tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683558582485241352023-11-16T06:26:10.430-05:00What R U Reading?Diane Stresing reads YA, picture books, graphic novels, newspapers, magazines, cereal boxes & just about everything, except directions :DDiane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.comBlogger296125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-64050738271627710032022-07-11T18:26:00.000-04:002022-07-11T18:26:37.901-04:00Beach Reads: Mary Jane and Oopsie, Daisy<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">What's a beach read, you ask?</span></i></b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">I've always thought the term referred to light, breezy fiction that could never be confused with school-assigned summer reading. The term was born sometime between the 1700s and 1980s. (Sorry, that's as specific as I can get.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Historical research takes too much time away from my summer reading.)</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">An article in <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-invention-of-the-beach-read"><span class="s1" style="color: #dca10d;">The New Yorker</span></a> suggests the idea of "summer reading" came about during the industrial revolution when the working class was figuring out how to take vacations by the shore. Apparently at least one Baptist preacher was against the idea of flipping the pages of frivolous books, calling it "literary poison in August." That may have given the genre a shot in the arm; or maybe it was just good marketing. In 1877 <i>Publishers Weekly</i> warned booksellers that summer profits could dip, so they had better do something to push titles upon the unsuspecting public during the third quarter. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> </p><h3 style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Fun = Vacation and Beach Reads</h3><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Either way, it worked! Turn the page and poof, every website (and every magazine, before that) had a list of summer reading, and most "Beach Reads" were ballyhooed as sexy, juicy, escapist, fun, rollicking romps. Surprise, surprise: most are marketed at women. Maybe we should take offense? Nah - it's much easier to take out our credit (and library) cards and slurp up the stuff. With a fruity umbrella drink. </p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> </p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And I'm guilty as charged - sometimes, anyway. Here's my take on two titles that probably deserve the "Beach Read" label. Enjoy or avoid them, as you see fit. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Jane-Jessica-Anya-Blau/dp/006305230X/ref=asc_df_006305230X/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Mary Jane 2002 paperback" border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9R7szbg6D84QHl92HSXMgIhs3ppFzVBpKBzo2HHTOztw4CpSo-zAOCzGh-EqTUzbRsHkFpAdjMT086AdGjI6ul4znNeiCuAB8EqsZk_39NGBqwtN8yavpaA34oKbq6SzG03EMp1ibY1DrCkCoSyfzA5kzzP3RZtTHBnQErpFlAWX_KCnTEZ-7hU/w214-h320/MJ.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p></p></span></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p></span></span></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Mary Jane</i> by Jessica Anya Blau (<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/mary-jane-jessica-anya-blau?variant=39399712260130"><span class="s1" style="color: #dca10d;">Harper Collins paperback, April 2022</span></a>) is a coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old girl from a tight-laced family who gets a sweet summer gig as a babysitter for a much more laid-back family down the street. The babysitter's name is Mary Jane. The title also refers to the Mary Jane that laid-back folks smoked in the 1970s. The premise is far-fetched, but remember, it's a beach read. We aren't looking for the kind of believable storyline of a more classic work, like Jurassic Park. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Mary Jane is hired to watch the local psychiatrist's young daughter while he focuses on helping his rock-star client through detox. The coming-of-age story is sweet, silly, and involves wearing outfits Mary Jane's mother would never approve of. Although adults in the book smoke dope, break things, and have sex, Mary Jane (and her young charge) do not. I give it a PG-rating and recommend it if you ever wore bellbottoms and a halter top. Or wanted to, but your mother wouldn't let you. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Things We Never Got Over</i> by Lucy Score (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Things-We-Never-Got-Over/dp/194563183X"><span class="s1" style="color: #dca10d;">That's What She Said Publishing</span></a>, Paperback, January 2022) earns an R rating, for sure. It was poorly written, completely unbelievable, and I couldn't put it down. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+things+we+never+get+over&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlK-WBhDjARIsAO2sErQAt9p0-RtW7QNSL_OTVM9CgNWyVdyAns6MDZGXL9DmW05Xk6cc6ZYaAi2IEALw_wcB&hvadid=602796502268&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9015383&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5123973602604700267&hvtargid=kwd-1697207312844&hydadcr=13405_9751030&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_1zo3dzvdva_e" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img alt="Things We Never Got Over book by Lucy Score" border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKFsvrNTOIyUu7aJ6Ih_MgQbHgxLtM9vlxkqIYw4Z0J9Bwio0W1NJIIXtTDkCyahQNztYJoT1zRpHfNXN1kSyoDFWr5qmsv2zJnMkPpXJtsi1owOVgpQux8Ll9WZNkGOGFtXUnTsqgQKhrZY0NPmvW3ZXZz20QMPLlWFahZrJqhfLeu6zLjuQTpQ/w213-h320/things.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In my defense, I'll say that I don't have a favorite junk food, I have several.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sometimes it's a delectable sorbet with fresh fruit, sometimes it's the bottom of a bag of salty pretzels with whatever chocolate I can find and a shot of tequila. Lucy Score brings the broken bits of stale chips and a cheap bourbon chaser, and you know what? That hits a certain spot sometimes.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Things</i> has a runaway bride with daisies in her hair meeting up with a hot-hunk-of-a-barber. They hate each other immediately. She has an evil twin. He won the lottery before she hit town. They fulfill each other’s needs - not all of which are sexual, but there is a six-page-sequence (and a few shorter ones) that make it clear all of those boxes can be checked, thank-you-very-much. Thrown in for good mix are a smart-mouthed tech-savvy tween, coolest grandma ever, several cute dogs, a lot of sassy dialog, a high-stakes poker game, a kidnapping, and a very sappy happy ending. It's set in Knockemout, Virginia, where all the residents work hard except when they're attending great parties, running off evil twins, or wrestling crime-mob bosses to the ground. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I suspect you could find at least one Baptist preacher to damn <i>Things</i> and <i>Mary Jane</i> to you-know-where, but that would probably only serve to boost sales of both books.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Whatever you read this summer, enjoy it!</span> </span><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>I'm pretty sure that's the whole point. </b></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><p><br /></p>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-79712189080325444992021-06-27T15:14:00.002-04:002021-09-20T09:20:19.825-04:00The Queen's Gambit: Book Club Pick<p>The first rule of our book club is that you don't have to read the book to come to meetings. Our book club is more about the people than the pages. But, if you do read the book, you should certainly endeavor to read the right book. </p><p>And I failed, by picking up Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Freemantle, instead of the Walter Tevis novel. My first thought was "this is awful! when do they start playing chess?!" </p><p>In my defense, I was on painkillers for a back injury at the time, and had the good sense to find the proper title before I got too deep into what is apparently a very popular book about the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21325365-queen-s-gambit" target="_blank">women who survived Henry VIII</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRzjzzeRQEsZTOBUacd8wB-ARPg7H6v72lj71RLWZmjc-ZA7BVQjr64w201MsN5jGhwlq6mPxT056JwnQVnLii_v5WyF2-pNvKP-kZY5sVZSrXHvXTy1pJBB9jcauCT-8sgPzEW9MVA/s1064/Screen+Shot+2021-06-27+at+1.47.02+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1064" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRzjzzeRQEsZTOBUacd8wB-ARPg7H6v72lj71RLWZmjc-ZA7BVQjr64w201MsN5jGhwlq6mPxT056JwnQVnLii_v5WyF2-pNvKP-kZY5sVZSrXHvXTy1pJBB9jcauCT-8sgPzEW9MVA/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-06-27+at+1.47.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><i>< whoops</i></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Queen's Gambit</h3><p>I don't have Netflix (and I don't even use a friend's password, not that I haven't been offered, wink, wink) and I really like books with pages, so I got to enjoy Walter Tevis's writing in my head. </p><p>The author of <i>The Hustler </i>and <i>The Color of Money</i> was an English Lit professor at Ohio University before he died in 1984. So, he didn't get to find out just how much the world would love his story about a little girl who rocked the world of chess. </p><p>And clearly, it spoke to folks. Chess sets flew off shelves during the pandemic. (Hopefully assorted combinations of Librium and cheap burgundy didn't become quite as popular.)</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Spoiler Alert and Book Club Questions </h3><p>For what it's worth, <i>The Queen's Gambit</i> is fiction through and through, but as a good writer, Tevis was a stickler for accuracy in the (lengthy, well-paced) chess sequences - even though he was not a chess player. (Pool was his game.)</p><p>For the record, girls can play chess. Vera Menchik, born in the USSR, moved to the UK and became the first women's World Champion in 1927. Coincidence? Maybe. Tevis's heroine was born in the USA. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">More Trivial Pursuit: </h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Although much of the story takes place in Kentucky, no sequences in the Netflix series were filmed in the state. Most scenes from the TV series were filmed in Germany.</li><li>Mt. Sterling, KY, is a real town near Lexington and Hope Hill Youth Services, an organization that facilitates foster-to-adoption placements, has a facility there. Coincidence? Probably not. </li><li>Benny's character was probably based on Bobby Fischer. </li></ul><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"></ul><p></p><div>Speaking of Benny, was he a love interest, or just crazy about chess? Brief sex scenes aside, I couldn't make up my mind. </div><div><br /></div><div>And while I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I didn't see a lot of change from most of the characters. Jolene was a tough chick when we met her; I had no doubt she was going places. Mrs. Wheatley didn't seem to change - sadly, I hoped she'd grown a spine when her husband left, and she didn't really. On the other hand, she didn't completely fall apart, so there's that. And Mr. Wheatley didn't change either, other than becoming a bigger jerk. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. Shaibel -- gosh, I liked him. </div><div><br /></div><div>Of course I didn't like the ending - almost never do - but I wonder, was the Netflix conclusion more satisfying? </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Next Up and Etc.</h3><div><br /></div><div>Our next club pick is <i><a href="https://lorigottlieb.com/books/maybe-you-should-talk-to-someone/" target="_blank">Maybe I Should Talk to Someone</a>. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>On a recent short vacation, I read <i>Hope Never Dies. </i>It was campy, campy, campy! Is there a word that means over-the-top campy? Because that's the word I should use. Also, I enjoyed the posthumously-published Michael Creighton title <i>Dinosaur Teeth</i>. Like The Queen's Gambit, it was fiction, but with a smattering of accurate, truthy details that kept me thinking,<i> did this really happen?</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>~~~Til next time, reading friends ~~ </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-38498792866368053022021-04-20T13:51:00.005-04:002021-04-20T13:51:28.543-04:00Good Book Group Reading 2021<p> WOW, it's been almost a year since our first book club meeting and we've had some fun and read some books. (Catch up on our <a href="https://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2021/04/2020-book-club-list-updated.html">2020 titles</a> here.) </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Book Club During Quarantine? Great Idea! </h3><p><i><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Braver-Than-You-Think-Audiobook/1713521873" target="_blank">Braver Than You Think</a></i> helped us quench our mutual desire to travel, I think. I mean, sure she went all over and had great adventures, but she stayed in a lot of places without showers, so, you know, staying home in quarantine at least meant we had hot water most of the time. </p><p>We also found out it's hard to get people together (there are 12 members in our group; that's a lot of schedules to coordinate!) and especially so when we decided that meeting outside was the best bet - and baby, it gets cold outside. We had a couple of "walky-talkies" where we met for short hikes, followed by hot beverages. I bought a new thermos for the occasion. It was totally worth it to see my friends, even if we could see our breath outside, too. </p><p><i>Ann Patchett's <a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-dutch-house_ann-patchett/20924307/#edition=35441980&idiq=43987588" target="_blank">The Dutch House</a></i> was one of our last titles of 2020, as we decided to have a white elephant gift exchange instead of trying to schedule a meeting during the holidays. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>2021, Here We Come</b></h3><p>So we took a page off Barack Obama's shelf, sort of, by grabbing Deacon King Kong from the former POTUS's list of "best" books of 2020, and, um, suffice to say we don't all share Mr. O's taste in novels. Lots of characters is one thing, lots of characters with lots and lots of nicknames is too much for my brain to keep straight. That said, boy did I love some of the author's dialog. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Quotes from Deacon King Kong</h3><p><i>"Your cheese done slid off your cracker."</i> -- Hot Sausage, to Sportcoat, the almost-always inebriated main character, when Sport is making some (more) poor decisions. </p><p><i>"Fibbling and twiddling"</i> -- one way to waste time</p><p>And the more philosophical: </p><p><i>"That's the thing when you get out and you're still breathing. Every day is a brand new world." -</i>- The Elephant, but it could've easily been attributed to (Officer) Potts. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Sex & Drugs & Rock n' Roll</h3><p>Who doesn't love a little dose of lighthearted fiction focused on self-absorbed rock stars? Daisy Jones and the Six was a fun read, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. A Fleetwood Mac groupie card is not required to enjoy this one. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What's Next? </h3><p>We have a few ideas, but if you want to share what you and your book club are reading this year, we'd love to hear from you. </p>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-6765651174627291492020-10-19T13:25:00.000-04:002021-04-20T13:26:39.192-04:002020 Book Club List, Updated<p>That Book Club I was thinking about starting got off to a pretty good start, especially considering how the rest of the year has been going. YAY! </p><p>I can't take all the credit, since roughly 120% of the success of a book club depends on its members. I may not be a math whiz, but I do know some great people. </p><p>Of the titles I tried to foist on (ahem, I mean recommend to) the group, I've read about half. </p><p>Here's a wrap-up, mostly because my memory needs a cheat sheet: </p><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Little Fires Everywhere</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/164692.Celeste_Ng" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Celeste Ng</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2017), we read as a group. We liked it, and chatted about Cleveland burbs, adoption, race, class, and kids. Not a bad discussion ;) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>The Gimmicks</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17628526.Chris_McCormick" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chris McCormick</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2020) I and a couple of other members of the group read, and liked this. I was especially pleased with the slow-but-steady character building, and would say the author has a deft touch. Also, some of McCormick's sentences were just pure joy to read. Only con: I really didn't learn anything about professional wrestling. Well, there's still time...</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>The Dinner List</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3192845.Rebecca_Serle" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rebecca Serle</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2018) I read it and recommended it until people tuned me out. LOVED this one! It was a more than pure escapism, but definitely a lighter read. I'm pretty sure this will land on my top 5 titles of the year list.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><div style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Miracle Creek</i></b> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18035146.Angie_Kim" style="color: #954f72;">Angie Kim</a> (© 2019) After reading this, I was slightly disappointed, and therefore glad I didn't push it on my fellow book clubbers. I think my disappointment stemmed from this: I wanted Kim to be my next Kingsolver, and she surprised me by being more of a John Grisham. OK, so I'll read something else from her... but I'm not really in a hurry. </span></div></div><div style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2960227.Robin_Sloan" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Robin Sloan</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2012) - SO MUCH FUN! Like a light version of The DaVinci Code and THE COVER REALLY DOES GLOW IN THE DARK, so there's that. :D</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>The Overdue Life of Amy Byler</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539545.Kelly_Harms" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kelly Harms</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">©2019) haven't read it, decided it sounded a little trite. I might try it if someone tells me it's awesome. <i>(Have you read it?)</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Oona Out of Order</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17205673.Margarita_Montimore" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Margarita Montimore</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2020) --- Um, we read it as a group, and I'd give it more than a "Meh" rating, but frankly, I think the writing got in the way of what could've been a more enjoyable story. I reviewed it on Goodreads, in case you're interested. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/384202.Sarah_Rose" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sarah Rose</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">©2019) Haven't read; keeping it on the 2R list.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1439.Malcolm_Gladwell" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Malcolm Gladwell</a> (<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2019) My dad's reading this one. He's a tough critic; I'll see what he thinks. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Astrophysics for People in a Hurry </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12855.Neil_deGrasse_Tyson" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Neil deGrasse Tyson</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2017) I need to read this, if only for the brain exercise. For the record, one member of our book group listened to it. Yes, I do think I should get credit for having some brainiac friends. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><h3 style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">And in the Movie Corner? </span></h3><div style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I haven't even seen <i>Emma</i> yet. Should I? </span></div><div style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">Got an opinion? I'd love to hear it! </div>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-50961583891443530542020-03-02T14:15:00.000-05:002020-03-03T08:54:06.205-05:00If I Were Starting a Book Club in 2020<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>If I were starting a book club in 2020, I would start by collecting some of my very favorite people and we would all be so busy it would be nearly impossible to get together. I would almost give up. Then, I would take a deep breath and JUST DO IT. Of course, if you give a girl a book club, she's going to have to pick a book... and THAT could prove darned near impossible too. The girl might even give up and start a movie club instead. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>But wait, it's me. And I'm a gotta-read-it-before-I see-it kind of girl. So...if I were starting a book club in 2020, I might start with one of these titles. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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NOTE: This is a round-up of reviews from Goodreads except where otherwise cited.</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">In this Corner: FICTION</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Little Fires Everywhere</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/164692.Celeste_Ng" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Celeste Ng</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the alluring mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">When the Richardsons' friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town and puts Mia and Mrs. Richardson on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Mrs. Richardson becomes determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs to her own family – and Mia's.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Little Fires Everywhere</i> explores the weight of long-held secrets and the ferocious pull of motherhood-and the danger of believing that planning and following the rules can avert disaster, or heartbreak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>The Gimmicks</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17628526.Chris_McCormick" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chris McCormick</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2020</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">“The Gimmicks is a gorgeous epic that astounds with its scope and beauty. With empathy and humor, McCormick unravels the ties between brotherhood and betrayal, love and abandonment, and the fictions we create to live with the pain of the past. This novel will blow you away.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/09/794648664/the-gimmicks-has-heart-but-a-few-too-many-gimmicks" style="color: #954f72;"><i>From the NPR Review</i></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">In Chris McCormick's The Gimmicks, his follow-up to the acclaimed 2017 linked-story collection Desert Boys, the glitz of pro wrestling proves a welcome counterbalance to the otherwise somber story of Avo and Ruben, two Armenian cousins whose involvement with a militant Armenian liberation organization has unsurprisingly tragic results (McCormick is of Armenian descent on his mother's side). Sweet, gigantic Avo provides much of the book's charm, while his conniving cousin keeps the plot moving. The result is engrossing, but McCormick doesn't quite get the ratio right. Fewer gimmicks, ultimately, would have served The Gimmicks well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>The Dinner List</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3192845.Rebecca_Serle" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rebecca Serle</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2018</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">We’ve been waiting for an hour. That’s what Audrey says. She states it with a little bit of an edge, her words just bordering on cursive. That’s the thing I think first. Not: Audrey Hepburn is at my birthday dinner, but Audrey Hepburn is annoyed.</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /><br />At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Rebecca Serle contends within her utterly captivating novel, The Dinner List, a story imbued with the same delightful magical realism as One Day, and the life-changing romance of Me Before You.<br /><br />When Sabrina arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there’s a reason these six people have been gathered together.<br /><br />Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, <i>The Dinner List</i> is a romance for our times. Bon appetit.</span><br />
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Miracle Creek</i></b> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18035146.Angie_Kim" style="color: #954f72;">Angie Kim</a> © 2019</span></div>
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In a small town in Virginia, a group of people know each other because they’re part of a special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber that may cure a range of conditions from infertility to autism. But then the chamber explodes, two people die, and it’s clear the explosion wasn’t an accident. </span><br />
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A showdown unfolds as the story moves across characters who are all maybe keeping secrets, hiding betrayals. Was it the careless mother of a patient? Was it the owners, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? Could it have been a protester, trying to prove the treatment isn’t safe?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2960227.Robin_Sloan" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Robin Sloan</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, but after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything; instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends, but when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u>Select Reviews that Made Me Laugh</u><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">-positive and mood-uplifting!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">-It all just seemed so...amateur.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">-I found this book cover glowing in the dark last night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>The Overdue Life of Amy Byler</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539545.Kelly_Harms" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kelly Harms</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">©2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and—with a little encouragement from her friends—a few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amy’s heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible decision: stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">But before she can choose, a crisis forces the two worlds together, and Amy must stare down a future where she could lose both sides of herself, and every dream she’s ever nurtured, in the beat of a heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Smart, savvy writing turns a predictable plot into a humorous and heartwarming read about a single mother’s journey to self-awareness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u>Real person's review</u><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">This was a fun, quick read. It was sort of generic and predictable, but I still enjoyed it. To be a bookish book, it didn’t have many book references. I wish it would’ve had more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Oona Out of Order</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17205673.Margarita_Montimore" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Margarita Montimore</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2020</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">A remarkably inventive novel that explores what it means to live a life fully in the moment, even if those moments are out of order.<br /><br />It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she’s told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order...<br /><br />Hopping through decades, pop culture fads, and much-needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she’s never met? Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, Margarita Montimore has crafted an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Real person's review</u>:<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Every New Year's Oona is transported to another phase of her life - for instance she jumps in time from an 18 year old to her 50 year old self overnight. She may end of up in the future around people she doesn't know at that point - even a husband - Complicated - I know right? That is the concept of Oona - she's living her life out of order. There were parts of this story I actually found heartbreaking - don't let the cover fool you into thinking this is just a funny contemporary story. Imagine your in the future and know that a loved one is no longer there and then you go back in time and they are - would you try to change things? There are some very thought provoking elements of the story that I am left thinking about and I actually will miss reading about Oona.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">…and in This Corner: NON-FICTION</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/384202.Sarah_Rose" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sarah Rose</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">©2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The dramatic, untold true story of the extraordinary women recruited by Britain's elite spy agency to sabotage the Nazis and pave the way for Allied victory in World War II.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">In D-Day Girls, Sarah Rose draws on recently declassified files, diaries, and oral histories to tell the story of three of these women. There's Odette Sansom, a young mother who feels suffocated by domestic life and sees the war as her ticket out; Lise de Baissac, an unflappable aristocrat with the mind of a natural leader; and Andrée Borrel, the streetwise organizer of the Paris Resistance. Together, they derailed trains, blew up weapons caches, destroyed power and phone lines, and gathered crucial intelligence—laying the groundwork for the D-Day invasion that proved to be the turning point in the war. Stylishly written and rigorously researched, this is an inspiring story for our own moment of resistance, in which women continue to play a vital role.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1439.Malcolm_Gladwell" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Malcolm Gladwell</a> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br />How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to each other that isn't true?<br /><br />While tackling these questions, Malcolm Gladwell was not solely writing a book for the page. He was also producing for the ear. In the audiobook version of Talking to Strangers, you'll hear the voices of people he interviewed--scientists, criminologists, military psychologists. Court transcripts are brought to life with re-enactments. You actually hear the contentious arrest of Sandra Bland by the side of the road in Texas. As Gladwell revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, and the suicide of Sylvia Plath, you hear directly from many of the players in these real-life tragedies.<br /><br />Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know. And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i>Astrophysics for People in a Hurry </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12855.Neil_deGrasse_Tyson" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Neil deGrasse Tyson</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">© 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.<br /><br />But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">And in the Movie Corner? </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">It would have to be <i>Emma</i>. I heard it's based on a book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Whatever you pick, here's to happy reading in 2020! </i></span></div>
Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-29609561732227113422019-04-23T11:34:00.000-04:002019-04-29T16:45:55.670-04:00Unsheltered and Undone: Barbara Kingsolver novels complete, what to read?Kudos to me: I really know how to drag something out.<br />
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I've been worried about running out of Barbara Kingsolver novels since <a href="https://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2007/11/barbara-kingsolver-beyond-bible.html" target="_blank">at least 2007</a>. And now, having finished <i>Unsheltered,</i> here I am.<br />
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<h3>
Packing and Unpacking the Human Condition</h3>
I'll spare you my in-depth review of<i> Unsheltered</i>, because for one thing, this isn't really a review site.* Also, <i>The Guardian</i> ran two reviews: one very favorable, the other not-so-much. Both sides of the story, so to speak. For what it's worth, I think the AP's review was <a href="https://www.apnews.com/527bcc00ca99481bb74bc99c42f18745" target="_blank">better than both of those</a>.<br />
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But since this is my blog, I'll admit, I didn't fall head over heels for the book. At first.<br />
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As poet/author Kate Clanchy noted in her (not-so-favorable) review in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/24/unsheltered-by-barbara-kingsolver-review" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, the plot was difficult to follow at times. Actually, "plot" seems too strong; there was very little action. But there were two deaths, a birth, a little bit of sex, and a whole lot of backstory. So let's call this a story.<br />
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And in the story, I found characters to love. OK, one character: Mary Treat. <a href="https://g.co/kgs/xGCSk9" target="_blank">AND SHE'S REAL</a>! (I love it when that happens. She studied all sorts of <a href="http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/treat-md.html" target="_blank">plants and insects</a>, and several species of ants are <a href="https://archive.org/details/chaptersonants00trearich" target="_blank">named after her</a>. Um. Did I mention this isn't really a book review site?) <a href="https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/mary-treat" target="_blank">Treat's correspondence with Charles Darwin</a> from the "utopian" society of Vineland, NJ could have stood alone. But it actually worked quite nicely as scaffolding for the story, so I read on. Plus, there is Kingsolver's habit of turning out great - GREAT - sentences.<br />
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As The Guardian's Benjamin Evans points out in his (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/14/unsheltered-barbara-kingsolver-review" target="_blank">favorable</a>) review, "Kingsolver powerfully evokes the eeriness of living through times of social turmoil."<br />
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Indeed.<br />
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Somehow in 400-odd pages she manages to weave bits of our modern world (Trump, Education, Corruption, Climate Change) into the broader canvas of life (greed, snobbery, love, kindness, evolution, death) and turn it into a story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lXFRUji6f2URPYhYetwdKr2aTfSsl6HmJEi4Upwt4hIwJdz11SPZ2KEdg4aBcK5W5oCThttn3JzfJh-W0c7MV7CpmI1XLlDCFPX_fnNQW3VKCFBpm26MyRDggFlnBt4L6A55XM0dzA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-04-23+at+11.24.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="679" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lXFRUji6f2URPYhYetwdKr2aTfSsl6HmJEi4Upwt4hIwJdz11SPZ2KEdg4aBcK5W5oCThttn3JzfJh-W0c7MV7CpmI1XLlDCFPX_fnNQW3VKCFBpm26MyRDggFlnBt4L6A55XM0dzA/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-04-23+at+11.24.36+AM.png" width="249" /></a>Not bad. Except sometimes it feels like a kick in the head. But, being a good writer that doesn't want to alienate her readers, she includes enough hilarious Greek curses to make us laugh. With apologies to anyone who understands, <i>"Putana thalasa pouse gamoun ta psaria." (Something about the whore ocean where all the fish...never mind, it probably loses a lot in translation.)</i><br />
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She also includes some tantalizing prose to keep us reading. To wit, this nugget that encapsulates that oh-so-funny feeling when realize your tiresome, tyrannical father in law was once just as unbelievably hot as your husband -<br />
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<i>"She'd kindly offered no judgment on Willa for failing to see the resemblance, the evergreen human crime of denying the past and seeing oneself as an original." </i></blockquote>
So, even though I'm out of Kingsolver fiction, I'll keep reading. I haven't read picked up <i>Animal Vegetable Mineral</i> yet, and I know its time is coming. But what about novels? Who can recommend some great new fiction?<br />
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Please tell me what you're reading and what I should check out at the library!<br />
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<u><span style="color: blue;">*What do you mean this isn't a book review site?</span></u></h3>
Funny you should ask. I started this blog about a hundred years ago because I wanted 1- some blogging practice and 2- a way to keep track of what I read, liked, didn't, wanted to read, would recommend to friends, and why. Also, I was hopeful that my reading friends would chime in and add their own seat-of-the-pants reviews. Or blathering diatribes on what they were reading. And here we are. If you'd like to submit a review, or un-review, please, do!<br />
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Get in touch via my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a> or <a href="http://www.dianestresing.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. Thanks for reading!<br />
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<br />Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-48405659241566182282019-04-16T11:24:00.001-04:002019-04-23T10:09:44.343-04:00Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983In the introduction to her <a href="http://www.kingsolver.com/books/holding-the-line-women-in-the-great-arizona-mine-strike.html#" target="_blank">first nonfiction book</a>, Barbara Kingsolver writes <i>"One of the most remarkable facts of the Phelps Dodge strike is that it was carried out mainly by women."</i> That's understatement in action. That fact is one of far too many in this story that are remarkable - and not in a good way.<br />
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Mining = Hard Work, Dirty Business</h3>
My roots run through coal country. I thought I knew mining. I was so naive.<br />
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Published in 1989, the introduction of <i>Holding the Line </i>offers a better overview of organized labor in modern US history than I learned in school. When the story really begins, it pokes some big holes in what we think we know about our society and fellow travelers.<br />
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Spoiler alert: strikers were beaten, arrested, harassed, and shot at. So were their families, including young kids. They stayed on strike, lived on nothing, and the company's profits went down - a little bit. The strike eventually ended (the unions were decertified) and world copper prices started to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_copper_mine_strike_of_1983" target="_blank">rise again</a>.<br />
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There are a lot of ways to tell a story. In my opinion, Kingsolver did a pretty good job with this one, and regardless of your view of organized labor, I highly recommend the book.<br />
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Remember - this is nonfiction. It's a hard-to-believe, but true, story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKKwV0IbEm6z8dCoq-2cafg0GujK0qfwYIwrIMNHejaCWcXpkqE3KuLXazx4vc1fc6KO4s7V4g_7ZuLIDdoQsY65kFPMMwAtCtoDv86r1A9trL02g6TlCUsIuVcYBQJwznRbPqhIECQ/s1600/holiding+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKKwV0IbEm6z8dCoq-2cafg0GujK0qfwYIwrIMNHejaCWcXpkqE3KuLXazx4vc1fc6KO4s7V4g_7ZuLIDdoQsY65kFPMMwAtCtoDv86r1A9trL02g6TlCUsIuVcYBQJwznRbPqhIECQ/s200/holiding+line.jpg" title="Image: https://www.amazon.com/Holding-Line-Women-Arizona-Strike/dp/0801483891" width="133" /></a></div>
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Company Towns Still Exist </h3>
In 1983 Phelps Dodge ran the most productive copper mine in North America, in Morenci, Arizona. The mining operation, like the ones in Clifton and Ajo, were physically dangerous, discrimination was overt, and the house always won, in part because the houses were owned by Phelps Dodge.<br />
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The (only) local clinics were owned by Phelps Dodge. The police were paid by Phelps Dodge. It was a company town. That meant you got the medical care, protection, justice, food, water, education, and everything else that Phelps Dodge wanted you to have.<br />
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And what was it like to work there? I think the examples in my history books of dangerous working conditions and company towns were taken right out of <i><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/140/140-h/140-h.htm" target="_blank">The Jungle</a></i>, written in 1906, but they could have been taken out of Arizona newspapers in the 1980s.<br />
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Unions and the Modern Reality of Discrimination </h3>
If you're a middle-or-better-class white person who grew up in a middle-or-better-class (white) neighborhood in the past 50 or 60 years, you probably have a warm fuzzy feeling when you think about the American Dream.<br />
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Lucky you. Lucky me. Let's get a grip.<br />
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Living the American Dream was, and is, a dirty, damn hard job for people with dark skin who speak a dialect that doesn't necessarily sound like "American English."<br />
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Old habits die hard, they say. What they don't say is that some old habits don't die, they have to be killed - and it gets messy, folks. Organized labor has help some unhelpful old habits die. Before you let that upset your apple cart, please consider both sides of the story.<br />
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Well into the 1960s, Kingsolver writes, Anglo and Mexican American men still changed in separate facilities. The company housing for Mexican workers was inferior. The Mexican workers were citizens and employees as much as the Anglos. In Morenci, the Steelworkers Union took on the housing issue in 1967. They were joined by other unions, and some of them brought only whites to the committee meetings. Why? Kingsolver quotes a union rep who was there: "The UTU guys were all Anglos - P.D. didn't let Mexicans on the trains at that time."<br />
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To be clear, Phelps-Dodge Corporation was not the only company that actively practiced discrimination in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. I'm making another point, however. Why have I never been taught about the role unions have played in our legislative history? I wrote about employment law for a dozen years and never did I stumble across an article about how much our current "equal" opportunity society owes to unions?<br />
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This book, ostensibly about women's roles in the strike and how different individuals came to be union supporters, teaches much more than that.<br />
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<h3>
Journalistic Perspective Remains Relevant Today</h3>
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In the summer of 1983, Kingsolver was supplementing her day job as a scientific writer by angling for freelance assignments. </div>
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A string of queries landed her a contract to cover the Phelps Dodge mine strike for several news publications. The book grew out of that experience, and Kingsolver notes that she grew from the experience, too, both personally and professionally. The journalism profession can't compare to mining, but I'd argue that like mining, it is harder than most people think, and more important to our daily lives and the strength of this country than most of us want to realize. </div>
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I want to emphasize that only a small portion of the introduction is about the writer. The story rightly belongs to the miners and it is focused on them. But the author's aside about journalism struck me as very relevant in 2019. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While seven or seven hundred witnesses to an event can come away with seven or seven hundred stories, the "myth" of journalism is that all good reporters will come away with essentially the same story. Psychology says otherwise. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Journalists, like other mortals, must sift through the thousands of data points in their field of vision and decide which few among them really matter. That these decisions reflect our personalities is not deliberate malpractice, but a symptom of humanity."<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
One Little Chapter in Modern US History</h3>
<div>
I dog-eared a lot of pages of reading this one. <i>Holding the Line</i> is still available online, in many libraries, and it is well cited on JSTOR's <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1xx48b" target="_blank">primary sources site</a>. I highly recommend it for anyone who reads, works, or lives in the 21st century. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What has become of Phelps Dodge and the mining industry? That's another story, and it is still being written today. The Tucson, AZ visitors bureau encourages vacationers to <a href="https://www.visittucson.org/things-to-do/gem-lapidary/mining-tours" target="_blank">tour a copper mine</a> near there. I wonder what Anna Ochoa O'Leary would say about that.</div>
<div>
<br />
Now an associate professor at Arizona University, during the strike, O'Leary was a student and one of the women who served as president of the Morenci Miner's Women's Auxiliary. O'Leary has also <a href="https://uapress.arizona.edu/2018/08/on-the-great-arizona-copper-strike-1983-1986" target="_blank">written a book</a> that recalls the strike. I suspect she's still watching, very closely, as the stories there continue to unfold. </div>
</div>
<h3>
</h3>
Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-71434057589305156702019-01-11T12:17:00.000-05:002019-01-11T12:17:02.128-05:00Different Playbooks: Then and Now<br />
In <i><a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4967-1309-4" target="_blank">Chariot on the Mountain</a></i>, Jeopardy winner and journalist Jack Ford paints a picture of Kitty Payne, who was a slave and also the daughter of the plantation owner. When the master died, Payne ran away. After being captured, beaten, and returned, instead of further punishing her, the master's owner's widow helped her run away a second time. She also assisted Payne in mounting a precedent-setting legal case in which she was ultimately freed.<br />
<br />
Ford does a good job spinning this (fictional) account of actual circumstances leading to the 1946 trial. While some scenes depict very difficult circumstances, the book surely glosses over the pain and depth of hardship both women faced in a country so different from today's United States.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, things haven't changed as much as many (white) people (like me) would like to think.<br />
<br />
Jodi Piccoult's <i><a href="https://www.jodipicoult.com/small-great-things.html" target="_blank">Small Great Things</a></i> tells a different story set in a different time, but it's packed with most of the same problems. I'm not qualified to unpack them, but I can recommend both books.<br />
<br />
It's a pretty-well-accepted fact that public school curriculums don't cover a lot of history - and in many cases, one being slavery in the United States and other countries, it's not covered accurately or adequately.<br />
<br />
I'm also not qualified to analyze educational curriculums. I think I'm qualified to recommend books, though, in particular, these two. Historical fiction isn't the best way to learn history, but it's not the worst way to start, and starting is a whole lot better than not starting.<br />
<br />
<h4>
About the authors</h4>
If you've read many of my reviews, you've probably noticed I prefer books by journalists, doctors and lawyers...not necessarily in that order. Jeopardy winners is a new category for me. Ford's writing, in my opinion, is not entirely up to the story itself. That said, I would read another book by the author if the story appealed to me. Piccoult, the more popular/successful author, is formulaic, but in a good way. That said, having read three of her books, I'm moving on to other authors.<br />
<br />
Because both of these books are about race, it's worth noting authors of both books are white, while the main characters are black. In other words, if you read these books, know that they may be a place to start, but understand where you're starting from. And go far from that point, thinking all the way.<br />
<br />Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-79488505756458865012019-01-09T11:21:00.001-05:002020-03-02T13:23:38.429-05:00AHA! A Short Guide to a Happy DogI've owned dogs for more than 2 decades and even <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dumb-Things-We-Say-Dogs/dp/1495249565" target="_blank">written about them</a>. Turns out I have a lot to learn - and this book helped.<br />
<br />
<h4>
A Short Review of Cesar's Short Guide</h4>
Cesar Millan's Short Guide to a Happy Dog begins with a little much-needed psychology. Dogs aren't humans, and that is a short lesson that can take a surprisingly long time to sink in. I've read about pack behavior, sure I thought I understood that, la-la-la... now I'm happy to say Millan's clear and simple writing style taught me more than I ever forgot about how to be the leader of my pack.<br />
<br />
Also included are a few not-so-subtle lessons about how to be a better leader and human in general.<br />
<br />
This is an easy read that is worth the time for most dog owners who don't have a lot of experience with animal training or pack behavior.<br />
<br />
<h4>
A Deeper Dive - Not Just About Canines, and Not a Training Guide</h4>
Good news for readers: Millan understands that this book is for humans, and writes from our perspective. He gently reminds us - repeatedly, because it bears repeating - that humans have quirks. Like our love of language. (Guilty!!) Turns out language really skews our view of the world, and time, and power, and a few other important things.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX71wPJC9OqA3kbmEuMDnuDfG_nuECevdWM7PH5Sj_830FGJ4vUDlil0ROY4gxaGzgDt7_-GAb5fjXiBE-UiiqBzwRJAvUYqJ37MgFaMulfvYk7ErVse42rRNN9NmKdgY8EXljTMFpGw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-01-09+at+10.28.43+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="short guide to happy dog" border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX71wPJC9OqA3kbmEuMDnuDfG_nuECevdWM7PH5Sj_830FGJ4vUDlil0ROY4gxaGzgDt7_-GAb5fjXiBE-UiiqBzwRJAvUYqJ37MgFaMulfvYk7ErVse42rRNN9NmKdgY8EXljTMFpGw/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-01-09+at+10.28.43+AM.png" title="Cesar Millan ...guide to a happy dog" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />
Dogs, see, are always, constantly focused on what is in front of their noses. They live in the present to an extent that Buddha should emulate.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"I'm not sure whether there is any evolutionary advantage to the human tendency to live in the past, present and future simultaneously, but I'm pretty sure we do it because of our highly developed language skills."</i></blockquote>
In spite of the fact I said there are some "not so subtle" lessons included about being a better (happier?) human, this book isn't preachy in the least - it simply states important facts as they relate to dog behavior. Because, as it turns out, <i>your</i> behavior has a lot to do with how your dog behaves. See Millan's website for an <a href="https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-psychology/pack-leader/a-short-guide-to-a-happy-dog-excerpt" target="_blank">excerpt from the book.</a><br />
<br />
Now notice I refer to this as a good introduction to dog behavior, but haven't used the word training. That's because I recently started a basic training class for my 6 year old dog (who may or may not learn some new tricks). When I told the instructor I was reading this book, it was clear that she wasn't a fan.<br />
<br />
She asked me if I ever noticed how often Millan gets bitten by dogs on his shows Dog Whisperer and Leader of the Pack. (I hadn't; but then again, I never watched his shows.) Her point was well-made, however. Getting bit repeatedly by more than a few dogs either suggests you are very unlucky, hanging around the wrong dogs, or not exactly a great dog expert.<br />
<br />
To be fair, in this book Millan clearly states that he does not have formal training in animal behavior or psychology. He certainly has more experience than I do, though - and I think I learned some good and useful lessons. I have learned at least as much, or more, from just a couple of basic training classes with said instructor - who does have a degree in animal training (and is working on a PhD in psychology).<br />
<br />
So, live and learn...and try not to get bit.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<u>Bottom Line </u></h4>
Recommended. If you want to be leader of your pack, don't let it sit on the shelf for a couple of years like I did. If you want your dog to jump (or sit, or stand, or heel) on your command, look into professional training classes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-61920442471321988472018-08-29T20:25:00.000-04:002018-08-29T20:25:00.617-04:00The President is Missing, But Not For LongWell, I finished <i>The President is Missing</i>, just shy of deadline.<br />
<br />
Our local library offers the most popular new titles as "Lucky Day" books, available for a non-renewable 7 day loan.<br />
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<br />
Have you read it?<br />
<br />
<h4>
James Patterson Book #1</h4>
<div>
This was the first of James Patterson's books that I've read. Go figure. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
According to the most reliable source I have (the book jacket) Patterson holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 NYT best sellers. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Clearly, I was feeling optimistic on that trip to the library: in addition to <i>The President is Missing</i> I snagged 5 other books, including <i>Zoo</i> and <i>The Store</i>, also by Patterson. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Having digested the very engaging but somewhat formulaic Missing, I'm willing to crack open those other two novels, but I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed. Based on Patterson's reputation and obvious success, I'd hoped to find him a suitable replacement for Michael Creighton. Alas, he is not.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
James Patterson Book # 2</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Stay tuned... and as always, I welcome guest posts on this blog. If you'd like to review your favorite James Patterson book, or argue that he really is equal to or better than Michael Creighton, reach out here in the comments or connect with me through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff/" target="_blank">my Dumb Facebook Page</a> devoted to dogs and books and other things I can't live without. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's to Happy Endings! </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-24307430797068495012018-08-15T17:51:00.000-04:002018-08-28T17:54:02.405-04:00Two American Tales: Shoe Dog and AmericanahShoe Dog, A Memoir by the Creator of Nike (Phil Knight) and Americanah, a novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie have little in common on the surface of things.<br />
<br />
We can assume <i>Shoe Dog</i> is (mostly) non-fiction; <i>Americanah</i>, a work of fiction.<br />
<br />
But we know the line is always blurred.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<a href="https://www.chimamanda.com/book/americanah/" target="_blank">Americanah</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://www.chimamanda.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Americanah-500x792.jpg" width="126" /></span></div>
</h4>
Adichie grew up in Nigeria, and divides her time between the U.S. and her home country; without that background, how could she create main character Ifemelu? <i>Americanah </i>follows Ifemelu though several serious relationships, with other characters, certainly - but Adichie just as carefully develops her relationships with cultures, institutions, and traditions. <br />
<br />
<h4>
<a href="http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shoe-Dog/Phil-Knight/9781501135927" target="_blank">Shoe Dog</a></h4>
Knight's experience in America is wildly different from Adichie's (or Ifemelu's) but to the title's credit, while <i>Shoe Dog</i> documents the-building-of-an-iconic-American-business, it also takes a rather thoughtful look at Asian business practices, world economics, and complicated personal and professional relationships.<br />
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<br />
Ah, I love reading.<br />
________________________<br />
<br />
<i>What books have been keeping you awake lately? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff/" target="_blank">Please share with your fellow page-turners</a>. </i>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-30047226347455865252017-12-22T14:49:00.001-05:002017-12-22T14:49:27.251-05:00Where Did I Leave My Glasses? A Book to RememberMartha Weinman Lear's lamentations on memory failings - <i>normal </i>memory failings - are somewhat long-winded, but her conversational style is engaging and her book is packed with enough well-researched findings to make it worth the reading time.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL4hHB7lJMuQdSLhGu_y1KeoadcfhLP3afPjejSK-tc2egYXf2oJWRjbgZb_uY228LgyCoY1zjM_AuLNVKLXymFUWSjTKBhiROjWLc4kr64Q73dMCDXAZ9I4to9P7gdrIZHbVoUcnkg/s1600/glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book about Normal Memory Loss" border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL4hHB7lJMuQdSLhGu_y1KeoadcfhLP3afPjejSK-tc2egYXf2oJWRjbgZb_uY228LgyCoY1zjM_AuLNVKLXymFUWSjTKBhiROjWLc4kr64Q73dMCDXAZ9I4to9P7gdrIZHbVoUcnkg/s320/glasses.jpg" title="Where Did I Leave My Glasses " width="210" /></a>On its surface, the 2008 release <i><a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-446-58059-5" target="_blank">Where Did I Leave My Glasses</a></i>? is reassuring. Most of the frustrations we experience are "normal." Nagging questions like, what's his name, when did I find out about that, and where did I leave my glasses? are to be expected as we age.<br />
<br />
Sorry, the truth hurts.<br />
<br />
And (spoiler alert!) Lear includes no surefire remedies and frankly, her advice is anything but sexy: There's no magic bullet, not even Ginko biloba, and the best diet advice is this: A heart-healthy diet is also a brain-healthy diet." See? Ho-hum, boring stuff - we know that. (Why most of us eschew the advice is another matter.)<br />
<br />
The bottom line: human memory is a strange and wondrous thing. Understanding the difference between procedural, semantic and episodic memory* and realizing most of your "where are my glasses" moments are episodic means you don't have much to worry about. Well, no more than the rest of us do.<br />
<br />
Happy reading, whateveryournameis.<br />
_ __ __ _ _ __ __ __ __ _ __<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><u><i>Memory primer</i></u>: </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">Procedural memory = remembering how to walk</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">Semantic memory = remembering what walking is</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">Episodic memory = who was I walking with, and what was her name? </span>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-17501934125805156272017-08-10T11:16:00.000-04:002017-08-10T11:16:10.071-04:00What R U Reading and Do You Know Who Wrote It? Ghostwriters, ProbablyA lot of titles and professions in the business world are misunderstood. Most of them, I would argue. That said, if you ever meet a copywriter with a big chip on his or her shoulder, I hope you'll cut him or her (OK, me) some slack.<br />
<br />
Most copywriters can also be called "ghostwriters," and although neither is a particularly lofty title, in our information-laden world, writers of all ilks* deserve some extra... consideration, for starters. (More compensation, too - but I'll leave that topic for another day.)<br />
<br />
This post appeared earlier this year on my blog about <a href="http://www.writingthatworks.biz/" target="_blank">business writing</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
What Do Copywriters Write? Everything</h3>
In the past six months or so, I've written about employment placement services, OSHA regulations,<br />
e-parking apps, replacement windows, agricultural dust control products, hand-crafted jewelry<br />
landscaping services and bulk mulch products, mobile pet grooming services, PeopleSoft implementations, escape room games, marketing automation, keratin hair straightening processes,<br />
online accounting services, floral arrangements, appointment-setting software, lead paint remediation products, snow plowing and ice management techniques and a variety of medical conditions, surgeries and treatments, and reimbursement systems affecting both patients and providers.<br />
<div>
<br />
Over approximately the same time period, my work has also appeared in three Forbes blogs, The Huffington Post, and a couple of other places I just can't mention.<br />
<br />
I've written policies and procedural manuals for employees of companies where I've never been employed - and not just written, as in wrangled someone else's words, but written as in created and developed the policy (after discussions with several company principles or department head) and then written, for stakeholder approval. I have not written public policy but, many a hired-gun copywriter has. Sorry if that ruins your romantic notion about politicians and other public servants but hey, they're busy people. (Do you have any idea how much time it takes to <a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=how+much+money+to+run+for+house+of+representatives" target="_blank">raise enough money to run</a> for office?)<br />
<br />
My point? Information is a tricky thing. Regardless of the expert's name on an article or the name of the publication, it's quite possible the piece you're reading was written by a copywriter with a basic journalism degree in his (or her) back pocket, a fairly small balance in his (or her) bank account, and a whole lot of secrets.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Ghostwriters are not in the Fake News Business</h3>
This is absolutely not intended to be a jab at journalism, public relations, corporate information, business blogs or any other form of writing. Quite the contrary. Journalists are trained to research, investigate, interview and quickly disseminate information - real, helpful information. Not "just the facts," but <b>the facts <i>plus</i> context</b>.<br />
<br />
As always, I highly recommend reading a lot, and thinking even more. And hey, tip your bartenders and copywriters. They're both generally undervalued in the professional world. <br />
_____________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: x-large;"><b>*</b></span><span style="font-size: large;">Like copywriters, <b>ilk</b> is a word that doesn't get a lot of respect.</span> </i> In fact, many modern spell-check programs don't recognize it. (Merriam-Webster <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ilk" target="_blank">does</a>.) I love how internet retailer Woot uses ilk in an ad for a bag that's definitely not elk.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOvk2spC5Ick7EffBtSflWFdJbLSgTp-f-xRpmNkaMWgsUFoP0Hmi7Nphkl7wF0HyvLwKK03Aet8weAb3XlCQ46OmcwkpM1XBiDPOr_H3NSjWY9MLQaiBUGksVWPrBexXey7ZBpYBDQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-08+at+10.42.48+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOvk2spC5Ick7EffBtSflWFdJbLSgTp-f-xRpmNkaMWgsUFoP0Hmi7Nphkl7wF0HyvLwKK03Aet8weAb3XlCQ46OmcwkpM1XBiDPOr_H3NSjWY9MLQaiBUGksVWPrBexXey7ZBpYBDQ/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-02-08+at+10.42.48+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
As long as I'm rambling, I should point out that <a href="http://www.woot.com/" target="_blank">Woot</a> is a company that appears to "get" copywriting and all that other mumbo-jumbo. Again, that's probably fodder for a whole different post. </div>
Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-73925259705386430352017-08-01T08:33:00.000-04:002017-08-01T08:33:00.935-04:00Fun with Words: Thanks, CJR and TSAI'm a word-lover, so two articles from Columbia Journalism Review made me smile this week -<br />
<br />
What do 'recombobulation' and 'binary' have in common? Well, at first you might think, not much, other than the fact that CJR recently wrote about both.<br />
<br />
On further review, however, there may be a little more to the relationship. I've been discombobulated and I have to say, I believe it is a binary thing. Either you're combobulated or discombobulated. Based on personal experience (and a poor grasp of chemistry), I think it's something like being either solid or liquid. Frankly, I find it nearly impossible to be in both states at the same time.<br />
<br />
Apparently, the Transportation Safety Administration now recognizes that collecting your carry-ons, shoes, and other assorted atoms and grouping them into a tighter bundle takes some time. And space. So there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAPJroxYmR5X3TbHAsIr3rHWiMPQ2euRhjtFm9vv4DJ22QsTFb6qS8V26NSRuqkIro2s2w7clwKwLNLmmg_Rnq5Y50-ixeleXz-CPtlqHics9ZpR0h5qg7ul0usMu1FrUsyECG_VpHQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-27+at+10.16.25+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSA Recombobulation area in airport" border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="1040" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAPJroxYmR5X3TbHAsIr3rHWiMPQ2euRhjtFm9vv4DJ22QsTFb6qS8V26NSRuqkIro2s2w7clwKwLNLmmg_Rnq5Y50-ixeleXz-CPtlqHics9ZpR0h5qg7ul0usMu1FrUsyECG_VpHQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-07-27+at+10.16.25+AM.png" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<h4>
Recombobulation Takes Time. And Space. And Good Reporting. </h4>
So, for shedding light on the under-appreciated word <a href="https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/one-word-you-thought-the-tsa-would-never-use-recombobulation.php?link" target="_blank">combobulation</a>, I thank CJR (and TSA).<br />
<br />
Now, back to binary. It seems a little odd that there can be so many meanings, don't you think? Does that mean two really isn't enough?<br />
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<a href="https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/scaramucci-binary.php?newsletter" target="_blank">Think about it</a>. And if you like words and wonderful writing (reporting, too) maybe consider supporting <a href="https://ssl.palmcoastd.com/18801/apps/MEMBER1?ikey=5**M02" target="_blank">CJR</a>.<br />
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Speaking of words to love, remember <i>sniglets</i>? Since they appeared in the 1980s, they've <a href="http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Sniglet-Words-that-should-be-in-the-dictionary-but-arent" target="_blank">been upgraded</a>.<br />
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<br />Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-72394619183496328502017-07-27T11:23:00.000-04:002017-07-28T15:31:37.124-04:00Three Fun Fiction PicksWhen it comes to reading quirks, I have a few.<br />
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I like to read nonfiction during the day, and fiction at night. I like to read lighter fare during the warmer months; there's something really nice about reading deeper stories curled up on my couch under a blanket.<br />
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Oh, and I like dead characters.<br />
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Below, three fictional diversions I've enjoyed in the past few weeks. (It's been hot, so these books are on the lighter side.) What about you? What are YOU reading? And won't you share a few titles and your opinions? Contact me using the comments below or leave a message on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a> about dogs and books and stuff.<br />
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<i>Be Frank with Me </i></h4>
When a smart and dear teacher-friend mentioned how much she enjoyed this title, I immediately requested it from library. (Hi, Tracy!) The 2016 release is built on some lovable and looney characters and I loved <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/45584351-be-frank-with-me" target="_blank">the dialog</a>. The story wasn't nearly as strong as the people author Julia Clairborne Johnson created, but hey, it was fun spending time with them.<br />
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<i>The Whole Town's Talking</i></h4>
Another 2016 release, and similarly full-of-good-characters-but-light-on-plot book that I heartily recommend. Especially if you like dead characters. This one's by Fannie Flagg; the author who was responsible for <i>Fried Green Tomatoes</i>. As you'd expect, then, good characters and great conversation. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/even-the-dead-characters-are-delightful-in-fannie-flaggs-latest-novel/2016/11/21/d0b4f074-ab72-11e6-8b45-f8e493f06fcd_story.html" target="_blank">Even from the grave</a>.<br />
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<i>Conclave</i></h4>
My dad recommended this; how could I not read it? From Robert Harris, whom the <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/conclave-review-robert-harris-out-camps-dan-brown-1.2787394" target="_blank">Irish Times</a> says "out-camps" Dan Brown, comes an intriguing (but I remind you, fictional) look inside the Vatican during a Conclave in the not-too-distant future. I saw one plot twist coming...but the other took me quite by surprise. Fictional, yes; campy? I'm not sure. I like to think the author was sending a message. I'd love to hear your interpretation!<br />
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<i>And if you don't want to interpret, how about a full-on review?<b> I'm ALWAYS open to guest posts! </b>Get in touch by commenting below or leave a message on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff/" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a> about dogs and other stuff that makes me happy. </i></div>
Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-85373822868864026712017-06-18T19:48:00.000-04:002017-06-20T21:54:27.582-04:00Is Too Much from a Good Author a Bad Thing?Maybe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I loved <i>The Secret Life of Bee</i>s; liked <i><a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/01/08/260778604/in-an-age-of-slavery-two-women-fight-for-their-wings" target="_blank">The Invention of Wings </a></i>very much, and ... enjoyed <i>The Mermaid Chair.</i> While I'd call each a good book by a solid author (Sue Monk Kidd), I'm ready for a different flavor at this point.<br />
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There's still a title or two from Barbara Kingsolver I haven't read, but I think I need a different voice, a different sort of book entirely. Maybe it's time for me to heft a real <a href="http://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2017/03/hemingways-girl-hemingway-for-beginners.html" target="_blank">Hemingway</a>. Or phone a friend...<br />
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<h4>
Looking for Fiction Recommendations</h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFzOMw-2LLiJwmO1mkl0ApGD4iePukpu-6lzE2HjY3tq1VHNf0eFqgw3B1md1i66_rRb5tHQkziBL3-ved_Q6Ie_wURcx3qM-CXquM2bM-1ZvJfrmrvHnbnj38LTWJw1AZyWOK8kLgQ/s1600/book-2224934_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFzOMw-2LLiJwmO1mkl0ApGD4iePukpu-6lzE2HjY3tq1VHNf0eFqgw3B1md1i66_rRb5tHQkziBL3-ved_Q6Ie_wURcx3qM-CXquM2bM-1ZvJfrmrvHnbnj38LTWJw1AZyWOK8kLgQ/s200/book-2224934_960_720.jpg" width="200" /></a>I"m working my way through three or four nonfiction titles at the moment. (OK; always.) What I need is the escape/relaxation read.<br />
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I tend to read nonfiction in the daytime, and fiction (to unwind) at night.<br />
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So fellow page-turners, what recommendations would you share?<br />
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<i>Have a suggestion but don't want to reply here? Please post on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. Thanks! </i>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-63763072780941345882017-05-14T14:50:00.000-04:002017-05-26T12:51:02.635-04:00Gifts for Grads - Books are Easy to WrapLet's face it, when it comes to great gifts for High School and College Grads, "money" is the right answer.<br />
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But how imaginative is that? When you want to include a thoughtful little something for the graduate, consider a book that won't feel like another assignment, but that will engage the graduate's gray matter.<br />
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Here, three suggestions. Got other ideas? Share them in the comments or on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>! <br />
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Great book for any female graduate, public health or medical school graduate: <i><a href="http://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2013/04/henrietta-lacks-would-that-wed-known.html" target="_blank">The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2013/04/henrietta-lacks-would-that-wed-known.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsxNc0lZR2rjTdy7bz9mLyoZrof32mL6n-m1VH4X0zmNecqnOxAlirAiDjhCuu6Haw7BfA8pSZDQXXhW8KFtZH7zneNl9rn5YNnnnsxrB2CRT7owoLZ9fL4lS4ArZFp0zwsDCF5LkEg/s1600/LIG+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsxNc0lZR2rjTdy7bz9mLyoZrof32mL6n-m1VH4X0zmNecqnOxAlirAiDjhCuu6Haw7BfA8pSZDQXXhW8KFtZH7zneNl9rn5YNnnnsxrB2CRT7owoLZ9fL4lS4ArZFp0zwsDCF5LkEg/s200/LIG+cover.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<i>(Yes I know it's a new HBO movie. Yes of course the book is better. Also, remember - should said grad be celebrating with a little getaway, she'll incur no data charges when reading an actual book.)</i><br />
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Perfect gift for the grad with an entrepreneurial bent, but without a plan: <i><a href="http://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2017/02/life-is-good-book-by-bert-and-john.html" target="_blank">Life is Good - The Book</a></i></h4>
<i>An excellent pick for either a high school or college grad - and under $20!</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZiKBAiI3IugNS1JXhpXFXkikYaNqO1uQyaRA4SJoepPqCvFK2P04wJ6AeA5tb557PlNai9DP0DZ8MDYodj3XMNcY7e2SW0QPped8BQyvGPtvXZ64-b8TwPe-mIL3C5peNvh-Bw4fOQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-22+at+10.58.08+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZiKBAiI3IugNS1JXhpXFXkikYaNqO1uQyaRA4SJoepPqCvFK2P04wJ6AeA5tb557PlNai9DP0DZ8MDYodj3XMNcY7e2SW0QPped8BQyvGPtvXZ64-b8TwPe-mIL3C5peNvh-Bw4fOQ/s200/Screen+Shot+2016-08-22+at+10.58.08+AM.png" width="180" /></a><br />
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Excellent idea for a college grad with an interest in plants and biology: <i><a href="http://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-cabaret-of-plants.html" target="_blank">The Cabaret of Plants</a></i></h4>
<i>Lots of big words, even more fascinating info. Note: not for the kid who had to repeat biochem. </i><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>_____________________________</b></span><br />
<b><span style="color: blue;"><i>_ _ _ _ _ </i><i>_ _ _ _ _ </i><i>_ _ _ _ _</i></span></b><br />
<i>Consider this your friendly reminder: 'tis the season to stock up on graduation cards, money and/or gift cards, and thoughtful gifts -- that are easy to wrap and make you look smart. Books might even help the graduate find his or her way to health, happiness, enlightenment, or at least, a job. </i><br />
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<i>If that sounds a bit unlikely, remember - books <b>are</b> easy to wrap. </i><br />
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<i>Enjoy graduation season! </i>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-66022511428586881042017-05-13T14:40:00.000-04:002017-05-13T14:40:03.365-04:00The Book You Should NOT Give to Mom on Mother's DayDon't get me wrong; I like Marie Kondo's neat and tidy little book about tidying up. Great advice. Short and sweet. Packed with great advice, gentle yet persuasive prodding. It's a book almost any mom could love. BUT, don't.<div>
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That really wasn't big enough to make my point. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>BUT, don't. </b></span></div>
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It's the wrong thing to give mom on Mother's Day. </div>
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Take my word on this. You can thank me later. </div>
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<span style="background-color: #fcfefd; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I have it on very good authority that when you give this particular title as a gift to the woman who has spent your whole life cleaning up after </span><i style="background-color: #fcfefd; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">you</i><span style="background-color: #fcfefd; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, she is likely to use it immediately - to smack you in the head. </span></div>
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<i>You're welcome. </i></div>
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Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-61101097471422382592017-04-03T20:55:00.000-04:002017-05-13T20:59:12.284-04:00Wild & Wonderful: Discoveries on the Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So it took me a few years to get to the 2012 bestseller, <i>Wild</i>, by Cheryl Strayed.<br />
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Like most autobiographical memoirs, Strayed's first book has had a few dubious readers - Vanity Fair dug a bit deeper into her encounter with a reporter from <i><a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/02/cheryl-strayed-wild-hobo-times" target="_blank">The Hobo Times</a>, </i>for example. I was more interested in a list of some of the things that <a href="http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/7-things-that-didnt-make-it-into-wild-by-cheryl-strayed" target="_blank">didn't make the final cut</a> of Wild, however.<br />
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And while the 2014 movie had many fans, it had a fair number of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2305051/reviews?start=40" target="_blank">disappointed viewers</a> as well. (Look, the book is always better than the movie.)<br />
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Anyway, it was another title I couldn't put down, meaning I ignored my family for several hours in order to read it. In other words, great book to take on vacation!<br />
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<b>#DefinitelyRecommended</b><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Happy reading! </i></span><br />
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<br />Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-15022263060954696482017-03-24T17:55:00.000-04:002017-03-24T17:55:16.894-04:00Gotta-Read List for 2017<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">YipppEEEEE!!! I'm a-l-m-o-s-t cleared a path (figuratively) to some reading time. I plan to dig in to <b><i>Wild </i></b>by Cheryl Strayed this weekend. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What about you? How's your 2017* must-read list looking? Anything you've checked off, or added, recently? What's the best book you've read so far this year? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Here are a few others on my Gotta-Read List in 2017:</span></h4>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Ellen Dunham-Jones, </span><i style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Retrofitting-Suburbia-Updated-Solutions-Redesigning/dp/0470934328" target="_blank">Retrofitting Suburbia</a></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UYUP58/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">The Emperor of All Maladies</a></i> by Siddhartha Mukherjee</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq57BKd3VSH_htx5xhkSbEvVzsRK6sr1THPSD6FHj4pbopkJbRtLsxkAHnk6Y4smkD9dsmNjUTS_b7vy8NvJGUgehaQK4PPZ5O7Fr1lFbLxpjJM90nkG798JvkwdVY90NcAFgT5ceayA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-24+at+5.47.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="humorous essay collection" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq57BKd3VSH_htx5xhkSbEvVzsRK6sr1THPSD6FHj4pbopkJbRtLsxkAHnk6Y4smkD9dsmNjUTS_b7vy8NvJGUgehaQK4PPZ5O7Fr1lFbLxpjJM90nkG798JvkwdVY90NcAFgT5ceayA/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-24+at+5.47.40+PM.png" title="Dumb Things We Say about Dogs book" width="219" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IWTTNZE/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">How We Learn</a></i> by Benedict Carey -- and a <a href="http://spdrdng.com/posts/summary-of-how-we-learn-the-surprising-truth-about-when-where-and-why-it-happens-by-benedict-carey" target="_blank">speed-reading recap</a>! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>The Mermaid's Chair</i>, by Amy Monk Kidd</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><i>*hey, let's not judge. Technically it's still the first quarter of 2017...</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>Want to read something funny and light? </b>Try my essay collection about <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dumb-Things-We-Say-Dogs/dp/1495249565/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">dogs, life, and other things</a> we generally can't control. Reviewers say it's "laugh out loud funny" and it's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dumb-Things-We-Say-Dogs/dp/1495249565/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">under $7</a>. Take a look, you might enjoy it! </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-38896000957266636012017-03-02T18:50:00.001-05:002017-03-02T18:50:33.046-05:00Hemingway's Girl - Hemingway for Beginners? <i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dianes04-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0451237889" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />I thoroughly enjoyed this breezy novel about life on Key West during the depression, a time that sucked a lot of air out of the years between WWI and WWII. But even then, life and love went on, and Hemingway did his thing.</i><br />
<br />
<h4>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451237889/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0451237889&linkCode=as2&tag=dianes04-20&linkId=68b6581b9f38f333c334ad0720d962f5" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0451237889&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dianes04-20" /></a>
Don't Judge a Book By its Title</h4>
When some of Ernest Hemingway's novels were assigned reading (way back when), I'm sorry to say they didn't appeal to me. So - silly as it may seem - ordinarily I would've dismissed this book on title alone. But a recommendation can be a powerful thing, and when a friend raved about the book, I decided to give it a try. Sure am glad I did. <i>(Thanks, Hannah!) </i><br />
<br />
Now, to be clear, the book is not <b><i>by</i></b> Hemingway, but a novel about a young girl's fictional friendship with the author, known to many as "Papa." Like all good historical fiction, bits and pieces of history (actual, not alternative, facts) are plentiful throughout the book. Still, generally, reading anything by or about Hemingway isn't a big draw for me. The good news is that Erika Robuck may have changed my mind about her muse, or perhaps more accurately, reminded me that one's tastes in literature (and life?) can change in a decade or two. Or three.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Florida and the Great Depression</h4>
The setting was as vital to the story as the characters, and while I've done some research into what life was like in Florida during WWII, I have read and studied very little about the years leading up to it so learning a bit about that era was a bonus. We may bemoan the current state of politics and worry about the economy, but oh, we've come a long way, baby.<br />
<br />
Hemingway, who trained as a <a href="http://www.openculture.com/2012/05/archive_of_hemingways_newspaper_reporting_reveals_novelist_in_the_making.html" target="_blank">newspaper reporter</a>, was no saint. (And no, that was not necessarily redundant). This novel includes his penchant for fighting, drinking, and extramarital affairs.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Key West Setting and Ohio Appeal</h4>
<div>
The stretch of land (islands, really) that comprises the Florida Keys is golden, grand, hot, sticky, and sunny, almost always. In other words, an appealing setting for an Ohio reader, especially during a gray winter. But I like the nod that the author gave to our often-overlooked change of seasons: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"God, you haven't lived until you've seen the leaves change color up north. ... The best part of the snow is the silence. It muffles the world. You've never heard such silence as a nice batch of snow makes." <i> ~ Erika Robuck, <u>Hemingway's Girl</u> (c) 2012</i></blockquote>
<br />
<h4>
Who Will Enjoy this Book? </h4>
Fans of Hemingway might - or they might not. Personally, I think it may be a "gateway read" that could convince a non-fan to read some of his works, again, years after they were listed as required on a class syllabus. Whether you're a Hemingway fan or not, this title is an enjoyable light romance and well-written work of historical fiction.<br />
<br />
Although it's not a YA, per se, it is appropriate for advanced readers in middle- and high-schools. (Meaning I'd rate it a PG.)<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=dianes04-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=143918271X&asins=143918271X&linkId=d32e26aadb239aecc72f16160965c777&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345521315/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0345521315&linkCode=as2&tag=dianes04-20&linkId=3eb88b6a6a26f91bd8999510223afcbc"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0345521315&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dianes04-20" ></a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dianes04-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0345521315" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684803356/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0684803356&linkCode=as2&tag=dianes04-20&linkId=bd68197e83ecc9ee9ab8fc6d2ade2b7c"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0684803356&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dianes04-20" ></a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dianes04-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0684803356" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
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<br />
I have also reviewed <i><a href="http://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2011/04/moveable-feast-paris-wife.html" target="_blank">A Moveable Feast</a></i> -- about his first marriage -- and didn't like it much either. But, you can be the judge.<br />
<br />
Are you a Hemingway fan? Have you ever read his works? I'd love to hear from you! I welcome comments here, and on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff/" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a>.<br />
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<br />Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-17565949104517918882017-02-02T17:03:00.000-05:002017-02-17T18:35:17.068-05:00Life is Good, The Book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1426215630/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1426215630&linkCode=as2&tag=dianes04-20&linkId=a3fa623dc8cfebcb509bc0099cfff4fe" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1426215630&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dianes04-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dianes04-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1426215630" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QP3CZHW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00QP3CZHW&linkCode=as2&tag=dianes04-20&linkId=f5a11374c051eaf5cbebf98758a13ecc" target="_blank">Life is Good: The Book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dianes04-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B00QP3CZHW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
by Bert and John Jacobs<br />
Published by the National Geographic Society<br />
(c) 2015<br />
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<br />
I'll admit I didn't want the book at first. I assumed it was a collection of feel-good stories, pithy quotes and cute line drawings and nothing very substantive.<br />
<br />
I'm glad I read it!<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dianes04-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B00QP3CZHW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<h4>
Two Entrepreneurs, One Story</h4>
Bert and John Jacobs founded the Life Is Good company by selling t-shirts from a beat-up van. It was before "angel investors" were all over Twitter, before eCommerce was available as a free plug-in for your Wordpress site. The company's start-up phase lasted years. The van was a mess. <br />
<br />
In those hustling, hard-working years, they knew they had something...they just didn't know quite what.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple;"><i> "From the start, we saw the T-shirt as a great vehicle for communication. What you say on the outside says a lot about who you are on the inside. We just needed to figure out what we wanted to say." [p. 62]</i></span></div>
<br />
They figured it out at a keg party.<br />
<br />
<h4>
It's About Optimism</h4>
I won't spoil the how-the-Life-is-Good-company-found-its-niche story, but I will say that you should never underestimate the importance of having awesome friends and parties. The original slogan and drawing that became Life Is Good really was born in a "meeting" of the minds - AKA a late night with lots of friends and beer.<br />
<br />
Also, while the company sells t-shirts, the value has more to do with the message on them than the cut, color and (super-soft) cotton they're made of. <br />
<br />
<h4>
Two Entrepreneurs, Many Stories</h4>
To their credit, the Jacobs brothers share much but not so much that it's all about them. The book is well-crafted because it shares many related stories, all of which support the whole. And, I have to say some of my initial, pre-conceived notions about the book were accurate. It's packed with graphics, lists and cute pictures. But in a good way - they are not filler, but part of the story.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Boston Connection</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xxdANFvv-qefOsCLTs27WW97NDc0fEWfkPuO3DiSV0ZrFz4_5RfM98zH9ONt0NA0EWLI3b-MsUW3ZFT5_qNiLCGuT3ZtaBYl7nBnP0hywVVABqleI0VpvMgPitzJBJfN6tQhECs/s1600/Boston+Strong.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xxdANFvv-qefOsCLTs27WW97NDc0fEWfkPuO3DiSV0ZrFz4_5RfM98zH9ONt0NA0EWLI3b-MsUW3ZFT5_qNiLCGuT3ZtaBYl7nBnP0hywVVABqleI0VpvMgPitzJBJfN6tQhECs/s320/Boston+Strong.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I should've seen it coming, but I didn't. Near the end of the book is a section, just about five pages recounting, recounting the horrible sadness when bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, on Patriots' Day, 2013.<br />
<br />
I've had little connection to city where I was born most of my life, but in the past five years or so I've worked regularly, creating and managing content for a marketing firm in Boston.<br />
<br />
Managing content is usually a matter of planning and scheduling. Posts are created ahead of time to cover holidays and other special events. But when the world stops, the internet keeps going...and it becomes a place where people turn for news, escape, sanity, solace...whatever they need. So while I was horrified, worried about and hurting for people I worked "with" but only via email and phone lines, and feeling helpless (what could I do?!) i was also trying to help by sharing appropriate nuggets (do we really NEED a Facebook post today?) and more thoughtful blog posts as time went on. Reading about how Life is Good employees gathered together in the immediate aftermath would have been a little painful for anyone; for me, it hit a tad close to home. The good news, of course, is that because the company is built on optimism, the Life is Good team had a little extra resilience.<br />
<br />
The follow-up, describing how the company responded with the <a href="http://content.lifeisgood.com/nothing-is-stronger/" target="_blank">Nothing is Stronger Than Love</a> design (seen above, on the keyboard where I typed about the bombings) is a textbook example of good PR and good business.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">- - - - - - - - - </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b><u>Who would enjoy this book</u></b>? </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">It's a good business story; might make a good gift for a recent grad trying to find his or her way in the (corporate world); is easy to read (like on an airplane or beach vacation!) and would certainly be of interest to almost anyone in the Boston, MA area. </span><br />
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<i><br /></i><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=dianes04-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00QP3CZHW&asins=B00QP3CZHW&linkId=725fdbbf3456b46e93008a17fdb06b81&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe><i>Full disclosure: I bought the book because I need to upgrade my wardrobe. Most of my t-shirts come from my kids' sports teams and...well, let's just say some of them are ready to move on to the great rag-box in the garage. The book was advertised as part of a T-shirt & book promo package at the Life is Good website, and I'm happy with both my new shirt and the book. If you just want the book (it makes a nice gift!) you can save some $$$ and pick up the book, by itself, from Amazon. </i><br />
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<i><span style="color: blue;"><b>Read any good books lately? As always...guest reviewers are welcome! Get in touch in comments on this blog or leave a message on my Facebook Page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff/" target="_blank">Dumb Things We Say to Dogs</a>. </b></span></i>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-34557236480233978842017-01-23T08:59:00.000-05:002017-01-25T08:19:20.896-05:00Best Books of 2016? <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chris Fralic's list of the "best" <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/16-best-business-books-2016-chris-fralic" target="_blank">business books of 2016</a> brought some titles to my attention that I feel I really must read. (And made me feel behinder than ever on my 2R list....)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVNrwHALQsbKMO7fWMv6_Yk-mlHYf0kYog3tOlqT2RlybQDrq1QRlWGWzcLhfyrpo9MNCiUdS7LPiTTZv5jcWlP8DPjU9UrUOesbb1lkjPiXuFQ6LrDoUHFXpuS_CN3aYZXEYdWZ_1w/s1600/A-Torch-Kept-Lit_final2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVNrwHALQsbKMO7fWMv6_Yk-mlHYf0kYog3tOlqT2RlybQDrq1QRlWGWzcLhfyrpo9MNCiUdS7LPiTTZv5jcWlP8DPjU9UrUOesbb1lkjPiXuFQ6LrDoUHFXpuS_CN3aYZXEYdWZ_1w/s200/A-Torch-Kept-Lit_final2.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While each entry on his list didn't pique my interest, <i><a href="http://www.atorchkeptlit.com/" target="_blank">A Torch Kept Lit, Great Lives of the Twentieth Century</a></i> sure did. One reviewer describes the book by William F. Buckley, Jr. as "<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">52 obituaries devoted to luminaries from various walks of life—politics, the military, espionage, the world of arts and letters—as well as less prominent but cherished family members and friends." </span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As you've probably realized, Fralic's best books of 2016 list didn't include only books that were published last year. Several were new titles, others (like the Buckley book) were published years ago. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not especially quick to jump on new releases, as there are so many books...and copyright date really has nothing to do with quality! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the moment I'm reading <a href="http://www.lifeisgood.com/home-pet/life-is-good-the-book/?gclid=COLy-qGw3dECFQOqaQodvJoPAw&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Life is Good - The Book</a> ((c)</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2015). It's optimism and the </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://367bf8sl17yiek5ltgbjl24z91.hop.clickbank.net/%22%20target=%22_top%22%3EClick%20Here!%3C/a%3E" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">entrepreneurial path</a>,<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> as followed by Bert and John Jacobs, founders of the Life Is Good company. It's not quite what I expected -- and that's OK. More about the book later. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, I'd love to hear from you -- what was the best book you read last year? What are you most looking forward to reading this year? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please comment below, or get in touch through my fuzzy Facebook Page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff/" target="_blank">Dumb Things We Say to Dogs</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy reading, all! </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What, no time to read?</span></b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you tried a <b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://e40ddite5gvhck5ot4jcu92rae.hop.clickbank.net/%22%20target=%22_top%22%3EClick%20Here!%3C/a%3E" target="_blank">speed reading course</a></b>? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took a class years ago, and am still reaping the benefits. </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>When I'm not reading, I'm writing. Copywriting, that is. If you're looking for a Marketing Content Manager, you might want to see what I do. I call it <a href="http://www.dianestresing.com/" target="_blank">Writing That Works</a>. </i></span>Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-54577555850227312042016-12-30T20:15:00.000-05:002016-12-30T20:15:11.541-05:00Turning the Page on 2016 <span style="font-size: large;">Gee, I'd like to say I've been so busy reading that I've fallen behind in my blogging. But, that's not the case. No excuses. In a feeble attempt to catch up, here are a few books I liked, didn't like, and maybe gave up on too soon in 2016. </span><br />
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I read and liked:</span></h4>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">A God in Ruins</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">The Tipping Point</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO4IPpNzhTiDFeEG48u7sktpVgXiWr0mQtrzbzot0lMWHnGh58yJEuBm9b2ssz3888YtKD7y7EPlZCVYk31-00K3UiwJP4v_u2KdNtmiDsgSb775wRZpNshum61RWYpa-rLLBGFevXg/s1600/51HUyXNytHL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO4IPpNzhTiDFeEG48u7sktpVgXiWr0mQtrzbzot0lMWHnGh58yJEuBm9b2ssz3888YtKD7y7EPlZCVYk31-00K3UiwJP4v_u2KdNtmiDsgSb775wRZpNshum61RWYpa-rLLBGFevXg/s200/51HUyXNytHL.jpg" width="133" /></a></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">A Jew in Hitler's Army</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">The Chocolate War</span></i><br />
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I read and was disappointed in:</span></h4>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">When Breath Becomes Air</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Fast Food Nation</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">A Grief Observed</span></i><br />
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I skipped the book & went straight to the video: </span></h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1809398/" target="_blank">Unbroken</a> (<i>Sorry, Kelly</i>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What about you? What did you enjoy, what books didn't measure up for you in 2017? Did you love some of the titles that disappointed me? Would love to hear from you, dear readers!</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: blue;">Are you interested in learning more about <b>home remedies</b>?</span></i></h4>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">I tried to eat healthier after reading <a href="http://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2016/01/january-reading-help-wanted.html" target="_blank">AntiCancer: A New Way of Life</a>. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">For more books that will help you get and stay well, naturally, </span></i><i><a href="http://346f2bne5gyj5z2ldrfompnx78.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_top">Click here!</a></i><br />
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Would you read more if you had more time? Have you tried speed reading?<span style="font-weight: normal;"> I took a course years ago, and it really helped. (I'm probably due for a refresher course...) Anyway, for a proven way to read more, faster, <a href="http://a4cf1el71gu63l4qu-oblvxjd1.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_top">try these</a>.</span></h4>
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Are you a speed reading demon and you'd like to show off your talents? Well, by all means, get in touch with me! Guest bloggers are always welcome here. The best way to reach me is via my <a href="http://www.dianestresing.com/" target="_blank">website</a> or my furry <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DumbThingsEssaysAboutDogsAndStuff/" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a>. </div>
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Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68355858248524135.post-66923541890767855722016-11-18T09:09:00.000-05:002016-11-18T09:09:37.518-05:00When Google's Doodle Informs My Reading Choices<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyone else add <i>Fools Crow</i> to their reading list this morning? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you, Google, for mentioning it. I have to admit the company often slips me a history lesson, courtesy of the morning doodle. Today's doodle featured author James Welch, a Native American who wrote novels about, among other things, the loss of a culture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a long quest to find and use <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://f2960dnh2lqdck7qfkulgqilcj.hop.clickbank.net/%22%20target=%22_top%22%3EClick%20Here!%3C/a%3E" target="_blank">natural remedies</a> that work better than pharmaceuticals, or at least sans scary side effects, I have often lamented that we likely lost volumes of vital <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://f2960dnh2lqdck7qfkulgqilcj.hop.clickbank.net/%22%20target=%22_top%22%3EClick%20Here!%3C/a%3E" target="_blank">health information</a> when we wiped out the Native American people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a nutshell, Fools Crow is the title character, a young warrior and medicine man living in Montana with a small band of Blackfeet Indians. <span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">And, now, thanks to the Google doodle, it's on my (damn long) 2R list. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><i>Cheers. </i></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8TGk2Y9SAZOfCRP5Ty_vTIGJYhuoCAJsQzvuZKOWgnGdHMtRDMdRdhzxjSQfrirdr9kLiP8UeLAlNNkPsxBdtZc-LW6Pf0upyj4Qw00PdRXJbOFEK2jTVtaXd0okbJCtO9yVMcaSYg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-18+at+9.05.21+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8TGk2Y9SAZOfCRP5Ty_vTIGJYhuoCAJsQzvuZKOWgnGdHMtRDMdRdhzxjSQfrirdr9kLiP8UeLAlNNkPsxBdtZc-LW6Pf0upyj4Qw00PdRXJbOFEK2jTVtaXd0okbJCtO9yVMcaSYg/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-11-18+at+9.05.21+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image crecdit: Google, 11-18-2016</i></td></tr>
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PS: In case you still question the <a href="http://www.writingthatworks.biz/2016/08/when-you-dont-need-blog.html" target="_blank">value of having a blog</a>, consider: Google <a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/james-welchs-76th-birthday">has one</a>.<br />
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<br />Diane Stresinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185785541934384256noreply@blogger.com0