary critic
b) Counselor, therapist, psychologist, anthropologist
c) Teacher, nursery school teacher, language teacher
Fascinating! There's a follow up section such as barriers to achieving my goals where I write a little blurb about what's standing in the way: lack of education/certification for some of these, the fear of risking a steady paycheck, the dread of going back to school, etc...
Then finally at the back of the book, a career index. It becomes very clear this book was written in the 80's. Milkman, silversmith, blacksmith: all there. Noticeably missing: Venture capitalist, investment banker, software engineer, pharmaceutical sales rep...
To my surprise, market researcher is listed: Acuity and analytical abilities with a factual, calm, and independent personality with research and administrative motivation. This explains why I'm good at my job, but crave more human interaction, and sometimes feel like it's not fulfilling.
$3.99 to find all this out? The book is a bargain if you ask me! I will happily loan out my copy to anyone interested in taking this test, though it does have markings all over it. But hey, at least I didn't use it as toilet paper!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
You can learn to build an airplane from a book, but can you learn to date from one?
I am picky when it comes to men. I admit it. I've rejected guys for important reasons like never wanting kids, and for silly reasons like wearing pants that unzip into shorts on our first date (we were not going hiking).
Last week I was asked out on a date by a man with both ears and his nose pierced. "No, I would NEVER date someone like that", I exclaimed to our receptionist once we were out of earshot. Her response? "Piercings are removable..He might be a great guy."
*Gulp*...she had a point. I tried to argue that a person who would get those things pierced had a certain type of personality that probably also involved tattoos, motorcycles, an attraction to dangerous situations...but she just looked at me with all the wisdom of her 42 year old self and said "I think you need to read Marry Him". I googled it as soon as I got back to my desk Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough. I ordered a copy making sure to mark it as a gift (otherwise next thing you know my suggested reading will include 'Don't Kill Yourself, There's Still Hope!' and 'Caring for Your 5 Cats: How to Make Sure Skittles Doesn't Feel Left Out').
Last week I was asked out on a date by a man with both ears and his nose pierced. "No, I would NEVER date someone like that", I exclaimed to our receptionist once we were out of earshot. Her response? "Piercings are removable..He might be a great guy."
*Gulp*...she had a point. I tried to argue that a person who would get those things pierced had a certain type of personality that probably also involved tattoos, motorcycles, an attraction to dangerous situations...but she just looked at me with all the wisdom of her 42 year old self and said "I think you need to read Marry Him". I googled it as soon as I got back to my desk Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough. I ordered a copy making sure to mark it as a gift (otherwise next thing you know my suggested reading will include 'Don't Kill Yourself, There's Still Hope!' and 'Caring for Your 5 Cats: How to Make Sure Skittles Doesn't Feel Left Out').
It got me thinking about the other dating books I've read over the years. First, there was the classic -The Rules: Time-Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right, followed by the popular He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys, and in my senior year of college, the very appropriately gifted Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl - A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship. And of course, the male equivalent of a dating book -The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists.
First, The Rules:Yes, it's a little old fashioned. It was written in the 90's when people still gave out their home phone number, wore pantyhose, placed personal ads in a newspaper, and had an egg timer in the kitchen. But the advice is sound. If you make it easy for him, he'll date you because it's convenient, not because he's crazy about you. Better to be hard to get and weed out the guys who aren't serious.
Key points from the book:
Key points from the book:
#1 - Be busy. Have your own life and keep it even after you get into a relationship. If you don't have a date for Friday or Saturday night, make other plans! Go out with your girlfriends, spend time with your family, do something you enjoy.
#2 - Don't accept a last minute date. If you're the kind of girl he can have on 5 minute notice, he'll treat you like one. Think about it: if he's calling you at the last second he might be bored or maybe his friend or date cancelled, not because he really wants to see you.
#3 - Don't call him. Don't ask him out. If you make it easy, he'll go out with you because it doesn't require much effort. But then one day he's going to realize he doesn't really love you and you're going to get hurt.
Next, He's Just Not That Into You. Yes, some of this is pretty straightforward. Well of course if he's not calling he's just not that into me... But it's SO easy when you meet a guy you really like to make excuses. "O he has a big trial this week", "O his mom is in town", etc... My personal favorite quote from the book, "I hate to tell you, but that whole 'I don't want to ruin the friendship' excuse is a racket." Boy do I wish I had this book when I was a teenager...
When my friends come to me for boy advice I remind them it takes less than 10 seconds to write a text that says "Thinking of you :)" and hit the send button. And when that doesn't work, I give them my copy of this book. If he likes you and wants to ask you out, he will. Period. End of story.
Next, Why Men Love Bitches. The book should have been called Why Men Love Strong Independent Women (her use of the word bitch is very liberal). The "attraction principles" are pretty simple: the less interested you are in him, the more interested he'll be in you. Men view being too nice or trying too hard as signs of weakness and they won't respect you. So if you put yourself first, don't get into a situation where you need him, and don't do nice things for him, he'll follow you around like a puppy.
Manipulative? Yes. Effective? Yes. Worth a read, but probably won't result in the type of healthy partnership most of us are looking for.
And finally, The Game. Not only is this book enormously entertaining, but it has helped me avoid the creepers at bars by recognizing when someone is trying to use the techniques from this book on me.
PUAs (pick-up artists) use a series of very calculated tips & tricks to get the number close, the kiss close, and ultimately, sex (after which they will most definitely not call you).
My personal favorite: the neg. It's a gentle put down to make a woman feel insecure and thus feel like she needs to win the man's approval. "It's so funny the way your nose wiggles when you talk!" *pause while you wait for her to be slightly offended* "No no, it's cute!"
Other ways to spot a game reader: he's peacocking (wearing something attention getting), asks if you want to see a magic trick, and/or approaches you with some crazy story about a friend who has a problem he could use your advice on.
I've seen this work, but men of the world, consider this a warning: we're onto your game.
Next, Why Men Love Bitches. The book should have been called Why Men Love Strong Independent Women (her use of the word bitch is very liberal). The "attraction principles" are pretty simple: the less interested you are in him, the more interested he'll be in you. Men view being too nice or trying too hard as signs of weakness and they won't respect you. So if you put yourself first, don't get into a situation where you need him, and don't do nice things for him, he'll follow you around like a puppy.
Manipulative? Yes. Effective? Yes. Worth a read, but probably won't result in the type of healthy partnership most of us are looking for.
And finally, The Game. Not only is this book enormously entertaining, but it has helped me avoid the creepers at bars by recognizing when someone is trying to use the techniques from this book on me.
PUAs (pick-up artists) use a series of very calculated tips & tricks to get the number close, the kiss close, and ultimately, sex (after which they will most definitely not call you).
My personal favorite: the neg. It's a gentle put down to make a woman feel insecure and thus feel like she needs to win the man's approval. "It's so funny the way your nose wiggles when you talk!" *pause while you wait for her to be slightly offended* "No no, it's cute!"
Other ways to spot a game reader: he's peacocking (wearing something attention getting), asks if you want to see a magic trick, and/or approaches you with some crazy story about a friend who has a problem he could use your advice on.
I've seen this work, but men of the world, consider this a warning: we're onto your game.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
After finding this under my dresser only half read, you may recall from my previous blog post I was not exactly thrilled. However, it turns out that I cannot always be right... The second half of the book was much better with minimal animal cruelty and things actually began to happen.
Quick character/plot line synopsis:
Nakata: An elderly man who cannot read or write, he lives a very simple life as has the unique ability to talk to cats. Numerous hints are given to suggest that he was the child who never fully recovered from the accident on the hill (see the worst 5 books of 2010 if you're not familiar with this yet). In the second half of the book, after murdering "Johnnie Walker", he goes on an adventure searching for the "entrance stone" which he is not yet sure what to do with, but knows it's very important. He can also apparently make various things fall from the sky by opening his umbrella.
Kafka Tamura: A 15 year old boy who runs away from home (his father is later revealed to be the famous sculptor known by Nakata as Johnnie Walker). He makes friends with another boy, who later turns out to be a girl, in the library and he/she is able to get Kafka a job doing basic janitorial work in exchange for a place to live. He develops a crush on the librarian, Miss Seiko, who may or may not be his mother, and in fulfilling a prophecy his father gave him as a young boy, sleeps with her.
Ok all caught up now.
If there's a theme to this book of seemingly unrelated plot lines, it's reality. What is it? And can you fool people into believing in it? At one point, Colonel Sanders dressed as pimp appears to guide Nakata and his truck driver friend, but says he is neither human nor Buddha.An imaginary bird/human talks to people and gives them advice. Kafka has sex with a ghost.
It's a fine line between weird and totally insane and though I grew to appreciate the reality bending existence of the two men, at times the book seemed to cross over into the territory of straight jackets in a padded room. Fish falling from the sky? Really?
In the end, I thought the book was ok. Did I like it? No, not really. But I definitely don't think it would have made it into the bottom 5 books of 2010 had I finished it. The writing is good and the story thought provoking, but the scene of paralyzed cats being cut open hung over me like a cloud and I just couldn't fully invest. Final verdict: skippable.
Quick character/plot line synopsis:
Nakata: An elderly man who cannot read or write, he lives a very simple life as has the unique ability to talk to cats. Numerous hints are given to suggest that he was the child who never fully recovered from the accident on the hill (see the worst 5 books of 2010 if you're not familiar with this yet). In the second half of the book, after murdering "Johnnie Walker", he goes on an adventure searching for the "entrance stone" which he is not yet sure what to do with, but knows it's very important. He can also apparently make various things fall from the sky by opening his umbrella.
Kafka Tamura: A 15 year old boy who runs away from home (his father is later revealed to be the famous sculptor known by Nakata as Johnnie Walker). He makes friends with another boy, who later turns out to be a girl, in the library and he/she is able to get Kafka a job doing basic janitorial work in exchange for a place to live. He develops a crush on the librarian, Miss Seiko, who may or may not be his mother, and in fulfilling a prophecy his father gave him as a young boy, sleeps with her.
Ok all caught up now.
If there's a theme to this book of seemingly unrelated plot lines, it's reality. What is it? And can you fool people into believing in it? At one point, Colonel Sanders dressed as pimp appears to guide Nakata and his truck driver friend, but says he is neither human nor Buddha.An imaginary bird/human talks to people and gives them advice. Kafka has sex with a ghost.
It's a fine line between weird and totally insane and though I grew to appreciate the reality bending existence of the two men, at times the book seemed to cross over into the territory of straight jackets in a padded room. Fish falling from the sky? Really?
In the end, I thought the book was ok. Did I like it? No, not really. But I definitely don't think it would have made it into the bottom 5 books of 2010 had I finished it. The writing is good and the story thought provoking, but the scene of paralyzed cats being cut open hung over me like a cloud and I just couldn't fully invest. Final verdict: skippable.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Is there a children's edition?
Packing the Court: The Rise of Judicial Power and the Coming Crisis of the Supreme Court by James MacGregor Burns.
For a book both the NY Times and Washington Post called "Provocative", I was not expecting it to be quite so dry. So-and-so appointed so-and-so to the court; it became more conservative and they ruled this way in the case of Mr. someone vs Mr. Otherguy. It wasn't until the last quarter of the book that Burns started to incorporate some actual analysis and his own thoughts into the writing. Coincidence that the most interesting and thoughtful part of the book covers the 30 years or so that he's been alive? I think not. If he had just focused on recent events using history as an example to back it up when needed, I think this actually would have been a good book.
I did learn quite a bit, but I thought it was very unfriendly for "casual fans" and really geared towards history buffs who can recite the presidential order in their sleep.
Here are some things I would have appreciated:
1) A simple who is on the court overview at the beginning of each chapter.
2) Sidebars or boxes to explain the cases he references. How nice that they ruled in favor of Madison, now please explain who/what Madison is and what the case was about so that I can better understand the impact of the decision. Seriously, I needed google open at all times when reading.
3) Pictures of the justices, fun facts, really anything to break up the seemingly endless block of tiny text on each page.
I would recommend this book if you have a strong interest in the supreme court, can list the presidents in chronological order, and know all the major decisions by heart; or at a bare minimum, have a strong interest in history and politics. Everyone else, I suggest waiting for the children's edition...
I did learn quite a bit, but I thought it was very unfriendly for "casual fans" and really geared towards history buffs who can recite the presidential order in their sleep.
Here are some things I would have appreciated:
1) A simple who is on the court overview at the beginning of each chapter.
2) Sidebars or boxes to explain the cases he references. How nice that they ruled in favor of Madison, now please explain who/what Madison is and what the case was about so that I can better understand the impact of the decision. Seriously, I needed google open at all times when reading.
3) Pictures of the justices, fun facts, really anything to break up the seemingly endless block of tiny text on each page.
I would recommend this book if you have a strong interest in the supreme court, can list the presidents in chronological order, and know all the major decisions by heart; or at a bare minimum, have a strong interest in history and politics. Everyone else, I suggest waiting for the children's edition...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
An unexpected recommendation
My parents' friends are interesting people. And I mean that in a good way, not in a "well, that was...interesting" way. For the most part, their friends are a lot like them: they travel frequently, read quite a bit, pursue their various hobbies and interests, and usually know the useless bits of trivia on Jeopardy.
As I've gotten older, I've begun to appreciate how much we can learn from them and that as much as we believed when we were younger life sort of ended at 40 and you became this boring blob of moving flesh, the parents of today are much...dare I say it...cooler, than we thought.
Case in point: Ilana DeBare. Believe it or not I used to babysit her daughter who is now in high school. (Wow I'm getting old!) I stumbled across her blog an embarrassingly long time after accepting her friend request on Facebook and have been catching up ever since. I found this review of David Grossman's To the End of the Land and was awed. Not only am I escalating this book to the top of my reading "queue", but I hope to be inspired by her beautiful writing to make my now seemingly kindergartenesque blog (with invented words) slightly better. Here's the link for those interested:
http://midlifebatmitzvah.wordpress.com/2010/12/29/ilanas-book-of-the-year-to-the-end-of-the-land/
Status update on my current reading: Currently on page 218 of 267 in Packing the Court. Slow going as I keep falling asleep while reading it. (A testament to my permanent state of exhaustion and also the book's boringness.) I expect to finish tonight and if tomorrow is another slow day at work, possibly post a review at that time.
As I've gotten older, I've begun to appreciate how much we can learn from them and that as much as we believed when we were younger life sort of ended at 40 and you became this boring blob of moving flesh, the parents of today are much...dare I say it...cooler, than we thought.
Case in point: Ilana DeBare. Believe it or not I used to babysit her daughter who is now in high school. (Wow I'm getting old!) I stumbled across her blog an embarrassingly long time after accepting her friend request on Facebook and have been catching up ever since. I found this review of David Grossman's To the End of the Land and was awed. Not only am I escalating this book to the top of my reading "queue", but I hope to be inspired by her beautiful writing to make my now seemingly kindergartenesque blog (with invented words) slightly better. Here's the link for those interested:
http://midlifebatmitzvah.wordpress.com/2010/12/29/ilanas-book-of-the-year-to-the-end-of-the-land/
Status update on my current reading: Currently on page 218 of 267 in Packing the Court. Slow going as I keep falling asleep while reading it. (A testament to my permanent state of exhaustion and also the book's boringness.) I expect to finish tonight and if tomorrow is another slow day at work, possibly post a review at that time.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
Thanks to two back to back weeks of working 60 hours, it took me a really long time to read this one. In my defense, the book is also very dense and the type is fairly small.
General impressions: It was very good. Not great, but very good. Sometimes the writing flowed beautifully, seemed to match the pace and tone of the action perfectly, and made me smile. Other times it felt like watching someone tread water in a lap pool. Roy mixes in Malayalam (native language) words which at times was a bit confusing and seemed to require too much processing. I had to reread sentences and once the entire paragraph because I kept getting stuck on "translating" something. And finally, I thought there were too many penises mentioned in completely unnecessary ways, leaving me slightly grossed out and concerned about the apparent shortage of pants in India. (Joking, joking...There's a definite erotic undertone though.)
The story is narrated in the third person, but mainly centered on dizygotic (fraternal) twins, Rahel and Estha who things just sort of seem to happen to. There's a chapter where Rahel is watching her family on the front porch, and she says it's like watching a scene in a play. To me, the whole book seemed like that. They don't actually do anything, things just sort of occur. People say and do things, and the twins (who actually view themselves as one person) just soak everything up, watching interactions, and being shaped based on the family members around them.
The book begins with the funeral of their cousin, Sophie, who visits from England "Hatted, bell-bottomed, and Loved from the Beginning"; and then in a circuitous and somewhat mysterious series of flashbacks and forwards, tells the tragic story of a family, deeply unfortunate, and their love, and ultimate betrayal, of one another leading up the night of Sophie's death.
I thought the last chapter was especially well written and did make me cry. Though in fairness, other things that make me cry are:
a) The Liberty Mutual commercial where the people "pay it forward" and do nice things for each other because they witnessed another good deed
b) The song "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds
c) Onions
I highly recommend it, but just know that wading through her prose is slow going, and some of the subject matter such as pedophilia, violence, and incest might be upsetting. This would be a great read for a serious book club (unlike mine which is actually a wine and 'who can make the best finger food competition' club masquerading as a group of women with an interest in literature), as I think I could have benefited from some varying view points and more discussion/analysis.
Coming later this week: Packing the Court by James MacGregor Burns. And, to balance out all this learning I'm doing, I think it's about time for some trashy romance :-) Plus I still have to finish Kafka on the Shore... Stay tuned!
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