Your Mission: Children's books edition  

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Picturebook1Image via WikipediaNow that I'm at an age where friends are beginning to have children, I've decided that I'm going to be that family friend -- for good or ill -- and try to give the gift of a love of reading.

I'm collecting a list of beloved children's books, from board books through first readers into YA and teen-friendly adult books.  The current list spans from Where's Spot through East of Eden, if you're looking for a range.  I'm especially hoping for books I remember loving as a kid, but have forgotten (but there's a handful of people whom I'll let vouch for a book, if I've never read it).

So your mission is to let me know which books you read until the covers fell off when you were a kid.

Note: if it's a series, no problem, but ideally I'll just pass along the first book unless/until the child expresses an interest in it. See: The Baby-Sitters Club (#1 Kristy's Great Idea); Animorphs (#1 The Invasion); Goosebumps (#1 Welcome to Dead House).

And don't worry -- if I give your child a book she already owns, I encourage you to pass it along to a friend or a charity.  Spread the words!

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Other people's Reviews -- In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day  

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Cover of "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy...Cover via AmazonI guess I'm just a sucker for reviews where the reviewer claims a book changed his or her life.

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson is about God's calling for our lives, and Mary at (In)Courage really took this book to heart.  It doesn't sound like my thing at the surface (though Mary said the same thing...) but her review makes me really curious about the book, which is of course a sign of an effective review.  Check out her review!

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Quickie Round-Up: Self-Help edition  

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

We all have our flaws.  One of mine is reading too many self-help books.

Here are some books that might be able to teach you a thing or two -- at the very least, you should learn the areas in which I think I need help!

Books I've previously reviewed are linked to the appropriate post; in between are some quickie reviews, which are linked to Amazon.com through an affiliate link.

The Automatic Millionaire : A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich by David Bach -- The idea behind this one is pretty simple.  You've heard the old maxim, "Pay yourself first," right?  That's pretty much what this book is about.  Figure out how much you want to -- and can afford to -- save, and then have that amount automatically transferred to savings (or investment) on a regular basis.  You don't miss money you never see.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell  -- This is a "Trust your gut" sort of book.  You know things, and frequently you know them before you realize that you know them. A great example kicks off the book, telling about a museum worker who was completely certain that a new statue was a fraud.  This worker was eventually proven right, but the telling details were so subtle that the only thing giving it away was that it "felt off."  And you can do stuff like that, too.

Everything twitter: From Novice to Expert

Fear Less: Real Truth About Risk, Safety, and Security in a Time of Terrorism by Gavin de Becker -- Here is another "Trust your gut" book, this one from the author of The Gift of Fear (see below).  When you're afraid of everything, your natural, protective sense of fear can't figure out what is a threat and what isn't.  If you spend your day watching disasters on a constant loop on the news, worrying, and telling yourself you have nothing to worry about, then when that creepy person in the dark parking lot at 2 AM sets off your warning sirens, you'll be in the habit of squelching that, too. And that's just not safe.


Gendertraps: Confronting Confrontophobia, Toxic Bosses, and Other Landmines at Work by Judith Briles -- Whether due to biology, social conditioning, or some combination of the two, men and women think, socialize, and negotiate differently.  This can cause miscommunications and even major obstacles in the workplace.  This book helps you deal with these situations.


Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen -- This is the definitive productivity blog.  One of these days I'm going to finally get my hands on a copy I can mark up, and then hopefully I'll be able to start implementing some of these techniques.  Highly recommended pretty much everywhere.


The Gift of Fear

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins -- An interesting breakdown of comparable companies, some of which made it big and others which fell apart, and where the pairs diverged in their tactics.  More interesting than I'm making it sound, actually.


Made to Stick

The Millionaire Next Door
 
Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi -- A guide to networking, meeting people, making business contacts, and maintaining them.  Brilliant, but not easy.


Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides

The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz -- It's true: when I have too many choices, I freeze up because how can I possibly pick the best one, especially without examining each in depth.  On our honeymoon, if we walked down a street and Chris asked me where I wanted to eat, I'd almost panic -- everything looks so good, and every place we eat at is one more we'll never eat at, and if it's terrible not only will we never get that meal back, but it'll be entirely my fault for ruining our dinner... but if we had a list of five places recommended by our guidebook, it was easy.  Don't want pizza again, don't want to spend too much -- ooh, this place is known for its selection of local wines.  Decision made.

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse -- The author of ProBlogger.com gives his advice on starting up a blog and earning an income from it.  One of these days...
 
Project Everlasting: Two Bachelors Discover the Secrets of Americas Greatest Marriages by Mathew Boggs and Jason Miller -- I'm not entirely sure this counts as a self-help book, but it can definitely be used as one. Two guys wander the country looking for couples with very length marriages, and asking them what their secrets are.  Very sweet.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki -- This one is kind of controversial, since apparently the two dads are more metaphorical than the book makes out.  This doesn't make the advice bad, necessarily, but it means you might want to take this popular book with a couple grains of salt.

Six Thinking Hats: An Essential Approach to Business Management by Edward De Bono -- When it's difficult to make a decision, either on your own or in a committee, it's important to look at things from different angles.  The "hats" represent such factors as cold facts, fears, ambitions, and making sure everyone gets along.

Slow Reading 

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcom Gladwell -- Another good one.  Small but significant factors can turn a modest success into a wild one.

Wealth of Experience: Real Investors on What Works and What Doesn't by Andrew Clarke -- There's a big "you should know" here, as this book was published by my former employer.  It's pretty much what it sounds like: high-end investors talking about how they got to be, and stay, high-end investors.

The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had by S. Wise Bauer -- The author notes that almost no one is self-educated anymore, then outlines tactics, and an immense reading llist, for anyone who wants to be.

What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question by Po Bronson -- Bronson was sort of asking this question himself as he put together this book, which collects the stories of people who have found their callings.  A good read even if it turns out not to be especially necessary, or helpful, for you.


Why Do I Love These People?

Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget

Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear by Frank Luntz -- Another one that's pretty much what it sounds like, this book talks about communication skills and how you can make sure what you mean is what you say is what people hear.  Probably not a bad one to read together with Gift of Fear, above.

 
Go forth and be a better person! Enjoy!

Aside for my real-life blogger friends: does anyone need a guest post any time soon?  Let me know.

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4.5-year index  

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Book cover, Anansi Boys, a fantasy novelImage via WikipediaIt looks like I forgot to do a 4-year index back in April, and these indices do make it easier to find things, so let's get back on track.


Books

Fiction

The Amber Spyglass
Anansi Boys
Bad Twin
Birds Without Wings
Christ the Lord
A Clash of Kings
Dawn
A Game of Thrones
Gilead
The Giver
Gods Behaving Badly
Going Postal
The Golden Compass
The Good Earth
Good Omens
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Imago
The Knitting Circle
Kockroach
Linden Hills
Lonesome Dove
Making Money
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Neverwhere
Parable of the Sower
Practical Demonkeeping
The Road
Silence
The Sparrow
The Subtle Knife
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
A Thread of Grace
The Westing Game
You Suck


Graphic Novels

9-11: Artists Respond Volumes 1 and 2
Gargoyles: Clan Building Volume 1
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale
Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale: And Here My Troubles Begin
Sluggy Freelance: Little Evils
Watchmen


Nonfiction

The 100 People Who are Ruining America
1776
Abraham: The First Historical Biography
American Bee
Angela's Ashes
As Seen on TV
The Commitment
The Daring Book for Girls
The Devil’s Candy
Everything twitter
Freakonomics
The Gift of Fear
Grayson
I Am America (And So Can You!)
John Adams
Made to Stick
Mark Morris
The Millionaire Next Door
Mommy Grace
My Secret
Night
Offbeat Bride
Please Kill Me
Project Everlasting
Seabiscuit
The Silent Woman
Skipping Towards Gomorrah
Slow Reading
Why Do I Love These People?
Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget


Food and drink


Delaware

The Dog House


Massachusetts

Boston Beer Works
Cornwall's Restaurant
Finale
Sabur
SoulFire
Sunset Grill and Tap
Tasca


New Jersey

Cheeburger Cheeburger
Whitman Diner


New York

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
Blue Point Brewery
Brooklyn Brewery
Burger Heaven
Cafe Buenos Aires
Croxley's
Grand Lux Café
Hanami Japanese Restaurant
John Harvard's Brew House
Max Brenner
Miller's Ale House
Peter Luger Steakhouse
Red Lobster
Tio Pepe
Trattoria Lucia


Ontario

Fressen
Groucho’s Gourmet Market
Kelsey’s
Naz’s Falafel House
Richtree Market Restaurant
Smokeless Joe’s
Swiss Chalet
Wayne Gretsky’s


Pennsylvania

Allentown Brew Works
Bistro Cassis
California Pizza Kitchen
Crossroads Coffee
Derek's
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Flanigan’s Boat House
Irish Pub
Iron Hill Brewery 
Kildare's
Macaroni Grill
Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant
Melting Pot 
Old Eagle Tavern
Pei Wei Asian Diner
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery
Roller's at Flying Fish
slainte
Sonic
Stoudt's Brewing Company
Zake’s Café


Recipes

Wasabi Pea Tuna Salad


Movies


2006

Alpha Dog
Cars
Clerks II
Lady in the Water
Man of the Year
Monster House
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The Prestige
Snakes on a Plane
Superman Returns
X-Men: The Last Stand


2007

300
Amazing Grace
Ghost Rider
The Golden Compass
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I am Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
The Simpsons Movie
Spider-Man 3
TMNT
Transformers Wild Hogs


2008

Cloverfield
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Prince Caspian
Wanted


2009

Star Trek
Up
Watchmen


Internet

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog


Video

Cast Away
Clerks.
Driving Miss Daisy
March of the Penguins
Much Ado About Nothing
Shattered Glass
Sideways
To Kill a Mockingbird


Music

The Dream of Gerontius
Symphony of 1000


To Do and See

Massachusetts

Sam Adams Brewery Tour

New Jersey

Green Room Billiards


New York

American Museum of Natural History
Bronx Zoo
Cooper Station Post Office
Rockefeller Center Tour


Ontario

CN Tower
The Guvernment
Steam Whistle Brewing


Pennsylvania

The Barnes Foundation
Ghost Tour of Philadelphia


Television

West Wing Series Finale
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Other People's Reviews: New apartment edition  

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Image of Wise Bread from TwitterImage of Wise Bread
Chris and I are settling nicely into our new place and new routines. Who knows how long this will last?  We may be moving again soon.  But when things are calm, I have time to read!

Frugal Duchess at Wise Bread notes that the book Small Change was life-changing. Her review definitely makes me want to read the book -- so go ahead and read her review!

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3.5 year index  

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Harry Potter And The Deathly HallowsImage by moby74 via Flickr

Books

Fiction

The Amber Spyglass
Anansi Boys
Bad Twin
Birds Without Wings
Christ the Lord
A Clash of Kings
Dawn
A Game of Thrones
Gilead
The Giver
Gods Behaving Badly
Going Postal
The Golden Compass
The Good Earth
Good Omens
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Imago
The Knitting Circle
Kockroach
Linden Hills
Lonesome Dove
Making Money
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Neverwhere
Parable of the Sower
Practical Demonkeeping
The Road
Silence
The Sparrow
The Subtle Knife
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
A Thread of Grace
The Westing Game
You Suck

Graphic Novels

9-11: Artists Respond Volumes 1 and 2
Gargoyles: Clan Building Volume 1
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale
Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale: And Here My Troubles Begin
Sluggy Freelance: Little Evils
Watchmen

Nonfiction

The 100 People Who are Ruining America
1776
Abraham: The First Historical Biography
American Bee
Angela's Ashes
As Seen on TV
The Commitment
The Daring Book for Girls
The Devil’s Candy
Everything twitter
Freakonomics
The Gift of Fear
Grayson
I Am America (And So Can You!)
John Adams
Made to Stick
Mark Morris
The Millionaire Next Door
Mommy Grace
My Secret
Night
Offbeat Bride
Please Kill Me
Project Everlasting
Seabiscuit
The Silent Woman
Skipping Towards Gomorrah
Slow Reading
Why Do I Love These People?
Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget

Food


Delaware

The Dog House

Massachusetts

Boston Beer Works
Finale
Sabur
SoulFire
Sunset Grill and Tap
Tasca

New Jersey

Cheeburger Cheeburger
Whitman Diner

New York

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
Burger Heaven
Cafe Buenos Aires
Grand Lux Café
Hanami Japanese Restaurant
Max Brenner
Peter Luger Steakhouse
Red Lobster
Tio Pepe
Trattoria Lucia

Ontario

Fressen
Groucho’s Gourmet Market
Kelsey’s
Naz’s Falafel House
Richtree Market Restaurant
Smokeless Joe’s
Swiss Chalet
Wayne Gretsky’s

Pennsylvania

Bistro Cassis
California Pizza Kitchen
Crossroads Coffee
Derek's
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Flanigan’s Boat House
Macaroni Grill
Pei Wei Asian Diner
Roller's at Flying Fish
slainte
Sonic
Zake’s Café

Recipes

Wasabi Pea Tuna Salad

Movies

2006

Alpha Dog
Cars
Clerks II
Lady in the Water
Man of the Year
Monster House
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The Prestige
Snakes on a Plane
Superman Returns
X-Men: The Last Stand

2007

300
Amazing Grace
Ghost Rider
The Golden Compass
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I am Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
The Simpsons Movie
Spider-Man 3
TMNT
Transformers Wild Hogs

2008

Cloverfield
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Prince Caspian
Wanted


2009

Star Trek
Up
Watchmen

Internet

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Video

Cast Away
Clerks.
Driving Miss Daisy
March of the Penguins
Much Ado About Nothing
Shattered Glass
Sideways
To Kill a Mockingbird

Music

The Dream of Gerontius
Symphony of 1000

To Do and See

New Jersey

Green Room Billiards

New York

American Museum of Natural History
Bronx Zoo
Cooper Station Post Office
Rockefeller Center Tour

Ontario

CN Tower
The Guvernment

Pennsylvania

The Barnes Foundation
Ghost Tour of Philadelphia

Television

West Wing Series Finale


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Mommy Grace  

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Cover of "Mommy Guilt: Learn to Worry Les...Cover via Amazon

Mommy Grace: Erasing Your Mommy Guilt

By Sheila Schuller Coleman, 2009

You should know

I don't have kids, I don't plan on having kids any time soon, and yet, given my personality, I already have plenty of preemptive Mommy Guilt, thank you.

This is another book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

So?

This book is written with a very strong Christian perspective, which is a great thing for some readers and a deal-breaker for others. So I want to get that out of the way from the beginning.

Now, here is where I have a small problem with it.

I know the message is, "When you are overwhlemd and feeling guilty, turn your anxiety over to God and know that you are doing your best and the Lord will provide." Which is a very nice message.

But the danger of it is the potential for the reader to draw this corrollary: "If you remain overwhelmed and feeling guilty, you must be a bad Christian." Which, of course, will almost certainly increase anxiety and guilt in anyone interested in being a Good Christian (whatever that means to the person in question... I'm not about to debate theology here).

Now, that aside, the book has some cute anecdotes along the lines of, "I'm not perfect, but my kids turned out well," which is nice and encouraging, and each chapter ends with Bible verses, prayers, and meditations, which is nice if you're into that, but since I don't have kids I kind of just skimmed them.

Rating

Great for the right audience
The brief write-up above should already give you a sense of whether you are that audience. I may find this book to be very useful in several years, but for now, I may just pass it on to a friend (who is probably reading this... if so, let me know if you want it. You know who you are).

The rest of the Internet

The author's father, Robert Schuller of Crystal Cathedral, talks about the book.
The book's LibraryThing page.
Carine Nadel at The Orange County Register speaks highly of the book and quotes the author at length.
Angie at Ministry and a Mission highly recommends the book.
Bearer of the Blob at Slimequeen was pleasantly surprised by the book.
Michelle Lynn at Michelle Lynne's Life Thoughts puts the lessons of the book to use in her own life.

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Quickie Round-Up: Cheerful Books edition  

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Cover of "Westing Game"Cover of Westing GameDid you make it through my list of depressing books? If you did, I bet you could use a pick-me-up. I know I could.

Here are some lighter, more pleasant books I've picked out to help put a smile back on your face.

Books I've previously reviewed are linked to the appropriate post; in between are some quickie reviews.

1776

The Daring Book for Girls -- The female answer to The Dangerous Book for Boys touches on crafts and cooking, but also has great instructions for games, survival skills round-ups, and stories of real-life princesses who could wipe the floor with Cinderella. If you're a dude, hide the cover and get over yourself; it's fun, useful reading for all.

Gods Behaving Badly: A Novel -- The classical gods are living in London. Their powers are waning and they're bored. Their lives finally get interesting again when two mortals inadvertantly get sucked into their drama. A beach read.

Going Postal

Good Omens

Grayson -- A champion swimmer finds a baby gray whale who had been seperated from his mother. She manages to swim alongside him until the mother can be found. Short and sweet.

Little Evils (Sluggy Freelance)

Making Money

Offbeat Bride

Practical Demonkeeping -- An immortal everyman teams up with a Djinn to hunt down and capture a demon. A quick, fun read.

Project Everlasting: Two Bachelors Discover the Secrets of Americas Greatest Marriages -- Nonfiction. Two bachelors see marriages falling apart around them, and inspired by one author's grandparents, decide to roam the country in an RV and find out the secrets to long-lasting marriage. This book presentd their findings. Very uplifting.

Skipping Towards Gomorrah

The Tales of Beedle the Bard -- This companion to the Harry Potter series tells some fairy tales from the wizarding world. A few minor points stuck out to me (Hermione Granger seems too much of a prescriptivist to translate a singular personal pronoun, gender unknown, as "they"; she strikes me as the "he or she" type), but overall it's a cute book, well-suited for kids who are disappointed the series is complete, or who maybe aren't quite old enough for the last few books.

The Westing Game -- The heirs of the late recluse Sam Westing have absolutely nothing in common. They're an ethnically, socioeconomically diverse group with personalities that vary as much within families as between them. But they all have a shot at the estate of their "Uncle Sam" -- if they can figure out which of them killed him. Lots of fun.

The World of Jeeves

You Suck: A Love Story -- An average guy is turned into a vampire by his girlfriend, and the two of them have misadventures in dealing with a set of his-hers-and-theirs obstacles: his idiot friends, her ancient sire, and their new teenaged minion. Lots of fun.


So, go read one, have a laugh or a pleasant thought, and enjoy!


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Slow Reading  

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Birthday bookpile

Slow Reading

by John Miedema, 2009

You should know

This is another book I got from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

I tend to be a pretty fast reader.

So?

This book is actually a series of four essays that were written toward the author's Master's degree. His premise is that reading slowly allows one to consider the book in question slowly, and absorb its content more easily.

Slow reading is traced back to biblical metaphors in which prophets and apostles are instructed to eat books. The author also notes that even when slow, close reading is promoted, it's in a somewhat elitist, academic way, not mentioning that a close read of a good book can, in fact, be quite pleasant.

The author also goes on about how the Internet is training us to scan what we read, rather than to absorb it. This is actually not a bad point, but unfortunately, the text of the book is academic enough that I repeatedly found myself scanning it, not absorbing it. If you want to convince me to read in more depth, write something I want to read in more depth.

I really don't like how the citations are done in this book. I typically appreciate footnotes and end notes, but there were cases where I was curious as to a source that was being cited, only to have a hard time finding it in the end-notes (and, in one case, noting that a cited author's name was misspelled).

To elaborate, when another writer or scholar's work is cite, the author merely gives the last name and page number; it is up to the reader to go to the end-notes and find out who, for example, "Pike" is, what book page 161 falls in, and why, exactly, we should care. I grant you that this method slowed my reading of the book, but the only deep thinking it inspired was how annoyed I was at not knowing who on earth he was referencing.

Don't tell me, "According to Smith (150)..." There are millions of Smiths and I don't see why I should take any of them seriously. Tell me, "According to Jane Smith, Head of Whatever Studies at Random University..." OK, the lady's an expert. Now you've got my attention.

Also, the manuscript could have done with one more edit. After all, on page 25, he notes:
Schillingsburg (2006) observes that 99% accuracy in scanning means an error in every 100 letters, spaces and punctuation marks. "Would we be fatally injured if the word was 'celebrate' not 'celibate' or if the word 'no' is occasionally left out" (21)? Yes, I think. A single typo on a resume will cost an applicant a chance at a job interview.

Typo karma. I'm not immune; there's no doubt in my mind that there's at least one typo in this review. But no one is being paid to read this before it goes live. And someone should have check that when he cites, for instance, "Gaiman, 2008," the endnote doesn't refer to "Gainman, N. (2008). The results of free. Retrieved from http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/07/results-of-free.html." Emphasis mine. If you're wondering, the correct spelling is "Gaiman".

Rating

Skip it, most likely...
It's got some interesting thoughts, but unless this is specifically your area of interest, you're probably not going to get a lot out of it.

The rest of the Internet

The Wikipedia page for the concept of slow reading.
The author's blog.
The author's page and book's page on LibraryThing.
The book is reviewed at Library Alchemy.
Mary at the 999 Challenge reviews the book.



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