Leave me alone, Derek. I've been sitting home for a week watching Oprah give away things on T.V. Oprah, Derek!

Social Jar Update!

Total since my last update = 48

As a reward for the first 25, I bought season 2 of Downton Abbey. And watched it in a weekend. Why do I have to wait until January?




Yoga Jar Update!

Total since my last update = 38

As a reward for the first 25, I bought a subscription to the magazine Yoga Journal. It was a Groupon, and I had a Groupon coupon (ha ha), so it only cost me $5!



I'm still waiting for the first magazine to arrive.

Mrs Hughes, I need to steal you for a minute. I have to check the linen books.

Ok, now for the "real" books that I've read recently.


Non-fiction first:



The Money Class by Suze Orman

The Review: This had some good tips and some things that I am working on implementing. But, like all financial books, the basic assumption is that you are in debt. Which for me isn't true. So the book fell a little flat for me there.




The Woman Who Wasn't There by Robin Gaby Fisher and Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr.

The Story: As the subtitle says, this is "The true story of an incredible deception." A woman joined the 9/11 survivors' group and spun amazing lies about her experience in the Towers.

The Review: This was amazing. It was a quick read and easy to get into. And the whole time I was thinking what? why would someone do that? and how much is a lie?

I totally recommend this book.




Beauty Gone Wild! by Diane Kidman

The story: This is just what it sounds like. A cookbook for personal care stuff.

The review: I got it because it was free on the Kindle. And I'm a little "granola-crunchy, hippie-type." I found it interesting and when I get a little time and can locate the ingredients, I actually want to try out the moisturizer.




Little Princes by Conor Grennan

The story: True story. Conor goes to volunteer at an orphanage in Nepal. He falls in love with the kids there and discovers that they are not actually orphans. They have been trafficked because of Nepal's civil war. He sets up an organization to try to reunite the kids with their parents.

The review: Great book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Conor writes really well and is very entertaining as he tells his stories. And despite the large number of children he talks about, he manages to help you remember individuals and care about them.

I totally recommend this book. And so does the rest of my book club.




Knockout by Suzanne Somers

The story: Suzanne starts with her personal story of a major health scare and then interviews doctors who are curing cancer in all kinds of non-traditional ways.

The review: First it makes you absolutely furious at the medical system we have to deal with. And then it offers some practical things we can do to not get cancer. I found it a fascinating read.

******

And then fiction:



The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

The Story: Hassan becomes a chef and has an amazing gift for creating food. He is eventually taken under the wing of a renowned french chef.

The Review: I thought there would be more story to this story. More action, more direction. I don't know. It left me disappointed and thinking, wait that's it? While simultaneously thinking, wow, that was so long!




The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Story: A family struggles through the Great Depression.

The Review: Steinbeck's style takes a moment to get into and it is very slow. But really for a good reason. And I hated the ending. But the fantastic news that I can now report on is my students survived this one! I'm so proud of them. -- I'm actually serious about that, it's not sarcastic at all.




Frozen Heat by Richard Castle

The Story: Nikki Heat continues her story and this time is looking to solve her mother's murder.

The Review: So I was enjoying this, and then I got sidetracked, and then the show came back on and I was disappointed with how this season began. So then I was disappointed with the book. I just felt like it was flatter than the others. Like it lost the charm and humor that I liked so much about the Castle series. So it wasn't my favorite.

A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.

In my last post of book reviews, I missed one!

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Story:
This is the first collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. It tells the story of Irene Adler and a few others that stumped Sherlock, as well as some robberies, murders, and supposedly super simple cases that turned complicated.

The Review:
Loved it. No matter what, Sherlock Holmes is always fun. And I need to read more, because I still haven't met Moriarty.

But I don't know if I should be flying or doing Swan Lake in these suits.

Some stories to share:

I get Shape magazine and was ready my copy this month. They did an interview with Kathy Griffin. She talked about some scary health challenges and how she decided to be healthy. 

But that isn't really the interesting part of the story. The article reminded me that last semester I had a student who wrote in her journal that Kathy Griffin is my twin. 

She started with the idea that everyone in the world has a twin, and then announced that Kathy Griffin must be mine, because we look a lot alike. At first, I was baffled... and not flattered at all. And then she explained that Kathy Griffin is her favorite celebrity and she loves her show. When I understood it was a compliment for her, I was more willing to go along with it. 

But really? I don't see it. 

Kathy Griffin

Me

***

One of my classes this summer starts earlier than is normal for me. That means I have to be at work earlier, and that means I have to get up earlier. And because of all of this, I'm going to the gym really early most of the week. It's amazing how much difference an hour makes in who is at the gym. 

I was looking around at all the people who are at the gym at 5:30 in the morning, and found myself watching one guy in particular. You do it too. The gym is all about people watching. 

This guy looks like Chris Evans in Fantastic Four.

I decided after a few days that he needed a code name. So I call him "Hawk Eye." And I laugh every time. 

***

Another gym story. 

I may have mentioned before that I like to listen to Jillian Michaels' podcast while I'm at the gym. 

(Just as a side note: She's very different on the podcast than she was on The Biggest Loser)

The podcast is set up in different segments and between each segment, the sound engineer plays a song. One day he chose to play "I Believe I Can Fly."

On the next episode, Jillian threw a fit! She started, "I was listening to the podcast. What the h--- were you thinking picking that?!" It was hilarious. She went on and on. And didn't fire the sound engineer, so it's all ok. 

Last week, I was listening to her latest episode. In between the first and second segments the sound engineer played "Call Me Maybe."

I busted out laughing, on the treadmill, at the gym. I could totally see how mad Jillian would be. I can't wait for the next episode. 

Bats may be, but even for billionaire playboys, three o'clock is pushing it. The price of leading a double life, I fear. Your theatrics made an impression.

A Rock-in-the-Jar update. 

My last update was on May 13. And looked like this:

Social life = 48

Yoga = 45

On June 9th, I counted everything up and the totals were:

Social life = 53

Yoga = 54

That means that I hit another reward point for both areas. I still haven't gotten the reward for them. 

And at the same time, I discovered that the jars were full enough that 1 rock wasn't making a noticeable difference, and I was getting disappointed with the lack of movement. So I dumped out 50 rocks from both jars. 

Today's totals:

Social life = 17 (Grand total since January 28 = 67)

Yoga = 14 (Grand total since January 28 = 64)

I need to plan a few more social events. Anyone want to hang out with me?

Have you seen the new library? There's-there's-there's nothing but computers. There's not a book to be seen.

Book Reviews!

I feel like I haven't been reading much this summer. I am teaching two classes this semester, which makes it way busier than last summer. And I have a couple other projects that I am working on. But reading still makes me happy, so I still am making some time for it.




A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Background:
I've mentioned before that I love the BBC show Sherlock.


Seriously, love it. And I found that almost all the Sherlock Holmes books are free on the Kindle. I downloaded a bunch before we went to Italy, and then started reading them after we got back.

The Story:
A Study in Scarlet is the first Sherlock Holmes novel. In it, we are introduced to Dr. John Watson and he meets and becomes roommates with Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is asked to consult on two murders and he gets Watson completely involved as well.

The Review:
Everyone knows Sherlock Holmes, but it is amazing to see how the characters actually got started. The murder is intriguing, but we get the entire story of Sherlock solving the crime, and then the story jumps to America and a totally bizarre tale of Mormon settlers who threaten and kill the people who disobey. It was a very weird shift and kind of surprising how it tied back to Sherlock's mystery.

Great, enjoyable book, but with a super bizarre twist.

***

Dreaming of Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly

The Story:
Chick-lit. A girl comes into some money and decides to open a Bed and Breakfast in ... uh... wherever Jane Austen's Persuasion takes place. (And that is how memorable the story was). A film cast and crew are filming Persuasion and descend upon her B&B. Romance is in the air, but the lines of romance get crossed and muddled, and then sorted out.

The Review:
It started off kind of cute, then got annoying, then was completely forgettable. I don't even remember the characters' names. Why is chick-lit all so predictable? And why are the "heroines" so annoying?

***

The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Story:
The second Sherlock Holmes novel. Once again, Sherlock is consulted in a mystery. It begins as a treasure hunt and ends as a murder.

The Review:
Again, a great story. This one takes us back to India, rather than America for the twist. And the twist seems to work a whole lot better. Good book.

***

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Story:
A series of short stories about Indians who immigrate to America and the challenges that they face both in adjusting to a new country and as they settle into life and their children become Americans.

The Review:
The first story in the set was my favorite. It is about a young woman who just had a baby and is trying to cope with the death of her mother. Her father comes to visit her for a week, and she begins to see how her father is dealing with her mother's death and how she is. I thought that the characters were developed and there was a resolution, even in the short story form.

The rest of the stories really fell flat for me. I was disappointed in how underdeveloped they were. My friends in book club made the same comment, and said it was just because they are short stories. I agree with that, but only to a point. Even short stories can be better than these.

***

Getting Rid of It by Betsy and Warren Talbot

The "Story":
The Talbots live a minimalist lifestyle and explain how they do it and why.

The Review:
The Talbots are really clear with explaining what they do and why. I really liked the idea of getting rid of the clutter that surrounds you so that you can be mentally free of clutter. They talked about how they made money, and I wish I felt like I could actually make money, but I did feel inspired to clean some stuff out. Anyone want to buy some of my clutter?

***

Update/Comment: I said it didn't feel like I'm reading much, but I just checked my Goodreads list (come be my friend on Goodreads!) and I've read 25 books so far this year, and we are 26 weeks into the year. That means I'm not far from the "one book per week" goal. 

I will talk no more of books or the long war / But walk by the dry thorn until I have found/ Some beggar sheltering from the wind, and there

Book Reviews! I'd say they are summer-time book reviews, but I've gotten behind, so the first couple are from April.



Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

The Story:
A young girl loses her mother and is sent to live with her great-aunt in Savannah, Georgia. In Savannah, she is surrounded by a bunch of strong old women.

The Review:
This was a cute, light read. My book club picked it and I finished it in a day. The characters were engaging and I was rooting for CeeCee to adjust to a normal life and really be happy. It was a satisfying ending in that way. The one thing that bothered me a little bit was it got a little man-hater. There were only 2 men characters in the entire novel and they were both horrible. It just gave a skewed vibe.

But the story was good and cute, and I would recommend it.

****

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Background:
I chose this for my American Lit class in the Fall. I wanted something really recent that deals with our recent big issues that impact the entire nation.

The Story:
A young boy loses his father on 9/11, and now, two years later, he is still struggling with his loss. He finds things that make him believe that his dad left a message, so he goes all over New York City meeting people that he thinks can help him solve the message.

The Review:
I cried. Which means that this was a great book. I loved Oskar as the narrator, he has a quirky, unusual voice and was just charming from the beginning. The story is a little jumpy, but it really works. Obviously the story is rather heavy, but it moved quickly and was really good.

I totally recommend it.

****

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

The Story:
This is a true story of Cunxin who is chosen to be trained as a ballet dancer in communist China.

The Review:
True confession -- I didn't actually finish this book. It was really rough. Obviously his story is amazing and overcoming odds and all of that, but the writing was horrible. I tried really hard to be understanding about a Chinese person writing in English and all of that, but it was really difficult to read. The writing was really flat and unexciting. I kept hoping that something would happen, and it didn't.

Since I didn't finish it, I obviously can't discourage reading it, but I can't recommend it.

****

Any Bitter Thing by Monica Wood

The Story:
A young girl loses her parents and is raised by her Catholic priest uncle. (Are you sensing a theme? I swear I don't just pick books about orphans). Her uncle is accused of molesting her and she is sent away. As an adult, she is still dealing with her past.

The Review:
I liked this one. The story-line is a little unusual and not really what I was expecting. But the writing was good and clear and it was a good story. I felt interested in the characters and was very satisfied with how their stories went.

I recommend this one.

****

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

The Story:
A teenage girl was raised in a family of witches, but doesn't have any powers of her own. She is an outcast in her family and trying to figure out how to live her life. Then she meets a stranger and her whole life changes.

The Review:
This was a good story. The magic was approached in an interesting way. It was a quick, easy read. I recommend it.

****

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

The Story:
The second installment of Once a Witch.

The Review:
I liked the second installment just a much. I did get a little frustrated with how Tam made decisions. It was the typical "let me rush off and do something crazy without the people who could actually help me" and I am always like "ugh!" Which I think is how the author wants you to feel ... maybe. But I recommend it.

****

A Brewing Storm by Richard Castle

The Story:
A short-story installment of Derrick Storm -- Castle's character before he started working with Beckett.

The Review:
As always Castle's books are fun. I liked that this was a short story, it was a little cliff-hanger-ish, but the main case was solved.

****

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

The Story:
A young man, Cas, is a ghost hunter. He finds and "kills" ghosts that are murdering living humans. He gets a tip about a particularly horrendous ghost named Anna Dressed in Blood and goes to find and dispatch her.

The Review:
I liked this. I read it during my crazy-long layover in the Charlotte airport. It was quick and easy. I liked Cas's voice, he was quirky and cute. But I found the plot a little bizarre. I obviously can't really explain this without giving away the plot, but it was a little odd.

I'd still recommend the book, as long as you are willing to suspend belief.