SqueakyChu flutters through 2014 - Page 3

This thread is continued from page 2

All of my 2013 challenges (except for that speedy calendar) were really a FAIL! My mom used to say "my eyes were bigger than my stomach". I guess that's me. This year, I'll set my sights a little lower and hopefully will do better in all of my challenges.

The 2014 Race of the Butterflies includes all of my challenges and a calendar. I'll really try to finish all of my challenges before the year runs out.

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Which butterfly will win the race by year's end?

Did you guess correctly?

Results:

1. Butterfly #4 - Representing the ROOTs challenge which I failed miserably last year. :)

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Butterfly #1: My 75 Books Challenge for 2014
I am determined to do better in this challenge than last year. I've conquered this challenge before and know I can do it again. The question is...when?



Butterfly #2: My 15,000 Pages in 2014 Challenge. I was so close to achieving my goal last year that I'm trying this challenge again.



Butterfly #3: My BookCrossing MT TBR Challenge
This is my very first totally BookCrossing challenge that I'm doing on LibraryThing. These are books I acquired from other BookCrossers. *****COMPLETED 6/8/14*****SECOND PLACE*****



Butterfly #4: My Read Our Own Tomes (ROOT) Challenge 2014 - *****COMPLETED 4/16/14*****FIRST PLACE*****
I cut back on the number of ROOTS for my goal as I always seem to be distracted by newer books. These are books I acquired prior to 2010.



Butterfly #5: My 2014 Calendar
Watch out for this butterfly. He (or she?) is trying to get to his destination before I finish my other challenges.



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Reading Rate: To keep ahead of this game, it looks as if I should be reading at least 7 books per month. So far, I'm just a wee bit behind schedule. Not bad, though. We'll see what happens...

Ever onward!!!

April 2014:


Photo (Butterfly of the Botanic Gardens of Montreal) by Alain Picard - Flickr, Creative Commons

My BOOKISH PLANS FOR THIS MONTH:
1. The International Day of the Book street festival in Kensington, Maryland on 4/27/14. It was great fun! We gave away about 1,200 to 1,300 free books that day at our BookCrossing booth.

COMPLETED:
19. *Blindness - Jose Saramago - TIOLI: Read a book by an author from one of the A P RI L countries (Portugal) - 326 pages
20. A Free Life - Ha Jin - TIOLI: Read a book whose first sentence has seven words (Family...visa) - 660 pages
21. The Guest Cat - Takashi Hiraide - TIOLI: Read a book in which a family home plays a significant part - 140 pages

May 2014:


Photo of monarch butterfly by Scott - Flickr, Creative Commons

MY BOOKISH PLANS FOR THIS MONTH:
1. The LibraryThing DC metro area Meet-up! It was the weekend of May 2-4, 2104. So much fun!
2. The Gaithersburg Book Festival in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on May 17, 2014. It was great! We gave away about 1,900 gently used books free of charge to festival-goers.

COMPLETED:
22. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman - Haruki Murakami - TIOLI: Read a book with at least two words in the title containing an embedded word of at least three letters - 334 pages
23. Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson - TIOLI: Read a book that mentions a tree on a page with double numbers (Apple/333) - 630 pages
24. Yes, Chef - Marcus Samuelsson - TIOLI: Read a book with a title that looks like it has been designed in some kind of handwriting - 336 pages

June 2014:


Photo (an unspecified Morphidae) by Patrick Karlsson - Flickr, Creative Commons

MY BOOKISH PLANS FOR THIS MONTH:
1. A BookCrossing meetup. Just for fun. No book festivals this month. :)

COMPLETED:
24. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks - TIOLI: Read a book with more than one person on the cover - 239 pages
25. Tiny Dynamo - Marcella Rosen - TIOLI: Read a book that does not have a person on the cover - 131 pages
26. True Colors of the Chameleon - Lasan Seni Darboe - TIOLI: Read a book that doesn't have a person on the cover - 44 pages
27. Hawks for Kids - Sumner Matteson - TIOLI: Read a book that doesn't have a person on the cover - 48 pages
28. An Audacious Alphabet - Amy J Francisconi - TIOLI: Read a book by an author with a three-letter-first name - 60 pages
29. Zeitoun - Dave Eggers - TIOLI: Read a book that is over 336 pages or 11 hrs. audio - 337 pages
30. Let's Talk About Race - Julius Lester - TIOLI: Read a book with more than one person on the cover - 32 pages
31. Steve Jobs' Life By Design: Lessons to be Learned from his Last Lecture - George Beahm - TIOLI: Read a book which has a "don" word on any page with the number 57 - 212 pages
32. **Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight - Alexandra Fuller - TIOLI: Read something old, something new, something borrowed, or something blue (OLD) - 301 pages
33. Bartleby: Spring 2002 Creative Arts Journal - Nicole Mooney - TIOLI: Read a book with a body part on the cover (hand) - 134 pages
35. Never Knowing - Chevy Stevens - TIOLI: Read at least two books with a matched word (KNOW) - going up in alphabetical order - 480 pages

Note: 7 ROOTs COMPLETED through 6/21/14.
*Other BC member registered eligible
**ROOTs eligible!

Happy New Thread, Madeline.

Thanks, Connie!

Love your butterfly photos!

And may I say PTPhuuy!**! about the redundancy. Sounds like you have a good attitude towards it.

>7 markon:

Thanks for your support, Ardene.

I'm giving up on these two books:

1. The Lone Ranger and Tonto FistFight in Heaven is a book of short stories by Sherman Alexie. I remember his talk at the National Book Festival as being uproariously funny. His short stories in this book are not funny at all. They reflect the distress of Spokane Indians. I found most of the stories depressing and hard to read. I gave up after reading over half of this book because I was not enjoying most of the stories.

2. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen is now a tutored read here on LT. I was not keeping up with it nor was I enjoying the story. I no longer feel like reading it. When I get back to my own tutored reads, I'd prefer to continue on with gothic novels. They're way more fun and more up my alley.

Now back to two other books that I'm enjoying a lot more...

In the book House of Windows* which I am currently reading, this quote made me laugh:

Inasmuch as most of the movie-going public are of the European mentality, European films have no doubt a greater appeal to them than American products, which are in so many instances untrue to actual life.

This is a quote from C. Lutz, Chancellor of the Consulate of Switzerland for Palestine and Transjordan in an inquiry dated June 10, 1935. Perhaps this quote will only seem amusing to those of you who are more familiar with European or other foreign films, but it truly made me laugh out loud. My best friend and I to this day comment on the "Hollywood aspect" of so many American films, although, truthfully, I rarely see any American made films these day because I depend on sub-titles and closed captioning.

*In this book, I'm now reading a chapter which describes the demise of the buildings in Jerusalem which were formerly movie houses. The author of this book was at that time a film critic and had occasion to visit them over and over again. When I lived in Jerusalem, I didn't spend much time in movie houses so they did not loom large in my memory. What made me sad in reading this book is to learn that these old buildings have more recently been relegated to becoming businesses such as a McDonald's or a Blockbuster (which is, ironically enough, also no on its way out).

I love this book, by the way! A very belated thank you to @jessibud2 for sending it to me (back in the "old days" when postage between countries was not quite as exorbitant as it is today!).

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This is a personal tangent/memory pretty much unrelated to the book I'm reading - since Adina Hoffman lived in Israel many years after I did. :)


Image from Wikipedia under "fair use" license

A poster from my favorite movie ("Kazablan") from 1973 - the year I lived in Jerusalem. This production was originally a 1966 stage musical which was made into an Israeli movie in 1973, then released outside of Israel in 1974. In those days, it was super unusual to ever see an Israeli film be released first run in American movie houses. I viewed it for the second time in 1974 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. Kazablan is a very happy "West Side Story" type of musical.

This line from my current read, House of Windows*, also made me smile...

“You know my father, may his memory be blessed, he always thought that I’d do something big, some-thing, some-thing BIG with my life. That I’d be at least a lwayer. He always thought there should be at least one lawyer in the family…” (Jacko Ohana, fishmonger in Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem, in House of Windows by Adina Hoffman)

I hope to have one of those in my family in the not too distant future. We'll see what happens as things in my family change from day to day. :)

*This book is nothing short of brilliant. If I could hug the text, I would!

>4 SqueakyChu: HA! It's a Morphidae. Don't know which one exactly.

>9 SqueakyChu: I'm with you on the Alexie. I adored The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and couldn't stand Fistfight. It was such a disappointment.

>9 SqueakyChu:

It's a Morphidae? Really?! I had no idea what a Morphidae was. Now I know! Well, I knew who you were. :D

I tried and tried with The Lone Ranger and Tonto FistFight in Heaven. I really did. The book was small. However, each of those short stories seemed so long. I felt relieved to toss it aside. I'll probably offer it to someone else in my Little Free Library.

I do have The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian here at home and want that book to be more like the Sherman Alexie that I remember from the National Book Festival. I'll give him another chance. :)

>13 SqueakyChu: Yep. Morphidae is the family and Morpho is the genus. "Many morpho butterflies are colored in metallic, shimmering shades of blue and green." If you see a shiny blue butterfly, it's most likely a Morphidae. You can see another as my profile picture.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian got one of my rare 9/10 stars if that tells you anything. The Lone Ranger and Tonto FistFight in Heaven got 4/10 stars.

My daughter gave me her outdated Kindle so now I'm almost into the world of e-reading. However, not quite. I couldn't download the book from the library onto my computer. Then I couldn't transfer what I thought I had downloaded to my Kindle. I went back to read a dead tree book. I opened it up...and the dead tree book worked very well! :)

>14 Morphidae:

I never star rated The Lone Ranger and Tonto FistFight in Heaven in the end. I kept taking away half stars until I deleted the entire book and with it went the remaining stars. :)

>15 SqueakyChu: Library ebooks to Kindle are a PAIN. Library ebooks to anything are a pain. Check out the Kindle store on Amazon - sort by price, there are 20-100 books a day for free, from recent (indie) SF to classic novels. Try it out that way, it's a lot easier (though probably doesn't have the specific book you wanted to read).

Also check out Project Gutenberg - apparently you can download easily by browsing on the Kindle to m.gutenberg.org and searching for the book you want. http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Free_Kindle_Books . Again, indie books and classics...or not so classic, but published before 1923 and thus public domain. And PG books tend to be (much!) better formatted than the free classics on Amazon itself.

I don't have a Kindle, though I do "buy" books (99% free) from Amazon and download to my Kindle for PC program. Then I use calibre to transform them into epubs and download to my phone and tablet - I read with FBReader, rather than the Kindle app. So I know all kinds of ways to turn Kindle books into ones that can be read elsewhere, but very little about reading directly on an actual physical Kindle...

I'll keep your hints available, Thanks, Jennifer.

I think one issue is that my Windows 8 browser does not recognize the device (E: Kindle) because of the firewall set up by my sysadmin (my older son!).

There was also some king of a corruption of the original file in the transfer. I'll have my daughter show me how to do this correctly the next time she visits. I'm not crazy about actually reading on the Kindle. I just wanted to learn how to do the transfers. I still have 489 dead tree books on my TBR and actually prefer to read those.

I love reading on my Kindle, so I would like to say "hang in there". It will become easier, I'll bet. Also, your library should have some technical helpers.

>19 maggie1944:

I'll hang in as I'm in no hurry. Thanks!

The vast majority of what I read is physical books. But it's very very nice to have books available to me on my phone - for those times when you're out, have to wait, and didn't bring a book (or finish the one you brought). Trips, too - I used to bring 4-5 books for a two-day trip, now I'll bring one just in case but mostly read on my phone. I have a tablet, but find it too heavy to hold easily, and the larger "page" not worth the trouble. My phone has an enormous screen (for a phone) - Galaxy Note 3 - so it works for me to read on it. I don't like any of the eink devices I've tried - they seem to respond too slowly, mostly. Also, it seems overkill to carry around a one-purpose device.

However, both my sisters have Kindles and use them frequently. So, you know, YMMV. It'd be nice to have the option, at least.

Well, I'll give it a try.

Success!

I had my older son help me with the Kindle download. I did everything right except transfer the file to the Document folder. I downloaded a book of short stories by Haruki Murakami (Blind Willow Sleeping Woman). Now I just have to find time to read them.

Congratulations! I am so grateful to have some tech smart "kids" in my family, too.

Madeleine, hearing of your Kindle I simply MUST copy what Ilana posted at my thread a couple of weeks ago!---

>> It inspired me to add all the Horrid Novels to my wishlist, and as I was searching Amazon for Kindle books, just found The Complete Northanger Horrid Novel Collection (9 Books of Gothic Romance and Horror) as a Kindle book for just $1.

If this is still available, DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!!!!! :D

Sorry, Liz. I simply do not want to read these novels on a Kindle. That's just not my kind of reading. It's not about the price.

No, it's about availability. Most of them you won't get them in any other form, except at a ridiculously high price. This seemed like a desirable compromise.

So I read my first complete short story on my new (old-type) Kindle. It was fun. My daughter was right. She predicted that I'd like it more than I thought I would. Heh!

>28 SqueakyChu: Congrats! I'm glad you enjoy it. I think e-readers come in handy in a lot of situations, especially where you are traveling.

And I really like mine when I can read a big, heavy, tome without straining my arthritic hands.

>28 SqueakyChu: >29 thornton37814:

Well, after I read my second short story, the entire book Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman disappeared from my Kindle. I only borrowed it from the library a few days ago and loaded it onto my Kindle two days ago.

I don't know how to get it back. I have to wait for someone to visit me to help me put it back.

In the meantime, I took the Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman out of the library. That book is going nowhere...unless I myself decide to return it!

By the way, how do you go back on the Kindle pages to check what you've previously read without doing it page by page?

>25 lyzard:

Liz, I might reconsider...but not any time soon. I need to get much, much more proficient on the Kindle before I'll even spend $1 on anything related to it. In other words, its benefits have to far outweigh its annoyances. So far, the annoyances have won! :)

You've got the Kindle Keyboard version? If you click the menu button, there should be a sync to last page read option. That works as long as you haven't checked a footnote or something that is further into the book than the page you were reading. I always just leave the book open to the last page read also. That usually works fine.

>31 SqueakyChu: Going back can be a pain. My reading app has a thing where I can bring up a progress bar and select a point on it to jump back to there - but to find something I read previously, I usually have to try three or four places and then page to what I want when I get close. I don't know if your Kindle has a progress bar, or a Go To menu choice, or something - but it should have some way of jumping around. You can also "bookmark" a spot, if you know you're going to want to refer back to it.

>32 thornton37814:

I just found the book listed on page three today. The other day it was on page one. At least I know it's still there.

Who knows? Maybe by tomorrow it might hop to page 2? ;)

Nevertheless, I now have blind Willow, Sleeping Woman in the trusty old library hardcover version. :D

>33 jjmcgaffey:

Going back can be a pain

Not in dead tree books! :D

I'll ask my daughter for more Kindle lessons the next time she visits.

The problem that I had was that the short story made no sense by the time I got to its ending. I wanted to review the story, but I did not have a specific page or place in mind. The Kindle was not really good for that kind of page-flipping. Therefore I reverted to the library book version. That was much easier. I still didn't understand the story, so I looked it up online and got a few other people's opinions. I'm not sure if I agree with them or not.

If you're curious, the short story was "Birthday Girl" in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. My question was: What did the girl wish for?

>31 SqueakyChu: Yeah, sorry - didn't mean to jump on you like that! I was only thinking about how hard it is to find those books in hard-copy, or at least find them at a reasonable price. I use my own eReader almost exclusively like that, for access to books that just aren't available in print; but I always read the print version if it is available.

19. Blindness - Jose Saramago



I don't really want to write a review of this book (or see msg #41). I found it somewhat of a slog with an annoying way of writing, but having an interesting premise. I'll have to wait to read more works by its Nobel Prize-winning author before I make my final decision as to whether or not I like his writing. I can't really say one way or the other now.

Rating - 3.5 stars

One of the things I find fun here at LT is that, after I read a book such as Blindness that has left me conflicted and without words to describe it, I can go back to reviews of this book here on LT and check out what other LTers whom I "know" have to say about this book. It's really enlightening. I liked Smiler69's review which included some of her personal experiences which helped her relate to this book as well as norabelle414's review which made me laugh, especially the part critical of the manner in which Saramago wrote this book.

Thanks, fellow LTers, for reviewing this book so I don't have to. :D

>38 SqueakyChu:
I actually never made it further than around 30 pages or so of this one. Abandoned it early on. This was several years ago but I think the reason was less the writing style than the fact that it creeped me out. If bookcrossing has taught me anything it is that if a book doesn't grab me, I don't waste time on it. There are ALWAYS other books waiting in line for their turn. I made myself a rule: 50 pages or one week. If I'm not into it by whichever comes first, I move on. Before bookcrossing, I used to force myself through a book, no matter what, because I felt like a quitter otherwise. No more. I don't have enough years left in my life to waste on books that are not giving me the *nourishment* I need!

:-)

That said, I also love reading reviews of others. Just last night I wrote a short review of the audiobook I just finished and made reference to another great review of the same book by a fellow LT/BCer!

I loved Blindness, on the other hand. If you thought it was a slog I don't think you'll like anything else by Saramago.

>39 jessibud2: >40 kidzdoc:

Well, the reason I called Blindness a "slog" is because it seemed to go on and on. The conversations without punctuation didn't bother me all that much because I was usually pretty clear who said what, although I will admit that I did go back to reread a few of its passages to clarify this issue.

The premise was interesting. A bout of "white blindness" sweeps the entire population. When this affliction only affected a few people, they were placed in quarantine. However, when the blindness becomes more rampant, the government security in charge of this quarantine area is abandoned and its residents are left to fend for themselves. No names are ever used for the main characters, although the reader gets to know them quite well by their description.

I think the idea of the book was to show how people, when reduced to their basics, are all the same. With eyesight, we "see" without seeing. Without eyesight, we sometimes see more.

The end of this story surprised me. Now I do want to read its sequel, "Seeing".

Hey maybe "slog" was too rough of a word. Maybe "slog-lite" would be a betty way to describe my feelings as I worked my way through this story.

Hey! I just did a review of Blindness now. That was a sneaky way to elicit one from me, Shelly and Darryl!

>39 jessibud2:

I believe in the Pearl Rule as well. This book did have enough impetus to carry me through it, though.

>37 SqueakyChu: Hmm. Picked this up for $2 recently but now I am conflicted about giving it a try.

Happy Easter!

Hi Diana,

I'm Jewish and don't celebrate Easter, but I'm having a fun Passover. Thank you for your good wishes!

Chiming in as another fan of Bindness. I can't say that I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but it has stayed with me years later in many ways.

20. A Free Life - Ha Jin



Very low key but insightful into the life of an immigrant, A Free Life tells the story of Nan Wu, a Chinese man who aspires to be a poet and must remain in the United States because his native country labeled him a dissident. The story opens with Nan Wu and his wife Pingping bringing their then 3-year-old son Taotao from China to live with them. The story traces their years together, their disagreements, their joys, their aspirations, their disappointments, and their successes. It is multilayered and thought-provoking.

Be forewarned that this book is very long. I did appreciate its short chapters so that I didn't get weighed down by how long it was. At first, I was not happy with the three main characters, Nan, Pingping, and Taotao, but the parents grew on me as they learned to adapt to the American culture. Taotao was always a brat, and I never did like him.

The book ends in an unusual way...with a short journal and then with several poems. My favorite of those was "Groundhog Hour". I guess that was because it was about an animal. My favorite quote came from the poem entitled "Homeland". The lines read as follows:

“Eventually you will learn:
Your country is where you raise your children,
Your homeland is where you build your home.”

Rating - 4.5 stars

21. The Guest Cat - Takashi Hiraide



This is a quiet, soft, poetic story of a young couple renting an apartment in a guest house in Japan. Their life is made all the more sweet by an occasional visit from a neighbor's cat named Chibi. As time passes, changes take place which affect the homes and lives of the man, his wife, the landlady, and the visiting cat.

I enjoyed this story very much, but I would not recommend it for someone who wants plot and action. It is much more into the quiet ways that sould intermesh - those of humans, the ambience of home and garden, and pets.

I especially liked the gentleness of this story although the ending left me sad and puzzled.

Rating - 3.5 stars

I'm glad to hear that you liked A Free Life, Madeline. I started it a couple of years ago, but never finished it, so I'll probably try it again this summer or fall.

>48 kidzdoc:

Darryl, A Free Life is really a hard book to finish because it goes on and on. The tempo of the book never changes. There neither a high point nor a low point to the plot. It's told more in narration than in the story actually being acted out by its characters.

I was able to continue on with it because I was listening to it on audio. I find it difficult to find CDs in which I can understand the narration well (because of my hearing difficulties) so I tend to stick with the ones I can more easily understand

I think you might eventually enjoy this book because it's about an aspiring poet, and I know that you appreciate poetry. If you ever go back to it and finish it, tell me what you think.

By the way, I, too, was thinking about giving up halfway through the story. I'm happy I didn't because overall I felt this was a satisfactory read.

Hallo? Any body here? Madeleine?

Madeline's having a meet-up! :)

I have set up the thread for the tutored read of The Italian, Madeline - it's here - but please start in your own good time.

Hope you had a great weekend!

>50 AuntieClio: >51 lyzard:

Hi, both of you! I was indeed having fun at this weekend's LibraryThing meet-up. I'll let Zoe post the official pictures before I add the few that I took.

Thanks for starting the thread for The Italian}. Bear with me, though as it looks as if it will take me a while to get going with this book. I'll try to start it tonight, though, to get at least some momentum going. Tomorrow, I'm scheduled for minor surgery, but I should be back in a day or two with no problem.

>52 SqueakyChu:
Surgery? Good luck, Madeline. Hope it's nothing serious and that all goes well!

Nope. It's just dental surgery. I'll survive. Thankfully, it's indeed nothing serious.

>52 SqueakyChu: I'll let Zoe post the official pictures
I'll post some unofficial photos too, but not this evening. Got a good one of you looking for birds.

>55 qebo:

Got a good one of you looking for birds.

Haha! If you post that one, I'll post one of you looking for birds as well!

>56 SqueakyChu: Is that a threat?

>57 qebo:

No, it's a photo contest! ;)

>55 qebo:, 56
So, where does the adoring public go to see such photos? ;-)

>59 jessibud2: where does the adoring public go to see such photos?

Here on LT on the meet-up thread, of course. I'm waiting for Zoe, our official photographer, to start with her pictures. Then I'll add my few.

Here's the link, although the pictures are not yet posted. They should be up in a day or two.

Struggling to catch-up, Madeline, but at least I am in time to wish you a Happy Mother's Day.

By the way, your impression of Blindness coincided with my own exactly. I wanted to enjoy it far more than I actually did when I eventually got through it.

>61 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. Thank you so much for your good wishes!

Do you intend to read the follow-up book to Blindness, called Seeing?

>62 SqueakyChu: I probably will eventually Madeline, but not for a while. I really enjoyed The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis and the premise of the book as you noted was excellent but it was heavy going.

>63 PaulCranswick:

Perhaps I should instead read The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis as the next of Saramago's books? :)

22. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman - Haruki Murakami



There's something abut short stories by Haruki Murakami that make them so easy for me to read. I think it's the combination of nostalgia for the past, wistfulness in the presence, and the light touch of the mysterious. This collection consisted of 24 short stories that differed in content but had essentially same tone.

If I had to pick my favorites in this collection, these are the ones I'd choose. "The Mirror" tells of a man who sees an evil self in a mirror and uses a kendo sword to smash that mirror. "A Folklore For My Generation: A Pre-history of Late Stage Capitalism" is the story of a couple who broke up due to different values and how that issue plays out in later years. "A Perfect Day for Kangaroos" is an adorable story of visiting four kangaroos in the zoo. "The Ice Man" is about a woman who marries a sort of "icy" fellow and then moves with him to the South Pole. "Chance Traveler" is about synchronicity in which a woman with a mole on her ear reminds the author of his sister.

I guess I have too many favorites? I would recommend this book, although some stories are better than others. I guess that's the way with any short story collection, but all of the stories in this collection are fun and easy to read.

Rating - 4 stars

23. Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson



This truly impressive biography was "unputdownable". I was fascinated reading how Steve Jobs' disagreeable, "asshole" personality and intuitive genius were so important to the start-up and ultimate success of Apple. Walter Isaacson did an amazing job in bringing this story to life.

I loved reading about all of the individuals, both Jobs' friends and foes, who were so important in bringing the computer age to life. I liked the way Isaacson delved into Jobs' personality in order to seek psychological insight into the man himself and how Jobs flattered, cajoled, charmed, screamed, chastised, and forced his way into control of all aspects of his life...even trying to maneuver out of his ultimate demise. I was thoroughly saddened when I finally read about his death.

For me, this book was quite the page-turner. The subchapters were short enough to allow me to stop and start reading at pretty much any point. This was important since the entire volume, consisting of over 600 pages, is not the type of book I usually pick up for a "fun read". I got hooked, however, after I started listening to this biography on CD and becoming thoroughly absorbed in it. It's probably one of the best biographies I've ever read. It makes me want to read Isaacson's other works simply for the engaging way he wrote this book. It also makes me sad that I never before bought any stock in Apple! :)

Rating - 5 stars!

This is an interesting quiz to determine if a person is suffering from narcissistic personality disorder, a mental health condition often attributed to Steve Jobs. What I found fun, after reading the aforementioned biography, was to take this quiz, incorporating all I learned about Steve Jobs and pretending I was he. I scored 36. :)

>67 SqueakyChu:

36 out of what, or on a scale of what to what?

Oh dear. I'm an anti-narcissistic personality. I got a 2.

The idea is to read the book Steve Jobs first. Then you take the quiz as if you were he (i.e. after learning all about his personality quirks). After taking the quiz, the quiz interprets the score.

You can't do it backward (knowing the scale first), nor can you do it to interpret any other personality condition. Well, you could take the quiz otherwise, but it wouldn't tell you anything!

>69 Morphidae: Hah! I scored 0 the first time through. Then I reconsidered some answers and bumped it up to 6.

>68 jessibud2: I'm guessing 40? It doesn't say, but there are 40 questions and I went through answering narcissisticly and scored 40. Sez the quiz:
"Between 12 and 15 is average. Celebrities often score closer to 18. Narcissists score over 20."

>72 qebo: I guess it's always the same number as the number of questions, isn't it? :)

Reading about the personality of Steve Jobs was excruciating, though. I am so much the opposite kind of personality. It makes me sick to see others treated without empathy.

I think that was what hit me so hard about the way my own employment was terminated. I simply cannot believe that someone who is considered to be a "good" person would treat another decent individual without kindness, consideration, and empathy.

>72 qebo:
Ha, I see it now. I hadn't realized the *quiz* was a live link leading to a ...quiz! I just took it. I scored a whopping *1*!! lol!

I soooo agree with your last statement, about the way people treat one another. I will never understand the human animal...

Whew! Came in at 13! Can live with being average. Thanks for sharing and for the thoughtful Steve Jobs review and ensuing conversation.

24. Yes, Chef - Marcus Samuelsson



Although I love to read "foodie" books, this is actually the first biography I've read that was written by a chef. I found it an interesting story on many levels. Marcus Samuelsson is an award-winning chef who is a black man, born in Ethiopia, adopted and raised by white parents in Sweden, but who eventually ended up in New York's Harlem as the owner and executive chef of the Red Rooster restaurant.

Samuelsson presents himself with his strengths and faults, a clear picture for others to see how his talent helped him rise to his current situation. What I liked least about his life story was his neglect of Zoe, a daughter he fathered out of wedlock, throughout her childhood years. What I liked most about this story was his love for his adoptive parents, his regard for his natural family, and his decision to situate his final restaurant in Harlem to help elevate the cultural and gastronomic contributions of the population of this Manhattan neighborhood.

Rating - 4 stars

Favorite quote from this book:

Bookstores are a giant present waiting to be unwrapped, full of stories and discoveries and lives.

>76 SqueakyChu: I listened to him read this on audiobook just this year and to hear his own voice, accent, nuances, and all, was such a treat. I agree with your impressions, too. One of my best reads so far this year.

>77 jessibud2:

I read this because you recommended it!

I have his Aquavit cookbook and like it a lot. Found out a friend also has a copy. We've pledged to pick a couple of recipes out of it to have a swedish potluck!

Have you seen the movie "Chef" yet?

>79 michigantrumpet: I looked for his cookbooks in our local bookstore but they didn't have them in stock. I especially wanted to have a look at Soul Of A New Cuisine because I suspect it would be visually beautiful, too. It's expensive and I wouldn't order a copy, as I rarely really cook. But I do love to look at cookbooks.

I never heard of the movie you mention. Is it about Samuelsson?

>79 michigantrumpet:

Nope. I don't usually go to the movies because I need closed captioning due to my hearing problems.

Hurray!

Today I had my Little Free Library of Twinbrook made into an Official BookCrossing Zone.

*does happy dance*

That is so cool, Madeline! Congratulations!

Karen O.

Thanks. I'm so excited!

25. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks



Such an unsatisfying book! I don't see why the author wrote the book the way he did, but my husband liked this book so there must be a book to account for everyone's taste.

I was very disappointed in the story. The first third of the book was useless. It simply had no depth and was written in a way that seemed to mirror fantasy rather than reality. It's not that I don't believe in romantic love, but even romantic love has more substance than what was portrayed in this story.

I then proceeded into the second part...the nursing home. I thought the book would take a turn for the better when it became a heavy tear jerker. Is this the appeal of the book?

Then the novel suddenly ended with a fantasy ending as well.

My suggestion: For two excellent novels, one about Alzheimer's Disease and the second about stroke, do yourself a favor and read Still Alice and Left Neglect both by Lisa Genova. She knows how to put together a thoughtful, in-depth story about both conditions.

I was looking for a sense of place about New Bern, North Carolina, as I vacation in North Carolina every year. I did not find that.

I was looking for a character to like. I did not find that.

SPOILERS:
Why could the mom not make her mind up about her daughter's choice? Why did it take Allie years to return to New Bern? Where was Allie's "passion" and "intelligence"? I saw no proof of either. How did Allie become a famous artist? Why was an elderly man wandering halls alone in a nursing home at night? Okay, I'll stop.

Truthfully, I only chose this book because it was the June selection of "Better Than the Movie Book Club", my great niece's book club.

I will not recommend this book simply because it's too shallow. I could summarize it in one sentence. I really hoped that the nursing home interlude would have turned turn into more of an in-depth story. It did not.

Rating - 1 star

>85 SqueakyChu: Agreed. That book/movie is (in my opinion) one of the few instances where the movie is better than the book. In that I give the movie 1.5 stars and give the book 0.5 stars. I can't stand the author.

>86 norabelle414: My husband wants me to read The Longest Ride now. It's also by Nicholas Sparks. The story is about old age and a Jewish man. The topics interest me. the issue is whether or not I will get completely turned off by the writing. I think I'll take a short break before trying another Nicholas Sparks book. I will not give him more than two chances, though!

By the way, my friend whom you met who works at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore thoroughly loves her volunteer job there. She says the goats and the kids in the goat corral are sooo cute! :)

I never got over hearing Nicholas Sparks' novels summed up collectively by their movie tie-in covers, which are almost identical: "White People Almost Kissing".

>88 lyzard: ROFL!! That is funny!

Ah, here we are!---

>90 lyzard:

Love it!

>88 lyzard: >90 lyzard: *cracks up*

>88 lyzard: betcha that category would get you a decent number of shared TIOLI reads if enough of us read the author ;) I did like A Walk to Remember but never got into his other books.

There's next month's challenge for you, Madeline! :)

Not me! That's a terrible category!! You do it. :)

26. Tiny Dynamo - Marcella Rosen



This is a thin book arranged in short chapters, highlighting the recent innovative, superb technological contributions to the world made by the tiny country of Israel which always seems to draw negative criticism in world news. The contents of this book show a side of Israel that is important but very neglected by public media. I particularly like the last line of this book which says, "Israel is a friend to you, whether you know it or not".

Rating - 4 stars

>88 lyzard: & >90 lyzard: *SNORK!!*

Maybe open the challenge to "White People Almost Kissing" on the cover.

26. True Colors of the Chameleon - Lasan Seni Darboe



Cute story! I got this book from the Kensington Row Bookshop (Thank you!) in Kensington, Maryland, to release in the Little Free Library of Twinbrook. I had to read it first because of it's great illustrations. I also wanted to know what the story was about before releasing it. It's a fable really...revelaling how the chameleon got its ability to change colors. The book made me laugh with this line...

" 'That really...really sucks', said the Chameleon."

:)

Rating - 4 stars

>90 lyzard: LOL!

>99 SqueakyChu: - Quick question: do you register books with a BCID before placing them in the LFL? If so, do you get any *catches* &/or journal entries?

I register all books I place in my Little Free Library of Twinbrook or find in my LFL (donated by others) with a BCID. In addition, I just had my LFL made into an Official BookCrossing zone! :D

I get some catches/journal entries, but not very many. Whenever I get a good one, I either put the information about it on my LFL Facebook page or on the BookCrossing Site Watch forum or on both places.

Here's one recent journal entry ("catch").

>102 SqueakyChu: - VERY cool!! With a bit of luck, it will check in from across the pond soon!

>103 jessibud2:

I'm now reading Doing Italians...oops...Italy, the book co-authored by Stephanie Jones and Debra Knapp Rinaldi. Stephanie is the woman whose sister made the BookCrossing journal entry . The funny thing is that the book reminds me of a friend of mine, my former travel buddy (same woman to whom we sent the book Shelanu) from my single days, who once traveled through Italy with me and is going soon, with two other friends, to visit Sicily. Since she's going with one woman and one gay man, I'm guessing that all three of them will be on the look-out for Italian men! :)

Follow-up to >99 SqueakyChu:

A third-grader stopped by the Little Free Library of Twinbrook this evening with her parents and chose this book to take home. Yay! :)

28. Hawks for Kids - Sumner Matteson



This is a nice book about hawks for children and their parents. I liked this book because the information presented was in a small enough amount not to be overwhelming or confusing. In addition, the book had some large photographs which would make identification of hawk species easy and some lovely colored-pencil drawings to illustrate the story of hawk expert Prakash teaching his young friends Allison and Amanda all about hawks.

Rating - 4 stars

28. An Audacious Alphabet - Amy J. Francisconi



Adorable and laugh-out-loud funny alphabet book! Precious and colorful illustrations...

My favorite:
U - an unbridled unicorn undulating in his underwear

Tee hee!

This is a good book to share with anyone, any age, because everyone is sure to learn a new vocabulary word or two.

Rating - 5 stars

>107 SqueakyChu: - I have my copy, too! Permanent collection! Isn't she a talent! :-)

>108 jessibud2: That was just a delightful book! I hope the author sells lots of copies. ResQGeek brought the book to share at our BookCrossing meet-up at his house yesterday.

>109 SqueakyChu: I met Amy (the author) at the convention in Charleston, several years ago. She is as delightful and talented as her book implies. I am thrilled for her that she did this!

29. Zeitoun - Dave Eggers



This is such a disturbing book. It's made worse by knowing that the story is true. It begins with the Zeitoun family who were caught in the oncoming Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Mr. Zeitoun and his wife, owners of a painting/construction business, and their four children were involved in the maelstrom of preparation for evacuation. However, Mr. Zeitoun (referred to as "Zeitoun" in this book) makes the decision to stay at home to weather the storm and watch his other properties while having his wife and children evacuate. This was probably the worst decision of his life.

What ensues afterward is painful story. Zeitoun remains to do good and help people as he is owner of a small working canoe. However, his good intentions were almost for naught as he was arrested and imprisoned unfairly and made to suffer for his Islamic background and appearance.

What happens in this story is almost unbelievable. The many lapses of good judgment by others and the cruelty and unfairness of our law enforcement agencies are downright frightening. How could such situations happen? It is so unfortunate.

In response, author Dave Eggers, decided to tell the Zeitoun family story in as much detail as possible. To try to right the wrongs, he, along with the Zeitoun family and McSweeney's, set up The Zeitoun Foundation which consists of multiple agencies to help victims of and also to prevent abuses such as those suffered by the Zeitoun family during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This was a step in the right direction after untold cruelty to a hardworking husband, father, business owner, and immigrant to America.

Rating - 4 stars

>110 jessibud2:

That's cool that you met her. I read on Facebook that she's also a good friend of Bookcrosser bookczuk (whom I did meet in real life when she was visiting the DC metro area).

Hello Madeline

Are you having time with that lovely grandson? Can you post more photos? I love the ones where his head of hair is all over the place. He looks so charming.

>113 Whisper1:

I always keep an up-to-date picture of him on my profile page. I try to limit the photos that I post of him for privacy purposes. He's really a cutie, but, since I had my email account, my credit card, and my Paypal account hacked recently, I limit what personal information I make available online.

The history of Bartleby, UMBC's literary magazine*. I'm reading a copy of one of these now.

UMBC= University of Maryland Baltimore County

Happy Friday Madeline! That is a very powerful review at >111 SqueakyChu: about a very powerful book. I've picked up (and put down) that book several times in the past. Looks like I'll have to hang onto it the next time!

30. Let's Talk About Race - Julius Lester



This is a lovely, colorful children's book that tells how we are all alike. It should encourage any child to think about who a person is rather than what he or she looks like before judging that person's character.

Rating - 4.5 stars

Popping in and saying HI!!

31. Steve Jobs' Life by Design - George Beahm



The life of Steve Jobs, the brilliant but abrasive co-founder of Apple Computer, was struck short when he died of pancreatic cancer in 2011. Although esteemed for his brilliance in bringing the company he founded into the Fortune 500 when he was only 29 years old, he was a different kind of corporation leader. He basically marched to the beat of his own drum. During his life, he had been asked to give a commencement address at various universities, but he only did so once at the 114th Commencement Ceremony at his beloved Stanford University in 2005. This was not the university from which he graduated, for he attended Reed College and went on to become a college drop-out. Stanford was the university whose campus he loved to walk and which provided his medical care at the time of his greatest physical vulnerability.

Beahm's book contains short chapters which focus on the lines from the commencement address that Steve Jobs gave to the graduating class on June 12, 2005. The most glaring omission from this book is the text of the commencement speech itself. At the beginning of the book is a note for the reader to find the actual text and video of the commencement speech on a website online. The direction is then given to the reader to view this before reading Beahm's book. I felt as if I had wanted to view a website about the commencement speech, I would have not been reading this book. I started the book without having viewed the website. I felt as if I knew enough about the life of Steve Jobs from recently reading the excellent biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. I was correct. Nothing in Beahm's book was new to me. However, I did stop midway through the book to first read the commencement speech and then to view the video of the speech.

This book is a kind tribute to Steve Jobs. It puts a good face on a man who was very controversial in dealing with others over the course of his lifetime. It gleans the best of what he learned in his life and puts it all up front as advice for young men and women starting their careers as new graduates. We often learn in hindsight what we should have done differently in life. Actually, that's the only way of really learning something that we can take to heart. However, it's nice to find the human side of Steve Jobs and see it reflected in this book. My favorite part of the book was the last past. That's the part where the focus of his speech was on death. Jobs was anything but conventional and this fit him so well. This part of the book made me very sad for the loss of this brilliant man at such a young age.

The book did not contain much new information for me, but I found it easy to read. The only part I did not like was the very end. I felt as if this book should have ended after Steve jobs wished the Stanford graduates to "Be hungry; be foolish". The ensuing chapters of notes might have been useful, but they made for an abrupt distraction at that point of the book.

Rating - 3.5 stars

I love Julius Lester's writing! My copy of When Dad Killed Mom got swiped by a summer school student who hadn't finished it by the end of summer. I may have to replace it some day.

Great review of Steve Jobs' Life by Design. Interesting that he never finished college. I'll bet he was one of those students who kept thinking, I know it so why do I have to prove that I know it to you?

>120 cammykitty:

Julius Lester sounds so interesting. After reading his kids' book, I read about him and learned that he is Jewish. I'm interested in learning more about him now, and I sure would like to read other books of his. Let's Talk About Race was nice to read.

With Steve Jobs, it's that he wasn't interested in the courses that were required (like so many of us) so he dropped out of taking required courses (for credit) and took only courses (without credit) in topics that interested him. He took a typography course that eventually altered the typeface of all computers.

When I was in college (and also went back to finish my degree) and, for my oldest son who went back to college to get his degree, we were both required to take and pay for courses in subjects which we already knew. There was no testing out. The college wanted the tuition. Those courses were also prerequisites for other courses - again, so no opting out. No wonder our education at the college level in the U.S. is so expensive and so wasteful. We, as students, need to learn what we don't know and in what we're interested. I'll avoid getting off on a rant about our educational system in the U.S. but I clearly think it leaves a lot to be desired for the majority of students.

>121 SqueakyChu: Julius Lester sounds so interesting. After reading his kids' book, I read about him and learned that he is Jewish.
Oh, yes, Lovesong: Becoming a Jew -- I read it maybe a decade ago, which of course means that I don't remember details, but I retained a very positive impression.

I didn't know Julius Lester was a Jew. I'll have to put Lovesong: Becoming a Jew on the WL!

& squeaky, I hear you on the rant! Classes are so expensive, it seems ridiculous to have to take something you already know. I think that's part of why I haven't gone back to college for my teaching license. There isn't a test that takes into account that you've been observing teachers and helping kids for eight years already. That, and I no longer have the humble student attitude.

>123 cammykitty:

I'll have to put Lovesong: Becoming a Jew on the WL!

I WLed that book as well. :)

The irony of school is, now that I'm retired (not by choice - I lost my job) my hearing is not up to being part of a classroom situation any more. I always did like to take university classes just for fun (Spanish, anthropology, Latin American History, etc.). I took many of them before I decided I needed to focus to finish my degree. That's when I stopped liking them. Steve Jobs was right!

*sigh*

32. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight - Alexandra Fuller



Alexandra Fuller, also know as Bobo, is the youngest surviving child of a British expatriate couple who work as farmers in the African countries of Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia. The author paints a very colorful picture of these three countries as she describes the years of her African childhood. She remembers the good times and the bad. Her parents lose three children, her parents are heavy drinkers, and her mom suffers from manic depression. Growing up in a time when blacks and whites don't mix socially due to class difference seems strange now, but Bobo's story reflects a different time and place. Being tormented by her older sister Vanessa doesn't bother Bobo all that much as she is always able to find pleasure in the simple things of African life. Even later, as a married adult living in the USA, she relishes any opportunity for a return visit to her former African home.

Although a mildly painful book, the overall spirit of it is one of joy. It's terrifically descriptive of the rustic setting which Bobo called home as a youngster. Jump into this read and take the time to learn a bit more about Africa than you already know.

Rating - 4.5 stars

>125 SqueakyChu: I read this one earlier this year, too. I noticed in the right sidebar of this thread, there isn't a *shared books* section but rather a long *Touchstones*, with green checkmarks next to what appears to be the books we've both read. How did you do that and is that in place of a *shared* section?

33. Bartleby: Spring 2002 Creative Arts Journal - Nicole Mooney, editor

(No cover image available)

I happened to get this book (actually a literary magazine) by chance from my daughter as she was clearing out her room years after graduating from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. I had not planned to read it, but recently I was captured by the first piece of fiction as I was browsing through the first few pages so I decided to read through the entire book.

The book itself contains fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and photographs. Its strength lies mainly in its fiction. I liked all of those short stories. I was less impressed by the photographs, literary nonfiction and poetry, although one poem did stand out. That poem was untitled (of course!) and about driving a Honda alone home from the ocean after suffering a hangover. Although not named, we know it's the Atlantic Ocean, route 50 and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We assume the venue is Ocean City, Maryland. This poem stands out for its imagery for anyone who has ever been to Maryland's eastern shore as a young adult and left for home being totally strung out, whether it be by sunburn, lack of sleep, partying, booze, or any other condition which is presented at the beach. There's great stuff in the three pages of this poem by Casey Miller. For a taste of it, this is how it begins...

"Pulling out of a late night rendezvous
Crawling from a bed for three
Which sadly slept a lonely two
Slipping through the sliding door
Off the porch into the car
Rain drips down so dreary at the shore
I'm the last to leave the beach today
Last to cross the bridge
Last guy in a line of cars
And I'm listening to Sole Coughing
Bass bump bumping
In the rhythm of my heart beat..."

Rating - 3 stars

Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight has been on my WL since my first year on LT! Perhaps I need to work on reading my WL, after of course, I get through the books I already own. ;)

>128 cammykitty:

I actually got that book in 2007. It's taken me seven years to start reading it. :O

>128 cammykitty:

If you want, I can send/reserve for you Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight via BookMooch. My copy is a trade paperback with a BookCrossing label taped inside the front cover. Otherwise, I'm putting this book into my Little Free Library.

If you want me to put it on BM for you, drop me a private message here on LT. If not, no need to do anything else.

34. Never Knowing - Chevy Stevens



Just wait for this story's interesting twist. You'll be surprised. Chevy Steven's novel of a woman in search of her birth parents turns into a psychological thriller. It's indeed one that is fast-paced and interesting to read. The only down side to this story is that I found it not quite believable. It basically boils down to how powerful women can physically be when confronted by men who are truly the more physical and muscular type. However, I was willing to put aside my skepticism to just let the fun of this frightening tale of a mother trying to protect her only young child carry me along.

This is the second book by Chevy Stevens that I've read. I especially like the tension she creates in this book and not knowing for certain which are the good and bad characters.

Rating - 3.5 stars

>125 SqueakyChu: I would commend a couple of Fuller's other books to you particularly Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness and Scribbling the Cat. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is pretty much a direct sequel to Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight

Dropping in to say hello as I pass by.

>132 Oberon:

I'll wishlist those two books. Thanks, Eric.

>133 thornton37814:

*waves to Lori*

Hmmm, I like authors who can pull off characters that are on the edge of good and bad. Sounds like she might be worth watching. Is the thriller part in flashback? That might be hard to pull off.

Re Never Knowing...

It wasn't so much characters being goodand bad, but the "twist" was not knowing which character was going to "turn" in the course of this book!

Is the thriller part in flashback?

The story proceeds as a flashback only in that it was related by the protagonist in its entirety as she related it to her psychotherapist.

I read a previous book by the same author. That book had the same psychotherapist in it! :)

Same psychotherapist? That's kind of cool.

Just popping for a quick Hello. Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

Hi Marianne,

The weekend was fun. Thanks! Hope you're enjoying the summertime as well.