pickI‘m going to recommend this book, although I did have some issues with it. I thought the dialogue was a bit unrealistic (the narrator, who is supposed to be 12, talks more like an adult than most adults I know). And I felt that the story sort of lost some steam in the last 50 pages or so. But it was still an enjoyable read with a narrative that propels you forward.
Day 8 of #adventrecommends ...
A favorite read of 2019
Day 7 of #adventrecommends
Another favorite from 2019. This is the last in a trilogy that began with “The Power of the Dog” and continues with “The Cartel.”
Day 6 of #adventrecommends ... a favorite from 2019.
Yes. It‘s a chunkster (737 pgs.) It‘s also a smart novel with big ideas that packs a hell of a punch. A sprawling puzzle that goes back and forth in time, it delves into family secrets. It touches on relationships, trust & loyalty with friends, lovers, parents & children. It‘s also a satire of today‘s politics and media with timely observations and insights captured in a clever way.
Day 5 of #adventrecommends
A favorite from 2019
pickA memoir by Astronaut Scott Kelly about his year in the International Space Station. He also writes about his childhood and his years of training to become an engineer and a Navy fighter pilot before being selected as an astronaut – along with his identical twin brother Mark. A great read.
Day 4 of #adventrecommends ...
Ok, it‘s 736 pages. Don‘t let that deter you. This is about the Chance family as they move through their lives in the 1960s in Washington. I can't even accurately summarize the plot -- it's got baseball, religion, the Vietnam War, draft dodging, India, college campuses, and beautifully written sentences that stopped me in my tracks and enlarged my heart ... basically, it's just a really good book.
Day 3 of #adventrecommends : 24 books you think people should know about.
In 1998, Matthew Shepard, 21, was lured from a Wyoming bar by two men, savagely beaten, tied to a remote fence, and left to die — because he was gay. This is a series of 68 poems about his death, written from various points of views, including the fence he was tied to, the stars that watched over him as he was dying, the deer that kept him company, and Matthew himself.
This book is getting good! I don‘t want to get off at my stop and go to work— I just want to keep riding and reading. Wonder how my boss would react if I called in “reading my book.” 😀
The speed at which I can get into comfy pants and on the couch with a book would net me a gold medal if “Disrobing After Work” was an Olympic event. 😌
Day 2 of #adventrecommends
Every day for 24 days post a book that you think more people should know about, or post your all-time favorites.
One of my favorite reads of 2019.
@emilyrose_x
It‘s Dec. 1, so it‘s time to start #adventrecommends ! Every day for 24 days post 1 book that you think more people should know about, or post your all-time favorites.
Today I‘m posting one of the best books I read in 2019.
@emilyrose_x
Getting ready to dive into this one that‘s gotten rave reviews from friends and colleagues.
Tea + pie + book = the holy trifecta. 😍
pickCOMPLETED for #NFNov ... the narrative was a bit uneven and repetitive, but it‘s a pick because this is a perspective and experience that needs to be heard.
#TIL: I am astounded and horrified by the number of people who feel it‘s appropriate to tell a person who is using EBT to pay for food “you‘re welcome” because the program is taxpayer-funded. 😡
@Clwojick @rsteve388
COMPLETED for #NFNov ... “A Year in Space,” a documentary about NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and his yearlong mission in Earth‘s orbit as part of a biomedical research project to see if humans have the endurance to survive a flight to Mars. Kelly‘s identical twin brother Mark remained on Earth as comparison.
#TIL: a rocket launch site must meet 2 criteria: a remote location away from populated areas and close to the equator.
@Clwojick @rsteve388
This is one of the most powerful and emotionally wrenching paragraphs I‘ve ever read. 😢
About to start one last entry for #NFNov ... although my love affair with nonfiction will definitely continue into December —and beyond! 😀
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
pickCOMPLETED for @NFNov . A collection of Malcolm Gladwell's writings that were originally published in The New Yorker over a period of 10 years. In the preface, Gladwell says this collection includes his favorite articles. It‘s a mix of popular sociology, psychology, economics, social history and marketing, including essays on Ron Popeil, hair color, Cesar Millan, homelessness, plagiarism, criminal profiling and pit bulls.
@Clwojick @rsteve388
COMPLETED for #NFNov . This documentary about identical twins Alex and Marcus Lewis. At 18, Alex was in a motorcycle accident and lost his memory. Marcus decided to create a narrative of new childhood memories to give to Alex in order to spare him the truth about the horrific abuse they actually suffered at the hands of their mother. The documentary is based on the (tagged) book written by the twins.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
A chapter on risk assessment for #NFNov .
#TIL: the theory of “risk homeostasis” postulates that under certain circumstances, changes that appear to make a system or organization safer in fact don‘t. Why? Because humans seem to have a fundamental tendency to compensate for lower risks in one area by taking greater risks in another. (Ex.: ABS brakes should make for safer driving. But people drive faster instead. Not safe.)
@Clwojick @rsteve388
A chapter about “The Art of Failure” for #NFNov .
#TIL: Though we tend to use the terms interchangeably, “panicking” and “choking” are actually opposite things. Panic is about thinking too little. Choking is about thinking too much. Choking is about loss of instinct. Panic is reversion to instinct.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
COMPLETED for #NFNov ... a National Geographic documentary on the birth of Rome.
#TIL: There were more than 310 miles of aqueducts that were built to bring water into the city. 2,000 years later, it‘s still considered a marvel of engineering. For every 1 foot of building material above ground on each aqueduct there are 6 feet BELOW ground.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
Spent yesterday in NYC with my husband. One of the stops I made sure to hit was the annual book fair at Goddard Riverside Community Center on the Upper West Side. Book publishers donate literally ROOMS full of books that the center sells at half price as a fundraiser for their programs. Here is my #bookhaul. I would have gotten more but my husband balked at carrying a heavier tote bag around the city. 😀
Spent the day in NYC today, and of course I had to stop at the NY Public Library. Such a gorgeous place!
A chapter about “open secrets” for #NFNov .
#TIL: During WWII there was a group of propaganda analysts whose job was to listen to enemy broadcasts and figure out what the Nazis really MEANT based on what they SAID. The unit was called the Screwbsll Division.
@Clwojick @rsteve388
Chapter about the birth control pill for #NFNov .
#TIL: You know how the dial pack has a 4 week cycle —3 weeks on/ 1 week “off” when you have your period? There‘s no scientific reason for this schedule. The inventor of the Pill was a Catholic who thought he could maybe sell the Church on a pharmaceutical version of the rhythm method. And he nearly succeeded.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
A chapter about hair products and advertising for #NFNov .
#TIL: one of the most recognizable ad campaigns (L‘Oreal‘s “Because I‘m worth it”) was created by a 23-year-old junior female ad writer who was angry because every other ad for women‘s products sold them as being necessary to attract a man‘s love and attention. So she sat down and wrote an ad slogan proclaiming that a woman can want to look good for HERSELF. 🙌🏼
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
Two things that are necessary for my daily commute on the train: A good book and a giant travel mug filled with tea. Let‘s do this. 👊🏼
An essay about ... hair color... for #NFNov . 🤷🏻♀️
#TIL: Apparently it‘s not enough for a woman to just be blonde —in the world of marketing for hair color products, she needs to be a particular TYPE of blonde. 😳 And also? I‘m think I‘m super glad I‘m a brunette. 💁🏻♀️
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
pickDifficult to pick just one book for a #classicyouenjoyed but this immediately came to mind. What an important, emotional piece of literature, and how large the ideas that are contained in it. From a purely critical view of the writing itself: It's very sentimental and melodramatic, which makes sense since it was originally published in serialized form. But the narrative drives the reader forward at a steady pace. My interest never flagged.
COMPLETED for #NFNov — this documentary about the FBI‘s only unsolved hijacking. In Nov. 1971, a man calling himself DB Cooper demanded $200,000 in ransom money and two parachutes. He jumped out somewhere over Nevada, and was never seen again.
#TIL: Based on scenarios conducted by researchers, it‘s now thought that Cooper landed in water and died on impact. But his body was never found and the case is still open.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
Breakfast and a chapter about product pitchmen for #NFNov .
#TIL: Lewis Salton, the founder of the company that would go on to develop and sell the George Foreman Grill, escaped from the Nazis with a rare English stamp from his father‘s collection which he sold to parlay into an appliance factory in the Bronx.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
COMPLETED for #NFNov — “Doomsday Pompeii,” a documentary on National Geographic about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and destruction of Pompeii in 79 AD. Even the cat was engrossed!
#TIL: after the city was covered in ash and rubble, it disappeared from view and was forgotten for 1,500 years until it was discovered again by accident. So far more than 1,100 bodies have been excavated.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
Lunch and a chapter about ketchup for #NFNov . 🤷🏻♀️
#TIL: Because a typical 5-yr-old consumes 60% more ketchup than a typical 40-yr-old, Heinz invented the EZ plastic squirt bottle to make it easier for kids to pour their own. After the bottle was introduced, ketchup consumption jumped 12%.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
Starting my next pick for #NFNov . Hubby is watching football, which is literally the only thing on TV that doesn‘t distract me when I‘m trying to read. Because I don‘t care about football even one tiny bit. 🙄
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
When you‘re quietly minding your own business with your book and you get the feeling that someone is watching you ... 🧐
#catsoflitsy
I normally don‘t participate in these challenges because I‘m totally a mood reader, but this one piques my interest. Count me in for #readingeurope2020 , @Librarybelle and @BarbaraBB ! Does nonfiction count?
pickCOMPLETED for #NFNov . A beautiful account of a mother‘s journey to recognition of her transgender son. Lemay alternates the chapters between the growing awareness that her child is transgender with accounts of her own upbringing in an Orthodox Jewish faith where certain expectations were made on her to live a certain way to be a “proper woman.”
#TIL: 41% of transgender people attempt suicide at some point in their lives. 😢
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
1. I have 5 siblings. I‘ve completed 3 marathons. I hate Disney World.
2. “Cold Mountain” by Charles Frazier
3. Yes, several! Wally Lamb, Dennis Lehane, Bob Woodward, David McCullough ... and Hillary Clinton! To name just a few.
4. Too cold. can always put on another sweater. There‘s only so much I can take off in public. 😬
@Alora
#litsylearn
Who doesn‘t love early Saturday mornings when the spouse is still asleep and you can relax in front of the fire with a #NFNov book and a giant mug of tea? 🤷🏻♀️
#TIL: Jews believe that each soul is born as a pair, male and female, who are destined to meet up on earth to fulfill their shared purpose.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
panThis book can be summed up in one word: Tedious. It‘s filled with offensive stereotypes about aging, and I can‘t believe anyone (either real or fictional) could be as dense and clueless and enabling as Kate, the main character. I‘m in the same stage of life as she is, but I found her actions to be completely ridiculous and far fetched. Absolutely mind-numbing slog to get through it. 😖
This has been a particularly good week for deals on e-books that fit the #NFNov challenge. Just downloaded this one from Barnes & Noble for $1.99.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
1. I don't know about ever, but the shortest book I've read so far in 2019 was “The Spectator Bird“ (226 pgs).
2. Longest book ever was “War and Peace“ (1,802 pgs). Every year I read a book that is 1,000 pages or more.
3. I do genealogy research, so I have books in my house from the 1800s (town histories and the like)
4. “What We Will Become: A Mother, a Son, and a Journey of Transformation“ -- published on 11/12/19
#bookquestion #EST @ljuliel
pickCOMPLETED for #NFNov . I‘m not religious, so I‘m not the best person to judge it based on its ecclesiastical merits. The writing is very good, and I enjoyed the author‘s humor, wit and humanity.
#TIL: Many church leaders attempt to use the Bible to define womanhood by a list of rigid rules. But the Bible does not present a single model for womanhood. The notion that it contains a formula for being a “good” woman is a myth.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
Alert for those with e-readers: This book is available for $4.99 today as a daily deal on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Just downloaded my copy!
#NFNov
@rsteve388 @Clwojick
1. Mellifluous
2. Depends on the series! For some, 20 aren‘t enough. For others, 5 is too many. Currently enjoying Louise Penny‘s Three Pines series.
3. Do patient education and marketing materials for a large healthcare system count?
4. @LoverOfLearning @Alora @CaseyLea
#wondrouswednesday
@Eggs
Just signed up for the #JolabokaflodSwap hosted by @MaleficentBookDragon. Send one book and chocolate to be opened on Dec. 24. It‘s a piece of cake (and chocolate)!
![[tagged book]](https://pics.cdn.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}