Upcoming reads

Nothing like getting a box shipped to you with books smelling all musky and booky on the eve of a four day weekend! 

 My latest Powells order: 

Memoir, travel, Christian feminism, best-seller and small town mystery... Ya that's a really good cross-section of my interests!  

#10 (TIME TO GO, SIR TERRY)

In my last post I said I didn't have much left to say about Terry Pratchett. I'd decided that I'd leave Discworld for a time. Then news of the author's death arrived and it seemed like the best way of mourning would be to delve back into that world. So I paused the Earthsea Chronicles that I'm currently reading.  Reaper Man seemed a good choice to commemorate the death of the author; the main character being Mort (Death).

Brandon Sanderson, another well-known fantasy writer, once compared Terry Pratchett to Shakespeare. His main argument was that, unlike many other humorists, Pratchett can weave together a brilliant and captivating story that holds your attention. This makes sense to me: I love Bill Bryson, for instance, and have many laugh-out-loud moments with his books but they central storyline don't grip me and it often takes me months to finish one of his. Pratchett's use of literary allusion and memorable characters add to the general brilliance of his books. (For Sanderson's full article, click here)

I think the fact that he had this whole world laid out to explore and see through the eyes of many different characters is what kept me coming back. For the most part, the books don't need to be read in order (unless you want to follow a certain characters trajectory) and they cover everybody from Death to the Patrician (leader of the foulest cities of them all!), to guttersnipes and con-men and grandmother-witches, and trolls and dwarfs. There's lots of variety and when characters wander into other characters books it's like running into old friends. I'm not a fan of giant, epic series where you have to read 11 books to "know what happens". Discworld isn't like that, you can dip into it wherever you like and stay as long as you like! 

RIP Sir Terry

My top 3 Discworld books: 

1. Colour of Magic - best place to start in your Discworld journeys. 

2. Going Postal - a conman forced to make the world a better place

3. Guards! Guards! and all 8 books about the Ankk-Morpork City Watch (The police force). 

#7

After multiple Terry Pratchett books, I dont' much left to say about these books. One is pretty much like the next with a variety of characters that come and go. So instead of a review of Thief of Time, here are a few other things for you to look at instead.

- Along the book theme, check out this video of stunning book art.
- This goat can only say one word: "what what?"   
- This hypnotic time waster is neat! Actually the whole StumbleUpon website is really cool. You sign up for it and depending on what interests you indicate, it collects a random slew of interesting things for you to interact with.
- Meet the last five people born in the 1800s.
- Along the lines of adorable old people, check out what happens when you mix the oldest person in Australia and cold little penguins?
- This time-lapse of Dubai is epic!

#6

January is gone and with it my first flush of flush of resolution ideals. This happens every year which is why I aim high I order to meet at least a few of the goals. Health issues and general business has wreaked havoc with my workout, cooking and socializing goals but have played nicely into my reading desires. To my satisfaction, my Goodreads app informs me that I am 4 books ahead of schedule. Hopefully by the end of February, my Runkeeper and recipe apps will report similar progress.

I did celebrate February first with a burst of domesticity: Bethany Leng's delicious brownie recipe from her Page and Crumb website , apple crisp (compiled from a number of recipes to suit my needs) and a delicious, lentil beef stew slow cooker recipe entirely of my own invention!

My favourite book so far this year probably tops any book I read last year as well and sits solidly in my overall top ten non fiction list. 

Nothing to Envy is written by journalist Barbara Demick and gives a fascinating, in depth look at everyday life in North Korea. Although Demick made multiple trips to North Korea, the information is largely compiled from extensive interviews with defectors to South Korea, six of whose lives are chronicled in the book.

There are certainly aspects of the book that are heartbreaking and terrifying and chilling. However, because the book focuses on the day to day lives, it is intriguing simply in that one can see how life can be lived so much under the influence of propaganda and yet seem so normal. Family, relationships, jobs, food; all themes that influence every society on earth are just as present and real in the lives of these people who seem to be stripped of all choice, dignity, self-expression, and 99.99% of everything we take for granted.

This book will educate you, sadden you, inspire you and make you more grateful.

For another interesting read on North Korea from a foreigner's perspective, Tim Urban's account is both hilarious and disturbing. 

#5

When I was a little girl (from about ages 0-16), my sister Elsie would read to me for hours on end. The most memorable books I remember were Uncle Tom's Cabin and one about a boy who suffered through major abuse from his father; both when I was between 12-14. I know there were many others but those stood out. Looking back, I don't know how she did it. I dread reading out loud; I'm terrible at it and despite having plenty of little bookworms in my family, manage to avoid it for the most part. But here she was, reading books to me until I was WAY past having learned to read. The books we read were varied but usually a little more serious than I might have chosen. However, they pushed me to read beyond my level, to sit still (probably the only time I did sit still in those days), and helped form the love of books I still have today. For many years, I would lament the fact that I would probably never get that again.

Scroll forward a few years and here I sit, gazing lovingly at my husband reading to me from book 8 of a very long series of very long books. It's still a little bit unbelievable to me that I've found a man who will read to me for hours on end while I drive (or play tetris). Take that traditional gender roles!

Pillars of Creation, book 7 of the Sword of Truth series, was quite good. Not as good as the previous one in the series, Faith of the Fallen, but much much better than some of the other duds before it. My respect for Terry Goodkind's writing didn't go up though. There was too much repetition, reminding the reader about something he'd mentioned two paragraphs before in the exact same words. There is only some many times you can be reminded that "her red hair frightened people" before it becomes mockable. But there were some new characters introduced that I am interested in seeing how they will develop and Richard finally has found a non-murderous, non-psychotic family member that he doesn't have to end up killing. How refreshing!

#4

I'm not a big fan of long series' of books. Rather, I tend to go on an author trail where once I read one book that's on the good-to-fantastic scale, I will try quite a few of the authors books until I get distracted or run out. With Terry Pratchett, the latter is almost impossible to do as there seems to be a never-ending stream of Discworld adventures that, more or less, stand alone (although for Discworld novices, I highly recommend the Color of Magic as a starting point).
    I'm a solid Pratchett fan. Captain Vimes is my hero, I want to visit Death in his ever-so-cool-and-completely-useless home, Granny Weathersmith cracks me up, the Wizard university has more than one character that reminds me of my academic days and I'd rather go to The Mended Drum for a drink than any swanky cocktail bar I've ever seen. Having said that, I was not that enthralled with Soul Music. Chock full of cliches that weren't amusing and full of very forgettable characters. The only character that I enjoyed was Susan, the frumpy, no-nonsense, unlikely-named granddaughter of Death who temporarily takes over his role while he has an existential crisis. To my happiness, the next book I started featured her as well.

Harbour Centre. Good view for reading! 

#1, #2, #3

      Another spectacular failure. I managed to get in about 3 blog posts before coming to a screeching halt. The good news is, I did just about manage my book-a-week goal so I will probably renew it and try to blog accordingly . My goal is to read 50 books this year that I at least mention here. Ultimately, writing about the books is just my way of being accountable to A. Read instead of watch tv, B. Read good books that I'm not ashamed of posting here and C. Try to think critically about books and formulate opinions. If someone reading feels inspired to take on one of these, so much the better.

      My first book of 2015 I started reading at a New Year's Eve party. 

      Yup! I read at a party. Anyone who knew me as a kid or teenager won't be surprised but for the most part this was a guilty pleasure I've weaned myself off of ( see previous post about how I'm not an introvert). However in a moment of weakness I flipped it open and I couldn't put it down. I surfaced long enough for a midnight kiss, champagne and a ride home. I finished it before the end of January 1.

      I love reading a book that takes off with you.Divergent was a very easy adventure  read but with a nice flavouring of thought and ideas. Geared to the young adult reader, it nonetheless deals with difficult topics of identity, belonging (as so many YA books do), values and virtues, and politics in a dystopia society that runs based on factions. The factions are based on the personality strengths and weaknesses and dictate every aspect of life, from education, focus, career, friends and more. Although it is very easy to identify with at least one of the factions, ultimately the idea is that we all have multiple strengths and weaknesses and shouldn't be defined or valued based on one or two of them. I didn't enjoy the second and third books as much but of course, finished them off promptly!

Each faction has its own manifesto. The Abnegation faction eerily reminded me of some of the more conservative Mennonites and maybe that's why their manifesto (albeit not their personalities or focus) resonated with me.

"I will be my undoing If I become my obsession.

I will forget the ones I love If I do not serve them.

I will war with others If I refuse to see them.

Therefore I choose to turn away from my reflection,

To rely not on myself

But on my brothers and sisters,

To project always outward

Until I disappear.

And only God remains"

Good way to start 2015!

I promise I'm not an introvert

I'm a bit late this week because I finished my book with ten minutes to spare and I didn't feel like writing at 11:50 pm on the night before starting a new job.

I've historically never enjoyed anything apocalyptic. The Book of Revelations never held any fascination for me; the zombie craze is one that I find horrific and Children of Men is not a movie I'd willingly re-watch. However, Good Omens was a hilariously fun version of this: quippy, irreverent, philosophical and ironic. However, my trend of disliking the work of joint authors continues. I've very much enjoyed both Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's work before but I felt like both of their flavours were slightly lacking in the combination of their efforts. I don't think this book would rank very high on the (long) list of Terry Pratchett books I've read.

True to form, I attempted to read most of this book during lunch at work. I was not very successful as, annoyingly, I actually like my co-workers at the new campus and find myself talking to people during lunch instead of huddling in a corner and pretending not to see anyone else.

Can't beat the lunch room view though!

Truth and lists

         I'd like to think that the two books, a rollicking, comedic fantasy story and a memoir about a list of books, I read this week are a reflection of my eclectically good taste. However, that would sound too much like the author of the latter.
        So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading was quite the disappointment. Sara Nelson's memoir is about a year in which she undertakes reading one book a week and then writing about it. I love books; I love lists; I love challenges and goals. I love hearing about what other book-lovers are reading and enjoying. One would think this would be the perfect book to start off my own book-a-week journey.
        Unfortunately, I found this book extremely hard to plough through. It didn't feel like a book-lover's journal. It felt like someone who has to read for a living trying to buff up her resume by creating the most impressive and obscure book-list possible. While I did buy a few books from her list, many are out of print or so obscure and niche as to only serve to interest a small sliver of the population, let alone her readers. Her obsession with the covers and vacation books that will impress her fellow beach-goers is a bit repulsive to someone who loves books unabashedly. For an editor, I would hope she'd risen above such immaturity but it just reiterates that reading is a job to her and that, rather than analyse the merits of the books she is reading she would rather spoil the endings and then talk about her family making ever so tenuous a connection between the two. Because it is her job, she does make some good points about the content and got me thinking about how to better my own judgement and analysis of books and come away with a deeper understanding. However, she doesn't go deep enough into what is essentially the premise of her book; she is a pretentious snob who chooses her friends based on similar reading interest (how dismally boring) and her books on how impressive they seem. Adding insult to injury her list of books she read in the year is not comprehensive (probably because there are books she read that she is ashamed for her bosses to read about) and she sets too much store by her to-read list. If that counted for anything, I would be impressively well-read.

Thankfully, offsetting this, I had Terry Pratchett's The Truth. A hysterical fantasy novel and a great commentary on the newspaper business, this book had me in stitches. Terry Pratchett at his best and making me want more!

Another delightful act of serendipity was the fact that, at the start of my new reading challenge, I got to introduce Scott to my happy place, my personal mecca and the source of most of my books: Powell's. We came home with a delightful new stack of books some of which I'm sure I'll be writing about in the near future.

Prioritize and simplify

I feel like a fraud. I call myself a bookworm and talk about how I love to read and yet lately I've read about 3 books the two months and haven't cracked the pages of any on my book club list ( a new one; I've resigned myself to Scott's victory over the previous list). 

The wedding is over so the time I used browsing wedding websites, making lists, scouring second-hand stores and stressing is free for other things and unfortunately I'm seeing a pattern of tv filling that empty time way way too much. 

So I've come to the conclusion that something needs to change. Hence my new resolution: finish one book a week. 

I say finish because I have about ten  books started and finishing them will give me the same sense of accomplishment as starting from scratch. 

I fully expect to break this resolution most weeks. I hope not but at this stage I don't feel a lot of self-confidence in my discipline and preserverance. I feel like all I've accomplished this year was a wedding and I have so many regrets from that process that it makes me a bit wary if taking on new projects. However, reading is something I can do and an area where I know myself pretty well. I know what I like; I don't read to impress people; my taste is random and eclectic and has too large a share of children's lit and fantasy and sci-fi and self-help and chick-lit to make it on any laudable book list list. As long as I channel my taste reading is fun. 

I'm hoping to transfer a bit of that philosophy to other areas of my life. I was recently inspired by a wedding in which I was a bridesmaid. The couple did a great job prioritizing what was important and letting go of everything else regardless of people's expectations. The result was a simple affair that focused the attention on the beautiful couple, their love and their loved ones. 

So this is the plan for this fall 

1. Figure out my priorities. 

2. Simplify; weed out mine and others' unrealistic expectations. 

3. Find life-giving ways to focus on those priorities. 

Nikolski

Not my favourite book by a long shot but definitely up there for a translation. I find that the need to resolve plot lines and tie it all up with a pretty bow might be an English thing. Books from other cultures ( and yes, the francophone world of this book is another culture) seem to prefer hazier, perhaps more realistic and less predictable endings. The book's main characters were all somehow connected and related and their paths connected briefly but no joyous reunion was ever made and the mystery was never revealed; a bit frustrating to my mind which likes proper endings and nothing left hanging.
That being said, I did very much enjoy the process of the read. The descriptions were evocative and unexpectedly whimsical. My favourite character was Joyce: her eccentric fixation on becoming a pirate and the unorthodox ways she goes about it was amusing and surprisingly endearing.

Just not the same as lattes

Ducks blown off their feet by the wind

Is it mean that I think this is hilarious?

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown and five other books

I quiet enjoyed the account of life in a much less developed countries from the perspective of an aid worker instead of the more typical missionary tales. She is pretty candid about her difficulties with the deprivations and cultures. She's real enough to confess that there were issues and she didn't just glide into a paragon of a adaptability.

Today I also finish Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith. Ah the sleepy tales of normal people going around doing normal stuff at a very slow pace. Gotta love it!

I've not kept up at all with the books I've been reading so I'll do a short summary...

Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott- moralistic (one of the principal characters has bad habits, ends up dying young and tragically as a result) but a nice throw-back to my childhood.

Sword of Truth - Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind - Kept my heart racing with all the tension and action and drama. I would definitely not recommend his books for younger readers but they make a nice adventure story with twists and turns (including some even I can't predict).

The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith - I like Isabel Dalhousie. She is a bit frustrating at times when she uses philosophy to NOT get revenge or get even with someone who is cruel to her but I like the way she incorporates philosophy into the everyday and uses logic and thoughtfulness to make her decisions, usually leading to her taking the higher road.

Reread the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society again. Every time, it's so good!

Winter and Instagram

My favorite winter song 

SUSHI!!!!!!

Shopping!

Winter winter winter....snow, baking, toques, lattes and Survivor

Winter wonderland

First snow for Chania! 

Things I don't like about winter #2

Having to decide between warmth or sight when you get into a car....do you heat or defrost?

Things I don't like about winter #1

Having to wear socks indoors. My feet now enter little footsie prison.

Parkour kidlet

1st World Problem

My arm hurts from flipping through so many hangers and carrying around all the clothes I'm gonna buy.

#1 Cutest Pig EVER! (watch to the end)

Books Currently Reading

 

Sneak preview of future reviews on the blog!

*Not pictured:
- Drop Dead Healthy
- Stone of Tears
- The Highlander's Last Song

Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw

After "Why I hate Canadians" and "How to be Canadian" I was expecting another hysterical book from Will Ferguson and I was a bit disappointed. A few chuckles yes, but not the ironic satire that I was expecting. That being said, it was quite enlightening. I learned a lot about Canada that I'd never heard of as he chronicled his travels to lesser known of the world, talking about history and current culture in random places like Moose Jaw, Victoria, St. John's, Churchill (polar bears!!!), the Saguenay and others. I'd recommend it if you are interested in learning more about Canada in a palatable, entertaining way. If you're looking for a laugh, check out his other books instead.

I want I want I want

Date Night

Pho and Fried Rice: Yummy combo

Bubble Tea!!!

Playing WOW

Box of Books: BEST!

I'm really struggling with my Reading ADD right now. I already had a three (or four) books on the go and I just got a nice lovely box from The Motherland (aka. Powells) The problem with having an eclectic reading taste is that there is a different book for each mood and that can really weigh down your napsack. In this box alone I've got theology, fashion, TCK self-help (which my nieces and nephews need to read before their inevitable identity crisis hits)novels from various genres, mystery, classics, stunt journalism, and biographies and I want to read them ALL AT ONCE! For breakfast, I shall have Henri Nouwen's Compassion and Nina Garcia's The One Hundred: A Guide to the pieces every stylish woman must own.

Runner up for Cutest Pig Ever`

The Happiness Project

An example in what is called "stunt journalism", (Gretchen Rubin attempts an experiment and then writes about it), The Happiness Project is one woman's quest to become happier. She does this through setting different resolutions each month focusing on different aspects of her life, such as parenting, marriage, health, work, friendships etc. She tracks her progress through a series of charts and resolutions.

I think my instinctive reaction to this is fairly normal: focusing on happiness is a sure way to not be happy and it seemed selfish, self-centered, and a little desperate for book ideas.
However, don't we all search for happiness to some extent? We generally make choices because they will make us happy in some way or another. Is it so wrong then, to make this pursuit of happiness a deliberate one: with means undertaken that will provide both personal growth and make the environment around you more positive and intentional.

Although a bit more blatant and gimmicky, I think I prefer Rubin's methodology to Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat Pray Love). Rubin stays close to home; she focus on better herself in order to impact her surroundings. Her relationships are improved, her marriage gets better, she focuses more on her children and her health and energy improving can only help to maker her a better wife, mother, and friend. Gilbert on the other hand, takes a vacation from real life. She deserts her responsibilities to go stuff herself in Italy, find enlightenment (and starvation) in India, and live happily ever after in Bali. She is searching only for herself and her own self-improvement and although this might be what our modern Western society is all about, it goes against the grain of what most civilizations, societies, even modern nations are based on. Plus, who can relate? We can't all just drop everything and go wandering around the world in search of enlightenment (...she says piously from Vietnam)

I liked how she approached reading (I liked that she read the entire L.M. Montgomery canon) and I like all the charts and lists she kept.
However, I love books, I love reading methodically (like through book club list) or randomly (like having 5-10 books on the go), I love charts and lists and goals and self improvement (one of the big reasons I'll never be truly British) and resolutions. I know plenty of people who don't and therefore might struggle connecting with her methodology.

My biggest gripe with her is that she's not A.J. Jacobs. (see previous posts). When it comes to stunt journalism, he's at the top of my list. Funny, packed with interesting facts from an obvious amount of research with clear, conside and valuable points. Rubin rambles a bit and tries to bring in too many epiphanies and points and "truths" and conclusions.

The biggest thing I'll take away is the list of recommended readings. However, don't think I would put this book down on any of my recommended reading lists unless its the "Fluffy, entertaining and potentially helpful" list.

Spectrums

I'm an obsessive comparer. Or maybe its normal and everyone does it. I don't know but sometimes I annoy myself.
I know comparing is unhealthy when you are comparing yourself with everyone around you. You tend towards "negative comparison" which means that you compare yourself with people who are doing better, are more fit, seem happier, have good careers instead of with people who you percieve to be less off than you. Also, I, for one, do "bits-and-pieces" comparison. Where, I want to have this person's hair, and that person's job and that other person's friends, and someone else's degree. And then I think of myself as worse off not realizing that the person with good job might not have the good hair or the good friends...and I can't be down because I'm not a composite of everyone else's good qualities and fortune.

I also compare when adjusting to new cultures. Somehow this is my processing method. When I first got to Canada, I found myself saying "well, in Costa Rica we don't do it this way" or "oh, that's different here, in Costa Rica....." and I became so annoyed at myself! I didnt want to always bring up Costa Rica but that was my natural frame of reference and this new cultural HAD to be viewed in the perspective I'm coming from.

Travelling also brings out this constant comparison. When I go to new countries I have to place them on spectrum. Where does it fall on the First World/Third World line. Are there enough parks and coffee shops that i could live here? Do I feel as safe/safer/less safe than in Costa Rica/Canada. Etc etc.

This helps to not lump countries from a similar region together. For instance, between the Phillipines and Vietnam I'm seeing a huge difference that I never thought I would. In small things and big.

For instance, Manila seems much more poor than Ho Chih Minh. The posh areas of Makate are cloisetered away far from the squalor of the Manila proper and I feel much more on edge there. Vietnam on the other hand, seems much more relaxed and approachable. Ironically, it is Manila that is littered with Starbucks, even in the worst areas while HCMC seems to have bigger "indie" coffee shop culture. And although it was nice to order something and know what you're getting (I haven't had a decent iced latte in a long time since Costa Ricans don't seem to know the meaning) I do enjoy poking my head into little corners here and discovering charming cafes. I have learned to stipulate NO SUGAR when ordering Vietnamese iced coffee...a few mouthfuls of pure sugars taught me that.

I just forgot what point I was making. If I remember, I'll edit this. meanwhile, off to explore Saigon!

Luxury

Today 20$ got me:
- a nice long walk to a spa
- the use of a steam room, sauna, and shower
- multiple disposable underwear for the different stages of my spa date
- multiple towels, towelletts and handkerchiefs for an unknown purpose
- a luxurious 90 minute shiatsu and hot rock massage (Hot rocks massages are a little bit of heaven on earth)
- a generous tip for the masseus who climbed all over and around the table in order to get to my many travel-related accumulated knots
- a taxi ride home


I think i might give up eating and drinking and just put that money towards daily spa dates :) I've experienced very little that feels as good as a looooonnnnggg massage.

Tyler Bakes

Licking the spoon sparks interest in the process:

Whose face is dirtier?

Tyler shows of his wrist strength:


And his mopping skills:

In Goes the Coconut! Out goes the Coconut!


Sweeping up our many "uh ohs" :

Is it ready yet??



All done!
Checking to make sure his beloved Granpa likes it: