The NextGen Librarian's Survival Guide

The NextGen Librarian's Survival Guide by Rachel Singer Gordon
I checked this out to see what she had to say about surviving library school and any advice on public librarianship. It was a very informative book. I didn't read the entire book because some parts just didn't apply to me. I'll probably read the entire book eventually.

started: July 30, 2007

Persepolis

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

An amazing graphic novel about a girl growing up in Iran during the Revolution in the late 1970s.

July 30, 2007

update December 2007: There is a film coming out soon of Persepolis.

The Hundred-Year Lie

The Hundred-Year Lie by Randall Fitzgerald

An eye-opening book. Excellent. Makes me wonder how chemicals in our food and medicines have played in illnesses of family and friends.

started: September 10, 2006
finished: September 20, 2006

In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
We're reading this for the February book in my book group. Fascinating and reads just like a novel. Read the first 50 or so pages in a matter of hours. A gruesome story but a really well-written book.

Particularly interesting as Capote was in the theatres this winter.


(24 January- 13 February, 2006)

Dear Echo...

Dear Echo: Answers to Your Questions about Ghosts, Hauntings, and Things That Go Bump in the Night
I read this entire book in two sittings. Bryan brought it home from the library after I got freaked out one night reading about the YMCA across the street being haunted. It was very helpful and I think I'm a bit less nervous about ghosts. I plan on reading her other book Relax, It's Only a Ghost.
(December 25, 2005 and January 1, 2006)

Bait & Switch

Bait & Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich
A very interesting book. I could identify with her frustrations of finding a job that she's fully qualified for. Some of her insights into the corporate world are so interesting. Like-ability being such a strong factor in who does well in the corporate world is so disturbing. Another very interesting part was when she delved into the personality tests that corporations seem to love so much, especially the Myers-Briggs test, which was developed by a woman and her mother who were interested in personality types.

A book definitely worth checking out, especially if you've read her other book Nickel & Dimed.
(December 18-25, 2005)

Consuming Kids

Consuming Kids by Susan Linn
This is an absolutely fascinating book about marketing and advertising geared to kids. Everytime I see a commercial geared toward kids it really catches my eye. The ones that get me are the tie-ins with the fast food places and toys for movies, such as McDonald's and Chicken Little right now. Another are the toys for little kids that are obviously geared to parents, one of the keywords that sticks out for me is "learning." Every toy seems to be a learning toy so that your kid can get ahead at the ripe old age of 1 year. Since when do toys that are flashing and talking learning toys? And do kids really need to be so overstimulated at such a young age?

A fascinating read whether you're a parent or not.

(October 31 - November 15, 2005)

I Love Everybody

I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies) by Laurie Notaro
I'm sure you're seeing a pattern here, I really like Laurie Notaro. I loved her first two books so much that I had to check out the third one from the library. I think this is her best one, although each book has it's gems that really stand out.

(started 5 September 2005 - I haven't finished it because I had to return it to the library. I'll finish it someday.)

Reading Lolita in Tehran

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
I finished The Kite Runner and thought this would be a good book to follow it. My mind was already in that region of the world. This has been a very interesting book about a women's book group in Tehran, Iran that was held in secret. They read Lolita and other Western books that were banned in Iran. The book starts out with a section about the book group and then it flashes back to the revolution in Iran and how the author comes to meet each of the girls who will later be in her book group.
(15 August - 12 September 2005)

Autobiography of a Fat Bride

Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Adulthood by Laurie Notaro
I started this because sometimes I wanted something a bit lighter to read before going to bed than he Kite Runner. Once again Laurie Notaro delivers several good laughs. It was also a great read on the bus to work everyday. The short essays helped and they also put me in a good mood before work.
(first week of August - 4 September 2005)

Idiot Girls

The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro
I've been reading The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro that last few nights and I have to share it with you. A friend from work recommended this book to me. It's hilarious. I kid you not, I've been giggling in bed at night as I'm reading this book. I even used my extra five minutes of sleep-time that I begged for to read a chapter from this book. It's a book of essays that are hilarious. If you need a good laugh or want a light book to read, check out one of her books.
(2 July-18 July 2005)

Life Makeovers

Life Makeovers by Cheryl Richardson
23 May - My second audio book for the car. After listening to this in the car, I decided to go ahead and buy the actual book. My first assignment was to come up with 25 accomplishments in the last 12 months. It was difficult at first, but yesterday when I actually sat down to write out eight, I realized how much I really had accomplished. It was a lot of positive reinforcement and also gave me a list of what I want to continue working on through the next 12 months and beyond. In listening to this, I decided to make a few changes in my life as soon as I could. Many of these were changes that I wanted to make after listening to The Gift of Change but wasn't sure how to go about making these changes. This book gave me a lot of ideas. It's a process and my life will not change overnight, but I'm sure I'll look back after finishing this in book form and be able to come up with 25 different accomplishments for the coming year.
(May 2005)

The Gift of Change

The Gift of Change by Marianne Williamson
23 May - Bryan and I started listening to this in the car one day. I really liked it and listened to it in the car as I commuted back and forth to work each day. It really made an impression on me. I've set out on a path to change things in my life and I'm already seeing positive results.
This was the first audio book I listened to in my car and I've realized I'm much more calm when I'm listening to audio books while I'm driving than I am when I'm listening to the day's news. I've made a conscious choice to take things more calmly and to work to change my life by thinking positively because that's what will bring positive energy and people into my life.
(May 2005)

Library: An Unquiet History

Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles
11 April, 2005 - This was a fascinating book. The chapter on the burning of books in the 20th century through different wars was very interesting. The one that really struck me was about the librarian in the Jewish ghetto in Prague. If you're at all interested in libraries or their history, this is worth a read. I have to admit, I did skip about 20 pages in the middle of the book. It did go on a bit too long about the interactions of the men in the early days of the Harvard Library.
20 March - Bryan brought this home from the library one day and I just picked it up to see what it was about. It's very interesting going from the days of the stone tablets to the current day library system. I'm currently at the point in the book where the author is talking about the 1600s. Fascinating.
(started 8 March, 2005 - finished 11 April, 2005)

Gift from the Sea

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
19 February - I noticed a fellow knit blogger was reading this and I was curious, so Bryan brought it home from the library. I started it Saturday, February 19. It's going to be a quick read considering it's 138 pages and I'm already 48 pages into it. There are a lot of blank pages between the chapters. :) Enjoying it so far.
March 2005- I enjoyed this. There were a few parts of it that I thought were very interesting. One passage I marked so Bryan could read it. Lot's of good things were said about women and how we approach our lives. It was originally written in the 1950s but so much of it is pertinent today.
(19 February-5 March, 2005)

The Soul of Money

The Soul of Money by Lynn Twist

This book has really made me think about how important money is to me. It discusses your relationship with money and the games that we play with ourselves regarding money. It's made me realize that I am in control, not my money. It's not a book about how to earn more or having more money, it's really about your relationship with money and how you are "rich" no matter how much your paycheck is. It's wonderfully written and has made me do some internal exploring regarding money and my possessions.
If you tend to read a lot of books about how to have more money, you definitely should read this one. It will change your outlook. amazon.com

(started 2 January 2005)