The Poisonwood Bible.

It's not often that a novel requires 3am bedtimes, but this one does. It's a fascinating read about a family (father, mother, and four daughters) who leave the life they know in the southern USA to live in the African Congo during the 1970s. The country's fight for survival amid corruption, assassinations, and political turmoil is the backdrop for the fight for every day survival by those of the people. The jungle is harsh and unforgiving, but the villagers rise to the challenge. At the end of the day, the members of this white missionary family, each in their own way, learn that while they can't change the jungle, the jungle does change them.

I highly HIGHLY recommend this book. Five stars.

Life of Pi.

Pi, a young Indian boy, is on his way to Canada with his family when their ship sinks. The story that follows is of his time on the lifeboat. It's a fascinating read that keeps you turning the pages with an ending that makes you go BACK and read the details again. I love books that have a great ending twist. It's a tale of religion, adventure, survival, and of how the human mind can save us from madness when we need it most.

Book Review: Julie and Julia.

Julie and Julia. If you've seen the movie, then DO NOT read the book. I haven't seen the movie, but after reading the book (which really wasn't that good), I want to. Sound odd? Let me explain.

The book is amateurish. The main character (the author herself) is annoying. She is mean to her husband, makes dumb decisions, and has a very foul mouth, which she makes fun of others for not "getting." She actually speaks very little of the food itself. She alternates between being self-depricating to self-important. In short, she's annoying. And to top it off, though it's presented as a memoir of sorts, there's a note at the beginning where she admits sometimes she "made stuff up."

But the movie... From what I hear and have read the movie is very VERY loosely based on the book. The main character in the film supposedly is sweet and earnest. The lives of Julie and Julia are paralleled. And really, I just want to see Meryl Streep portray Julia Child.

So for those reasons I give this book 2 stars. I hope to see the movie this week with my mom.

P.S. You should ignore my previous post where I said I was taking a day or two off from blogging. I just couldn't stay away!

The Paradox of Choice

The Paradox of Choice: How Less is More is a book I'm currently reading/studying. Barry Schwartz, a professor of Social Theory at Swarthmore College, discusses choice overload and its repercussions on our pursuit of happiness. How fascinating that freedom has a bell curve. Not enough freedom of choice, as in third world countries, obviously promotes less unhappiness. Just enough freedom of choice, as in lower/middle class America, makes us happy. However, too much freedom of choice, as in the wealthy elite, actually makes people less happy. How interesting, I think, to know that being able to choose anything you want (whether it be your career, a salad dressing, or a pair of jeans) makes us less happy.

And why is that? Schwartz uses the great example of wine. If a store has say 12 bottles of wine to choose from, and the wine you choose isn't so great, you feel marginally disappointed but chalk up the bad choice to there not being many options. Contrast that to visiting your local wine superstore (I'm thinking of Spec's) where there are hundreds and hundreds of wines to choose from. You choose a not-so-good wine, and all of a sudden your level of disappointment and regret is much higher because with all those options *you could've chosen better.* So the blame is shifted from the store to your own self.

Schwartz discusses countless interesting studies and experiements that demonstrate this phenomenon and more. The book is quite in depth but remains easy to read and follow. If you want the Clif notes, check him out giving his TED speech below.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html

Pretty Little Dirty

So I just finished reading a book called Pretty Little Dirty by Amanda Boyden and felt the need to write something about it. This is the type of coming-of-age story that haunts the reader for a while. It changed my mood and my day. It's a great story but not a "sweet" story. This novel deals with insecurities, crazy-normal thoughts (what's really normal, right?), and experimentation/addictions to drugs and sex. And this is all before the age of 21. I would like to give more details, but every little detail in this book (and there are many) is like a scrumptious morsel of a "book-meal", written to be tasted, savored, and ingested.
Anyhow, I recommend this book if you want a fast, but long, addictive read that while not brightening your day, will certainly turn on your thinker for a while and make you grateful for the choices that you did (or maybe did not?) take. 4 out of 5 stars.