The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
999 Challenge Category: Nonfiction
When college professor Randy Pausch learned that his cancer had returned and he had only months to live, he decided to live life to the fullest. He and his family moved so his wife could be close to family when he died; he made memories with his children. He had been scheduled to give a lecture, and instead of canceling, he gave a lecture about "living your childhood dreams."
An inspiring tale, The Last Lecture often reminded me of Tuesdays with Morrie, the difference being that this is told in the first-person by the dying man himself as a way for his children to know him. Divided into five larger, thematic sections, there are short vignettes from Randy's childhood, adulthood, family life, work life, and just general experience in which he tells you how he lived his life and imparts wisdom on various subjects such as "how to maximize your time." I laughed, I teared up, and I remembered defining moments in my own life along the way. A quick read that packs a lot of punch. 5 stars.
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Category 7, Book 2: Recommendations - The Shack
The Shack by William P. Young
999 Challenge Category: Recommended Reads or New to Me Authors
Mack hasn't been the same ever since his youngest daughter, Missy, was kidnapped during a camping trip he took with three of his children. Her body was never found but the trail ended at a shack in the woods. Now he's received a note asking him to go to this shack, and it's signed "Papa." As this is his wife's favorite name for God, this seems like some sort of cruel joke. But when Mack decides to take the trip, his life will never be the same.
At first I wasn't sure if I liked the book or not. The book is a very emotional, internal read. Not much happens in terms of plot; we're mostly along with Mack during a series of conversations and interactions. Some of the conversations seemed a little transparent and heavy-handed at times, a little bit of God-explains-it-all while Mack listens or reacts. But to my surprise, it resonated for a long time afterward. I would recommend it for those who enjoy inspirational fiction. 4 stars.
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Recommended Reads or New to Me Authors
Mack hasn't been the same ever since his youngest daughter, Missy, was kidnapped during a camping trip he took with three of his children. Her body was never found but the trail ended at a shack in the woods. Now he's received a note asking him to go to this shack, and it's signed "Papa." As this is his wife's favorite name for God, this seems like some sort of cruel joke. But when Mack decides to take the trip, his life will never be the same.
At first I wasn't sure if I liked the book or not. The book is a very emotional, internal read. Not much happens in terms of plot; we're mostly along with Mack during a series of conversations and interactions. Some of the conversations seemed a little transparent and heavy-handed at times, a little bit of God-explains-it-all while Mack listens or reacts. But to my surprise, it resonated for a long time afterward. I would recommend it for those who enjoy inspirational fiction. 4 stars.
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Category 7, Book 1: Recommendations - Lost in a Good Book
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
999 Challenge Category: Recommendations or Award Winners
This is the second book in the Thursday Next series, which really should be read in order. I'll warn you now not to read this if you haven't read The Eyre Affair, because it will inevitably have spoilers for the first book.
Lost in a Good Book starts soon after the The Eyre Affair ends. Thursday is being inundated with requests for appearances on TV shows (she's even asked to create a workout video) after her adventures in the pages of Jane Eyre. The Goliath Corporation is none too happy with her treatment of Jack Schitt; meanwhile, Cordelia Flakk is chasing Thursday down for more PR appearances, and someone seems intent on killing Thursday by coincidence (decrease in entropy occurs every once in awhile, but I'll let Mycroft explain how that happens).
It's hard to pin down the Thursday Next series by genre. It's sort-of science fiction, because it involves time travel and an alternate universe. It's definitely humor, running the gamut from roll-your-eyes puns (Schitt, his half-brother Schitt-Hawse, and various other character names) and literary references to classics that might go over your head even if you've read the books. But to attempt to pin it down doesn't do it justice - you really just have to be in the mood for zany good fun and literary puns. 5 stars.
Cross-posted at The 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Recommendations or Award Winners
This is the second book in the Thursday Next series, which really should be read in order. I'll warn you now not to read this if you haven't read The Eyre Affair, because it will inevitably have spoilers for the first book.
Lost in a Good Book starts soon after the The Eyre Affair ends. Thursday is being inundated with requests for appearances on TV shows (she's even asked to create a workout video) after her adventures in the pages of Jane Eyre. The Goliath Corporation is none too happy with her treatment of Jack Schitt; meanwhile, Cordelia Flakk is chasing Thursday down for more PR appearances, and someone seems intent on killing Thursday by coincidence (decrease in entropy occurs every once in awhile, but I'll let Mycroft explain how that happens).
It's hard to pin down the Thursday Next series by genre. It's sort-of science fiction, because it involves time travel and an alternate universe. It's definitely humor, running the gamut from roll-your-eyes puns (Schitt, his half-brother Schitt-Hawse, and various other character names) and literary references to classics that might go over your head even if you've read the books. But to attempt to pin it down doesn't do it justice - you really just have to be in the mood for zany good fun and literary puns. 5 stars.
Cross-posted at The 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge
I've joined the 999 Challenge on LibraryThing this year. The goal is to read 9 books in 9 different categories in 2009. I'm hoping to read a total of 81 books in the following categories:
- Award Winners
- New to Me Authors
- Books about books, reading, or writing
- Other Nonfiction
- Audiobooks
- Graphic Novels
- Recommendations
- YA or Children's
- From the Lost Book Club
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Further Proof that I am a Word Nerd
I found this fun podcast on words -- the podictionary, which bills itself as "the podcast for word lovers" (via The Book Lady's Blog). It's a short (under 5 minutes) podcast that provides history on common words like "conniption" and "verdant." If you love words like I do, check it out!
Monday, September 1, 2008
First Book Loves
"Once, in my father's bookshop, I heard a regular customer say that few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a palace in our memory to which, sooner or later -- no matter how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget -- we will return." -- Carlos Ruiz Zafon; The Shadow of the Wind, p.8
I love this picture of the impact a book -- especially that first resonating story -- has on a reader. For the narrator, Daniel Sempere, that book is The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. This book literally impacts the rest of Daniel's life, as it introduces him to his first crush, sends him on a quest to find out more about the mysterious author, and pits him against the eerie character who wants nothing more than to destroy all of Carax's works.
The quote above reminded me of my own first experience with an impact-filled, "echoing" read. Mine was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, my introduction to one of my all-time favorite series, The Chronicles of Narnia. I had already loved reading before this book, but this one just resonated with me as a 7-year-old. I loved discovering the references to my faith, imagining the existence of other worlds, and getting more out of the stories with every reread. I remember saving my quarters as an 8-year-old to buy the series in a paperback boxed set. Far from being merely attached to the stories, when I need to replace titles that were falling apart, I held out for the same series with the same cover art (though different publication dates) that I found at tag sales. Partly, this is in protest to the renumbering of the series since 1994, but mostly I can't imagine reading the books in a different size book, with a different font or margin width.
There's nothing like a first reading love. Though my experience is not as dramatically life-impacting as Daniel's, "those first images, the echo of words" were never left behind. What are your "first loves" in reading?
Works cited:
Ruiz Zafon, Carlos. The Shadow of the Wind. Trans. by Lucia Graves. New York: Penguin Press, 2004.
I love this picture of the impact a book -- especially that first resonating story -- has on a reader. For the narrator, Daniel Sempere, that book is The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. This book literally impacts the rest of Daniel's life, as it introduces him to his first crush, sends him on a quest to find out more about the mysterious author, and pits him against the eerie character who wants nothing more than to destroy all of Carax's works.
The quote above reminded me of my own first experience with an impact-filled, "echoing" read. Mine was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, my introduction to one of my all-time favorite series, The Chronicles of Narnia. I had already loved reading before this book, but this one just resonated with me as a 7-year-old. I loved discovering the references to my faith, imagining the existence of other worlds, and getting more out of the stories with every reread. I remember saving my quarters as an 8-year-old to buy the series in a paperback boxed set. Far from being merely attached to the stories, when I need to replace titles that were falling apart, I held out for the same series with the same cover art (though different publication dates) that I found at tag sales. Partly, this is in protest to the renumbering of the series since 1994, but mostly I can't imagine reading the books in a different size book, with a different font or margin width.
There's nothing like a first reading love. Though my experience is not as dramatically life-impacting as Daniel's, "those first images, the echo of words" were never left behind. What are your "first loves" in reading?
Works cited:
Ruiz Zafon, Carlos. The Shadow of the Wind. Trans. by Lucia Graves. New York: Penguin Press, 2004.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
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