Hiatus

Well, I can see that I haven't exactly been on pace for my weight goal.  However, I am taking an 18 month hiatus from this goal.  Don't worry, I'll still be reading, but my book selection will be rather slim and my access to the internet extremely limited.  Come January 2015, I'll be able to pick things up right where I left off!  (though I'll probably just start over with the new year)

The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene

Title:  The Elegant Universe:  Superstrings, Hidden Dimmensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
Author:   Brian Greene
Genre:  Science
Length:  464 Pages
Weight:  1.6 lbs
Date of Completion:  June 17, 2013

Thoughts:

I know that it is easy to complain about how unsciency a book about an extremely difficult physics topic that is meant for the general public can be.  There aren't any equations; the most we get are some general inverse relationships implied at one point.  The author and publisher assume that the individuals who read this book wouldn't be able to follow the equations, and they would detract from the "telling of the story".  Ironically, this is ridiculously true for a book on string theory.  At one point, the author finally acknowledges that the actual equations haven't ever been solved, just approximated.  To the uninformed public, that sounds really, really bad to be basing a theory off of a bunch of equations you can't solve.  For those who understand perturbation theory, it is a godsend in physics.  However, the lack of an actual solution does present a problem.

While I realize that there are intelligent people who would be interested in the book who are not physicists and do not have an adequate math background to keep up with a rigorous derivation of the theory, I honestly imagine them still having a difficult time with the book.  Only with my background of a physics degree helped make sense of things.  Greene talks like a physicist:  intelligent, with a large vocabulary, and completely aware that you are very stupid and he is dumbing down very complex and complicated ideas so you can try to understand it.  I've had many conversations with professors that are just like it in the past.

However, Greene is a very talented writer.  His excitement for the topic jumps off the page and helps carry you through some rough spots where he skates over some iffy explanations.  Overall, it was a book that I enjoyed reading.  Though it had the usual general physics introduction in the first 1/4 of the book (that gets old really fast when you have read the same basic intro in every book like this you read), the progression through the theory was smooth.  He addressed the major topics, who developed them and why they came about, what they mean in physics, and what they mean to the rest of the world.  For the purposes of the book, he did an excellent job.  

Years ago, I watched the NOVA miniseries Greene did for a science class.  I now own the DVD for the program and have watched it for fun.  I got the book a few years ago because I like the topic and the way Greene presents relativity.  Personally, I am very glad I waited until I had finished college (especially quantum statistical mechanics) before reading the book.  It helped with my comprehension immensely.  

Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix

Title:  Sabriel
Author:   Garth Nix
Genre:  Fiction/Fantasy
Length:  336 Pages
Weight:  0.7 lbs
Date of Completion:  June 10, 2013

Title:  Lirael
Author:   Garth Nix
Genre:  Fiction/Fantasy
Length:  371 Pages
Weight:  0.8 lbs
Date of Completion:  June 12, 2013

Title:  Abhorsen
Author:   Garth Nix
Genre:  Fiction/Fantasy
Length:  720 Pages
Weight:  0.8 lbs
Date of Completion:  June 15, 2013

Thoughts:

This trilogy is one of my all time favorites!  No matter how many times I have read them, I always find myself being pulled back into Nix's world.  I find it particularly unusual because for a book about necromancy (raising the dead), it is not evil or necessarily horror-creepy.  It deals with dark themes and imagery surrounding death, and consequently falls under the title of dark fantasy.  So while the books may be a little dark and creepy, they are immensely well-written.  In addition, they are very, very British.    

Nix's world is a mixture of a Tolkien-esque fantasy land separated from a modern world set in WWII England by a single wall.  Although the author is Australian, there are more than enough gentle touches of British culture and humor to really hit the spot.  Additionally, it is amazing to get such an amazingly in-depth back story to the culture of the novels without it getting dry or overbearing.  Nix is the Tolkien of dark fantasy.  (Don't worry, I will continue with the LOTR theme for the whole post.  But in all honesty, I think the story is nearly on par with anything Tolkien has done.)

The imagery and geography of Death is absolutely captivating, as is the intriguing nature of the necromancer's bells.  It carries hints of Grecian mythology with the river of death that pulls spirits to their final resting place through a series of gates, but is uniquely presented.  With that, as you find out more as the trilogy progresses, the magic and history of the Charter and the bells is impressive.  I think these two pieces of the story are what set these books apart for me.  

Sabriel is one of the best heroine's in fantasy that I have ever read.  She is neither a damsel-in-distress nor a warrior woman, but a young woman who thinks and acts precisely the way an 18-year-old (granted a fairly mature one) would in her position.  Sabriel is not strung up in a hero complex, and she doesn't lack in heart or humanity-she gets angry, jealous, frustrated, loves deeply, and gets revenge, yet she retains the pure quality of opposing the evil that has invaded her Kingdom.  It is almost a relief to meet a character with such basic reasons.  Strong, intriguing, and remarkably handy with a sword, Sabriel is my favorite main hero of the whole trilogy, though she only stars in the first novel.  

In the second and third books (Lirael and Abhorsen, respectively), you get a continuation of the unique, dark blend of humor and horror, but the stakes are much higher.  Like LOTR, this story is about the Armageddon and the end of the world-both in the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre.  Evil is more dangerous and abundant, the magic is more complex, and the entire story begins to take on larger dimensions   Diving into themes of order vs chaos, and even the different kinds of order, it even approaches a metaphysical discussion of freedom.  The struggles of the protagonists raise many philosophical questions:  Is genuine freedom to be unbound?  Is mastery the only form of power?  Is order better than chaos? 

My only real criticism is a desire for more.  Nearly everything was tidied up nicely at the end of Abhorsen, but Nix clearly has more stories about this world, as it is continued in Across the Wall.   The Disreputable Dog hints (I think) at a future relationship of Nick and Lirael, which I would find fascinating.  He has so many problems with all of the Free Magic and Charter Magic warring in him now, not to mention he is is still an Ancelstirrian who knows very little about the Old Kingdom.  On the other hand you have Lirael, who has no experience with men (or boys) and is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting.  I'm just waiting for Nix to continue on in this world and give them another story.  

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Title:  Neverwhere
Author:   Neil Gaiman
Genre:  Fiction/Fantasy
Length:  400 Pages
Weight:  0.4 lbs
Date of Completion:  June 6, 2013

Thoughts:

And I'm back to Neil Gaiman.  Although this was already in the stack of books I wanted to read next, the thing that pulled this one to the top is thanks to, again, my British obsession.  Rewind back to March, and BBC4 radio announces that a radio drama adaptation of Gaiman's work would be released in a series of 6 segments.  Only for a limited time could you listen online (which is crucial to those of us who can't listen live in the USA.  Although you can online, prime radio hours in the UK usually coincide with school/work over here) and I only got through the first episode.  However, through some creative searching, I found a site that let me complete the series not to long ago.  

With the talents of James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Anthony Head, Christopher Lee, Benedict Cumberbatch, and even author Neil Gaiman bringing London Below to life, it is safe to say that the result is absolutely stellar.  I really wish America had the culture and audience to be able to do something like this here.  Mind you, I don't hate the idea of having to move to London to get that.  At any rate, hearing this story so incredibly dramatized on the radio really brought me back to the novel.  

For some, the actors voices were strong in my head, but I found that this enriched the reading experience rather than detracted from it.  Whenever Richard spoke, I could here James McAvoy's lovely Scottish lilt in the words.  And I rest my case for reading Islington; hearing the twistedly angelic voice of Benedict Cumberbatch is enough to make anything better.  When I was in London this time last year (has it really been a year already?) I was excited to see the tube for myself and see how the picture in my head compared to what it really looks like.  Now I'm hooked on the UK; I'm desperate to get back!  Looks like I'm planning a trip for the summer of 2015 to go to London.

Crossed by Ally Condie

Title:  Crossed
Author:   Ally Condie
Genre:  Fiction/Fantasy
Length:  400 Pages
Weight:  1.0 lbs
Date of Completion:  June 6, 2013

Thoughts:

Dystopic YA fantasy.  It really seems to be the thing these days.  I stumbled across an article last week (that I can't find ANYWHERE) that talked about how labeling books as YA is incorrect.  I'm not always sure if I fall under the category of "young adult" anymore (the alternative is "old adult"?), but I am a big fan of many books in that classification.  Trues, the main characters are teenagers, dealing with teenage problems.  But the worlds and stories are not less appealing because I am no longer a teen.  

For Condie, I was intrigued by the world she created in Matched, and I was ready to dive into the sequel.  In all honesty, it was a very easy read and took me less than a day to finish.  Absolutely NOTHING happens.  Given the power that YA fiction has come forth with recently, I was more than a little disappointed with this middle book to the trilogy.  I know that a second story is always the hardest:  you have already captured some amount of interest by having to introduce the characters and their reality, as well as set up the main conflicts in the first book.  However, you can't get into the real action and resolution/twists until the finale in the third book.  This leaves you with a difficult task of all the "stuff" in the middle.  I've often wondered if, when there isn't necessarily enough material to have a full story arc separated correctly for three books, why authors don't just leave it at two books.  If feel like this would have been a good idea for this story.

Critique aside, I did like the very beginning of the book.  The first "chapter" for both Cassia and Ky had humanistic insight that hints at a some real talent in Condie.  For example,

 "And it is strange that absence can feel like presence.  A missing so complete that if it were to go away, I would turn around, stunned, to see that the room in empty after all, when before it at least had something, if not him." (pg 6) 

"I don't know why it's not the same, but it isn't.  At first, I thought it was having the picture that made it special, but it's not even that.  It's looking at something without being watched, without being told how to see.  That's what the picture has given us." (pg 12)

The two poems, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas and Crossing the Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson, are beautiful.  Tennyson is one of my absolute favorites poets of all time!  I like their inclusion, and I think it gives the teenage audience a new appreciation for the culture (and lack of) that mankind has developed and, subsequently lost.  This speaks a lot about what art means in relation to being human.  And every time I think about this, I am drawn back to a speech from Amanda Palmer (yup, I follow her on Twitter) you can read here.  I'm not an artist, at least not in how I can create things, but I can understand the connections and the beauty.  It's all a bout being human.  This is a concept (losing art and culture) that is present in nearly all dystopia novels, and I think that says a lot about the individual and expression we stand to lose.

Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by W.B. Yeats

Title:  Irish Fairy and Folk Tales
Author:   W.B. Yeats
Genre: Fiction
Length:  416 Pages
Weight:  1.8 lbs
Date of Completion:  June 1, 2013

Thoughts:

I've always had a thing for Ireland.  When I was much younger, I got obsessed with all the Celtic knot work-in jewelry, stitching, and even architecture.  The entire culture was ancient and fascinating.  This was all a part of a larger love I have for the UK.  Very specific to Ireland, though, was my desire to go live there.  I dreamed that I might go and work at a pub or local library in a small town.  I'd go and write in the old fashioned stone manor of under the trees outside of a castle.  This was also during a time when I went through a major writing phase; I was working on a story with the working title of "Irish Cinderella".  Obviously, it was a retelling of the classic fairy tale in Ireland, and I had put a lot of effort into researching the history and culture.

I've mentioned before how much I fairy tales in all forms.  These ones specific to the Irish culture have a special place in my heart.  Similar to those in the Mabinogion, they are stylized to the historical Irish-meaning that they bear no resemblance to anything Disney would produce.  Some of the stories are moralizing, others are more closely related to the ramblings of hysterics.  They are all distinctly Irish, starring ghosts, mermaids, leprechauns, fairies, and all kinds of fantastical creatures.  A particular favorite story was about Red Caps, an Irish sort of bog monster.  For those who don't catch the immediate reference, Red Caps are also found in the magical world of Harry Potter (most notably in book 3).  Gotta give J.K. huge props for her incredible insight into creature and legend accuracy.

Yeats, while best known for his poetry, studied legends and the occult which led to the majority of his literary work in Irish folklore.  His poetry is very different from, say, Tennyson, but in the context of his interests, fits very well with the lore.  There were only a few of his own tales in the collection of stories, most came from others he was in contact with.  He recorded local legends and newspaper clippings of stories, along with long-told classics.  It makes for an eclectic collection, but it is enchanting to read.  I desperately want to move to Dublin now!

This book did take me quite a while to read.  Besides it's length, many of the stories are written in Irish brogue.  As an American, it was fun to hear the accent in my head, but it occasionally made for slow reading.  I kept this book on my nightstand to read a short story or two before bed.  Although I started this book nearly a year ago, I am going to include it in this year's reading list.

52 Things to Help Me Be a Better Person

I've been really busy lately.  The older I get, the more there seems to be that I need to do.  It is so easy to become overwhelmed, bored/busy, and have no idea how or where to start.  At work, it is easy for me to sit at the computer and make a list of all the things I need to do, and slowly work on them.  When it comes to the rest of my life, I can't seem to get either side to function well; I don't remember to make lists, and if I do  make a list, I never get things done.

While I was sitting at work, I was struck with the thought that I could make weekly task lists for life, just like I do for my job.  I found this article and this article that talk about the power of weekly goals.  My brain barreled on further, and I decided that I could use this concept to better myself, not just get things done.  By adding one small self-improvement task to a weekly list, I could work on changing myself into an overall better person.  There are so many things that you can see you want to do:  spend more time with your family, be more spiritual, eat healthier, do service.  Finding time and space to fit all of these things in can be stressful.

Instead, I have made a list of 52 Things to Help Me Be a Better Person, one for each week.  It is divided up into five sections:  personal goals, spiritual goals, service goals, intellectual goals, and health goals.

Personal

• Send 5 "thank you" cards
• Send 5 "thinking of you" cards
• Pick something off of your bucket list and plan it
• Repeat a list of daily affirmations every morning
• Make a list of all your positive attributes and things you like about yourself
• Plan and go on a date
• Get rid of one item of clothing
• Get rid of one pair of shoes
• Write 3 things daily in a gratitude journal
• Write in your journal every day
• Catalog the week with pictures
• Write and send 3 letters
• Learn a new piano song
• Learn a new guitar song
• Deep clean and organize bedroom
• Make a list of bad habits and pick one to work on stopping

Spiritual

• Go to the Temple every day
• Read the entire BoM
• Give away a BoM
• Memorize 5 Scripture Mastery
• Double your next fast offering
• Write a letter to a missionary

Service

• Volunteer at a service organization
• Take the little cousins out for an activity
• Give 10 compliments to complete strangers
• Leave someone hidden notes in their room
• Buy someone else's meal
• Take flowers to the cemetery
• Take a friend out to lunch
• Buy a homeless person food
• Offer a free night of babysitting
• Give away a free tutoring session

Health

• Incorporate a new exercise routine into your schedule
• Try 3 new recipes
• Go sugar-free
• Go gluten-free
• Go vegetarian
• Complete all daily P90X workouts
• Do yoga everyday 
• Count calories honestly on MyFitnessPal every day
• Sign up for a 5k
• Get to bed before 10:30 PM every night
• Limit TV to 1 hour per day
• No social media (FB/twitter/pinterest)

Intellectual

• Learn 3 new vocabulary words every day
• Write at least one new page of a story
• Watch 1 TED talk every day
• Read the entire NYT every day
• Read the entire works of Alfred Tennyson
• Read the entire works of Emily Dickinson
• Read one of Shakespeare's works
• Write a poem

I wrote each of these goals on a cute piece of paper (1/16 of an 8x11) and put it in a mason jar.  Now, every Sunday night, I can pick a new weekly goal to work on!  Wish me luck!