On What I'm Reading

I am having a reader's block. I don't remember when it started or how I got it. For me, this is bad because I love to read. However, I don't have the desire to do so for this past few months. God knows why. I can't get into any books. I usually lose it after the first paragraph. I am also guilty because I have been preferring to read a real book than to read e-book (My husband gave me the kindle and I don't want him to think that I don't like it anymore).

However, if there's an author that might save me, it is Malcolm Gladwell. My brother introduced Blink to me a long time ago and it got me hooked. I then proceeded to read his other works. Last month, he had a new book out, David and Goliath, and I was super-pumped. So I bought it. Now it's sitting on my table along with two other books. I may skipped the other two and start reading this one first. 

My in-progress reading materials are:

1. 7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child

I already know bilingualism can be achieved for children in general, mostly because I've seen many of my high school friends speak Chinese fluently with their parents at home, in addition to being fluent in Indonesian (fist language) and learning English as well. While I am super positive about this, my husband is not so sure how it's done. So I need this book to convince him and to actually know how people usually do it. Of course the child's first language will be English, but I can start bright and early, but slowly, to introduce him to Indonesian. The great thing was that all of his concerns (i.e., he'll be confused, he'll not be good in English, he'll not be as smart, etc) are tackled as myths right away at the beginning of the book.

2. Little Bee - Chris Cleave

Before I finished reading #1, I found this book in the bargain section at Barnes and Nobles. This is an older book which received good reviews. Although I feel a little too late to read this, but it's better than never. However, my bookmark has not passed the first chapter yet.

3. David and Goliath - Malcolm Gladwell

I went to B&N on Oct. 1st, thinking that they would have it because it was the launch date, also thinking that it would be displayed up front, I left the store empty-handed. I went back again the next week and asked if they had it(I didn't ask the first time, just because...) It's in the best seller location, let me show you, she said. It was is the left corner of the store instead of by the door or in the middle. Why would you call that bestseller location? But, I found out that it's still cheaper at Amazon (obviously). So I just got it yesterday. I really hope this book will bring me back to life!

On what I'm reading

1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Semple
I really enjoy reading this book. At first I thought it's going to be similar to Gone Girl, which I've read before, but it's not. I have to maybe say Gone Girl has a better how-to-be-a-missing-person plot better, but I actually like this book better. Maybe because I did not like how Gone Girl ended.

2. Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt
I just finished reading this book. I think this is a good book. A little excitement at the end, but the overall book was not boring. I don't know why I waited this long to read it. (I guess because the title was not clear to me....Am I judging a book by its title? Is this allowed?)

3. History of a Pleasure Seeker - Richard Mason
I read the summary of the book, but yet was not sure of what it was about. I enjoy a book in the shorter side. It gets to the point without going around and around. Also, it gave me a glimpse of being in Amsterdam back in the turn of the century. But, it may be too much sex scene. I like it better with more character building.

4. The Round House - Louise Erdrich
The book won an award. I like the story. I also like that it touched on the subject of Indian Reservation, because I am not familiar with that at all. But, I feel that this is one of the book that can be cut shorter. What I'm trying to say is that I really really love The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Sense of an Ending.

5. Will Grayson Will Grayson - John Green + David Levithan
John Green is one of favorite writers. The stories are uniquely told. I don't know how real it is in life, because obviously I did not attend HS in the US.

6. The Paris Wife - Paula McLain
It's a novel which has the facts straight. So, I'm not sure why it can't be just a biography. I'm sure some are exaggerated, but then I found out about Hadley Richardson's life story while married to Ernest Hemingway faster in the internet. Still, I do love me some biography related materials.

7. The Light between Oceans - M. L. Stedman
An OK heartbreaking story for me, but I wouldn't mind reading another of her novels.

8. A discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
I did not finish reading this book. I did not pick up the meaning of the title when I started reading it. It's about witches, vampire, and daemon in love. I could not finish it. I can not reading a harlequin type of love story too much.

On to some non-fictions, please....

On what I'm reading

Tears tears tears. I will make sure the next time I'm blogging, I know why a person cries and why one person tends to cry easier. But anyway, I cried at the end of 'The fault in our stars - John Green'. Like suffocated, puffy-eyed type of crying. Silly, I know.

Without further ado, I have listed the books that I've read up to today. I am also writing them in order from which I like the best until which I like the least (I may read good books at the same time and I'll number all of them '1').

1. The sense of an ending - Julian Barnes (Kindle)
I borrowed it from online library and  read it on my Kindle (Its name is Lucky Charm). I love it. It was only 150 pages, so I read it pretty fast, but it left me wanting more. I will definitely try to catch up with his other works.

2. Peace like a river - Leif Enger (Hardcover)
I was frustrated when every book that I wanted was checked out at that time. Then, I tried to increase the probability by going back several years to see if any books interested me. You know, new books get checked out pretty fast. I found Peace like a river. I love the stories and the characters which were set back in 1960s. The title also somewhat made me feel peaceful when reading the book. Like, even when reading the height of the story, I kept calm and really believed that everything was going to be alright.

2. The fault in our stars - John Green (Hardcover)
It's a young adult novel. It was an easy read, but I think it was more than that. It was also written well. Though I can not relate to the characters' feelings about their sickness (cancer), I kind of want to befriend these people. They were not over the top made-up 'it' characters (you know, like in a movie where a girl is just like super cool and happy all the freaking time or like a guy who impresses people with his clever remarks). This book made me cry at the end (FYI: A lot of things make me cry, so it's not like everybody will cry reading this book).

4. Paper town - John Green (Hardcover)
I like The fault in our stars better, but I still like this book. The book follows the story of a young teenage boy solving clues left by his crush which lead to her whereabouts. So, it's somewhat feel like reading a detective book with a better writing style.

5. Snow child - Eowyn Ivy (Kindle)
See, it got like 4.5 starts from Amazon and that's why I bought it. But, I thought it would be a better story. I am still kind of confused if the child is a miracle child made out of the snowman child or a real child. I am not sure if the writer tries to set it straight or just to make it up to the readers which one to believe. I am not sure what the difference between her story and the Russian folktale on which it is loosely based (Snegurochka). I know it's different, but it feels the same except for the setting. Maybe I need to reread it?

6. The weird sisters - Eleanor Brown (Kindle)
I waited for the online version to become available from the library for a long time. I was disappointed. I like the idea for the story, but I can not help but to compare it with something like 'In her shoes'. Both books tell a story about the weird relationship among (between) sisters. But, the bottom line is that they love each other. I did not feel the pain that the sisters go through in this book. I may even have to pick 'In her shoes' between these. On the other hand, I do like the Shakespeare's references.

Currently starting to read: A discovery of witches - Deborah Harkness

*Writing this post makes me realize that I haven't read a non-fiction lately. I'm planning to read 'The Swerve' soon.

On what I'm reading

What I've read:

The Cost of Hope - Amanda Bennett

I like this book and I think it's well written. Of course I'm crying when I'm reading it. But it shows her perseverance and how much she loved her husband. It also makes me question our existing healthcare industry. The book covers the actual cost that the family spent, so the title is being up front at the same time, the cost of hope.

Abundance - Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler

Again, it makes me realize how great our world is and how great the power of the people. The book is filled with positive energy which is needed in this sometimes negative world. I think we need positive reinforcement in every problem we're facing. Yes, the world has a problem such as clean water availability and world hunger. Let's not sit down and be doomed, but put our thinking cap instead because we may live in abundance one day!

These following books are classic books which I have not read previously. They were not assigned readings in my high school.

Of Mice and Men - John Steinback

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger. I really love this book. 

What I'm currently reading:

Snow child - Eowyn Ivey

I haven't actually read a single word, but I'm going to start today. I hope it's going to be good :)

From Amazon.com:

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

On what I'm reading

This particular edition is more on what I've read

    

       

Essentially, I kept putting of writing thoughts about these books. I bought 2 out 6 books (Cutting for Stone and The Power of Habit) and I borrowed the rest from the library.

a.       Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn

This is a story about a missing wife and who’s to blame. The book is un-put-down-able for me I finished reading it in a day. The first was really good and I felt like I could relate to the characters. The second part was pretty good too. It starts to reveal who did what and how. The third part, not so much. I did not like it or the ending. But, I know how hard it is to end a book that is brilliant. Overall, I like Gillian Flynn’s ideas and writing in Gone Girl and look forward to her other books (previously published).

b.      The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg

This is a brilliant book. It’s very well written. Coming from an engineering background, I like the research that he’s done prior to writing the book. I itch every time someone states a “fact” with no base in science world (Here, I am trying to dodge bullet when someone asks “What about religion?” IMO, religion is based on personal faith. It’s a cheap shot for someone to judge/accuse/etc someone else based on his/her religion OR VICE VERSA). But, I took a detour. Anyway, I think it’s really useful to know the basic knowledge of habit and look at a lot of examples in different type of environments (personal, business, etc). I like his writing style of repetition. He repeated the important points throughout the chapter/book so that the readers will understand/sink-in those messages. I recommend reading The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg for everybody (those who actually want to modify habits or not). I have always been interested in this field (social-psychology -behavioral-ish field).*

c.       The Tiger’s Wife – Tea Obreht

Honestly, I don’t want to spend a lot of times to review this book. I have only one good thought for it; I actually like the story of between his grandfather and the deathless man as well as between his grandfather and the tiger’s wife. These stories are good and I wish it’s just more about him. I had to read fast (the opposite of ‘take my time and enjoy the words’). It was painful for me. But, I don’t want to be saying bad stuffs too much. After all, the book has claimed major success. Tea Obreht won several awards for her work.

d.      Ali in Wonderland (and Other Tall Tales) – Ali Wentworth

I picked up this book after I read ‘Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me?’ (Thoughts below). The funny thing was that I did not know who Ali Wentworth was. It is an easy reading. The book kept me entertained for the entire time. One particular thing that this book gave me was more knowledge. See, I grew up knowing nothing about ‘In Living Color’ or ‘WASP’ or ‘George Stephanopoulos’ (I’m going to play my ‘being an immigrant’ card as many times as possible). But, this book ignited my curiosity and made me google here and there (I can hear someone gasp reading the word 'google') to quench it and thus added more to my (trivial) knowledge. I just don’t know a good time to tap that information yet.

e.      Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) – Mindy Kaling

I was skeptical. I like The Office, but Mindy character always appears soooo short. I thought to myself, “Why do you want to read about someone who is not really doing much?” But I did anyway and I’m super glad. After reading the book, I know that she’s smart and she’s funny. I’m sure she’ll appreciate those two compliments. I admire her growing up and I like her determination. I think this is a must-read book. I remember laughing in a bus shelter, outside our apartment, on the bus, in the car, etc. Yes, because I brought my kindle and read the book everywhere. Now, I can’t wait to watch her new show next fall, The Mindy Project. Also, what am I doing in the engineering field instead of comedy??*

If Mindy ever reads this, I’d like to say: Mindy, you’re a smart, funny, and minority woman. Triple threat!**

f.        Cutting for Stone – Abraham Verghese

I really thought I had written about this book in my blog. Yes or No? (Note to self: check your entries again). If yes, I still feel the same, ditto to whatever I wrote. If not, this is a perfect book to end this post. He’s able to fuse two of his identities (being a professor in medical field at Stanford and growing up in Ethiopia) and produce a good writing. I love the stories, I love the characters. I feel them. I fall in love with Ethiopia. I want to be a surgeon*. I cried for the last 20% of the book. I highly recommend this book and I can’t wait for his next book. Oh! I really have a lot of respects for him.

*I love how by the end of the posts, I have thought about 3 different careers that I’d like to pursue.

** No, I’m not being racists, I’m a minority myself. I’m just being trying to be funny.

On what I'm reading

I am not gonna lie that I may be a bit too late to just find out that you can borrow an ebook for your Kindle through public library. Last Saturday, I opened up a new library card, which made me feel like I accomplished much. Since then, I have been browsing for lots of books and placed a hold on one or two books. The first book that I put a hold on is The Tiger's Wife. Honestly, I already forget why I picked that book, but I can only feel my excitement right now. I am patron 207 out of 212 in line for that book. Gee. So then, I browsed for more books that had less waiting line. I found Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (by: Ransom Riggs). The summary sounds really interesting. Although if I read the reviews by previous readers, none of them really like it a lot. At first, I could not even remember the title. I guess coming from a non-English speaking country, I did not know that Peregrine is a bird's name.

Anyway, I can not put my Kindle down (my Kindle name is Lucky Charm). I feel that the book is easy to read and interesting. I like the combination of the pictures and the story. Again though, I am afraid that the book will actually disappoint me. But, right now I am excited to find out about the twists and can't wait until later in the day where I have to proctor an exam and spend 2 hours reading (well, minus if students have any questions)

:)

*Update: April 13th
Yes, I am disappointed at the ending. It was running pretty good, but seriously, it really does look like the author is just writing based on the pictures that could be found. I could be wrong, but that's what I feel like. The writing itself is good. I am just hoping for another ending.

On what I'm reading

Currently I am reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. I am aware that this is an older book that probably everybody has read. The first reason why I actually got this book was because it's free for my Kindle and the second reason was that if it's a popular book, why haven't I read it? I also know that the story is very popular that again probably everybody has seen some sort of its portrayal (movies, etc). But I want to read it. So here I am reading the book which I just started 2 days. Usually I read my kindle on the bus, in the morning, for about 10 minutes. But I know, with this one, it's not gonna be enough. Another thing is that I really like it so far (not too far, I can tell you that). The flow is really nice, the words well put, and the description is really nice. So, I am for sure going to spend a good mount of time enjoying this book :)

On what I'm reading

What I'm reading:
Rosamond Bernier - Some of My Lives. The first time I knew about this book was when I was reading NPR. I have always liked a memoir, biography, or autobiography type of book. Since it's based on true story (if they're telling the truths, of course), it is very exciting. I read the review of this book there and realized that I had not read anything related to art. I was also impressed (probably 'amused' is the right word) on how many famous people she knew. The life of a socialite has always intrigued me as well. I was thinking to myself, it must be nice to be born to a family with many connections, and such and such. I am about 30% into this book (according to my Kindle) and I like it so far, although I would prefer that she tells the story through time, rather than by categories (She divides her life into categories; music, fashion, etc and from there re-tell the story through time. But sometimes I want to know what's going with her in that year with all aspects. Not sure if what I mean is clear). This book has added to my knowledge more and more about famous art or musical figures (I had probably 0 knowledge previously). It also makes realize that back then, people are nicer and appreciate things more.