Literature Map

It's Saturday night and after a long day at work, we are settled in, relaxing and watching old Tim Burton movies. Glad to have Nate back home after several days in the field. Amazingly, some of the humidity let up and the air is actually really nice tonight! I've just passed the halfway point in Catch-22 and I'm having very mixed feelings. I keep reading that the second half is pretty extraordinary, so we'll see how it pans out. Stay tuned for a review in a couple of days.
In my last post, I talked about my reasons for reading. I asked you why you read, as well! I thought that a next logical topic would be "what do you read?" And how do you decide? I think I addressed the first question in the previous post... I will read just about anything, including a Chinese food menu. Deciding what to read is not always that simple.

May I present to you... the Literature Map! If you can think of at least one author whose work you have enjoyed, this site can get you on track to some new reading suggestions. The site is based on a self-adaptive computer system which "learns" relationships and patterns and then generates suggestions for similar authors. It's a simple website, and can get a bit addictive.
When you go to the Literature Map homepage, it will open up a window and ask for you to type the name of an author. Hit the "continue" button, and in a few seconds, you'll see a screen like the following example. I chose to start with John Steinbeck.

Somewhere near the middle of the "map" you should see the original author's name you entered. The names surrounding the original are other authors related to Steinbeck's writing in one way or another; the closer the relationship, the closer the names will lie on the map. Some will probably be authors you've already read; some will be familiar; some will be new. Now, pick an author from the map. Any author will do.  Jack London you say? Ok, let's see what happens...

A new map! Note that Jack London is now the central author. Some of the surrounding authors will be common threads from the previous map (Ray Bradbury and Cormac McCarthy, for example.) But there are also a whole new assortment of authors to explore. Click on a new one, and you'll get a new map! I don't know about you but I could do this all day.

When you're trying to decide on your next book, do yourself a favor and visit the Literature Map. Play around with some names, follow the trail of suggestions, and I bet you'll find some summer reading ideas!

You’re right. No human being would stack books like this.

I believe I mentioned the other day that I participate in a book group on Goodreads, a social networking site based around, you guessed it-- books. This particular book group, rather than assigning a "book of the month" that all members must read, operates on a series of seasonal challenges, where readers pick books of their choosing within certain categories or parameters. Different tasks earn different amounts of points, as do other factors like page length or publication date (these are known as "style points.")    

The new season is coming up June 1st, and the challenges, as well as some of the style categories, have changed. This is not a surprise, it occurs every three months. Nevertheless, there's been some backlash. In discussion of the changes, one of the irate participants stated emphatically that she had only been pushing her reading boundaries and writing reviews "to get points." This made me more than a little sad. Reading just for points? But it also made me think about the many reasons for reading. I suppose they are a little different for everyone. I use the reading group challenges to help me decide what to read next. When you have the kind of stacks of books-to-be-read that I do, it can get a bit overwhelming! I enjoy the sense of community in the book group, and I like exploring new types of books I may not have considered before. But ultimately, if I want to read something that doesn't fit within any of a season's parameters, I'm going to go ahead and do it. And that's ok. Because this is why I read:

I read for enjoyment. Every book has something to offer, whether it's a discourse on philosophy, a lesson from the past, a heart-pounding action scene, or a laugh-out-loud moment. There are classics that are overrated, and mass-market paperbacks with really great parts, so I don't feel bad about reading a history book followed by a novel followed by a science book. As William Faulkner said, “Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it."

I read to "get away." Rather than let my mind go to screensaver mode, I would much prefer to jump into a story. I fill a lot of otherwise vacant space with audiobook reading... driving time, doing chores, going for walks, etc. There are very few things on television that compel me to pick up a remote. In the immortal words of Groucho Marx, “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

I read because I am interested. It seems every website one uses nowadays has a section where it asks for "interests." I hate that section. Likewise, I hate being asked my favorite genre of books or music. My answer is inevitably too long, or I don't answer at all. I am interested in a little of everything, and I like to read a little of everything. My very top shelf of favorites includes a book from 1930 and a book from 2011; Russian books and German books; comedy books and war books; true crime and classics.

I read to learn. If someone asks me to take on a task, research an issue, or work towards a goal, my first impulse is either to run to the library or Barnes and Noble. I guess that gives me away as an artifact of the pre-Wikipedia age, when school papers had to have printed sources listed on their bibliographies. A good non-fiction work can be just as engaging as a novel.

I read because I care. There's no substitute for life experience, but when it comes to understanding and empathizing with others, reading can be a pretty close second. A book can let you see things from someone's perspective that you might never see otherwise, and lets you experience things you may never have a chance to do. You yourself may never fight in a war, intervene in an emergency, or live in a country where half of the population is not allowed to read. But you can try to learn from and understand those who have.

I read because I like to write. Stephen King put it concisely: "If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."

Conversely, I often write because I read. For me, it's a no-brainer. I invest a lot of time in reading. And, like exercise or therapy, reading is an endeavor where "you get out what you put in." The last thing I want to do is read 500 pages only to let the story drift away into the realm of the forgotten. Whether it's an essay for a class, an entry in a diary, or an online review, writing about a book you've read is an extension of the reading process. Unless a book is complete offal, it should leave you with some questions. What did I spend the last X number of hours/days/weeks/months doing? What did I like or dislike about the writing? What scenes or lines of dialogue resonated with me? Would I want to meet any of the characters in real life? By ignoring those questions and moving industriously on to the next task at hand, I believe you are cheating yourself.

So what's the point of all this? Mostly, I hope that this post got you thinking about your own reasons for reading. I hope that you make time for yourself to escape to new places, meet new people, learn something new. I hope you come across passages that stick with you, so that you can't wait to thrust a copy of the book into a friend's hand and pass it along. I hope you will finish a book and give yourself time to process it, whether it's by writing in a journal or discussing it with a loved one over coffee. (or brandy? ...warm milk? ...Ovaltine?)

Tell me... why do you read?

Movie Fail. Reading Win!

Ever start watching a movie, only to find out it is not the movie you were expecting? At all? That just happened to us. Nate was very excited to bring home "Chronicle" from Blockbuster. What he thought he had in hand was the movie starring Milla Jovovich, Justin Long, Vincent D'Onofrio and several other well-known actors. (As it turns out, that movie has not been released yet.) What we ended up with is a movie, also entitled "Chronicle," starring three actors I have never heard of before, and with good reason.

Captain Picard is not amused

Plot synopsis: three teenage idiots, feeling alienated from their fellow teenage idiots, wander away from a party and into a cave where they find a large collection of mysterious glowing crystals. After being exposed to the crystals, they develop some manner of telekinesis, which they use in the ways you would expect stupid teenage boys to do. Oh, and by the way, it is filmed Cloverfield style by one of the aforementioned idiots. When will movie-makers stop using this horrible schtick? Interspersed between flying football and hurling things at one another, they have very believable conversations about Tibetan Buddhism and Arthur Schopenhauer, I suppose to establish how unique and intellectual they are. One of them causes a car accident, after which point I stopped paying attention. Disappointing? Yes.

On the up side, I finished another book this morning. So the day is not a complete loss. I downloaded Cemetery Girl (written by David Bell, narrated by Fred Lehne,) a short while back when it was on sale on Audible. The synopsis sounded intriguing, and, although I don't usually listen to shorter audiobooks (9 hours), I do enjoy a good crime novel here and there. I finished the book in three days and enjoyed the unusual spin the author put on a fairly popular crime fiction theme, child abduction.

For many people, the worst nightmare imaginable would be for a loved one to be taken away. Bell's novel poses a disturbing central question: is it worse to lose someone, or to have them return as a different person?

The story begins four years after the disappearance of Caitlin Stuart. Police efforts have long since grown half-hearted, media coverage has all but dissolved, Caitlin has basically become a ghost story to everyone except her father, Tom. Even her mother, Abby has decided to move on, organizing a memorial service with her church against Tom's wishes, and asking for a divorce. Tom is driven by a need to know what happened, to the point where people around him are insisting he should go to therapy.

Things begin to get complicated when a 20 year old drug addict comes forward, claiming to have seen Caitlin recently, engaged in untoward activity with a much older man. No one but Tom believes her story at first; that is, until a bedraggled 16 year old girl is found wandering near the shopping mall, is identified as Caitlin and is reunited with her parents. Everyone expects this to be the beginning of a healing process, the joyous reunion of a lost child and her heartbroken parents.

But, what if the child you once knew spent four formative years of their adolescence under the control of another person? Would you still know her? The rest of the world sees Caitlin as a victim of kidnapping and sexual abuse. After years of brainwashing and manipulation, Caitlin sees herself as a grown woman, the lover and partner of her captor. What if that child now saw you as holding her against her will, and expressed with every fiber of her being the desire to return to the man that took her away? Would that be even harder to handle than her original absence?

In a way, Caitlin is still missing. The girl living in Tom and Abby's house shows them nothing but defiance and disdain; she refuses to answer questions, spews insults and profanity, taunts her parents and the police, and tries to run away, insisting that she loves John, her captor, and that she wants to be with him. The memories and hopes that her parents clung to are shattered. Still, Tom will not give up. He is willing to try anything to get through and find out what happened to his daughter in the preceding four years. Anything.

I won't get into the rest of the story, so as not to ruin the plot, but the twists and turns keep your emotions on the edge. The book moves along at a quick pace, but forces the reader to wrestle with some truly difficult questions. If you're up for a crime thriller with a different psychological twist, I would recommend this book. It will definitely make you look differently at the people in your life and what they mean to you.

How to make friends and win people over at the gym

I started my morning at the gym today. This can be a great start to one's day... Knock out the workout, build up energy for the rest of the day... but, as in any situation, there are important social considerations and rules of etiquette to follow. I have tried to compile a few pointers to help you have a successful workout experience!


Weigh in. Daily. Twice a day if you can. Nothing is better proof of your progress than the 0.2 lb fluctuation between the beginning and end of your workout. Make sure to leave the scale turned on so that the batteries run out and need to be changed. The gym staff likes to feel needed!

Choose the type of exercises you will perform. Good options for cardio are the treadmill, stationary bicycle and elliptical machine. Stay the hell away from the Stairmaster though; that's just dangerous. Set a comfortable pace; you should never go fast enough so as to impede your ability to read a magazine. Then there's strength training. You can use free weights or machines, or a combination of both. Be sure to ignore any instructions on the machine, particularly if they are illustrated. Just go with what feels right.

Set yourself up for success. There is nothing worse than getting to a point in your workout where the equipment you need is unavailable. To avoid this, gather everything you can imagine needing when you start. At minimum, you should claim:

• an exercise ball 
• a yoga mat
• at least four sets of dumbbells, in various weights
• a minimum of two barbells
• an adjustable bench
• at least 36 square feet of surrounding floor space 

This list should get you off to a good start but feel free to add and improvise based on your gym's offerings.


When you are finished with an exercise, don't spoil the fun for the next person. Leave the treadmill on an incline. Leave your weights on the floor. Do not wipe down your machine. If there are removable parts, relocate them. This builds character for fellow gym users.

Once you are good with the basics, try circuit training at rush hour! This is a popular concept now, thanks to "The New Rules of Lifting" and "The New Rules of Lifting for Women." Instead of doing several consecutive sets of the same exercise and then moving on to a new one, you perform one set, move on to the next exercise, perform one set, move on, etc., then return to the beginning and proceed with another round of single sets. To accomplish this, it is perfectly acceptable to take up six different machines and glare at anyone who comes within an ten foot radius. You may notice intense stares from fellow gym patrons. Do not worry, they are simply filled with awe and admiration at your efficiency.  To be especially effective, you should figure out the busiest time at your gym. In my experience, it is usually between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm on weekdays, right after people get out of work. Then you can demonstrate your awesome circuit training skills to the largest potential audience.

Even if you are not circuit training, be certain to mark your territory at the gym. This is an important part of the social environment at the gym and lets other people know how serious you are about working out. You can mark your territory most effectively by bringing multiple props with you. The more the merrier! Leave a bottle of water on the calf press machine; spread your towel and notebook out across a nearby bench; tuck your wallet or iPod in a visually obvious place near any convenient machine that you are not using.  

One important exception: never leave your cell phone around! This indispensable workout aid should always be at hand. Between sets, you have a bit of downtime. Some people take a minute or a minute and a half to catch their breath. Frankly, if you need to catch your breath, you are working too hard. The inter-set "rest period" is a great time to check Facebook, browse eBay, or play a game of Tetris. You can also catch up on a conversation via text message, or Tweet about your awesome new workout gear. Note: actual verbal conversations should be saved for the treadmill. It is important that as many people as possible can hear you talk. Make sure to give yourself plenty of rest! Don't worry about anyone else needing the machine. They will understand.

If you follow these simple guidelines, you will not only reap the benefits of daily exercise, but you will gain respect from others around you! What are your workout secrets?

1984

I opened at the store today. It was Mother's Day (Happy Day to all reading, by the way!) and not surprisingly, busy. We opened 15 minutes early due to the small mob collecting outside long before we opened. Everything opens late on Sunday down South, (if it opens at all,) but that doesn't stop people from showing up early and peeking through the window like it's a giant aquarium. It always amazes me how many people would apparently prefer to spend their weekend perusing mattress pads and can openers rather than go to one of the beaches, islands, wild life preserves, or endless other outdoor activities available down here.

After work and an hour at the gym, Nate and I came home and made buffalo chicken pasta for dinner. Which brings me to another note. I'll be posting on another page in addition to writing here. Final Fitness is a place to share fitness plans, advice, and encouragement. Right now, it's just on Facebook; we'll see where it goes from there. The page is my husband's brainchild, but, as the resident person-in-charge of all things food-related, I will be posting recipes and food ideas daily. These will come from my combined experience working in restaurant kitchens, cooking at home, and from taking food science courses in college. I'm kind of excited to share my ideas and hope people will enjoy the recipes! Feel free to visit Final Fitness for the recipe, and "like" us if you're interested in following along.

No, not that one.

I have also finished and reviewed my latest conquest, 1984.  No, not that one. This one. Orwell's piece was assigned reading in one of my high school English classes. We did sort of a tour-of-dystopias with 1984, Brave New World (great book), and A Clockwork Orange (one of my all-time favorites). We were even asked to write a convincing essay in favor of either George Orwell or Aldous Huxley. I vaguely remembered something of a distaste for 1984, but couldn't quite remember why. When the opportunity arose in my Goodreads book group to read one of a list of internationally acclaimed books, I decided to give it another shot. My results? On the one hand, I am glad that I re-read the book. There were definitely a lot of things I missed out on in the rushed high school classroom setting, as well as things that have very different meanings to an adult person as opposed to an adolescent. On the other hand, the format in which I chose to re-read the book was rather painful and reminded me of exactly what I disliked the first time around. If you've read the book and are interested in my thoughts on it, read on. If you intend to read it and know nothing of the plot, you might want to skip the next few paragraphs to avoid "spoilers."

I do a lot of my reading via audiobook, a format which my Dad introduced me to at a young age with pieces by Jack London, Stephen King, and Lillian Jackson Braun, among others. For the most part, I love it. A good narrator can really bring a story to life, without hijacking one's ability to imagine certain elements of a story the way a film interpretation can. Audio allows me to read far more often, and to utilize otherwise wasted mental time (while driving, doing dishes, etc.) It also assuages my compulsive need to acquire books without contributing to overflowing shelves. The downside of audio reading primarily presents itself with unskilled narration. My copy o f 1984 was one of those unfortunate cases. It was a highly acclaimed recording, but I felt the entire time as though I were listening to a dramatic reenactment of the story courtesy of Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle. Not good. Especially when I found out, two chapters from the end (when my geriatric iPod ceased to cooperate), that there is a recording by one of my favorite narrators, Frank Muller. This caused me to have my own two-minutes'-hate. But I digress.

The book gets off to a promising start. Orwell paints a pretty dire picture of Winston Smith's post-revolutionary world. Winston's job is primarily to turn out rubbish for the ironically named Ministry of Truth. We are introduced to a few key principles in the Party's slogan (see right). Telescreens and embedded microphones monitor every moment's activity. War and violence are a constant part of the scenery. "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past." No one really knows what year it is, but Winston estimates it to be 1984, and so begins his forbidden diary. As it turns out, this seemingly bland cog in the machinery holds some pretty strong feelings against The Party and its symbol, Big Brother.

Now, where Orwell started to lose me was with the introduction of Julia. I won't give the scene away, but let's say that Winston's first impressions of her are less than favorable. In a plot twist, Julia and Winston discover their common disdain for The Party and eventually become lovers. However, I found their relationship, at best, unconvincing. I was not anticipating a bodice-ripping romance between the two of them, but I barely got the impression that they liked each other. It seemed more like they were using each other for independent motives. This is a big problem, because their relationship should dramatically heighten the stakes as the book progresses.

The section of the book which nearly convinced me to give up and "shelve" it comes a little after the halfway point. Winston and Julia meet with O'Brien, an Inner Party member who is apparently connected to The Brotherhood, a secret resistance movement. O'Brien arranges a complex drop-off so that Winston can read resistance leader Emmanuel Goldstein's manifesto. This was where I felt like Orwell really went off the rails. Instead of intimating the contents of the book and keeping some sense of intrigue intact, he includes a lengthy section where Winston reads the book. I found this pedantic and redundant, and more than a little annoying given the previously mentioned narrator. But I got through it. Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief that we were returning to the plot, Winston mentions the book to Julia, who lazily rolls over and tells him to go ahead and read it to her. Which he does. In grueling detail. I seriously considered throwing my iPod out the window at this point. Why this textbook in the middle of a perfectly decent plot? All I could think of was my high school creative writing and AP English teacher, Mrs. Bucholc, and her enforcement of the principle "show, don't tell." The first third of the book clearly illustrates everything included in Goldstein's explanations; the reader gains nothing from the repetition except perhaps the beginnings of a migraine.

When the agony of Goldstein's book finally stops, things quickly turn around. The scene where Winston and Julia are betrayed by Charrington is probably the second most chilling in the book. (If you've read the whole book, you know without a doubt what the first is.) The last third of the book is an extremely intense psychological rollercoaster. You know what is going to happen... you can see it coming, but it is hard to wrap your head around it. My only issue with this last segment relates to the weak bond between Winston and Julia. When they finally give one another up to the Thought Police, it is a dramatic statement about human will-power and self-preservation. It would have been that much more powerful if I had felt convinced that they actually felt more than a sexual attraction for one another.  

While this still did not turn out to be a favorite my second time through, I am glad that I re-read it as an adult.   It is surely a book that belongs in school curricula, and carries important messages about the value of knowledge and personal freedoms. That being said, there are aspects of the book that could have been much improved upon, and I would still take Brave New World or A Clockwork Orange over 1984.

Well, that's all I've got for tonight. If you're tuning in, and have read 1984, what are your thoughts?
Thanks for reading!

Still alive!

Poor, neglected blog. I haven't seen you in over a year! *gulp* A lot has happened in that year... we've got some catching up to do!
In February of 2011, I started a new job. In March, my then fiance, Nate, also started a new job, in his own way... after much discussion, he enlisted in the Army. I was more than a little surprised when he broached the subject. If I recall correctly, my initial reaction was hanging up the phone. After about two minutes of self-imposed "time out," I called him back and asked if he was serious. Not being the type to let things lie, I then spent the remainder of that night devouring any information I could. We went to meet a recruiter (who has since become a good friend of ours) several days later, and the rest is pretty much history. We were married in July; it was just about the best day I could have imagined. (Maybe I'll post some pictures when I get reacclimated to blogging.)  In October, Nate shipped out to OSUT (basic training + individual training) and in March of 2012, we moved here to our first duty station in Savannah, Georgia. I'd say that's a lot for one year!

Still stitching, still reading. As usual, I have several projects and several books going at once. I stitched up the Hare's Mother's Day design by Plum Street Samplers for my mother, sewed it into a wrap for a large jar candle in one of her favorite scents, then stupidly wrapped it up and shipped it off to Massachusetts without taking a picture.

In the chaos of moving, some of my large UFOs didn't make the trip to Savannah, so I started a new one. I love this design because it reminds me of my little monster...

See the resemblance? :)

As far as books, I have three going at the moment. I am re-reading 1984, I'm about a fifth of the way through The Little Friend, and am struggling with Midnight's Children. I've gotten very into the site GoodReads, which, if you have not yet signed up, you should! It is a neat way to track your own reading, share and discuss with others, and exchange recommendations with fellow bibliophiles. I have been participating in a book group, with seasonal tasks that challenge you to read different types of writing (fiction, non-fiction, plays, poetry, etc.) in different genres, time periods, etc. Much to my husband's confusion, you don't "win" anything, except perhaps a sense of accomplishment as you complete each task. It's honestly a lot of fun, and it has been a big help in deciding what to read as I go along... when you have a book collection like mine, it can get a bit overwhelming at times!

In summary... I should have some new things to write about, being a stranger in a strange land (the American Deep South) and a novice in the Army family, as well as some old favorite topics to post on. I'll get some pictures of my current project up soon, and keep an eye out for my next book review... I've been writing them on Goodreads but I think I'll start posting them here as well. Thanks to anyone who is reading!