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Book report
Apr. 19th, 2017 08:25 amTime for another book report
My rating system:
10 – life-changing, an all-time favorite
5 - average
1 – terrible, why did I finish it?
The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer – You probably know who Amy Schumer is. This is her collection of essays on a variety of topics. As one reviewer said, whether she's experiencing lust-at-first-sight while in the airport security line, sharing her own views on love and marriage, admitting to being an introvert, or discovering her cross-fit instructor's secret bad habit, Amy Schumer proves to be a bighearted, brave, and thoughtful storyteller. I liked the book. It was funny but serious at times. Most of the essays ranged from good to fascinating (a few standouts: a section on how she became a famous comedian and a section on the Tea Party-loving man who shot and killed two women at a screening of Amy’s movie). I think Amy is cool. Grade: 8
How to Be Alive by Colin Beavan – This is a great book about how to chart a path to finding a satisfying and fulfilling life. Beavan isn’t interested in the traditional societal definitions of success. He wants to help you if you’re looking for more meaning and joy while also wanting to address the crises and challenges in our world such as climate change and racism. Although it wasn’t the right book for me – I’m in a really good place right now both on personal happiness and on spending time working with groups trying to make a difference – it was written really well and was refreshing and heartening to read. Grade: 8
My Last Continent by Midge Raymond – A unique and interesting novel taking place in modern times. Deb is an introvert and a researcher of birds; she makes several trips to Antarctica to study penguins. She meets and becomes romantically involved with Keller, another American who spends part of the year working in Antarctica. Both are concerned with the destruction of the penguins’ habitat, and things get even more complicated when cruise ships start invading the area but don’t know how to navigate the harsh conditions. I loved the characters, the setting, and the pace at which the author moved the plot. My only gripe is that each chapter jumped around in time, and although the start of the chapter tells you when it takes place in relation to a major plot point, I still would’ve preferred less jumping. Grade: 7
Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis – This is definitely not the kind of book I usually read. It’s a memoir of a young woman who went to Uganda at the age of 18 and devoted her life to serving Jesus and helping Uganda’s poor. She adopts several orphaned girls, runs a school, goes into slums with a mobile medical clinic, and does anything else she can to help. I admit, I don’t often read books by folks who are this devout, who talk about living as a servant of Jesus and carrying out his will. Nothing against them, it’s just not my thing. And I just finished reading an issue of the left-leaning magazine “Shameless”, and I know there’s plenty in this book that Shameless writers would disagree with (the author says she wants to be Black in heaven. And at the end of the day she’s still a missionary which many see as problematic {too many missionaries are like “I’ll help you if and when you convert to my religion”}). But. I couldn’t put the book down. Davis went all out to care for children who were poor, sick, and hungry. She gave up a life of material comfort to bring God’s love to people. Devout Christian or not, you have to admire what she does and how she wholeheartedly lives the best parts of Christianity. The constant references to God and to her religion get annoying, but that is what brought her to Uganda and what drives her. Also, her tidbits of day to day life in an Ugandan slum are fascinating. Grade: 7
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg - This book provides a framework for understanding how habits work, and a guide for understanding how they might change. Plenty of illustrative examples. I need to see if I can now put it into play to stop pushing my cuticles back! Grade: 7
My rating system:
10 – life-changing, an all-time favorite
5 - average
1 – terrible, why did I finish it?
The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer – You probably know who Amy Schumer is. This is her collection of essays on a variety of topics. As one reviewer said, whether she's experiencing lust-at-first-sight while in the airport security line, sharing her own views on love and marriage, admitting to being an introvert, or discovering her cross-fit instructor's secret bad habit, Amy Schumer proves to be a bighearted, brave, and thoughtful storyteller. I liked the book. It was funny but serious at times. Most of the essays ranged from good to fascinating (a few standouts: a section on how she became a famous comedian and a section on the Tea Party-loving man who shot and killed two women at a screening of Amy’s movie). I think Amy is cool. Grade: 8
How to Be Alive by Colin Beavan – This is a great book about how to chart a path to finding a satisfying and fulfilling life. Beavan isn’t interested in the traditional societal definitions of success. He wants to help you if you’re looking for more meaning and joy while also wanting to address the crises and challenges in our world such as climate change and racism. Although it wasn’t the right book for me – I’m in a really good place right now both on personal happiness and on spending time working with groups trying to make a difference – it was written really well and was refreshing and heartening to read. Grade: 8
My Last Continent by Midge Raymond – A unique and interesting novel taking place in modern times. Deb is an introvert and a researcher of birds; she makes several trips to Antarctica to study penguins. She meets and becomes romantically involved with Keller, another American who spends part of the year working in Antarctica. Both are concerned with the destruction of the penguins’ habitat, and things get even more complicated when cruise ships start invading the area but don’t know how to navigate the harsh conditions. I loved the characters, the setting, and the pace at which the author moved the plot. My only gripe is that each chapter jumped around in time, and although the start of the chapter tells you when it takes place in relation to a major plot point, I still would’ve preferred less jumping. Grade: 7
Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis – This is definitely not the kind of book I usually read. It’s a memoir of a young woman who went to Uganda at the age of 18 and devoted her life to serving Jesus and helping Uganda’s poor. She adopts several orphaned girls, runs a school, goes into slums with a mobile medical clinic, and does anything else she can to help. I admit, I don’t often read books by folks who are this devout, who talk about living as a servant of Jesus and carrying out his will. Nothing against them, it’s just not my thing. And I just finished reading an issue of the left-leaning magazine “Shameless”, and I know there’s plenty in this book that Shameless writers would disagree with (the author says she wants to be Black in heaven. And at the end of the day she’s still a missionary which many see as problematic {too many missionaries are like “I’ll help you if and when you convert to my religion”}). But. I couldn’t put the book down. Davis went all out to care for children who were poor, sick, and hungry. She gave up a life of material comfort to bring God’s love to people. Devout Christian or not, you have to admire what she does and how she wholeheartedly lives the best parts of Christianity. The constant references to God and to her religion get annoying, but that is what brought her to Uganda and what drives her. Also, her tidbits of day to day life in an Ugandan slum are fascinating. Grade: 7
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg - This book provides a framework for understanding how habits work, and a guide for understanding how they might change. Plenty of illustrative examples. I need to see if I can now put it into play to stop pushing my cuticles back! Grade: 7
