How To Be Good - Nick Hornby

There were some truly clever remarks to be found; cutting and incisive reflections on the meaning of life for the middle class. These buoyed the otherwise stretch of a story that included an element of witchcraft requiring the suspension of belief that took away from the validity of the work as a whole. Nick writes from a female's perspective which is believable (at least being read by a man) but the idea as a whole seems somewhat half-baked, especially with the lack of a conclusion in the end. This book seems to be a used book store favourite and that is understandable, meaning the consensus is unanimous that although there are redeeming qualities it is not his best work.

February 2013
5

Work Hard. Be Nice - Jay Matthews

An inspiring read about the sacrifice of two young teachers very devoted to the education of their classrooms of children and doing all that they can to improve their situations. The two founders of the KIPP school are presented as tireless advocates fighting in every way possible for the students. Not a book I would necessarily have been attracted to but one with a great deal to offer, read on recommendation. Interesting that the author is not directly linked to the story but seems to have done his homework and presents many of the interactions through imagined dialogue which lends to the immediacy of the book. Nearing the end a few chapters seemed crammed in to give a balanced view but took away from the flow. Regardless a pleasant surprise of a true story that I would surely pass on to any teacher, or even anyone who needs to increase their determination.

January 2013
7.5

I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Bill Bryson

A collection of weekly articles published in a British newspaper by 'the king of everyday' following his return to the USA after some years spent in Britain  Although it was slightly dated with figures and studies coming from the '90s the majority of the sentiments hold true, or are even more pronounced these days. Some truly laugh out loud moments as well as some interesting insights. Perhaps a few too many murder and suicide jokes for my liking but otherwise it's like the jacket says 'Bryson could write an essay about dryer lint [...] and still make us laugh out loud.'

December 2012 - January 2013
8

Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz

Seems like a pretty straightforward concept: there's an overwhelming amount of choices in our lives today and we need to make the best decisions. However there's a great deal more that goes into decisions, as well as our feelings following the decisions, that surprised me. Rifling through this book caused some personal reflection and pointed out a few aspects of my personality that seem obvious but weren't recognized until this reflection. Apparently I am a maximizer. There were a few studies mentioned which actually proved the opposite of what many people, myself included, would have reasoned when it comes to decision making. The advice is primarily common sense, but again until you spend the time to contemplate it you may not realize.

January 2013
7

Santaland Diaries - David Sedaris

An overtly sarcastic collection of tongue-in-cheek short stories loosely surrounding the Christmas holiday. The negativity persists even if it is veiled behind the sarcasm and really doesn't make for an uplifting read at all - in fact it was quite the opposite. Not funny so much as borderline offensive at times. The first story, about working as an elf, is the highest point and gives hope that the rest may be worth its while but that expectation is not met.

3
December 2012

1Q84 - Haruki Murakami

My first endeavour into Murakami and it was a slog. His latest is a full length, that showcases moments of poetic brilliance set among a realistic fantasy tale. The story itself is intriguing but rather slow moving considering how little happens in 900+ pages. A handful of actions are analyzed over and over again, perhaps to stress their importance and show a glimpse of what the characters must have gone through but with nothing added on each retelling it is difficult to see the point of it all. I'd have preferred a boiled down Reader's Digest version, as long as it still included things like his likening of Ushikawa's hair to pubic hair, but cut out the ninth retelling of the hand-holding scene. Even after it all there isn't a great deal of resolution that makes one wonder whether it was worthwhile in the end.

6.5

Oct-Dec (no library renewals!)

Exit Lines - Joan Barfoot

An eye-opening read for a self-obsessed youth. The characters are real and revealing, making the book riveting. It starts strongly, once everyone was straight in my head, and then it carries. Written in a style that crams many things into a sentence, similar to the way people actually think. In fact there seem to be occasions were multiple narrators take on a paragraph and there were a number of re-reads, moving the emphasis around, but it was worth it once you got it. Setting the stage was my favourite part of the book as I was not thrilled by the plot line once it was eventually revealed but persistence easily paid off. A fine, grounding read that manages to cover a lot of 'life' and ends up as an inspiration.

8
November 2012