Reading Rainbow
Oct. 26th, 2006 07:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coffeesnob318Not the show. Don't get excited. I just wanted a title other than "Books!"
Before:
1. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
2. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
3. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller
4. Flipped by Wendelin van Draanen
5. Yeah, I said it by Wanda Sykes
6. Found in Translation by Kim Moor
7. My Point...and I do have one by Ellen DeGeneres
8. Why Girls are Weird by Pamela Ribon
9. Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell
10. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
11. Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
12. The Velveteen Woman: Becoming Real Through God's Transforming Love by Brenda Waggoner
13. Down to the Dirt by Joel Hynes
14. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
15. Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
16. The Irresistible Revolution: Living Life as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne
17. Women’s Role in God’s Family: Beauty, order, protection, fullness, giftedness and fruitfulness for Jesus by some guy in some church (his name wasn't on the publication)
18. Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott
19. The Bird is a Raven by Benjamin Lebert
20. Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
21. Let It Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz
22. All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland
23. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
24. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
25. Crazy by Benjamin Lebert
26. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
JPod by Douglas Coupland
I’m reading a book about people who have jobs where they can spend a lot of time doing nothing while I’m at a job where I can spend a lot of time doing nothing. It’s a little surreal. Except they do things like write letters to Ronald McDonald, competing to be his mate, and blurbs to sell themselves if they were on eBay. At least I get some knitting done.
Coupland’s a genius. He made himself a character in his own book. He even worked an Aaron-Spelling-ripped-me-off-by-fashioning-Melrose-Place-after-Generation-X rant into the characters’ conversation!
And no one can beat Coupland quotes:
"I’d like to do whatever it is people statistically do when confronted by a jolt of large and bad news."
"Humidity feels like hundreds of strangers touching me."
"All clowns drink. They need to blot out the ravages of terrifying children for a living."
"Let’s face it – drunk people are more fun, and they’re much better at telling the truth than sober people."
"I hoped that God would shake my Etch-a-Sketch clean overnight."
"I looked into Coupland’s cold eyes; it was like looking into wells filled with drowned toddlers."
"…people began to dance – well, okay, they moved their bodies quickly and in an odd manner."
Great book. Read it and everything else that he’s ever written.
Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane
I picked this one up on recommendation from a writer guy from my myspace list. Granted, he was especially eager to recommend it upon finding out that she is pretty, but she’s also funny. We have similar tastes in books, it seems, so I figured I couldn’t lose with it. And I was right. I was laughing madly by the third page. She’s hilarious.
It was a very good sign when Pamela Ribon, writer of Why Girls are Weird (aka, Quite Possibly My Favorite Book Ever), said about her, "Caprice Crane’s writing is so cool I feel like the geek girl stalking her locker, trying to slide a mix CD through the slats before she spots me."
It’s about two neighbors and how their relationship develops. She writes one chapter from one’s point of view and the next chapter from the other’s point of view and tells the whole story by alternating. I like the way she writes dialogue. I would recommend it to friends. In fact, I am. Pick it up next time you’re at the library.
The Book of Liz by Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris
OK, I’m cheating a little with this one. It’s a play, and it is really short. But NaNoWriMo is about to start, and I imagine that that will severely cut into my reading time. So I’m allowing myself a little cheat.
This play satirizes the Amish community. I know. Whom do the Amish hurt? It seems one might go straight to hell for reading and laughing at a satire of such a peaceful people who generally keep to themselves. But it was funny. And, as is true of all my favorite satires, it also has empathy toward the group it satirizes. I thought the end result was quite gentle and poignant.
And did I mention funny? It was all I could do to keep from snorting while the students were working on their group presentations. I mean, come on – the main character rode a llama to work. Llamas = hilarity. And, just in case I didn’t already know, it provided the definitive difference between a baby tee and a tube top: "A baby tee has arms, while a tube top is more like a beer cozy." Let that image sink in. I dare you not to laugh.
Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley
As concerned about political issues as I am, I am usually bored to tears by political stories/fiction/satire. But not by this one. I love that it satirized both sides of the politics of tobacco – the oily tobacco companies and lobbyists and their often self-righteous opponents. The movie is equally good – if you don’t want to commit to reading the book, definitely check out the movie.
A Cafecito Story by Julia Alvarez
This was more of a short story than a book, but I’m counting it anyway, because it was all I could do not to sob when reading it. It is beautiful. She writes passionately and sweetly and simply about coffee farm life and fair trade, a topic I’m passionate about but not usually moved to tears by. I could read this book every day for the rest of my life. It makes me want to get my hands in the dirt and grow things. And it reminds me of my Memaw.
Before:
1. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
2. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
3. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller
4. Flipped by Wendelin van Draanen
5. Yeah, I said it by Wanda Sykes
6. Found in Translation by Kim Moor
7. My Point...and I do have one by Ellen DeGeneres
8. Why Girls are Weird by Pamela Ribon
9. Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell
10. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
11. Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
12. The Velveteen Woman: Becoming Real Through God's Transforming Love by Brenda Waggoner
13. Down to the Dirt by Joel Hynes
14. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
15. Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
16. The Irresistible Revolution: Living Life as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne
17. Women’s Role in God’s Family: Beauty, order, protection, fullness, giftedness and fruitfulness for Jesus by some guy in some church (his name wasn't on the publication)
18. Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott
19. The Bird is a Raven by Benjamin Lebert
20. Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
21. Let It Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz
22. All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland
23. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
24. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
25. Crazy by Benjamin Lebert
26. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
JPod by Douglas Coupland
I’m reading a book about people who have jobs where they can spend a lot of time doing nothing while I’m at a job where I can spend a lot of time doing nothing. It’s a little surreal. Except they do things like write letters to Ronald McDonald, competing to be his mate, and blurbs to sell themselves if they were on eBay. At least I get some knitting done.
Coupland’s a genius. He made himself a character in his own book. He even worked an Aaron-Spelling-ripped-me-off-by-fashioning-Melrose-Place-after-Generation-X rant into the characters’ conversation!
And no one can beat Coupland quotes:
"I’d like to do whatever it is people statistically do when confronted by a jolt of large and bad news."
"Humidity feels like hundreds of strangers touching me."
"All clowns drink. They need to blot out the ravages of terrifying children for a living."
"Let’s face it – drunk people are more fun, and they’re much better at telling the truth than sober people."
"I hoped that God would shake my Etch-a-Sketch clean overnight."
"I looked into Coupland’s cold eyes; it was like looking into wells filled with drowned toddlers."
"…people began to dance – well, okay, they moved their bodies quickly and in an odd manner."
Great book. Read it and everything else that he’s ever written.
Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane
I picked this one up on recommendation from a writer guy from my myspace list. Granted, he was especially eager to recommend it upon finding out that she is pretty, but she’s also funny. We have similar tastes in books, it seems, so I figured I couldn’t lose with it. And I was right. I was laughing madly by the third page. She’s hilarious.
It was a very good sign when Pamela Ribon, writer of Why Girls are Weird (aka, Quite Possibly My Favorite Book Ever), said about her, "Caprice Crane’s writing is so cool I feel like the geek girl stalking her locker, trying to slide a mix CD through the slats before she spots me."
It’s about two neighbors and how their relationship develops. She writes one chapter from one’s point of view and the next chapter from the other’s point of view and tells the whole story by alternating. I like the way she writes dialogue. I would recommend it to friends. In fact, I am. Pick it up next time you’re at the library.
The Book of Liz by Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris
OK, I’m cheating a little with this one. It’s a play, and it is really short. But NaNoWriMo is about to start, and I imagine that that will severely cut into my reading time. So I’m allowing myself a little cheat.
This play satirizes the Amish community. I know. Whom do the Amish hurt? It seems one might go straight to hell for reading and laughing at a satire of such a peaceful people who generally keep to themselves. But it was funny. And, as is true of all my favorite satires, it also has empathy toward the group it satirizes. I thought the end result was quite gentle and poignant.
And did I mention funny? It was all I could do to keep from snorting while the students were working on their group presentations. I mean, come on – the main character rode a llama to work. Llamas = hilarity. And, just in case I didn’t already know, it provided the definitive difference between a baby tee and a tube top: "A baby tee has arms, while a tube top is more like a beer cozy." Let that image sink in. I dare you not to laugh.
Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley
As concerned about political issues as I am, I am usually bored to tears by political stories/fiction/satire. But not by this one. I love that it satirized both sides of the politics of tobacco – the oily tobacco companies and lobbyists and their often self-righteous opponents. The movie is equally good – if you don’t want to commit to reading the book, definitely check out the movie.
A Cafecito Story by Julia Alvarez
This was more of a short story than a book, but I’m counting it anyway, because it was all I could do not to sob when reading it. It is beautiful. She writes passionately and sweetly and simply about coffee farm life and fair trade, a topic I’m passionate about but not usually moved to tears by. I could read this book every day for the rest of my life. It makes me want to get my hands in the dirt and grow things. And it reminds me of my Memaw.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-10-26 01:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-27 07:05 am (UTC)