Books 1-6/75
2011 was a tough year for me, and it wasn't until I tallied up my book total in December (and compared it to what I read in 2010) that I realized how abysmally I'd done on my reading. Not only didn't I make my 75-book goal, but I also read a lot of crap. Too much young-adult fiction. Not to dump on young-adult books, but it isn't really though-provoking anymore, and it amounts to brain-vacation reading for me. I thought I'd relax by reading a couple of easy teen horror and romance books, and suddenly almost all of 2011 turned into a brain vacation.
I've resolved to do better this year, and so far I'm pleased. In an effort to read more non-fiction, I've (once again) imposed an every-other order to my fiction and non-fiction reading, and I've actually been succeeding.
1.Nursing Assistants: A Humanistic Approach to Caregiving - Pamela J. Carter
This was the textbook for a certified nursing assistant course at my local community college. Never have I read such an asinine text for a class. It was out-dated, written with a seventh-grade vocabulary, poorly punctuated, and clearly unedited.
2. Hard Times - Charles Dickens
This was enjoyable, but definitely not one of Dickens' best. I haven't read any of his books in a year or two, and I'd really missed him.
3. The Origin of Satan - Elaine Pagels
This was a fantastic book about the origin of our modern Christian idea of satan. Ms. (Dr.?) Pagels took excerpts from the bible and gnostic texts and used historical accounts to show the political and social milieux in which they were written and how this affected the authors. The writers often had the goal of uniting a particular group and used demonization of the other to achieve this.
4. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers
This was ultimately a disturbing and confusing book for me. It was sad, too. I'm pretty sure I didn't understand it, and I'm going to have to read it again.
5. Brother, I'm Dying - Edwidge Danticat
This is a memoir of the author's uncle, living in Haiti, and her father, living in New York. She writes about these two men, who lived apart for most of their lives, and were both fathers to her. It's also about Haiti and immigration, and about race and class. It was curiously compelling, given that the author didn't give a lot of detail about either Haiti or her emotions. It had a removed feeling to it.
6. The Bridesmaid Guide: Etiquette, Parties, and Being Fabulous - Kate Chynoweth
I suppose this book clarified some things about being a bridesmaid, but it's really written for the cosmo-drinking, tanning-booth visiting, mani-pedi getting, prone-to-squealing-over-things set. It didn't seem like much of it was applicable to me.
I've resolved to do better this year, and so far I'm pleased. In an effort to read more non-fiction, I've (once again) imposed an every-other order to my fiction and non-fiction reading, and I've actually been succeeding.
1.Nursing Assistants: A Humanistic Approach to Caregiving - Pamela J. Carter
This was the textbook for a certified nursing assistant course at my local community college. Never have I read such an asinine text for a class. It was out-dated, written with a seventh-grade vocabulary, poorly punctuated, and clearly unedited.
2. Hard Times - Charles Dickens
This was enjoyable, but definitely not one of Dickens' best. I haven't read any of his books in a year or two, and I'd really missed him.
3. The Origin of Satan - Elaine Pagels
This was a fantastic book about the origin of our modern Christian idea of satan. Ms. (Dr.?) Pagels took excerpts from the bible and gnostic texts and used historical accounts to show the political and social milieux in which they were written and how this affected the authors. The writers often had the goal of uniting a particular group and used demonization of the other to achieve this.
4. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers
This was ultimately a disturbing and confusing book for me. It was sad, too. I'm pretty sure I didn't understand it, and I'm going to have to read it again.
5. Brother, I'm Dying - Edwidge Danticat
This is a memoir of the author's uncle, living in Haiti, and her father, living in New York. She writes about these two men, who lived apart for most of their lives, and were both fathers to her. It's also about Haiti and immigration, and about race and class. It was curiously compelling, given that the author didn't give a lot of detail about either Haiti or her emotions. It had a removed feeling to it.
6. The Bridesmaid Guide: Etiquette, Parties, and Being Fabulous - Kate Chynoweth
I suppose this book clarified some things about being a bridesmaid, but it's really written for the cosmo-drinking, tanning-booth visiting, mani-pedi getting, prone-to-squealing-over-things set. It didn't seem like much of it was applicable to me.