I want to write, I love writing but never seem to have the time anymore. I have notebooks filled with pages of stories but the last one that got any serious action was in college. Now I simply collect lovely notebooks (given as gifts). In Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers he says it takes about 10 thousand hours to become proficient at anything. The adds up to approximately 10 years if you work 3 hours a day at something. In total number of work hours writing I’d say I’m pretty close, but it’s been so long that I’m in much need of practice. My resolution is to write for 30 min everyday in Feb, even if I don’t have anything to say. So look out for posts for the next 28 days. I can’t promise they’ll be any good, but I figure maybe I should write something before I edit it to death
2008 (Sept-Dec) Book Reviews January 16, 2009
I apologize for my lacksidasical upkeep of book reviews. Here now is the remainder of the books I read in 2008, in no particular order and probably grouped by series.
Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse & Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
What I Liked: I re-read the series after seeing the movie in November. I basically holed myself in my room for most of my Thanksgiving weekend and read this series TWICE. I had already read this series before and though I enjoyed it, I didn’t have any intention of reading it again. After reading it again the story seemed to take on a whole new life for me. Maybe it was seeing the movie and having a face for all of the characters, or maybe it’s because I was PMSing and was thoroughly enjoying my predisposition to romance and drama but I loved it the second (and third) time around. My favorite thing about these books is the delayed gratification factor, the story keeps you on edge throughout the story. My favorite book was Eclipse. In ways that are totally obvious and cliche, but when you resign yourself into buying into the story line and characters you can happily forget the confines of reality and literary integrity.
What I didn’t: Bella is really really whiney and self-conscious ,which is why we find teenagers so annoying isn’t it? I didn’t particularly like the ending to the series, breaking dawn was my least favorite book.
Who Will Like This: Apparently teenage girls and their moms, oh yeah and me 
Dead Until Dark, Dead in Dallas & Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
What I Liked:I listened to these on audiobook and I really liked the narrator. I bought them for a friend for Christmas and thought I’d take a listen as well. I really wanted to like this series because I love vampires. I started this series in the after glow of the Twilight series.
What I Didn’t: Sookie Stackhouse is an oversexed self-absorbed mind reader. It has been very hard to try and like this series but I figure I might as well stick it out since I have it on audio and can just listen to it passively at work.
Who Would Like This: Not sure, but I guess people that are really into the vampire thing and aren’t too sensitive to the gratuitous sex stuff.
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
What I Liked: I generally enjoy the writing style of Gladwell. He presents ideas in a manner that is visual even though it’s on the page. I think his analogies or examples are much easier to see in the minds eye than statistics or scientific examples that could easily be used to present these ideas. I really enjoyed Blink, it’s interesting to read how the mind works and how our decisions are based on so much more than us just saying yes or no to ourselves.
What I Didn’t: None, I liked it. Granted I’m not a big one for the fact checking when it comes down to non-fic but the theory made perfect sense to me.
Who Would Like This: Those interested in marketing and business
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
What I Liked: Again, I thoroughly enjoy Gladwell’s books and ideas. This one was particularly enjoyable for the human case studies to illustrate his points. I also enjoyed how he made it personal by adding a profile of his grandmother and how it set him up for outlier type status.
What I Didn’t: no complaints here
Who Would Like This: business minded individuals
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
What I Liked: Great inspirational lecture and a touching look back on a life well lived. It had a nice little surprise ending when he reveals his true motives for the lecture.
What I Didn’t: Pretty cliche in terms of dying memoirs but no less poignant.
Who Would Like This: anyone who doesn’t get too uncomfortable at sentimentality.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
What I Liked: Holly Golightly is a very colorful character and Capote does a great job of painting a picture of that era. Very well written.
What I Didn’t: Not sure if Capote is my brand of author, I didn’t find myself getting too involved in the story. It may be a product of having watched the movie before reading the book because I found myself making comparisons the whole time.
Who Would Like This: People interested in good literature
The Easter Parade by Richard Yates
What I Liked: I devoured this book on a plane ride back from New York. I loved every sad minute of this novel. We live our lives telling trying to convince ourselves we have no regrets or that we shouldn’t have any. Yates does a wonderful job of showing regret and how sometimes we end up living a life we didn’t intend to because of cowardly choices or just because of circumstances beyond our control. Beautiful sentence construction, he makes you feel it with every word on the page.
What I Didn’t: Yates’ novels are really depressing and you’re always hoping for the light at the end of the tunnel which never seems to come.
Who Would Like This: Those with a more sophisticated literary taste and who aren’t afraid to get real about life.
The Hollow in Your Chest Dries Up January 15, 2009
” So what happens when the heart just stops, stops caring about anyone….” This song has some of my favorite lyrics ever. Whenever I sing along in my head I always end up thinking about the themes in the song. The concept of selfishness and of being cynical and bitter of closing yourself off to a world that is cold and unfair that tries to love you but always falls short. It resonates so loudly to someone who shuns love because of past hurts and who is prone to self-sabotage on all fronts. This is the essence of our brokenness, love is pilfered as the remedy to all and yet we as imperfect beings administer this cure in doses that are inconsistent, harmful and often abruptly taken away. It’s a tricky remedy because the prescription isn’t the same for everyone.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the reasons behind my self imposed isolation. I can pinpoint moments in relationships where I feel a connection and I instantly turn my proverbial heel and run the other direction. I’m too afraid to get close to anyone these days, it’s the fear that I will not be accepted that I will be found out as a fake or worse that they’ll find out who I actually am and be extremely disappointed. Another layer is that I’m not really too sure of who I am anyway, it’s hard to present yourself as something when you have no idea who you are yet. I hope I’m not the only one who has problems defining their very being in a few short statements.
These posts recently have been incoherent and very self-loathing. It’s funny because I hate reading whiney blogs, which I guess is the reason for the shoddy readership of this particular corner of the net. I’m still trying to figure out what to post about that isn’t so dramatic and pop psychological.
Florida Time January 15, 2009
I’ve had some extended me time out here in Florida. I’m trying to process the things I’ve learned about myself here before I take off again back to home and reality. I think the overall theme of this trip is that I have no idea what I’m doing with my life right now.
Have you ever gotten to a pause in your life and realized you let yourself get on a path and aren’t sure how to get back on the right one? I think that’s where I am right now, and it’s a bit frustrating having to decide whether to take a step back or to trudge through and hope I can find my way back. It seems like both are bad choices and therefore I am at a bit of an impasse.
What kind of courage does it take to make this decision, I seem to be lacking that extra amount of courage that is sorely needed in a venture such as this. I’ve been reading more Yates lately and he’s really good at illustrating that point in a persons life where they choose mediocrity. I think we romanticize greatness too much. I agree that a large portion of success is founded in fortitude, but I would say that a pretty big portion of that is luck as well. Most people don’t get the lucky breaks and sometimes the weight of the world and the burdens of wanting success push us into an exhaustion that finds us in a mediocre life. That’s what Yates novels tell me anyway. There never really seems to be a concrete turning point and yet it seems like there are a plethora of tine turning points. There are moments in a life that don’t really have clear defined decisions sometimes you get cornered in a choice, it’s hard to fight life most of the time. Life seems to steer a course toward disaster in most cases time and inevitably really are a force to be reckoned with.
I did manage to retool my resume and get it out to a couple of places. I’ve gotten to write quite a bit. I made a resolution to write at least an hour a day this new year (which I have broken 15 of the 15 days in this new year thus far) I’m working up to it I guess. I’m such a timid writer that I can’t get the courage to get my thoughts on paper, even when I know that I will be the only one reading any of it. My writing for the most part is garbage and gibberish. My stories are overromantic and pretty juvenile. I hope to improve upon this in the coming months. I really hope I can grow into a sophisticated writer with a message other than love conquers all, but the honest truth is that love really is the answer isn’t it? We’ll see what else Florida has in store.
