Standing for Something

I am of the firm belif that we need to get back to civility as practiced in the old days. Don't get me wrong I am as Liberal as you will get but I feel that in time we have lost the niceties that make living more pleasant. When I saw this in the library I knew I had to read it.

The book list 10 virtues that will enhance anyone who follows them. It is not overly preachy or anything like that. Being the brilliant man that he was he puts things in such a light that even non religious people can read.

I loved this book. It really does name the virtues that if everyone practiced than this would be a much better world. For example it list honesty as a virtue. Most of us think that we are honest enough but this book makes you see it goes deeper than one would think. It explains even simple acts of dishonesty can pervade our whole life. It gives examples and shows how you can be honest and still practice compassion.

Literary Blog Hop: Jan 6-9

How did you find your way to reading literary fiction and nonfiction?

When it was found out that I was profoundly Deaf at the age of three the Dr told my mother that I would never read above a 4th grade level. Once you tell my mother something cant be done she will do anything to prove you wrong. This ended up to be a blessing in disguise.

She had always read to me but of course I did not exactly hear her. When I started school I was way behind. I got sent to the “special reading room” for a year. Even at that young age I knew I was missing out on the good books the “regular” kids got to read so me and my mom and my teacher practiced and practiced. Once I started learning ASL and could communicate better it was like a puzzle all came together.

I still remember the day I was allowed in to the regular classroom. I had gotten all A’s for a whole year in special reading so they sent me with the regular kids. The joy of reading something that did not repeat itself over and over and over was immense. I was also allowed to use the school library. That's when my reading took over my life. I read and read. My mother bought books but I would read so fast she finally got me a membership at the public library and that's when I started reading literary works. I think I skipped over all the Young Adult books and went straight to the “grown up” books.

As a Deaf child I couldn't communicate well with other children so books became my refuge. In a book I was equal. Still to this day I would rather read then interact with live human people.

Flirt

When I first picked up this book, i felt she must had a serious case of writers block. Most of her books are good and thick but this one was only 178 pages long. Then I found out that this book was a cure for writers block while she was writing another book. Ok whatever works.

The plot is that two bereaved spouses come and try to force Anita to raise their respective spouse from the grave. She refused both of them but one take extraordinary measures to force her to raise his wife.

I liked her earlier work but as time goes on it seems that her books become filled more and more with orgy type scenes. This book however was different. It focused almost solely on Anita’s work as a necromancer. There was one sex scene but it was not as explicit as usual. I hope this marks a turn in her returning to her roots.

As usual the ending turned out well. Anita always gets herself in situations that I think she cant get herself out of but she always manages to. The plot wasn't much. I felt that it was better than some of her latest work in that the plot actually had some action other than sex in it. I am not a prude by any means but when a whole book and worse book after book starts having multiple sex scenes that distract from the plot then I start to take offense.

This was a short and sweet book that avoid her earlier books pitfalls.

TBR Challenge 2011

  Roof Beam Reader is hosting the to be read challenge of 2011. You pick 12 books that has been on your TBR for at least a year. you then pledge to read those books. My list is as follows.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames- David Sedris
My Abandonment- Peter Rock
Local Anesthesic- Gunther Grass
The Reader-Bernhard Schlink
Woman Who Run With the Wolves-Christina Estes
The Trial- Franz Kafta
Boludolingo- Umberto Eco
Mary Mcgreedy- Walter Keady
Life is Elsewhere-Milian Kumdera
Swallows of Kabul- Yas Mina Khadra
Remembered Rapture- bell hooks
Candide-Voltaire

2011 Reading and Blogging Resolutions

To read 200 books. This will not include audio books as I am Deaf and cant hear them anyway. It will include good old fashioned books.

To try a book from each genre. Becoming involved with the book blogging world has exposed me to new genres and I have no idea what they are talking about so I want to correct this.

To be more consistent with my blogging. I have really gotten lazy with blogging. I want to try and post 3 to 4 times a week.

To comment on other blogs more. I lurk at a number of different blogs and never comment. If I don't comment then I cant expect no one to comment on mine. Right?

Become more proactive in getting interviews and such on my blog. I know reviews is a big part but other stuff make a blog more exciting.

Become adept with social networks. I am still learning how to interacting well with people on twitter and such. I want to become even better.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

You remember while you was in collage, your friends that majored in something such as business administration talked about books such as this one and how much it has helped them over the years? While you who majored in a liberal arts degree who thought themselves above such books scoffed as such nonsense. Fast forward 5 years later and it is clear who is making more money and stuff and you start to wonder if there were a timeless piece of wisdom in such books, so you finally get it from the library and see what you may have missed.  This was one of those books.

The idea is there are seven principles of highly effective people. By effective it seems getting people to see things your way or as Covey describes it, an agreement that works for both people.

He outlines each step as a stepping stone to true independence which is really interdependence. By completing each step you supposedly become more and more effective at achieving your goals.

The one thing that surprised me was that Covey states in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is he advocates sticking to a principal centered pardagram. I was under the impression that most “business” books was all about getting ahead but I was mistaken.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It not a literary masterpiece but it does have some good advice.

Room

Room is a novel set in a 11 by 11 foot soundproof cell. The cell used to be a garden shed before it became a prison by witch 5 year old Jack and is Ma became imprisoned. Jack was born in this room and thinks that everything he sees on TV is made up. He is unaware that Outside is real.

Then his Ma tells him about the things that are on the Outside. He understandably at first does not believe it but the his Ma comes up with an escape plan that is crazy enough to work.

After they both escape they are unprepared of the work they have to do to get reacquainted with the Outside.

I have to admit at first the book which is written solely from 5 year old Jack point of view grated on me. Then I realized I was reading a work of art. How many authors could pull of a pretentious 5 year old voice for a whole book. It did not deviate from his voice even once. That to me was impressive.

The author in the first part of the book did an excellent job in setting the stage in how Jack and his Ma set up routines that they did everyday. We would have though jack would have been more traumatized than he was but as we see his trauma comes mostly from having to adjust being Outside.

Earlier in the book the idea that Jack came from a rape was not central to the story. It wasn't until the second part when people the family had a hard time accepting Jack that the full reality sets in. Again the author set the scene beautifully in describing Jack as solely Ma’s child. The actual rapist and the man that imprisoned them is a secondary character.

The first part of the book was slow going. It wasn't until the second part of the book that things sped up and I realized how essential the first part was to the rest of the plot. I am glad I decided to stick with the book. I almost didn't but I heard so many good things that I decided to stay with it and see what all the fuss was about.

This is one of those books that you need to look at the whole to see what a wonderful piece of art it really is.