ReadingFanatic

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Synopsis: (from www.bn.com)

Levitt (economics, U. of Chicago) and writing collaborator Dubner (a writer for the New York Times and The New Yorker) dub the material in this work "freakonomics" because Levitt uses analytical tools from economics to address a range of questions that, at first glance, might seem to be far removed from the discipline of the "dismal science." They consider questions such as how to determine if teachers are aiding in students' cheating on standardized tests, the impact of information asymmetry on the operation of the Ku Klux Klan, how the organizational structure of crack gangs resemble other businesses, and the influence of parents on child development.

My take:

I'd had this book on my "shelf" for several years and now that the new "SuperFreakonomics" just came out, I thought I'd better get to it.  As with Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, which I'd recently read and reviewed, I question the science employed here, but found the theories and anecdotal evidence interesting, if not compelling.

Apparently, this book stirred up quite a frenzy when it came out because of it's controversial stance that the decline in crime in the 90's is directly correlated to the passage of Roe v. Wade and the legality of abortion.  Essentially, the author proposes that the majority of abortions of unwanted pregnancies in the 70's eliminated individuals that would later grow up to commit violent crimes.

The author also prides himself on the fact that the book has no overarching theme other than the fact that he uses raw numbers to prove his theories.  It reminded me a lot of the saying:  "Lies, damned lies, and statistics".  Still, I was entertained throughout the book; not sure I'll pick up the sequel, though.

In September 2009, Seanan McGuire published her first novel Rosemary and Rue. This urban fantasy debut quickly received attention as one of the best debuts of 2009. Now the multi-talented author has three new books scheduled for publication in 2010. Two are continuations of her Toby Daye series: A Local Habitation and An Artificial Night. The third will be published under the pseudonym 'Mira Grant' and will be titled Feed. As McGuire says: "Who needs sleep?"

Today author Seanan McGuire is answering questions at Book Love Affair. Go leave a comment to ask this wonderful author what you'd like to know! (Also, participating in the interview earns extra entries in the BLA Leviathan giveaway!)

( Check out the interview at Book Love Affair? )

In September 2009, Seanan McGuire published her first novel Rosemary and Rue. This urban fantasy debut quickly received attention as one of the best debuts of 2009. Now the multi-talented author has three new books scheduled for publication in 2010. Two are continuations of her Toby Daye series: A Local Habitation and An Artificial Night. The third will be published under the pseudonym 'Mira Grant' and will be titled Feed. As McGuire says: "Who needs sleep?"

Today author Seanan McGuire is answering questions at Book Love Affair. Go leave a comment to ask this wonderful author what you'd like to know! (Also, participating in the interview earns extra entries in the BLA Leviathan giveaway!)

( Check out the interview at Book Love Affair? )

Book Title: The Dive from Clausen's Pier

Author: Ann Packer

Category: Fiction

# of pages: 370

My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: B-

Short description/summary of the book: From the inside front cover: A riveting novel about loyalty and self-knowledge, and the conflict between who we want to be to others and who we must be for ourselves.

Carrie Bell has lived in Wisconsin all her life. She's had the same best friend, the same good relationship with her mother, the same boyfriend, Mike, now her fiance, for as long as anyone can remember. It's with real surprise she finds that, at age 23, her life has begun to feel suffocating. She longs for a change, an upheaval, for a chance to begin again.

That chance is granted to her, terribly, when Mike is inured in an accident. Now Carrie has to question everything she thought shew knew about herself and the meaning of home. She must ask: How much do we owe the people we love? Is it a sign of strength or of weakness to walk away from someone in need?

My Thoughts: When I read the inside of this book, I instantly saw myself in Carrie. Like her, I'm questioning what is best for myself versus what is best for the people I love and care about. The story was so well written and was so realistic that I felt whatever was going to happen for Carrie was going to happen in my life.

Because of the similarities between Carrie's struggles and mine, I had high hopes for this book and for the most part they were met. As fun, interesting and personally insightful as this book was, I felt Carrie never learned enough about herself in order to justify the end of this book. Maybe I think that because I was hoping to find a definitive answer in Carries life that could be transferred to mine.

I think the book would have been a lot more interesting and would have made the characters more than one dimensional if each chapter rotated from one main character to the next instead of just from Carrie's point of view.

Despite the flaws, this book is a keeper. This is a great book for a diving off point (no pun intended) for self analysis to figure out what is right for each of us.

Books read this year: 46\50

Next read: Genie: A Scientific Tragedy by Russ Rymer
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Book Title: Genie: A Scientific Tragedy

Author: Russ Rymer

Category: Science, sociology, child abuse, mental health

# of pages: 221

My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: C+

Short description/summary of the book: There is just quotes of praise for a summary on the back of the book and I couldn't find any non spoiler descriptions so I'm going to use some quotes from the back cover.

"Russ Rymer, in the process of telling the poignant story of one desperately unfortunate little girl, raises profound questions about both the origins of language and the ultimate source of what we call 'human nature.' At once a scientific detective story and an examination of professional ethics, Genie is disturbing, enlightening, and impossible to forget." - Michael Dorris, author of The Broken Cord

"I am dazzled by Rymer's literary skills and his expertise in delineating the debate - or rather, the feeding frenzy - that Genie's 'case' stirred among scientists, academics, and caretakers. It is a tragic tale of obsession, exploitation, and lost souls. And the questions Rymer poses about human experience and experiments on humans make the story both intellectually absorbing and emotionally disturbing. Genie is a wondrous feat of storytelling and investigative journalism, compulsively readable while forcing us to think hard about our won humanity." - Any Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club

My Thoughts: When I read the back of the book, I wasn't sure what to expect since there wasn't really an appropriate description. Even so, what I did read, what I shared here, got me interested.

The story of Genie is absolutely haunting.

Genie was potentially mildly mentally challenged. Her father believed she was severely mentally challenged and that being so deemed reason enough to be locked away naked in her bedroom for the first 13 years of her life, arms and legs to a potty chair in that room all day every day. "At night, when Genie was not forgotten, she was removed from her harness only to be placed into another restraining garment - a sleeping bag which her father had fashioned to hold Genie's arms stationary. ... Genie was put into an infant's crib with wire mesh sides and wire mesh cover overhead." (pgs. 17-18)

In her bedroom, there was very little stimulation and her father did not allow her to socialize with anyone. She only had a vocabulary of about 20 words.

This book explains the process of Genie's life from the time she was rescued, at age 13, to the end of the research team (lack of funds), at age 17.

I'm giving the book itself a C+ because I felt the book should have been focused more on Genie as a person rather than as a scientific research project. I would have much rather read about her as a person, to hear the details of her life from a personal point of view. Instead what the book mainly covers is her struggles to try to overcome the near non existent skills that make it possible to successfully function as a human being scientifically. It seems like she was kept around more for linguistic knowledge than to be rescued and no matter what, that isn't right.

Books read this year: 47\50

Next read: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picouli

Hi All,

I hope that you all had a nice Thanksgiving!

Here's a heads-up for fans of The Beatles (and books!): BEATexpo 2009 will be coming to CT this weekend. A celebration of music, tribute bands will be on hand, as will music luminaries, celebrities, and several authors who will be signing copies of their books. More details here: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3859-Hartford-Books-Examiner~y2009m11d27-BEATexpo.

John

The Blurb On The Back:

”Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it is correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well.”

It all starts when Chloe makes friends with Mr Stink, the local tramp. Yes, he smells a bit. But when it looks like he might be driven out of town, Chloe decides to hide him in garden shed.

Now Chloe’s got to make sure no one finds out her secret. And speaking of secrets, there just might be more to Mr Stink than meets the eye ... or the nose.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Although this is a really fun and entertaining book, some of the jokes will probably go over the heads of the target audience and some of the references will wait. Nonetheless, it’s definitely worth a look and it made me chuckle more than once.

Cross-posted to bookworming.

Just posted Review: Evermore by Alyson Nöel

Ash (2009)
Written by: Malinda Lo
Genre: YA/Fairy Tale/Fantasy
Pages: 264 (Hardcover)

The premise: in unfairly simple terms, Ash is a lesbian re-telling of Cinderella. But that's an unfairly simply description. Sure, you've got the Cinderella myth, but rather than falling for the typical Prince Charming, Ash finds herself attracted to the King's Huntress, and she'd do anything to stay with her. Even if it means bargaining with the fairy, a risk that could very well make her lose everything.

My Rating

Worth the Cash: note I'm giving this rating to a hardcover. I always feel that carries more weight than if the book were a paperback, for obvious reasons. At any rate, this is a very enjoyable read that I tore through in a day, but the prose isn't light so much as it reflects a certain fairy tale quality, perfect for a re-telling of the Cinderella story. Ash is a likable heroine you can empathize with, and even though she makes mistakes, the mistakes are her own and she works to fix things the best she can. The love story itself needed a little bit more development between the first meeting and the admission of love, but I did like the characters together, and I liked that Ash was attracted to a person instead of the wealth and power a partner could bring her, which signifies not only the difference between Kaisa the Huntress and Prince Charming, but also between Kaisa and Sidhean. One of the most important messages of the book: loves doesn't ask for anything in return, and love will love you for who you are, not who you aren't. What a simple lesson, and what an easy one to forget. Malinda Lo is definitely on my watch list, and I look forward to her next offering, whatever it may be and whenever it might arrive.

Review style: it's kind of a hard book to spoil, isn't it? I mean, anyone who knows the general Cinderella tale knows where the book is going, but the trick is, because it's a re-telling, you're on ground that's familiar but not, and you tend to forget it's a re-telling you're reading. At any rate, there's spoilers, but nothing that doesn't correlate to the actual fairy tale.

The full review, if you're interested, may be found at my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Malinda Lo's ASH

Happy Reading!

DON'T FORGET: November's book challenge is drawing to a close, but you can still get your hands on Alaya Dawn Johnson's Racing the Dark. However, December's challenge has been announced, so if you want to get an early start on Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn, we'd love to have you! Details on participation are here!

Ash (2009)
Written by: Malinda Lo
Genre: YA/Fairy Tale/Fantasy
Pages: 264 (Hardcover)

The premise: in unfairly simple terms, Ash is a lesbian re-telling of Cinderella. But that's an unfairly simply description. Sure, you've got the Cinderella myth, but rather than falling for the typical Prince Charming, Ash finds herself attracted to the King's Huntress, and she'd do anything to stay with her. Even if it means bargaining with the fairy, a risk that could very well make her lose everything.

My Rating

Worth the Cash: note I'm giving this rating to a hardcover. I always feel that carries more weight than if the book were a paperback, for obvious reasons. At any rate, this is a very enjoyable read that I tore through in a day, but the prose isn't light so much as it reflects a certain fairy tale quality, perfect for a re-telling of the Cinderella story. Ash is a likable heroine you can empathize with, and even though she makes mistakes, the mistakes are her own and she works to fix things the best she can. The love story itself needed a little bit more development between the first meeting and the admission of love, but I did like the characters together, and I liked that Ash was attracted to a person instead of the wealth and power a partner could bring her, which signifies not only the difference between Kaisa the Huntress and Prince Charming, but also between Kaisa and Sidhean. One of the most important messages of the book: loves doesn't ask for anything in return, and love will love you for who you are, not who you aren't. What a simple lesson, and what an easy one to forget. Malinda Lo is definitely on my watch list, and I look forward to her next offering, whatever it may be and whenever it might arrive.

Review style: it's kind of a hard book to spoil, isn't it? I mean, anyone who knows the general Cinderella tale knows where the book is going, but the trick is, because it's a re-telling, you're on ground that's familiar but not, and you tend to forget it's a re-telling you're reading. At any rate, there's spoilers, but nothing that doesn't correlate to the actual fairy tale.

The full review, if you're interested, may be found at my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Malinda Lo's ASH

Happy Reading!

DON'T FORGET: November's book challenge is drawing to a close, but you can still get your hands on Alaya Dawn Johnson's Racing the Dark. However, December's challenge has been announced, so if you want to get an early start on Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn, we'd love to have you! Details on participation are here!

Ash (2009)
Written by: Malinda Lo
Genre: YA/Fairy Tale/Fantasy
Pages: 264 (Hardcover)

As I mentioned before, I learned about this book via John Scalzi's The Big Idea column at his site Whatever. The premise grabbed my attention right away, and you know I can't resist a pretty cover. My image here doesn't do it much justice, so if you want a larger one, just click in the "Big Idea" link.

At any rate, when I saw it at the store, I had to have it. And when I sat down to read it, I absolutely HAD to finish it that day. So I did.

The premise: in unfairly simple terms, Ash is a lesbian re-telling of Cinderella. But that's an unfairly simply description. Sure, you've got the Cinderella myth, but rather than falling for the typical Prince Charming, Ash finds herself attracted to the King's Huntress, and she'd do anything to stay with her. Even if it means bargaining with the fairy, a risk that could very well make her lose everything.

Review style: it's kind of a hard book to spoil, isn't it? I mean, anyone who knows the general Cinderella tale knows where the book is going, but the trick is, because it's a re-telling, you're on ground that's familiar but not, and you tend to forget it's a re-telling you're reading. At any rate, there's spoilers, but nothing that doesn't correlate to the actual fairy tale.

( ASH: spoilers )

My Rating

Worth the Cash: note I'm giving this rating to a hardcover. I always feel that carries more weight than if the book were a paperback, for obvious reasons. At any rate, this is a very enjoyable read that I tore through in a day, but the prose isn't light so much as it reflects a certain fairy tale quality, perfect for a re-telling of the Cinderella story. Ash is a likable heroine you can empathize with, and even though she makes mistakes, the mistakes are her own and she works to fix things the best she can. The love story itself needed a little bit more development between the first meeting and the admission of love, but I did like the characters together, and I liked that Ash was attracted to a person instead of the wealth and power a partner could bring her, which signifies not only the difference between Kaisa the Huntress and Prince Charming, but also between Kaisa and Sidhean. One of the most important messages of the book: loves doesn't ask for anything in return, and love will love you for who you are, not who you aren't. What a simple lesson, and what an easy one to forget. Malinda Lo is definitely on my watch list, and I look forward to her next offering, whatever it may be and whenever it might arrive.

Cover Commentary: you can't tell by my little thumbnail, but in the black background, there's a kind of light feather effect that almost looks like grass, which makes sense. Ash spends plenty of time grieving, curled up either at her mother's grave. And even if she's not there, the posture speaks volumes about the character. The ballgown is a nice touch, and the title is well-placed. It's just a lovely little hardcover, and I'm glad I've got it. :)

Next up: Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica

Stephen Elliott plays fantasy football and recently spent an entire day debating whether to start Joe Flacco or Eli Manning. I don't know who he ultimately chose but I do know his most recent work of fiction has become a national success. Read The Broad Set Writing Collective's take on his work of fiction, The Adderall Diaries. Leave comments to discuss the book with the author and the reviewer.

Stephen Elliott plays fantasy football and recently spent an entire day debating whether to start Joe Flacco or Eli Manning. I don't know who he ultimately chose but I do know his most recent work of fiction has become a national success. Read The Broad Set Writing Collective's take on his work of fiction, The Adderall Diaries. Leave comments to discuss the book with the author and the reviewer.

I've been reading reviews on Stephen King's new book, Under the Dome, but am thinking of checking out the e-book instead of the insanely massive hardcover! Also came across some quotes by him in this review where he talks about his influences in writing. It mentions some of his faves like Bram Stoker, William Golding, Tolkien and on the Infloox site I even saw some extremely nice comments he had to say about Harry Potter (of all things!!). Anyone know more about direct influences on his writing?

Hi All,

Today, Hartford Books Examiner celebrates the holiday with an exclusive excerpt from author Glenn Cheney's book, THANKSGIVING: THE PILGRIMS' FIRST YEAR IN AMERICA. Check it out: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3859-Hartford-Books-Examiner~y2009m11d24-Thanksgiving.

What books are you thankful for?

Happy holidays!

John

We're catching up: you won't see another one of these polls until December, and, well, December's next week! :) But let's get the January challenge selected so that some of you can ask for it for Christmas, okay?



The theme: YA Futuristic Fiction

She doesn't know it, but Tez Miller inspired this theme. Hell, she created part of the list simply by listing all of these cool YA books she was interested in, and all of them were YA and had this futuristic theme going on. Sure, we all know about Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, as well as Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games. But why read books most of you have already read? It's a new year, so let's try something, well, NEW! Besides, I love SF and I love YA. Hopefully, the choices below are a match made in heaven. :)

S.A. Bodeen: The Compound
Gemma Malley: The Declaration
Patrick Ness: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Mary E. Pearson: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Remember, pick the book that interests you the most. Even if this isn't your genre of choice, the idea is to challenge yourself. You never know, you might like something. :)

Know what you want to read? Then it's time to vote!

Poll #1490044 January Challenge
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13

Which of the following would you most like to read for the month of January?

Please note, I will not vote unless it is to break a tie.

You've got until midnight, Saturday November 28th to make your decision. Vote for the book that YOU want to read the most, and if you're torn, tough. You gotta pick one. :) If you've already read ALL of the books, pick the one you'd most like to re-read. If you're not participating, then maybe next month will bring something more to your liking. :)

I'll announce the official winner on November 29th, so don't pick up your copy (whether you buy or borrow) until I make it official. Unless, of course, all of these books are so appealing to you that you must have them all. In that case, have fun and start reading! :)

# 82: City of the Dead by Rosemary Jones:

Somewhere in Waterdeep, Sophraea mused as the morning wore on, there were battles being fought across rooftops, intrigues being plotted in shadowy taverns, and clandestine assignations being made in perfumed bedrooms. But here, in her courtyard, there was laundry. Basket after basket of laundry filled with the enormous shirts and pants needed to cover a Carver male.

Synopsis: The Carver family has kept watch over Waterdeep's most important graveyard, the City of the Dead, for countless generations. But Sophraea, the Carver's sole daughter, finds herself in the middle of a complicated revenge plot with a cute green-eyed wizard at her side. Cameos by her great-grandmother the pirate captain, an enchanted ball of yarn (holla!), guardgoyles, zombies, two severed hands (two!) and a homicidal shrubbery.

( Boo yah! )

66. Lady Windermere's Fan - Oscar Wilde - 80 pages (9/10)

"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes."

I didn't read the copy with this amazing cover--it's from a 1966 edition--but I thought it was too pretty not to use as my image thumbnail.

I love Oscar Wilde. He's so pretty, witty, and gay. He's hands-down one of my favourite playwrights and poets, though I've yet to get around to reading all of his poetry or plays. I listened to this as a full-cast audio recording while I photocopied 3,000 pages at work, and I don't think I would have been able to get through that task without this play.

This play is a satire of marriage and how in the time period where it was written, a happy marriage was not the most prevalent. Lady Windermere hears hints that her husband, whom she loves devoutly and believes that he feels the same, has been giving money to an attractive and mysterious woman, a Mrs. Erlynne. She begins to doubt their love, and is incensed when her husband insists that she must invite Mrs. Erlynne to a ball Lady Windermere is holding that night. She is so furious that she proclaims if the woman comes into her home she will smack her across the face with the fan her husband gave her that morning. The fan becomes a symbol of her mistrust for her husband, and later on, her precarious honour.

It's a tightly-written play, where each character comments on a type of personality and each has a purpose. No character is flat or stale, and everything comes together like a dance at the end. There's a twist that I found rather easy to guess, but it's still an excellent play and worth reading/watching/listening to if you enjoy clever dialogue and witty banter. It has one of my favourite quotes in it, which is perhaps overquoted now, but I love it still:

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

This is my book review journal. I enjoy making new friends!

Hi All,

Today, I am hosting author Wendy Walker--and giving away a SIGNED copy of her new novel, SOCIAL LIVES. Just leave a comment (including an email address) over at the book blog for your chance to win: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3859-Hartford-Books-Examiner~y2009m11d24-Wendy-Walker.

John

Questions for fellow book lovers:
(I am crossposting this to several different reading communities to collect as much information as possible.)


Question #1:
Do you use any of the following book cataloging sites: LibraryThing, Shelfari, GoodReads, WeRead?
If you use more than one which do you prefer?
Do you use a site not listed above?


Question #2:
Have you ever played any book-related board games (i.e. Trivial Pursuit Book Lover’s, Booktastic, Bookology, Bookopoly, Literari)?
If so, were they worth playing?
If you have played more than one of them which one was better?
(You can see the board games here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/RHO614IMLKRK0/ref=cm_pdp_lm_title_1)


Question #3:
If you were compiling the ultimate gift set for a book lover what would you include? (examples: booklight, bookmark, snacks, notebook)



I'm looking forward to reading everyone's answers!

Questions for fellow book lovers:
(I am crossposting this to several different reading communities to collect as much information as possible.)


Question #1:
Do you use any of the following book cataloging sites: LibraryThing, Shelfari, GoodReads, WeRead?
If you use more than one which do you prefer?
Do you use a site not listed above?


Question #2:
Have you ever played any book-related board games (i.e. Trivial Pursuit Book Lover’s, Booktastic, Bookology, Bookopoly, Literari)?
If so, were they worth playing?
If you have played more than one of them which one was better?
(You can see the board games here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/RHO614IMLKRK0/ref=cm_pdp_lm_title_1)


Question #3:
If you were compiling the ultimate gift set for a book lover what would you include? (examples: booklight, bookmark, snacks, notebook)



I'm looking forward to reading everyone's answers!