The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The writing was not good, but I got dragged in anyway because it's such sentimental cheese and I'm a sucker. It's sad.

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The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a relatively quick read- 4 hours for the 24 in 48 Readathon. I was glad to finally get to this science fiction classic, but it didn't really stand the test of time. I'm sure it was brilliant in 1895, but now that it's been in the sci-fi consciousness for over a 100 years, it's been surpassed by many books of its genre. Even for such a short book, it doesn't read quickly with plenty of boring bits. It's not particularly happy either, nor is the "fun gloomy" of the dystopian novels we've become accustomed to in this century.

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It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh

It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Peter Walsh and his television decluttering show.

The main concept here was to consider what kind of life you want to live and make your living space match that vision. Room by room, as a family- imagine what you want to in that room and make the room fit that need. You might create stations in the room for different needs. He gives advice for each room, including his own strongly held beliefs about what the room should be for, and what type of things he's seen in various people's homes that is hurting not helping their home vision. Finally, he gives advice on how to get the clutter out both in a big purge and in daily smaller purges, as well as practical yard sale advice.

I think it's a helpful book, but maybe even more to the point, it's inspirational. It gets you up and decluttering.

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More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman

More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Slightly funnier than the first one, The Areas of My Expertise: An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order. I especially enjoy the political jokes. Just as the first one was too heavy on fake "hobo" trivia, this one is too heavy on molemen. Um-hm, yeah.

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The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges

The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my one of my favorite Borges short stories. It's an amazing philosophical thought experiment. (Note from a reread: The library in The Magicians anyone?)

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These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Starts off well, like most of the other books. Though she's still going to school, Laura has work-related adventures as a teacher and begins to grow up. Mary is progressing at college and all of this is great.

Then Pa spends all her teaching money, IN ADVANCE, on a musical organ. Yuck.

Then page after unromantic page about boring Almanzo Wilder and his dangerous unbroken horse.

The ending is particularly bad, and I almost imagine her at the end, sitting outside her cabin, realization dawning in her eyes that she's made a terrible mistake.

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The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman

The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this because my husband owns the book but sadly I didn't think it was as funny as he did. This might be might fault, I think some of the jokes flew right over my head.

I like the fictional almanac concept. I always thought almanacs were really weird (though appealing in their weirdness) and Hodgman basically uses roasting the almanac as his humor vehicle here.

I especially liked the literature jokes, but the hobo section was extensive, as was the states section. The book relied a lot on tables and long lists (700 hobo names for example). Just wow.



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The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Phantom Tollbooth is about education, good writing, advanced mathematics, and mindfulness. Also, it’s delightful. What a great book for children.

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How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett

How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a nice quick read and the Kindle version is free on Amazon. It was written in 1910 to solve the same problem we face today: how to make valuable use of the time we have alive. I have no doubt that following the author's advice would lead to a happier and more fulfilling life, but it falls shy of helping a person develop meaning in their lives.

*The digital version is available for free on Amazon for Kindle (and other places online): How to Live on 24 Hours a Day

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first saw the play in 1998 when I was 18 or 19. It was performed by GW students in a Presbyterian Church in DC. I wasn't as impressed at the time as I am as an adult with an expanded view of feminism.

There's an element of comedy in the play and sometimes it feels a little silly, but overall, a moving and necessary discussion. I was especially moved by the sad segment about the elderly woman who shut down after one embarrassing episode with a man. It's definitely a body part that needs to be demystified in public discourse. It would be good if there were more of active discussion of feminism as a concept in the play but maybe that's difficult to incorporate into an art medium.

It's such a blessing to live in a society and time where we can read and perform this play. But I'm also sad that it's one we still need so badly.

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