Book report
May. 18th, 2010 06:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormkeeper_lovedorisI read books as if every library, Paperbackswap.com, and Better World Books were going to shut down forever starting tomorrow. I found that I really like taking a minute to reflect on what I read, so I started doing these book reports. Whenever I have 5 or so books finished, I post a report.
Every Day is a Good Day edited by Wilma Mankiller --- This is a series of essays by contemporary Native American women, edited by the legendary activist Wilma Mankiller (who, incidentally, passed away earlier this year). The anthology is pretty good. The women write about their culture, spirituality, the lives of Native women, trying to uphold their tradition values in a culture that has severely impacted them. I felt that the anthology gave a good glimpse of the best aspects of this culture. Grade: B-
Crying with Cockroaches: Argentina to New York with Two Horses by Marianne du Toit – Could. Not. Put it down. The book is exactly what its subtitle indicates: one woman traveled from Argentina to New York with two horses. I read the 415 page book over a period of 3 days (2 of which I was working). I basically read it whenever I wasn’t working, eating, sleeping, or doing something else required. Her journey and her strength are amazing. The descriptions of the people and the culture in Latin America are heartbreaking and vivid. I don’t know too many others who got to spend time with and see what the daily lives are like for the people who live in the remote towns in Argentina, Bolivia, and other countries. I was particularly fascinated by that. I also appreciated that the author is interested in animals, and she documents some horrific instances of animal abuse along the way. I thank her for making this trek and for writing about it. Bonus – lots of great pictures. Grade: A
More behind the cut.
Thanks for Coming by Mara Altman – Altman is a 26 year old woman who is on a quest to have her first ever orgasm. I can pretty much sum up my view on books about sex: as long as it’s not written by some sexist dork, I’m all for reading it. Although sometimes I got frustrated with Altman – you get to know her pretty well in this nearly 400 page book, and she has qualities both endearing and annoying – I enjoyed reading it. Her quest takes her to sex researchers, gurus, romantic interests, friends, therapists, the legendary Betty Dodson, a community of women and men near San Francisco that spends literally all day on female orgasm, and much more. Very enjoyable. Grade: B+
Crazy Woman by Kate Horsley – This is the first novel that Kate Horsley published. Her later books are really good; I especially enjoyed “Confessions of a Pagan Nun” and “The Changeling”. But this novel was really amateurish. I guess every good novelist has to start somewhere. It was just poorly written. But I can’t knock it too much – Horsley’s tale of a white woman taken prisoner by Apaches 150 years ago did hold my interest even if it’s not going to win any literary awards. Grade: C
Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work by Paul Babiak and Robert D Hare - I can’t remember how this book got on my “too read” list, but for my own protection I figured it couldn’t hurt to learn more about psychopaths who work in corporations. I kinda thought I might just page through the book and pick up a tip or two, but I ended up reading the whole thing and even re-reading many sections. It’s really chilling. The authors estimate that about 1% of the population is psychopathic. They have no remorse, no feelings, and they care only about their own power and feelings of excitement. They use people for their own means without guilt, and many of them come across as very charming and persuasive. And Corporations are areas that many of them seek out. The authors teach you how to not hire them, and how to spot and deal with them. They include many scary, real-life examples. This books falls into a category that I’d classify as a good “self defense” book. Grade: B+
Started reading, didn’t finish:
None this time.
Every Day is a Good Day edited by Wilma Mankiller --- This is a series of essays by contemporary Native American women, edited by the legendary activist Wilma Mankiller (who, incidentally, passed away earlier this year). The anthology is pretty good. The women write about their culture, spirituality, the lives of Native women, trying to uphold their tradition values in a culture that has severely impacted them. I felt that the anthology gave a good glimpse of the best aspects of this culture. Grade: B-
Crying with Cockroaches: Argentina to New York with Two Horses by Marianne du Toit – Could. Not. Put it down. The book is exactly what its subtitle indicates: one woman traveled from Argentina to New York with two horses. I read the 415 page book over a period of 3 days (2 of which I was working). I basically read it whenever I wasn’t working, eating, sleeping, or doing something else required. Her journey and her strength are amazing. The descriptions of the people and the culture in Latin America are heartbreaking and vivid. I don’t know too many others who got to spend time with and see what the daily lives are like for the people who live in the remote towns in Argentina, Bolivia, and other countries. I was particularly fascinated by that. I also appreciated that the author is interested in animals, and she documents some horrific instances of animal abuse along the way. I thank her for making this trek and for writing about it. Bonus – lots of great pictures. Grade: A
More behind the cut.
Thanks for Coming by Mara Altman – Altman is a 26 year old woman who is on a quest to have her first ever orgasm. I can pretty much sum up my view on books about sex: as long as it’s not written by some sexist dork, I’m all for reading it. Although sometimes I got frustrated with Altman – you get to know her pretty well in this nearly 400 page book, and she has qualities both endearing and annoying – I enjoyed reading it. Her quest takes her to sex researchers, gurus, romantic interests, friends, therapists, the legendary Betty Dodson, a community of women and men near San Francisco that spends literally all day on female orgasm, and much more. Very enjoyable. Grade: B+
Crazy Woman by Kate Horsley – This is the first novel that Kate Horsley published. Her later books are really good; I especially enjoyed “Confessions of a Pagan Nun” and “The Changeling”. But this novel was really amateurish. I guess every good novelist has to start somewhere. It was just poorly written. But I can’t knock it too much – Horsley’s tale of a white woman taken prisoner by Apaches 150 years ago did hold my interest even if it’s not going to win any literary awards. Grade: C
Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work by Paul Babiak and Robert D Hare - I can’t remember how this book got on my “too read” list, but for my own protection I figured it couldn’t hurt to learn more about psychopaths who work in corporations. I kinda thought I might just page through the book and pick up a tip or two, but I ended up reading the whole thing and even re-reading many sections. It’s really chilling. The authors estimate that about 1% of the population is psychopathic. They have no remorse, no feelings, and they care only about their own power and feelings of excitement. They use people for their own means without guilt, and many of them come across as very charming and persuasive. And Corporations are areas that many of them seek out. The authors teach you how to not hire them, and how to spot and deal with them. They include many scary, real-life examples. This books falls into a category that I’d classify as a good “self defense” book. Grade: B+
Started reading, didn’t finish:
None this time.
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-20 02:00 pm (UTC)Also--Snakes In Suits sounds like a non-fiction version of American Psycho. (Only 1%, really? I've been watching too many movies...)
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Date: 2010-05-20 09:28 pm (UTC)