How About Those 2015 Reading Resolutions

I read 24 books this years but they weren't all the ones I prioritized the most. Below is my 2015 list with the one I read highlighted:

• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson 
• Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
• Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munroe 
• Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Also fun reads (bonus):

• the rest of Game of Thrones 
• GOT 4
• GOT 5
• GOT 6 (got so boring, can't decide whether to push through)
• the third Magicians 
• Enders Game 

How to Be More Patient by Greg Souchester

How to Be More Patient: An Essential Guide to Replacing Impatience with Patience by Greg Souchester
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was fine. Like a good long article about patience, but lacking in substance. length and or motivating exercises (ala Marie Kondo, Dave Ramsey, 5:2/ADF, etc.).

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Nobody Is Ever Missing by Catherine Lacey

Nobody Is Ever Missing by Catherine Lacey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You have to be open to a different type of narrative when you read this book. Forget about where the main character is going physically and focus on where she is mentally and emotionally. I found myself highlighting line after line of the main character's thoughts and revelations, the way I often do when I read novels by Marilyn Robinson.

Here's a favorite example, "...I knew that everyone who was alive had trouble concentrating on life....”

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Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay, I know it's a brilliantly written book, but I struggle with giving 5 stars to books I didn't enjoy much. It's not that it's a depressing story (it is), just that for me it was actively stressful to read. Also, I didn't care for the ending because I feel like that type of resolution is a cop out. Even no resolution can be better than that.

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The Language of Goldfish by Zibby Oneal

The Language of Goldfish by Zibby Oneal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the few books I remember from reading when I was 11. Even though I can't clearly recall details of the book, I remember the mental illness theme, and I remember being very engaged by the main character in the book and how she experiences the world. Possibly I have a clearer memory of it because I reread it as I got older as well.

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The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My impression as an adult is that it’s outlandish. Drew puts herself in mortal danger and her father doesn’t even mind. However, I appreciate what the book suggests about values with regard to money and inheritance.

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The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A classic jam. My favorite part is that the young man sets up his own bad answers.

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5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great by Terri L. Orbuch

5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great by Terri L. Orbuch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The part I thought was most valuable was Chapter 2 on Incentives and Rewards (p.56-86). Although the first chapter had good information as well, I don't think it was organized in the best way possible. The rest of the book didn't feel that helpful but as other reviewers have stated maybe this is just because our marriage is already on really solid footing.

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The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Decent book with a straight-forward concept. Worth reading and discussing with spouse, but I don't think it's life-changing or marriage-changing on its own as it claims.

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The Alternate-Day Diet by James B. Johnson

The Alternate-Day Diet Revised: The Original Up-Day, Down-Day Eating Plan to Turn on Your "Skinny Gene," Shed the Pounds, and Live a Longer and Healthier Life by James B. Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the 5:2 diet book first, and I thought the nutrition and food politics was presented better in that book. Although I do think it's necessary to follow to the more rigorous ADF diet instead of 5:2 to lose weight. (Or at least 4:3.)

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How Fiction Works by James Wood

How Fiction Works by James Wood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is great. I've been reading all wrong. Haha. Really great discussion of various elements to good literary writing. And now I want to read every book listed in the bibliography.

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The What When Wine Diet by Melanie Avalon

The What When Wine Diet: Paleo and Intermittent Fasting for Health and Weight Loss by Melanie Avalon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She's probably right about everything, as most of the things she says in this book are consistent with what I've read about nutrition and exercise studies. (Current real studies- Not the old vaguely mythological things people repeat about food and exercise.) I withheld one star only because the statements are not footnoted/endnoted directly. Instead she has a bibliography at the end but that makes it difficult to verify individual claims. Also I really don't want to eat Paleo ... of course, that is not her fault.

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Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, this is tricky. I want to be convinced, but this failed to convince me that God or Christianity are real. Part of the problem is that his main argument for why it is real is our internal sense of justice. In fact, many animals have a sense justice that has been studied at length. This does not disprove or prove Christianity, but it leaves that one point less persuasive than I would hope.

Second, I think it's a good explanation of Christianity and how it works, and it's a great exploration of how Christians should endeavor to live. It's especially refreshing to see that a devout man sees no inconsistency between God and evolution. They are of course, not mutually exclusive. But all the wonderful language and philosophy in this section is marred by his thoughts on homosexuality which are outdated. It's hard to get past that.

Is it worth reading? Yes. Is it a great masterpiece of religion and philosophy? I am less persuaded on that point.

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The FastDiet by Michael Mosley 2015

The FastDiet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting by Michael Mosley
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book has totally changed the way I eat and feel. For the last year or two I've felt so tired that I asked my doctor to check my thyroid. I was disappointed when I found out it was fine because I'd have to keep feeling awful. After my first fast, I immediately felt better. (I know that seems crazy but I did.) I've done 3.5 weeks on the diet and I've lost 3 very stubborn pounds but I've only "dieted" for 7 days total in those 3.5 weeks. It actually feels like for the first time since I was 13 (or younger?) that I'm not dieting.

But most importantly, this diet is supposed to cut your risk of cancer. Clinical trials are underway now to see the long-term results of intermittent fasting on cancer and heart-health.

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Chosen by P.C. Cast

Chosen by P.C. Cast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More interesting and involved than the two prior books but I’m starting to suspect nothing will ever be resolved.

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The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is good advice for people who aren't succeeding on their own. I know lots of people who are doing well on their own, and doubtlessly they would disagree with a lot of Dave Ramsey's advice. That's fine. If they're doing fine, then they're fine following their own wisdom. Unfortunately the vast majority of Americans are not doing well financially by following the standard "wisdom." A lot of people are doing worse than even they realize. For these people, (um me too), this book is great. I've already addressed a lot of financial issues I was dealing with. Things are not perfect, but they are much improved because I've followed the advice in this book.

I'm on a big self-help kick!

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Opening Skinner's Box by Lauren Slater

Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century by Lauren Slater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had heard if some of the experiments previously but some were new to me. While I found the science and history very interesting, I found the author's personal essay style grating. It detracted from the science itself, and made everything seem less reliable. Still I think it's worth the time for some familiarity with the experiments.

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The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky

The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't recommend the ebook!

You need to be able to use this book like a workbook and take a test and flag the activities you intend to do, so unfortunately it doesn't work well as an ebook.

Also, given how inspiring I found the konmari book, this book fails to inspire me to engage in the happiness activities even though I am extremely motivated otherwise.

That said, I think the methods would make a person happier.

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Using KonMari to Reduce Dad's Books 2015

As you may know from earlier posts, I had kept about 26 boxes of my dad's books after he passed away. After 4 years, I had still reduced or read very few of them. I had tried just looking through them, getting a friend to help (hi Ash!), and finally doing one author letter at a time. The last strategy was going a little better... but still really slow.

Enter Kondo. In three days, the books I chose to keep are in three bookshelves, and hundreds of books that I would not have ever read were donated. I was shocked how much clarity I had in the book selection after 4 years of being totally confused. When I look at the bookshelves they spark joy! I want to read the books, and the arrangement reminds me of being at home and visiting my dad.

Suddenly I have clarity on my dad's books! Donate! Donate!

 

Less than half the number I started with, but still, admittedly, a lot.

Okay, we still have a lot of books. We probably always will. But when I look at them they make me happy now in a way they did not before. They don't stress me or make me feel guilty. They make me look forward to pulling the next adventure off the shelf.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A middle school coming of age story about a girl struggling with religion, female puberty, and preteen/teen gossip. Well worth the read even as an adult. Extremely realistic depiction of middle school.

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Declutter your Home Now! by Sophia Grace

Declutter your Home Now 2nd Edition! The simple guide to tips and tricks for simplifying your home and maximizing your space by Sophia Grace
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I got all excited after I started to Konmari and I thought it would be interesting to find more tips, but this isn't very helpful. I would recommend The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō instead.

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The Heart of Grief: Death and the Search for Lasting Love by Thomas Attig

The Heart of Grief: Death and the Search for Lasting Love by Thomas Attig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Actually it took me nearly five years to decide to stop reading it. It was pretty painful every time I read it. I'm not sure if it helped, but my ability to read some of it at a time was an interesting measure of the progress of my grief. Over five years, I mostly came to the same conclusions as the author, so I do agree with him.

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Shane by Jack Schaefer

Shane by Jack Schaefer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first Western. It was required reading in my Sophomore English class. I don't remember much besides that I enjoyed it and there's a young boy's heartbreak at the end.

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Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis

Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a collection of 5 essays Michael Lewis wrote after the financial meltdown in 2007-2008. Each essay is a comic look at the disaster of the financial crisis in each of 5 countries: Iceland, Greece, Ireland, Germany, and America (specifically at a state and local level in California).

It's very interesting as an examination of how many people in the financial marketplace had no idea what they were doing, and it's also pretty entertaining and humorous. On the other hand, it's unnecessarily racist against the peoples it examines, with the exception of Americans who somewhat get a pass because supposedly the American culture and abundance itself exceeds what the human mind is designed to cope with. That presentation of huge groups of people, their motivations, and their histories undermines Lewis's expertise of financial players and events.

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The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Clothing/Bedroom
So I finished the book on March 17th, and I finished eliminating and organizing my clothing, purses, and jewelry before that, on March 16th. I also cleared out my bedroom of nonsense, and cleared off my desk in there, and the bedroom and desk are both a pleasure now. We were gone on vacation from March 17-22.

Books
I did my books pretty quickly when I got back because I was so excited to pick up where I left off. I got my nonfiction down to 45 + 3 borrowed books, and my fiction to 70 + 2 borrowed books. I broke the konmari rules a little and kept a bunch of books I have not yet read, and could probably still weed them down a little, but I'm happy with how little space they take up currently.

The only problem is that I have hundreds of my dad's books from when he passed away, so even though I made a lot more progress on those than in the last 4 years of slowing sorting them, they are a big project and they are kind of a cross between books and mementos.

Next up paper...
I suspect that most people do their clothes and then get stuck, based on the plethora of youtube videos about konmari and clothing items. But I'm resolved to through all the categories and all the rooms in my home.


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A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This one often looks beautiful when you see it performed because of the woods and the fairies, but the plot is so messy I have trouble concentrating. Poor Hernia and Helena, the play does torture those women in the name of comedy.

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Here Is New York by E.B. White

Here Is New York by E.B. White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's interesting how similar New York still is- in the generalities if not in the specifics. Beautiful essay.

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The Rediscovery of the Unique by H.G. Wells

The Rediscovery of the Unique by H.G. Wells
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Everything is different and unique. Words for nouns and adjectives are just imprecise generalizations. So far, so good.

Then he extends this as an analogy to claim that individual atoms are also different and therefore atomic theory can't be valid. Um? And then he also throws in that morality is also an over-generalization. Such a short essay on such weighty topics fails to persuade.

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Betrayed by P.C. Cast

Betrayed by P.C. Cast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Much better than the first one as the plot starts to develop and I started to care about some of the characters from the first book.

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book because it gave access to a nonverbal character that thinks and feels totally differently than other people. That said, I've been leaning towards books that embrace the spiritual lately (Gilead, End of the Affair, etc.) and this books atheist underpinnings left me a little cold. I get that the character himself might not be able to process spirituality, it's pretty difficult for me too actually, but at a certain point it limits the character in a way that might be unfair to people with autism. How do you grapple and believe in the possibility of something as surprising as the possibility of parallel universes, but dismiss the possibility of God without also grappling with it? I thought the book was interesting and cute, but like I said, it left something to be desired.

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A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Things got weird. And now I feel bad for all the bad guys getting their comeuppance. I'm looking forward to book 5 but I hope something actually happens in that one. I'm getting tired of all the set-up.

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The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved the Magician's series. The first one was maybe a little juvenile (Lion, Witch, Wardrobe meets Harry Potter goes to college), the second one was fun but very dark. This one tied all the books together with a bow. And I was really sad when it was over.

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My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting to see what it's like to have a stroke from the perspective of both an expert and a person who experienced it herself. Unfortunately, the writing isn't very good- possibly this is a consequence of the stroke itself?

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The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked it a lot when I read it at the beginning of 2010. Then later that year, my husband and I decided to have a baby, and while I was pregnant my father died, I lost my job, and then my grandmother that partially raised me also died. I became very depressed for a long time. I know Rubin explicitly says that this book doesn't deal with "depression" and "depression" is a loaded word in the modern era, but the reality is that most people go through terrible things all the time.

While I'm sure Rubin has faced many challenges just like everyone else, she describes a happy marriage, a very good financial situation, professional freedom, healthy children, personal good health, and living parents. She could have written a book about happiness without personal information, I've read a number with very limited personal information, but that's not what she did. She also relies on a lot of scientific, historical, and philosophical information. But her particular angle on the book of trying the tips out herself left me a little cold on a reread. What happens when in your year of chasing happiness you're completely railroaded by life? Suddenly the question she skipped in the beginning, "What is happiness" (she says you know when you see it/feel it) takes on the central role. In a way, she's the opposite of Victor Frankl who having survived some of the worst things a human could survive, has full authority to lecture on the meaning of life from a personal perspective. It's not Rubin's fault of course, and she's brilliant and hardworking, but the book does suffer from some lack of spiritual depth.

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The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this because I love the HBO television show based on the book. The first season remained very loyal to the book with some exceptions. I loved seeing the characters from a more interior view, especially Nora. The only reason I only gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is that we don't have a complete ending more an allusion to an ending, and I'd love to read a sequel and not just more television seasons, though I'm excited for that too.

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A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller

A View from the Bridge: A Play in Two Acts by Arthur Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A terrifying and tragic play about family dynamics, immigration, law, and the denial of your own sins. I read and saw the play in 2010 when I was actually working on immigration law so I could relate to the aspect of how harsh the law is on both documented and undocumented immigrants.



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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know how a lot of humor books are just a little funny? Sedaris is no joke. This is so funny. It's even good on a reread. No matter how many times I read the Halloween scene, I always laugh. It's so great.

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Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think it's the perfect novel. The perfect sermon. The perfect prayer.

“These people who can see right through you never quite do you justice, because they never give you credit for the effort you’re making to be better than you actually are, which is difficult and well meant and deserving of some little notice.” ― Marilynne Robinson, Gilead

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Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein

Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a cute children's book, and is a better, earlier version of A Wrinkle In Time." This is the kind of book I'd be excited to see my kids reading. That said, as a kid, I didn't actually enjoy it much (and I did enjoy A Wrinkle in Time). So maybe it's a children's book for adults?

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Marked by P.C. Cast

Marked by P.C. Cast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kind of trite and silly but definitely entertaining if you like vampire or magic books. The main character is really judgy about drinking, drugs, and sex, which is annoying, but to be fair, a lot of teenagers are, and it might make this book more appropriate for younger teens. Extremely difficult to rate because there was nothing either very good about or anything particularly objectionable. 2 stars? 3 stars?

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Authors Beginning with C

As I explained in a previous post, I'm finally dealing with the hundreds of books I took home when Dad passed away by going through them by author last name. Dad's books by authors beginning with the letter C.... not a lot of stuff I'm super excited about here.

These are the ones I decided to keep- fiction and nonfiction mixed...

This is the "no" pile.

Kevin and Ericka's previously owned fiction*

Kevin and Ericka's previously owned fiction (cont.)


Kevin and Ericka's previously owned non-fiction


My e-books, all free fiction in this case.

Any arguments in favor of some of the ones we're donating? Would you like one of those? Or against any of the ones I'm keeping?


*I left out Kevin's poetry books because he keeps those on a separate shelf and I don't want to disturb their order. Maybe I'll do an extra post about the poetry at the end.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really like the concept of using poetry to tell this story and works perfectly. The feelings the main character Josh expresses are very relatable young adult feelings.

My only complaint was that the very short story decides to deal with a major life issue and that seems too big for this smaller narrative. I would have enjoyed this more if the author had just remained focused on the feelings and coming of age story of the twin brothers.

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Reading Resolutions 2015

I didn't read quite as many as I'd hoped last year, but in my defense I had a baby! Here's my shorter reading wish list for 2015:

• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (started)
• Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
• Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munroe 
• Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Also fun reads (bonus):

• the rest of Game of Thrones 4-6 
• the third Magicians 
• Enders Game 

The Big Short by Michael Lewis

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is fascinating and depressing and enraging in equal parts and everyone in America should read it.

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