by William Shakespeare
Being an English minor and loving to read (especially classics), this is one of those books I've been meaning to read, but never got to. Finally did. It was a slow start, as it is with Shakespeare, due to the language being more cryptic. But once I got through the first scene or two, I was hooked. This is one of his plays that I have never seen performed, and I would love to after having read it. Not his most complex play, especially plot wise, but it would be interesting to see how they presented it on stage. Maybe in a few years, when I'm not pregnant and running after little kids, I'll be able to get out of the house long enough to see it!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Time Traveler's Wife--The Movie
I saw the movie, so I thought I'd let you know: THE BOOK IS WAY BETTER! As most books are. The movie skipped soo much, and while some of it I understand (such as Clare and Henry making love for the first time when she's 18 and he's 43), some of it was what gave the characters their depth. They especially cut out a lot of their meetings when Clare was a kid and teenager. This is what provided us with an understanding of why Clare loved him. We didn't get much of a reason for that from the movie. In a sense the movie threw things at you and expected you to buy into it, while the book actually gave you reasons for it. There was no courting in the movie--it went from meeting, to a few dates, to a proposal, to a wedding. We missed Clare falling in love with Henry, and Henry falling in love with Clare.
That being said--the ending of the movie was way better! (Spoiler alert) In the movie after Henry dies, when he time travels to spend time with his daughter he also gets opportunities to see Clare. Even better than that was the interaction between Alba and Clare after he vanished from the final meeting we see. They connected; they understood each other; the look between Alba and Clare showed us that it would be okay, Clare could and would function as a mother. The book never gave us this hope. All we saw was a shell of a person who was waiting for her final meeting with Henry (when she's 83) and who was kind of resentful that her daughter got to see him. Not a happy ending for Clare, Henry, or Alba.
That being said--the ending of the movie was way better! (Spoiler alert) In the movie after Henry dies, when he time travels to spend time with his daughter he also gets opportunities to see Clare. Even better than that was the interaction between Alba and Clare after he vanished from the final meeting we see. They connected; they understood each other; the look between Alba and Clare showed us that it would be okay, Clare could and would function as a mother. The book never gave us this hope. All we saw was a shell of a person who was waiting for her final meeting with Henry (when she's 83) and who was kind of resentful that her daughter got to see him. Not a happy ending for Clare, Henry, or Alba.
Book # 8: The Guinea Pig Diaries
by A.J. Jacobs
This is the third book by A.J. Jacobs that I've read, and it is my least favorite. I think the main reason is that this is a series of small experiments, while the others were longer and more involved. This book felt more disjointed, maybe even a little forced. That being said, there were a number of laugh-out-loud moments, especially in the final projects. A couple of his projects included: outsourcing his life to companies in India--both professional and personal, trying to practice radical honesty, and letting his wife be in charge of everything. Parts were intriguing, but it's not a book I would necessarily reccomend. Read his other two first at least.
This is the third book by A.J. Jacobs that I've read, and it is my least favorite. I think the main reason is that this is a series of small experiments, while the others were longer and more involved. This book felt more disjointed, maybe even a little forced. That being said, there were a number of laugh-out-loud moments, especially in the final projects. A couple of his projects included: outsourcing his life to companies in India--both professional and personal, trying to practice radical honesty, and letting his wife be in charge of everything. Parts were intriguing, but it's not a book I would necessarily reccomend. Read his other two first at least.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Book # 7: Stones into Schools
by Greg Mortenson
This is the second book about Greg's inspirational work of building schools for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The first, Three Cups of Tea, was lent to me by my sister and was an amazing story. This one is nothing less. It is well-written, intriguing, and meaningful. I highly recommend it as it gives a glimpse into the society of Afghanistan and Pakistan, while documenting the work that the Central Asia Institute (a group Greg set up) is doing. The tasks and undertakings that are overcome are unbelievable; and frankly, I can't even begin to do the book justice. So just go get a copy, make a cup of tea, and read it! You won't regret it.
This is the second book about Greg's inspirational work of building schools for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The first, Three Cups of Tea, was lent to me by my sister and was an amazing story. This one is nothing less. It is well-written, intriguing, and meaningful. I highly recommend it as it gives a glimpse into the society of Afghanistan and Pakistan, while documenting the work that the Central Asia Institute (a group Greg set up) is doing. The tasks and undertakings that are overcome are unbelievable; and frankly, I can't even begin to do the book justice. So just go get a copy, make a cup of tea, and read it! You won't regret it.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Stalled
Well, my reading has been halted. Mommy Meg noticed that I had mentioned neglecting my house work in order to keep up with my book reading. Therefore, she suggested that maybe we should take a break between books and complete a household task before continuing. This got me thinking... my household items always get done. By these I mean, my laundry, grocery shopping, weekly cleaning, and cooking, but I do have a "To Do List" that has been sadly neglected. So neglected in fact that I have not visited it since way before Christmas. So with Mommy Meg's motivation, I printed (yes, I keep a copy saved on my desktop) and updated my to do list. This small act got me incredibly motivated. A number of the tasks on my list actually looked fun. I just happen to be an organizational nut. Not that my house in anyway reflects this because I'm a messy person by everyday standards, but those big organizing projects that most people prefer to put off--I LOVE THEM!!! Organize the basement--OKAY! Sort through the kids clothing--YIPPEE! Buy containers and make Madi's crafts accessible to her--WOOHOO! I know; it's sad. As a kid, I used to organize my bedroom a number of times a year--not clean, organize. The large pile of clothing would stay untouched, but my school papers and artwork would be cataloged and filed away neatly. A little backwards--most likely, but very handy in a friend, as if you're organizing and care to invite me, I will be your motivator!!!
Anyway... perhaps Mommy Meg knew this, dropped a hint on purpose, and thus sidetracked me from my good old reading frenzy. Perhaps not, and I dug my own grave, or at least organized it.
Either way, I HAVE started my next book, but my days have been spent:
1. Inventorying Madilyn's clothing (size 2T, 3T, 4T, and 5T), all stored in marked boxes in her closet for when she finally reaches those sizes. Now I am ready for yard sale season because I know what items I am missing, such as snowsuits, T-shirts, or winter dresses.
2. Organizing Madilyn's craft supplies into little drawers so that she can now access them herself. Hooray for independence!
3. Sorting through Luke's too small clothing and getting it folded and ready for baby # 3. Plus purging the items I dreaded putting him in as I really didn't like them.
4. Finally, prepping a few items to mail as they have been sitting in my office for over a year.
5. Hanging up some icons and crosses that have also sat in my office for over a year.
Now that I have confessed my organizational addiction, I am headed to the couch to put my feet up and yes, read...not organize, not purge, not straighten...to read!
Anyway... perhaps Mommy Meg knew this, dropped a hint on purpose, and thus sidetracked me from my good old reading frenzy. Perhaps not, and I dug my own grave, or at least organized it.
Either way, I HAVE started my next book, but my days have been spent:
1. Inventorying Madilyn's clothing (size 2T, 3T, 4T, and 5T), all stored in marked boxes in her closet for when she finally reaches those sizes. Now I am ready for yard sale season because I know what items I am missing, such as snowsuits, T-shirts, or winter dresses.
2. Organizing Madilyn's craft supplies into little drawers so that she can now access them herself. Hooray for independence!
3. Sorting through Luke's too small clothing and getting it folded and ready for baby # 3. Plus purging the items I dreaded putting him in as I really didn't like them.
4. Finally, prepping a few items to mail as they have been sitting in my office for over a year.
5. Hanging up some icons and crosses that have also sat in my office for over a year.
Now that I have confessed my organizational addiction, I am headed to the couch to put my feet up and yes, read...not organize, not purge, not straighten...to read!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Book # 6: The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
Frankly, I'm not one to love time travel books or movies. My husband on the other hand LOVES time travel. So much in fact, that he is dying to see the movie and has even considered reading the book. So I knew at some point I'd be seeing the movie, and as books are almost always better than the movie, I like to read the book first. I knew this book would be sad--it reeked of it--there was no way it could not be sad.
This is one of those books that you absolutely love, but will require a box of tissues and at least a week to process and move on with your life. I probably cried through half of it, and after finishing it this morning, I am still running parts back through my head. And if I think too hard about it, I'll tear up. (Okay, maybe the pregnancy hormones aren't helping!) I even dreamed about it last night. I read it so quickly (trying to speed through the sad parts and be able to get back to the real world) that my thoughts kind of began to mirror the book layout. Kind of like after reading a Jane Austen book, you begin thinking in "Pray thee, tell me's". It's a full out emotional roller coaster, and it's hard to climb off afterward. Definitely one to read, and one I can see becoming a classic, but also one I don't want to reread as experiencing the emotional agony once is sufficient.
Besides the emotion, the book handles the concept of time travel well; having a husband who watches anything involving time travel means that it becomes a topic of conversation often. My main issue with time travel is the whole multiple time lines and the whole "then they woke up" sequence, where only one person remembers the entire episode, but they can't say anything. None of that messes up this book. Time travel is handled well, and even believably. It is incredibly well written and very intriguing to ponder.
As for the end, I was left a little unsatisfied. I wanted Clare to move on (not forget or find someone else), but live again. I wanted her to interact with her daughter, to stop waiting, to be whole. If she reached that point, we didn't see it. And their last meetings--BIG LET DOWN!! I wanted to hear the conversation; I wanted to know how long she spent with him. I wanted to know what happened in all that time he was gone--what had Clare done, where was Alba, etc. Yes, I'm slightly cranky about it. After investing so much emotional stamina into a book, I wanted closure. I didn't get it. So now I'm left pondering what happened, while still experiencing Clare fading into a Henry-less life. Perhaps that's the intent, but err...
Frankly, I'm not one to love time travel books or movies. My husband on the other hand LOVES time travel. So much in fact, that he is dying to see the movie and has even considered reading the book. So I knew at some point I'd be seeing the movie, and as books are almost always better than the movie, I like to read the book first. I knew this book would be sad--it reeked of it--there was no way it could not be sad.
This is one of those books that you absolutely love, but will require a box of tissues and at least a week to process and move on with your life. I probably cried through half of it, and after finishing it this morning, I am still running parts back through my head. And if I think too hard about it, I'll tear up. (Okay, maybe the pregnancy hormones aren't helping!) I even dreamed about it last night. I read it so quickly (trying to speed through the sad parts and be able to get back to the real world) that my thoughts kind of began to mirror the book layout. Kind of like after reading a Jane Austen book, you begin thinking in "Pray thee, tell me's". It's a full out emotional roller coaster, and it's hard to climb off afterward. Definitely one to read, and one I can see becoming a classic, but also one I don't want to reread as experiencing the emotional agony once is sufficient.
Besides the emotion, the book handles the concept of time travel well; having a husband who watches anything involving time travel means that it becomes a topic of conversation often. My main issue with time travel is the whole multiple time lines and the whole "then they woke up" sequence, where only one person remembers the entire episode, but they can't say anything. None of that messes up this book. Time travel is handled well, and even believably. It is incredibly well written and very intriguing to ponder.
As for the end, I was left a little unsatisfied. I wanted Clare to move on (not forget or find someone else), but live again. I wanted her to interact with her daughter, to stop waiting, to be whole. If she reached that point, we didn't see it. And their last meetings--BIG LET DOWN!! I wanted to hear the conversation; I wanted to know how long she spent with him. I wanted to know what happened in all that time he was gone--what had Clare done, where was Alba, etc. Yes, I'm slightly cranky about it. After investing so much emotional stamina into a book, I wanted closure. I didn't get it. So now I'm left pondering what happened, while still experiencing Clare fading into a Henry-less life. Perhaps that's the intent, but err...
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