Book 1: How Children Succeed

I found this very interesting, both from a personal perspective (what can I do to help my own children), but in a larger, national context (what are some possible solutions for generational poverty and other socio-economic inequalities).

These issues are complicated and there are no easy answers, nor any answers that will solve every problem, but Paul Tough describes some programs and ideas that seem to be working.

As for me, I'll just go back to "licking and grooming" my little ones, because attachment matters.

Book 49: Dad is Fat

Jim Gaffigan may be the official standup comedian of parents. He still has more kids than we have, though we are trying to catch up! (Just kidding!)

This book was overall very funny, but there were a few times that I thought it was a bit too earnest to be funny. His standup is genius, though--we listened to a couple of recent recordings on New Year's Eve and laughed uproariously.

Book 48: Peony in Love

I've read a couple of Lisa See's other books (Shanghai Girls, Dreams of Joy, On Gold Mountain) and enjoyed them, especially On Gold Mountain. I thought I'd try this one as well.

Some of the "ghost" elements of the story were a little too wacky for me and I really didn't relate at all to the narrator. But it gave me some historical perspective on the Ming and Qing dynasties. Surprise surprise, the Chinese had a movement of female writers and poets long before the West did.

Book 47: The Fish that Ate the Whale

Who knew there was so much to know about bananas growing and banana sales?

Not that long ago, the banana was quite a mover and a shaker in world politics. In addition to helping me understand the ol' slipping-on-a-banana-peel gag, this was really fun to listen because it was so engagingly written.

Book 44: Gilead

This was a re-read for me, which almost never happens.

I first read this when it was first published, about 10 years ago. This time, I listened to the audio book. Some of it was wonderfully read, but some parts of the reading reminded me a little bit of Santa Claus or some other stylized "older man" character. The knowing chuckle got to be an irritating disruption in the beautifully written narrative.

Book 41: The Swerve

Not sure what electromagnetic field affected my brain to such a degree that I haven't posted anything in two months, but here we go again!

This one will blow your mind.

I had no idea that so many of our "modern" ideas originated in ancient Greece, or how many of them were lost in the Middle Ages. It poses some interesting, challenging questions about religion, as well.

Book 39: Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder

I found it kind of funny to be doing my evening walks and having Arianna Huffington hand-slap me about not getting enough sleep.

Overall, this wasn't particularly interesting. There were a few new ideas, but mostly, it seemed like old news.

Book 37: We are All Completely Beside Ourselves

I was drawn to this title, knowing very little about it, because hey, "beside ourselves" is a state I can relate to these days.

This is really quite a deep and thought-provoking book, for a work of contemporary fiction. The ending was a little disappointing; I wasn't satisfied with the way the author chose to resolve a few elements, and it almost felt like the ending to a different book, rather than the one I had started. Overall, though, it was worth the read.

Book 36: And the Mountains Echoed

Oh, this was positively delicious to listen to.

The stories fit together subtly but clearly, the characters are interesting and complicated, and the voice talent was wonderful. I felt like this was a much more mature piece of writing from Hosseini. I would gladly read another like this!

Book 34: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Many years ago, I read The Kite Runner, and though I don't remember it well, I liked it. This is also a story of Afghanistan, which is a place I would like to learn more about.

The story focuses on women's lives over a period of time in Afghanistan. The audio book is read by an Afghani, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. The story is moving, but the writing style seemed a bit trite and formulaic. For instance, it seemed like every adjective came in a set of three. "The Rule of Three" is great, but it got tiresome after a while.

Book 31: The Upcycle

I had such high hopes for this book. It takes a positive approach to solving environmental problems and in principle, is quite inspiring.

But with audio books, the reading makes or breaks the book. This book suffered from being read by someone who reminded me of Wilford Brimley.

Book 30: Angle of Repose

This was a re-read for me, which is a very rare occurrence, so you know something must be up. What's up is that Wallace Stegner writes a fine book, and that's just what I needed.

Years ago, before time began, I took a class in college that was focused on Wallace Stegner's work. I'd never heard of him before then, but I could tell he was a great writer, even as a really dumb college student. The book was even better this time around.

Book 26: A Tale for the Time Being

Oh, what a delight this was!

Sometimes it was mind-bending, sometimes it was disturbing, but overall, it was wonderful to listen to. Ruth Ozeki reads her own book in this audio version and it is remarkable.

If you like Haruki Murakami, you'll probably enjoy this as well.

Oh, and that is book 26 for 2014! I've met my goal!

Book 25: What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast

This is a quick read (or listen) that has the potential to help you make better use of your time.

At first I was a little put off, thinking I am not really trying to be "successful." But Vanderkam doesn't define success; she enumerates some broad categories, but leaves most of the defining and identifying of success up to her readers. Then, she discusses how to make sure you're moving toward those goals in the first hours of the day.

Now if only I were doing any of the things Vanderkam suggests.

Book 23: Prague Winter

Madeleine Albright only discovered her family's Jewish heritage 50 years after World War II, when she became Secretary of State for the Clinton administration. She then learned that a number of her relatives had died in Jewish internment camps in Czechoslovakia.

This book is a mixture of personal remembrance, family history, and the history of the Czech people and Czechoslovakia, focusing particularly on the years leading up to and including World War II. There was much that was new to me.

The writing was lovely. The reading was done by Albright herself, which was nice in a way, but sometimes the pausing was odd or confusing.

Book 20: David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

This was a guilty pleasure read for me. Read by Malcolm Gladwell himself! He's Canadian! It includes a story from Manitoba (albeit a rather gruesome one)! Really, what's not to love?

Oh, Malcolm Gladwell, how I wanted to embrace your "insight porn."

Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that most stories can't possibly be as simple (or even complicatedly tidy) as Gladwell makes them sound. But the stories are interesting, and I do feel like I have learned something.

Book 19: My Dyslexia

Philip Schultz has dyslexia, and he's also a poet. He only discovered his dyslexia when his young son was diagnosed with the condition. This book describes some of his experiences with an undiagnosed learning disability.

In my ignorance, I expected a bit more of a nonfiction expository feel to this. Instead, it's much more poetic descriptions and images of his experiences learning to read and struggling in school. I enjoyed the descriptions and yet was appalled at the way he was treated in school.

Book 15: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana

This is an account of how a group of Afghani sisters started a dressmaking business that supported their large extended family, then went on to train other women in dressmaking.

I love stories of women making things happen and taking care of themselves and their families. I felt like there were a few details missing or glossed over in this account, though. How can someone learn intricate bead work in a single lesson and do it well enough to use as a salable sample? Overall, though, this was an interesting window into women's lives in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

Book 3: Bossypants

I needed a bit of comic relief, so I listened to Tina Fey read her book.

Some parts of this I thought were very funny, and some parts were just kind of meh. I think I would probably have enjoyed it more if I were more familiar with Tina Fey's work. Really about the only thing I had seen her in was on SNL as Sarah Palin, which I loved.

Book 81: Lean In

This book has been a bit controversial: do women really need to do more to advance their own careers, so there can be a more equal representation of women in higher positions? Or is it the culture of the workplace and really, the overall culture of the U.S. and Canada, with its subtle and not-so-subtle ways of discouraging women from pursuing those higher positions?



I do see the wisdom in focusing on what women themselves can do, and the things we do unknowingly to sabotage ourselves. We can control what we do--we have far less control over the rest of the culture of work and leadership.

As someone who took the "off-ramp" to have a family, after years of singlehood and building a bit of a career of sorts, I felt a little bit guilty during the first couple of chapters. But like many women, I will almost certainly use the "on-ramp" again someday, so these are great ideas to consider for the future. Some criticized this book as being only for young women, just beginning their careers, but there are lots of ideas that apply to women at later stages, like me.