#1 - The Year of Living Biblically-A.J. Jacobs (my non-fiction book of the quarter)
This book is about a man who read several versions of the bible and wrote down all of the rules he found. Then, he tried to follow them to the best of his ability for a year.
I like this book a lot more than I thought I would. I was afraid that it would be a really dry, boring retelling from some religious fanactic, but it totally isn't. This is a normal, not-really-religious guy living in secular New York City. He actually reminds me of myself a little, and I really like the layout and writing styles. I recomend it to anyone who wants to think a little bit. It's not particularly difficult, but it does ask serious philisophical and moral questions.
#2 - Feed-M.T. Anderson
Feed is a sci-fi book about a society where everyone has chips in their heads that tell them information about things, advertise, allow them to chat with people, and listen to music. It asks ethical questions about how far we should go with technology.
So far I like this book. It's a pretty easy read, but there are a lot of invented slang words sometimes make it hard to follow. I'm not very far into it (I just started it this weekend), so I can't really say for sure, but so far I'm liking it.
#3 - The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath
I've read this book before and absolutely love it. It's definitely different, ecspecially considering when it was written, but I adore it. There are certain metaphors and views that make me laugh and certainly make me think. This book is autobiographical, which explains how Plath captured what it was like to lose your mind so perfectly.
#4 - Fruits Basket-Natsuki Takaya
My first manga book!
I always thought that graphic novels were just a way to get out of having to use adjectives in your writing, but one of my friends, who is an elequent writer, loves manga, so I asked for suggestions and this is what I got.
I'm borrowing this from her, and I haven't really started it yet. I read a few pages, and it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. It's cute, though, and I can't wait to learn the "manga code," if you will, which is sort of like puncuation. Some pictures have certain meanings (example: flowers floating around a character means they're crushing on someone).
I'm reading a couple more, but I don't have time to write about them now. More later!
So many books at once also makes it difficult to pick which post to comment on, Rebecca. I am impressed with your openness to new genres of reading. I read my first graphic novels just a few years ago, but I have also found that they provide a different short of brain challenge than the traditional reading. Did you read "American Born Chinese" i nthe fall? What did you think of that?
ReplyDeleteI did read "Amercian Born Chinese," and to tell you the truth, I really didn't like it. I don't know why, other than that it just seemed stupid. I mean, I didn't think it was that good, and, if you're going to make a group of people read the same book so that they feel more connected or whatever, make it a GOOD book. Granted, my reading level is higher than most, but the kids who aren't going to read it, aren't going to read it--even if it is a graphic novel.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't like the book very much. It seemed difficult to find what other messages the author was trying to get across besides all the repetitive anti-racial propaganda that we see so often it's become more of a nuisance than an inspiration. Half of the stereotypes mentioned in this book I haven't even heard of, so this book didn't contribute much to my life.
ReplyDeleteI also have not read much manga/graphic novels so it was kind of different. I have read some, and this may just be the authors, but the style seems choppy and the story doesn't flow as well as with novels.
Rebecca, I agree with you, they should have picked a book that would inspire people to read MORE. People who don't care and won't read a regular book won't read a manga book either. This could actually apply further, where the US public school system has been continually making curriculum easier for the lowest common denominator. People who are not prepared to work with difficult curriculum won't work with easier curriculum and they are hindering people who actually can and will contribute something to society.
Sorry, when I write, I rant a lot.