52 Books in a year - Week Fifteen - Second Chances

While I typically dont' find myself into ghost stories, this book truly grabbed my attention. As always, Picoult manages to twist several plots together to keep the reader involved and interested in what she has to say. I enjoyed the family stories thinking about how we must understand the love that is held by a family and also the importance of understanding the history behind the communities we live in

52 Books in a year - Week Fourteen - Change of Heart

Change of Heart - Jodi Piccoult

The story of a crime where we don't really know the answer and a family forever torn apart. While I don't recommend reading many of her books in a row, I had to read books in order of due dates. While this story took a long time to get into and was very predictable throughout, still an enjoyable and quick read.

52 Books in a year - Week Thirteen - Zero: The biography of a dangerous number

52 Books in a Year – Week Thirteen – Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Number

This was actually my book club pick way back in January – which seems like so long ago. I am rereading parts of this book in order to help a student with a forensics speech, making this an appropriate time to rediscover the book one more time. While reading the history of a number does not seem especially intriguing, I must say, zero has a very interesting history. From the church not allowing the use of the number to the people who were simply afraid to incorporate it into their lives, this number has quite the history behind it – Not only did we learn about the number zero, other math and geeky related items are included. I never thought I would recommend a book about math, but I do encourage you to read this book, at least the first section, which I found to be the most interesting.

52 Books in a year - Week Twelve - When you are Engulfed in Flames

In classic David Sedaris style, this witty commentary is a memoir about the life of David Sedaris – which, if you are a fan, basically tells you exactly what the book is about. From a trip to quit smoking, the story of coming out to different people in, a, er, variety of different ways, we see the cynical side of Sedaris and his brilliant boyfriend Hugh. While not one of my favorite Sedaris books, it still had great dialogue and plenty of humor to keep me turning the pages as I sent along. While I would recommend Me Talk Pretty One Day or Naked before this one, still a must read for anyone who needs a break from their own reality. If you think your life is strange, you haven’t seen anything yet. August book club pick.

52 Books in a year - Week Eleven - Eclipse

In the spirit of trying to read books from all genres and time periods, classics, and books I have always wanted to read, my friend Janine and I decided to embark on Tolstoy’s masterpiece as a group effort had there not been a group effort, this book would never have been finished. Ever. I was willing to give it up every step of the way including the last fifty pages. While seen as one of the best stories of all time, I have yet to understand why. The best part took place in the last few pages of part seven – you will need to dedicate at least 100 of your life to find out what that is. All in all, the book dealt with cheating, unhappy marriages, farming, and lots of rich people complaining about how terrible the lives they have created for themselves are. In all honesty, I don’t get how this is a love story – at all. However, you better believe I will tell everybody I read this entire book and if I don’t like you, I may tell you to read it – especially if I don’t want to hear from you for the next three weeks.

52 Books in a year - Week Ten - Anna Karenina

In the spirit of trying to read books from all genres and time periods, classics, and books I have always wanted to read, my friend Janine and I decided to embark on Tolstoy’s masterpiece as a group effort had there not been a group effort, this book would never have been finished. Ever. I was willing to give it up every step of the way including the last fifty pages. While seen as one of the best stories of all time, I have yet to understand why. The best part took place in the last few pages of part seven – you will need to dedicate at least 100 of your life to find out what that is. All in all, the book dealt with cheating, unhappy marriages, farming, and lots of rich people complaining about how terrible the lives they have created for themselves are. In all honesty, I don’t get how this is a love story – at all. However, you better believe I will tell everybody I read this entire book and if I don’t like you, I may tell you to read it – especially if I don’t want to hear from you for the next three weeks.

52 Books in a year - Week Nine - The Weight of Silence

This book was our book club pick for the month of July – a simple read with quick chapters and story told from everybody’s point of view. The story surrounds the disappearance of two girls from their bedrooms early one morning. While the story was a decent read, not the page turner I was looking for. The story was very simplistic and lacked the depth needed for a thought-provoking read. The story become very predictable very early on, while the attempts at providing twists and turns did not give enough depth to be believable. I felt like the author didn’t go far enough into the research, leaving much of the story very unbelievable. A little research into the topics at hand would have went a long way for the author. Clearly a debut novel on her part.

52 Books in a year - Week Eight - In the Neighborhood

52 Books in a Year – Week eight – In the Neighborhood

I have been waiting to read this book for almost a full year now – I read an excerpt in the magazine “The Week” and finally have had the time to sit down and enjoy it. The book centers around the author discussing the need to find community in the neighborhoods we live in – the fact that it does not exist. The author, Peter Lovenheim goes from house to house asking if he can have a sleepover with this neighbors. Through many closed doors, Lovenheim discovers that while most neighbors desire privacy in their own homes, they truly long for this sense of community. In times of emergency and distress, many community members learn they have nobody they can lean on, making for a very undesirable way to live.

52 Books in a year - Week Seven - When Elephants Dance

52 Books in a Year – Week seven – When the Elephants Dance

Our book club pick for June, by far one of the most tragic and brilliantly written books I have read in a long time. After reading the first 15 pages, I honestly didn’t know how I was going to finish the book, the outlook seemed to grim and so bleak. However, the combination of the families story living in a cellar combined with the story each character shared about their past was beautifully done. Not only do you get a full novel, you get short glimpses into the lives of each of the characters, causing great attachment. This book also made me once again realize how little I know about history and the wars the United States was involved in. This book has encouraged me to read more books about this conflict.

52 Books in a year - Week Six - Esperanza Rising

This book was another recomendation from my wonderful friend Janine - she sent me a few books to read and I have rather enjoyed what she has sent so far, only one more to go! Anyway, Janine often reads young adult fiction which i have some to enjoy very much, it is a way to enjoy a story without the time commitment and i often find i think more about these books than much adult fiction. My other favorite part is to see how the story parallels adult stories that are similar - see my next post about my book club book from June for a complete explanation.

This young adult fiction tale was about a young girl named Esperanza who is very wealthy and lives in Mexico. Very early on her father dies and they lose everything and are forced to come to America to work as peasants. While this is clearly a fictional tale of what this life must have been like, it was a great book for discussing with young adults what this life was like and how common it was and still is today. It brings up issues or race, class, and a side of poverty we often don't think of. Overall, I would recommend this book for all to read, especially young girls who need something that is a bit more challenging than much of what is out there.

52 Books in a year - Week five - Nineteen Minutes

So, I have this bad habit of reading a lot of, well, not challenging stories. I always seem to pick up just an easy to read novel, especially during the school year when I have so much other (ahem) wonderful reading to accomplish. After reading a dozen research papers, the last thing I can do is sit and read a complicated story. This year I seem to be a bit stuck on Judy Piccoult novels, which have proven to be very enjoyable. Here are my thoughts on Nineteen Minutes, which centers around a school shooting.

While I am clearly a Piccoult fan, this book was by far my favorite. While her books are written in the same fashion and become a bit on the predictable side (multiple stories in one, a huge twist at the end, etc) I am often intrigued by stories that surround school shootings. This work of fiction did a great job of dealing with the pain and healing process a community must go through in order to deal with a tragedy of this magnitude. If looking for an easy read but a topic that is worth reading through, I highly recommend.

52 books in a year - Week four - The kite runner

This book was a recommendation from my friend, Janine in a wonderful box of books she sent to me. I am hoping to get through all of them very soon, but made this my first selection. While this was a book that I had often thought of reading, it was nice to have it placed in front of me to actually get me to read it.

The Kite Runner, first of all, was not at all what I had expected. While I knew the story would cover many tragedies of the Afghan people, I was not quite prepared for the detail and pure devastation that was discussed. I had to put this book down and pick it back up so many times just to allow myself to think through what was happening. The basic idea is the story of two boys growing up before the war, one privileged and one not. The story touches on tradition, family, and the struggles of being in a war torn country. The only disappointment was that the story ended, while beautifully, I needed to know more - the reader was left to believe the story just finished on a bright note, which, after what had just been experienced, wasn't all that bad.

52 books in a year - Week three- The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

For our March Book Club, we read a delightful book - The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Here are my thoughts.

Great book - written as letters back and forth to all of the characters involved, this story was delightful, the best work I can think of to explain. The story reflected the nature of humans and a bit about the curiosity we all have. Written from letters from many different people and perspectives, this story would make for a great summer beach read. Catching the humor is key, most is subtle and very witty.

52 books in a year - Week two - Bel Canto

This week the book is Bel Canto, by Ann Pachett. This was our April book club choice, and an excellent boot to have ready. My thoughts?

I really, really, loved this book - while you assume from the beginning there will be tragedy - the simple premise is that there is a dinner party for a birthday celebration which is interrupted by a militia group seeking to find the president -this book presents a sense of hope that not all evil is truly evil and that everybody has some good in them. While the book has a very slow pace to it, I would highly recommend all it has to offer. I found myself becoming very attached to the characters and really become excited to see how they would all end up.

52 books in a year - Week one - Little Bee

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

* This book was chosen by my book club as our May 2010 read. My book club is really impressive and chooses book I would never have chosen but overwhelmingly always seem to love. Here is my review

My favorite part of this story was the back of the book, which said it wasn't going to give anything away except that it was about two woman and a choice. This may be the biggest understatement I have ever heard. This story brings up many choices and reflects that these choices are not only ours but they effect everybody who is involved. The story had just enough twists and turns to where every time I become comfortable with the story, it changed my course of thinking. Without giving too much away and respecting the author's wishes, the story had a great way of incorporating culture and privilege into the story as well. I would recommend this story to anyone who appreciates a story about the nature of humans and the internal struggles we face. It makes us think about what we would be willing to give of ourselves in order to help others.

Happy Memorial Day

While I am totally fine with the fact that this blog is mostly boring and useless, I thought I would try to find away to make it exciting and useful again. An update with a much different purpose than before. While I will still use it to make health updates (which won't come again for another three months) I thought I would use it to make good on the one New Year's Resolution I made.

When I was a kid, I loved to read. I devoured every book I could get my hands on, reading two or three at a time, reading books over and over, etc. I was a fast reader and loved (though sometimes terrible) literature. I find this to be one of the saddest things that has changed about me. Maybe it was becoming and academic and finding reading to be work rather than pleasure (i am much more or a teacher than a researcher, though that is starting to change).

So, what was my one resolution? To read a book a week. 52 books by the end of the year. While most of my friends have already completed this task, I thought i should probably get in gear. I have been keeping track on facebook, but thought this would be a better outlet in case the facebook application ever gets cancelled. So, I will start today reposting what I have accomplished this far. If somebody does decide to read this, they can take my advice or advise about other books i should read.

One year!

I felt it would be appropriate to reflect on the last year of my life - while, and least the stuff that has occured in many ways. today marks one year since I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer - while I enjoy that I am doing fine and feeling great, I know that I still can't ignore the mental struggle I have experienced. I remember sitting in my office and coming from a dept meeting and seeing a missed call from my dr - as soon as i heard his voice, i knew there was an ominous message for me - dr's never call patients back, right - two classes and numerous phone calls I had my answer.

But that is the past. Today, I am very healthy and happy. I love my new job, my new location, and all of the people I know get to interact with. They are a constant inspiration and model for all!

Live from Vegas!

Hello from sunny and HOTTT Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps and neither do I when I am there! I am out visiting with friends and am having a great great time. One of the best perks about my job - the fact that I still get to enjoy Spring Break - and sometimes, a break is exactly what you need.

As for a health update, I just got the results of my last three month ultrasound - I still have swollen lymph nodes, which sucks, but they didnt get any bigger or worse, which is good. I was hoping for better news, but am content with this. As we are coming up on one year since my diagnosis (march 25), it seems right to celebrate the good things that have happened in the last year once again!

love you all,

j

Happy 2010

So I clearly have decided to neglect this blog - you know, now that life is actually good for a change. I thought about doing a recap for the past year, but just thinking of it is kinda exhausting. Relay, Cancer, new job, moving, cancer - haha - ok i think that is enough already. oh, and the torn cornea, which is actually kinda cool - who does that! anyway, rather than making new years resolutions, i think i just need to let this year happen - who knows what will come, and it seems like after so much change, the goal of this year is taking care of myself and fun. pretty sure it is going to go just fine.