Anyone ever tell you that you should read more? not me. No one is surprised to see me with a book. In some ways, books are my guilty pleasures. They are my soap operas and sitcoms, as well as my chocolate and cinnamon toast crunch (such a good cereal).
I want to a poll of all the books that are people's guilty pleasure type books, and I am going to provide, first, a guess list, until I know for sure. If you haven't read these, then shame one you.
1. Harry Potter
2. Hunger Games
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. Insert yours here.
5. The Demon King
6. The Goose Girl
7. The Chosen
8. Anne of Green Gables
9. Pride and Prejudice
I know I can only advocate reading for so long. I want to start talking about my favorite books, and why I love them so much. So you can all prepare to tune out, for in the future, after I read a new book, my report on it will stand right here.
Happy Reading
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
The great thing about books is that they can show you things that you might never have thought of before. People don't seem to understand that when they read, they read the product of another person's mind. Those who are shy should be a little more wary of how much of themselves is put into things that they write. How very personal it is to have some world, or some project, that you have devoted yourself too, and then have it given to the world for anyone to read? Wow. Talk about exposition.
But it is an exposition that we love. For some reason, if a random person came up to you and started talking about this and this experience that happened to them at such and such a time, we would give them a "what are even talking to me for" look, and think they were, at best, quite strange. But, have that person write it down, put it into characters, plot, setting and voice, and suddenly the experience becomes the most interesting thing to come along in a while. Books are a method of connecting humanity-- without ever connecting them.
Who could ever say that reading isn't worth it?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
New Year... More time?
I had an excellent discussion in one of my classes about budgeting time. We all waste time. And the biggest excuse we have for not completing things, or even starting things, is that we don't have time. Here are a few choice questions you might find relevant:
1. How many books did you read last year? Is your excuse not to read simply because "you don't have time?"
2. In contrast, how many movies did you watch? A movie is two hours long. So, even if you watched one film every four days, that is still half an hour a day. The average person can read about twenty pages an hour. So, 10 pages a day. Which translates into 3650 pages a year. To put that is a bigger perspective... that is the entire series of Harry Potter. With just half an hour a day at average reading speed. Now if you are like me and read closer to 100 pages an hour... that amount increases. (14, 600 pages a year). How many pages are you shorting yourself?
3. How do you spend your "waiting time?" By waiting time, I mean waiting for appointments, lay overs in airports, waiting ten minutes when you go to pick someone up, the limbo time between classes, the driving time between work and home... etc. How do you maximize your waiting time?
4. How many times to you cut in on time doing important things because you wasted time earlier? You know what I mean. Like, you stayed up way to late, so you cut hours at work, or skip class the next day because you are too tired to perform. What if we gave all important things the time that they need?
1. How many books did you read last year? Is your excuse not to read simply because "you don't have time?"
2. In contrast, how many movies did you watch? A movie is two hours long. So, even if you watched one film every four days, that is still half an hour a day. The average person can read about twenty pages an hour. So, 10 pages a day. Which translates into 3650 pages a year. To put that is a bigger perspective... that is the entire series of Harry Potter. With just half an hour a day at average reading speed. Now if you are like me and read closer to 100 pages an hour... that amount increases. (14, 600 pages a year). How many pages are you shorting yourself?
3. How do you spend your "waiting time?" By waiting time, I mean waiting for appointments, lay overs in airports, waiting ten minutes when you go to pick someone up, the limbo time between classes, the driving time between work and home... etc. How do you maximize your waiting time?
4. How many times to you cut in on time doing important things because you wasted time earlier? You know what I mean. Like, you stayed up way to late, so you cut hours at work, or skip class the next day because you are too tired to perform. What if we gave all important things the time that they need?
Thursday, December 23, 2010
An Old Kind of Carol
So, with all the bustle getting ready for Christmas, I hope most people have found time to reflect at little on what wonderful things have happened this year. I would like to like to take this opportunity and be true to my blog-- and suggest a book that if you have not read yet, then shame on you. Everybody should read A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Really. I know you know the story-- grumpy, lonely man has a change of heart and discovers the true meaning of Christmas. Hmm... I feel like there is more to it than that. But then, I would. :)
Top five reasons to read this book:
1. It is hilarious. For those unfamiliar with Dicken's work, he happens to have a very unique sense of humor.
2. It will let you what parts of you are still "scroogey".
3. It makes you think about forgiving others.
4. It makes you re-evaluate your priorities, and not just Christmas ones.
5. It is short, so it won't take you long to read.
Just a brief aside on the forgiveness one-- Sometimes, we all think that we are doing okay as far as some things are concerned. We learn about characters like Scrooge, and automatically think that we aren't like that. We like to place ourselves with the good guys. Are you really as good as the good guys? Is there never a time, in a particular area of your life, where you might be more like Scrooge? Just think about it, and before you jump on the Scroogyness of others, get rid of the Scrooge in you. Merry Christmas.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Outside the Box
So here is an idea for you... everybody is comfortable doing things that they are used to. I guess that is why it is called a comfort zone. I am going to put in a plug for this amazing book that I have had the privilege to read, while at the same time trying to explain why it has changed a perspective for me.
The book: LIFE OF PI
The author: Yann Martel
The perspective: The boy, Pi, in this book, has many deep convictions-- a love of nature and a love of animals, born of his native Hindu religion, and also of his childhood spent in a zoo (his dad was a zookeeper). But, he discovers things, and keeps an open mind about them, and learns to love and appreciate these things for the beauty that they hold. Not only does he come to realize that Richard Parker is not only a dangerous bengal tiger, but he is a creation of God, a brother to Pi. He discovers the beautiful story of Christ, the ultimate sacrifice, and learns to accept that beautiful story. He learns the devotion of the Islam religion and rejoices in the simple loyalty that its practicers experience.
Not only are these "feel-good" life lessons, but they end up becoming essential to Pi's survival, on an adventure, but a life-threatening situation, that probably will always one-up your best story.
Imagtine that. Dropping the comfort zone and learning acceptance becomes essential for Pi's survival. And now... how has your perception changed?
The book: LIFE OF PI
The author: Yann Martel
The perspective: The boy, Pi, in this book, has many deep convictions-- a love of nature and a love of animals, born of his native Hindu religion, and also of his childhood spent in a zoo (his dad was a zookeeper). But, he discovers things, and keeps an open mind about them, and learns to love and appreciate these things for the beauty that they hold. Not only does he come to realize that Richard Parker is not only a dangerous bengal tiger, but he is a creation of God, a brother to Pi. He discovers the beautiful story of Christ, the ultimate sacrifice, and learns to accept that beautiful story. He learns the devotion of the Islam religion and rejoices in the simple loyalty that its practicers experience.
Not only are these "feel-good" life lessons, but they end up becoming essential to Pi's survival, on an adventure, but a life-threatening situation, that probably will always one-up your best story.
Imagtine that. Dropping the comfort zone and learning acceptance becomes essential for Pi's survival. And now... how has your perception changed?
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
So... an update on aquaintance with letters. I have recently begun reading "A Tale of Two Cities" by the extraordinary Charles Dickens. I have also been reading (at the same time, incidently) Harry Potter, and a few other books here and there. Something I have noticed about all of them, whether published in the eighteen hundreds or in the last ten years... is that something about the way that they are written draws a person in. I know there are people that HATE reading... but if you think about it for a second... everything we know about the past comes from books. Even if those books were fictional works... they were written by people about people in similar surroundings as themselves. We learn about how they spoke, what the major issues were in day to day life, and what the public was interesting in reading.
So how then... do books written in 1867 still remain popular today? There is something that we have in common with those books... something that we still notice-- our own humanity. That is why reading is so important. Because it teaches us something that we cannot learn from science. It shows us the ideas and the values that thinkers of any age wanted to be heard. Funny thing... we can take what they have written and go to the next step. We can analyze... and write things down too. The study of what people have written before us gives us the chance to move our ideas beyond theirs. What an idea!
In short... reading makes you a better person. And if every person person read... we might just have a better world.
So how then... do books written in 1867 still remain popular today? There is something that we have in common with those books... something that we still notice-- our own humanity. That is why reading is so important. Because it teaches us something that we cannot learn from science. It shows us the ideas and the values that thinkers of any age wanted to be heard. Funny thing... we can take what they have written and go to the next step. We can analyze... and write things down too. The study of what people have written before us gives us the chance to move our ideas beyond theirs. What an idea!
In short... reading makes you a better person. And if every person person read... we might just have a better world.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
So, I had better explain the title...
most people think I am... well a bit of a nerd. When it comes to some things, I am-- especially food and books. I was racking my brains for the perfect theme/title of my blog, and so I decided to use the word "literature". The origin of the word comes from a latin expression that translates in the meaning: "acquaintance with letters". So, judge me if you will, but there you have it.
so... an acquaintance with letters. my an aquaintance with me would help. My name is Julie. I live in Canada and go to school in Utah. I have a big family, my favorite color is blue, I perfer wood over metal in most things, and I am kind of a health freak. Spinach is my best friend. My favorite books include: Wuthering Heights, Persuasion, Heart of Darkness, and (of course), Harry Potter.
Beyond the written word, my interests include running (I hope to do a marathon for the first time next year sometime), helping others understand why milk and sugar are not the healthiest things in the world, movies, and cooking. I love to bake and create new recipes. Even though I am not the mom, I make dinner every night at my house, just because I usually enjoy it a great deal.
This blog may be for my own benefit. But I hope to benefit others: an aquaintance with letters. Friends start with acquaintances. And friends, good ones, can change your life.
so... an acquaintance with letters. my an aquaintance with me would help. My name is Julie. I live in Canada and go to school in Utah. I have a big family, my favorite color is blue, I perfer wood over metal in most things, and I am kind of a health freak. Spinach is my best friend. My favorite books include: Wuthering Heights, Persuasion, Heart of Darkness, and (of course), Harry Potter.
Beyond the written word, my interests include running (I hope to do a marathon for the first time next year sometime), helping others understand why milk and sugar are not the healthiest things in the world, movies, and cooking. I love to bake and create new recipes. Even though I am not the mom, I make dinner every night at my house, just because I usually enjoy it a great deal.
This blog may be for my own benefit. But I hope to benefit others: an aquaintance with letters. Friends start with acquaintances. And friends, good ones, can change your life.
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