Even If I Can't Make Videos, At Least Be Impressed I Can Embed Them

You don't have to be an advertising genius like me to appreciate the cool video below for Type bookstore in Toronto.  This must have taken forever to shoot, but its message "real books are better" was worth the effort - at least to someone who just spent 30 seconds writing a blog entry.




Source: Gizmodo by way of Non Blog Follower Nick

Obscure Blog Mentions Obscure Reality Programming

The 19^th Wife  by David Ebershoff is a great book, and has earned its rightful place on my new Recent Favorites List.  This book is about the beginning of Mormonism and the downfall of polygamy.  It was a pretty complicated issue, since the Mormons said polygamy was part of their religion, and yet there is supposed to be separation between church and state.  Luckily it was outlawed anyway since they were basically brainwashing women and forcing teenagers to get married.  It was truly sick.

Ok, so I think most people would say that polygamy is kinda crazy. But let’s just say, without judging anyone, that I have seen an episode or two of TLC’s Sister Wives.  For those who haven’t been as deep into their On Demand menu as I have, this is a reality show about modern day polygamists.  And, sure they wear long sleeved shirts under tank tops which is kinda weird.  But they also aren’t hurting anybody, are getting married on their own terms and think gay couples should be able to marry and just want to be left alone.   Well, except for inviting a reality show production into their lives of course.

In conclusion, I don’t care who you marry, but if it’s a weird enough set-up I might put a book about it on my Favorites List.

I Did This For Courtney & General Book Loving

Chatting with Bookfriend and Blog Follower Natalie earlier this week, I pointed out that she is sorely behind on her own blog.  She informed me that I was the third person to point that out to her, and I was immediately jealous of her loyal following.

Directly after this, two people referred to my blog this week for book recommendations, and then told me about it.  I am overwhelmed with my own success and popularity.  Thank you to Loyal Follower Courtney and Possible Blog Stalker Dan for reading both books and blogs about books.

I love my loyal readers enough to want to spare them the task of actually reading this blog when they need a recommendation.  Therefore I now have a running list of recently read good books for your convenience running along the side.  I will update this sometimes.  Or maybe I will forget and then write a really boring blog about how someone noticed.  The options are endless!

Spoiler Alert: Not My Best Blog Entry Ahead

Between Thanksgiving and New Years, Bookworm & Husband were in the car enough to finish Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy in audiobook form.  We got this from the library, and Andrew hated it.  I thought it was somewhat better than sitting in complete silence, which we occasionally chose over the book.  We also used these breaks to discuss the merits of Chik-fil-a versus Burger King.  If Andrew were to write a blog, this could be a potential topic.  Other ideas include: How To Grow The Most Expensive Tomato Possible and High School Relay Races in Western Pennsylvania ’95-’99.

Binchy is a girly author, but in my defense I gave Andrew three choices from the library and he picked this one.  Neither of us knew that the book would be a collection of a million (rough guesstimate) short stories and characters that barely connected to each other.  This was particularly hard to follow since we listened to the book over a period of five weeks. 

I still like Maeve Binchy, but this was not her best work.  And for the record, I pick the Chik-fil-a chicken strips any day of the week.  Well, except Sundays.

Bookworm the Bodybuilder is Inspired; Cries

It seems appropriate that my first book of 2012 be an inspirational read.  Especially since my new years resolution is to bulk up by lifting a 5 lb weight.  That’s right, 5 lb.  This is a major effort for me since I have noodles where human arms should be.

Anyway, this book (and Tupperware) was on my Christmas list at my in-laws.  My mother-in-law and sister-in-law have both read and raved over The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.  They told me to be prepared with tissues.  This turned out to be good advice.

This book is about a lecture Pausch gave right before he died of pancreatic cancer.  It’s basically a book of advice that he was smart enough to put together in a way that anyone could benefit from, but written for his kids when they are old enough to appreciate it.  The reader gets a great sense of his personality in this short and inspirational book.  He’s a dork by his own admission, but a successful one with a great moral code and work ethic to live by.  I may not share his love of Star Trek but his points are well made and I loved the way his advice was wrapped in personal anecdotes.

This and a chocolate-cherry milkshake were a wonderful way to kick off 2012.  Especially since I probably won’t be able to lift a book or a shake tomorrow with these sore guns. I mean noodles.

A Year of Good Reading and Tolerable Blogging Comes to a Close

I think I can safely say I have finished my last book of 2011.  Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad certainly had some warning signals for the Bookworm.  It was described as “intellectually stimulating” and won lots of awards, like the Pulitzer Prize. Though I love to purchase award winning books, I often find the books more about artful prose than story.  (Just like this blog, right?)

I am happy to report that I really enjoyed A Visit from the Goon Squad but still maintain my un-intellectual identity since I don’t understand where the title came from at all.  I was anxious to figure it out and was attuned to the few mentions of the word “goon” as I was reading, but am still clueless.  I would fail the test on this one but would have been proud to have at least finished the assignment.

I look forward to reading more of Egan’s books, but will do my best to pace myself on her collection rather than binge.  Not my strong suit.  Especially on New Years’ Eve…