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03/14/04--17:53: Book reading weekend (chan 2000628)

I finished three books this weekend. 1) Reading Lolita in Tehran by Aznar Nafisi. It is a well-written memoir about living in Iran during the Revolution under the Ayatollah. I learned a lot about Iranian history. She's a great writer and it's an honest picture about her struggle as a teacher and woman living in an increasingly hostile Islamic environment. I have to say that it's making me feel very antagonistic towards Islam. These revolutionaries are extremist idiots. The idea of marrying a female child off at the age of nine to guarantee her virginity in marriage is insane. I hope no one is actually have sex with that child.

2) The Messenger is Hot, by Nancy Crane. feh. Not a great book. I wouldn't recommend it. There's one or two stories I really liked, maybe three, but overall, it's not a keeper.

3) Maestro, by Bob Woodward. I wish that the book was written more recently and included stuff about the Dubya years. It ends during the last year of the Clinton administration. I found it fascinating to read about Black Tuesday in 87 and about the fiscal crises in Korea, Mexico and Thailand. The other two incidents included were the S&L scandals and Long Term Capital Management. Those were interesting to read about, but the part on the S&L bailout was very thin compared to the other stuff. It's not a weighty book. It's more of a blow-by-blow of events without a lot of analysis, which is too bad since these were some of the most interesting economic years of my life. I highly doubt there will ever be economic expansion like that ever again.

I recommend #1 without question. 2, not at all. 3, only if you really adore Alan Greenspan. I think you could probably find a better book on US economic history under Greenspan in a few years.


03/29/04--15:40: book review - Quicksilver, Neal T. Stephenson (chan 2000628)

I finally finished all 900 pages of it. I'm not sure I can handle Confusion when it comes out later this year. It's a LONG book. I powered through it in about 2 weeks.

I'm not sure I like Stephenson much as a historical writer. Or maybe it's the period of which he writes. I'm not that big on English history during the Enlightenment. It focuses on England and the Continent, but I have to say, brush up on your Cromwell and Gunpowder Plot. I was far more interested in the French parts because I know my history of Louis XIV much better.

I liked the characters, but I admit that the 'nasty, brutish and short' aspects of the period came through in some graphic biological descriptions of wounds, etc. I got grossed out and squeamish a few times as a result. That's what you get when you read right after dinner though.

I talked with disappearinjon about the book and he didn't like the last 2/3rds of it as much as the first 1/3rd. I would have to disagree. I liked the latter part of it a bit more because well, frankly, the lead character is a woman and there was less of the Natural Philosopher stuff to lead me astray from the good plot. I will say that I lost it in the last 100 pages and it ends rather abruptly. But I found that Cryptonomicon did the same thing. Some of Stephenson's musings on historical characters was interesting. I'm not sure that Sir Isaac Newton was gay, but the implication is there. Perhaps I read too much in to the 'sensitive child' descriptions of him though.

All in all, a good book to read. I would take it slower than I did. I just got anxious about it since I didn't want Jon to give it all away to me when we talked about it.



07/31/04--14:22: books books books (chan 2000628)

I just finished reading Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein. It's pretty good. Not really a revelation for me. It's a classic and the boys at Perfidy have been pressuring me to read his work. I can appreciate the world and ideas he's presenting in his work, but I could grok a little less free love and sex. I don't grok that much any more in my personal life, so it's not a welcome message, though I understand the theoretical point he makes about jealousy and how it undermines relationships.

I can't remember if I blogged about Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville. It's great. Will write more later. Three posts in an hour seems like overkill.


08/18/04--11:47: Book entries (chan 2000628)

I finished Prey by Michael Critchton. It was surprisingly pretty good. Some good issues raised, and kind of interesting scientific concepts. He's a smart guy and can synthesize a lot of scientific material into his stories. Other than that, sometimes the prose itself just sucks. Not that Prey was really horrible that I can remember, but he's no Shakespeare.

Currently, I'm reading California Dish by the indomitable Jeremiah Tower. I love it so far, even if he's bitchy and arrogant. It's a dishy book and and full of great descriptions of food and meals. He says he's not as arrogant as people perceive him to be, but truthfully he has an arrogance that is unavoidable. But forgivable.

I ate at Brewer's Art last night. Here is the description I gave my boss about dinner.


I ate upstairs at the Brewer's Art last night. It was great. I didn't see an entree I liked, so I ate three starters. Fabulous! Their small plates are tasty. I was approached by the chef before I ordered so I went with the Rabbit terrine with honey mustard and onion marmalade. Then the Shrimp and Silver Queen corn soup. (they do corn chowders very well) And finally at the chef's suggestion a Salmon and Crabmeat with a sour cream caper gribache and lemon vinaigrette. I had to ask what the gribache was. It's kind of like crème fraiche.

The best dish overall was the rabbit terrine. Then the salmon/crab. The only problem with the salmon was that it was too salty from preservation, otherwise, the lemon flavor was a nice balance. The soup was sweet, but not too salty. I love terrines and fois gras type stuff so I was really happy with the terrine. The mustard had a tangy bite and tasted sweet. The onion raisin marmalade was really good. Yes, I shouldn't have had the raisins, but I didn't have an allergic reaction.

The wine was off of the autumn wine list. It was a 2001 Rose from Spain. I think the name of the winery was 1+2+3.

$41 total including almost 20% tip for the waiter. Not too bad for a totally self indulgent dinner high in fats and sodium. I drank one more cosmopolitan in the cave pub downstairs and felt totally relaxed.


10/02/04--11:24: Book entries (chan 2000628)

Oh boy. I've been reading a lot lately. I was writing this post and I realized that I am going to have to change the format of the post.


Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky

It's a pretty short book. Fast read. I don't think it goes very in-depth but I enjoyed it. You can cruise through it in a weekend. The biggest insights I gained were about salt taxes and how they played a role in Chinese, English and French history. I never realized that the high taxes on French peasants had largely to do with salt taxes.


10/02/04--11:31: Book entry (chan 2000628)



The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory

I bought it at Target. I thought it might be a historical fiction bodice-ripper, and I kept waiting for that. Admittedly, there's sex in it, but hey, you knew that was going to be a part of it with the name 'Boleyn' in the title. After all, Anne was beheaded for a lack of a male child. I forgot that *she* was Queen Elizabeth's mother.

The narrator of the story is Mary Boleyn, the younger sister of the infamous Anne Boleyn. Apparently she was a real person and the facts of her life are true. Ms. Gregory has woven a very good story with feminist overtones. Obviously the title refers to Mary Boleyn, or does it? 'The other Boleyn girl' changes through the story as one daughter falls out of favor with her family and the king. I love historical fiction and court/palace intrigues.

Some of the story was annoying, but I guess that's part of the insipid vapid nature of living at court. I have to say the verbal flirtation and wit involved with courtly life would probably have killed me, but the book describes it well, particularly the way that Anne has to hold Henry's interest while fending off all the other potential mistresses.


10/02/04--11:42: Book entry (chan 2000628)



Save Karyn: One Shopaholic's Journey to Debt and Back, by Karyn Bosnak

This was another Target buy. I bought it because I remember the Save Karyn website. I remember being judgemental and thinking how could she have done this to herself? $25K in consumer debt is NUTS! And it is. At the time the website came out, I was probably close to that figure, but a good chunk of it was school loans from a private institution. I would say I was more like 50-50 between student loans and consumer debt. I was also making pretty good money and was paying stuff down. I just had a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

I have to say, Karyn is annoying. She's very shallow and dumb at the beginning of the story. She is very materialistic. I love fine clothes and the great couture houses, but I'm not dumb enough to actually BUY a pair of Jimmy Choos. Of course, as an Asian-American, I don't pay retail either. heh heh. I am proud of my Max Mara and my Armani outfits, but I bought them on sale for far less than they are worth. This girl, I just don't know. How could she spend all this money so fast? Does she have NO restraint? There's a part about buying a sofa. After my sofa experiences this fall, I just can't believe she put the social pressure on herself to buy furniture for an overnight guest. I tell my friends flat out, either they can sleep in my bed or on the floor on my Thermarest and a sleeping bag.

The part that made me really turn in sympathy for her was that she hated her job and it was killing her. I *know* that story very well. She didn't make TV producing sound glamorous at all. It sounds like a horrible ulcer inducing experience, though I see the creativity in it. When she got laid off and she describes her strategic thinking and logic in response to certain offers by her company, I can't say that I would have chosen differently in her shoes.

I'm glad this story has a happy ending. It's a good story and pretty optimistic. I definitely feel better about looking at my finances knowing that it's possible to get out of debt. It's just hard to keep your spirits up during the long haul.


10/02/04--12:51: Book entry (chan 2000628)


The Emperor of Ocean Park, by Stephen L. Carter

This is a really good book. I heard about it but I wasn't really sure what it would contain. The reviews I read were kind of misleading at first, but now I get it. It's about a legal professor and his family of upper class African-Americans and their father. He reaches back from the dead in this mystery novel. It's about family ties, class, race and academia. I won't say anymore except that you should start it on a Friday night. It's a serious page turner and it leads you in ways you wouldn't quite expect.


11/28/04--16:27: FAST FOOD NATION (chan 2000628)

It's by Eric Schlosser. A lot of people I know have vowed to become vegetarian after reading this book. I can understand why, but either way, agribusiness is a terrible form of commerce. If you wish to stop its insane and abusive practices, I see only one way out, becoming your own farmer and butcher. That's one reason why Miz B and I have talked about buying some lamb together from a local farm.

The book is really good and it is full of interesting facts. I love that he has read two of my favorite books, City of Quartz and Cadillac Desert. The text reveals it in his ideas about the West and about car culture in LA. It's a wonder that David Harvey didn't jump out of the text too. I learned a lot about JR Simplot and why a potato farmer from Idaho owns so much Micron stock. I've always wondered about that, and now I know.

The book is making me rethink what I eat, why I eat it and its impact on my health. I sit here eating a tube of Pringles instead of the dumplings mommy gave me. If I eat another dumpling, I'll be sick. I had enough Korean food this weekend. Time for something gross and disgusting. Mmmm mmmm good!

Rather than end on a flippant note, I'd better explain. This book is not going to make me a vegetarian. I avoided reading it for a long time because everyone told me I'd be grossed out by the industrial accidents and descriptions of the slaughtering process. I never wanted to be a doctor, I'm not a fan of blood. What I do know is that I can butcher a chicken like nobody's business and I love roasted meats. I've never seen an animal slaughtered live in front of me with all the blood draining out of it. I'm sure I would feel otherwise if confronted by that fact. I am disturbed by my own position as a 'boxed beef' purchaser, but I take comfort in knowing that somtimes I buy unusual Korean cuts which require the local butcher to do it, instead of a factory processor.

I'm going to go forth and shamelessly eat meat. I just think that I will probably take some time to consider what I purchase. I believe that my dollars have power. I am seriously rethinking my love of Omaha Steaks. They sound like feedlot cattle instead of free range since they grain feed all of their beef. Worrisome. I really like their steaks too. Bummer. I think I probably won't get anymore from there.


06/04/05--19:44: Book entries (chan 2000628)

I read three books recently. Ugly Americans, by Ben Mezrich, Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes, and another Shannara book that was so lousy I can't even remember the title.

Bergdorf Blondes is one of those tedious chick lit books that can be read in less than 10 hours while en route from Austin to Baltimore. While it can be insightful about the personality types running around the fashion world in NYC, they really aren't people you care about. It was entertainment for the flight, but I felt embarrassed reading such a fluffy book. I also resent paying almost $15 for it, because it's a penny dreadful if there ever was one. Will I keep it around and read it again when I want something light? Probably. Will I just give it away to someone who wants something cheap and pulpy? Just as likely.

Ugly Americans kept me up last night. I really liked the story, but I like gambling, taking risks, money, motorcycles and yakuza stories. It takes me out of my mundane world. Seeing as I'm the kind of person who won't leave the house unless I have to be at work, this book took me to an entirely different place in the universe, a place where guys get rich as financial cowboys in Japan. I liked Mezrich's first book, Bringing Down the House, quite a lot. Remember, I know lots of people who went Ivy League and attended MIT, so reading about these people is like reading about my friends. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if my friends knew these people. I think that's part of what's so fascinating about these two stories.

I don't want to be a spoilsport, but I was surprised that in the end, Ugly Americans turns out to be a love story. It's actually kind of cute. The sex part was kind of peripheral, but at the same time, it makes a point about the raunchy entertainment and callousness that these arrogant gaijin engaged in while living in Japan. What's most fascinating is the last 3 minutes of the trading day where you've taken huge risks and now you are selling to get rid of your holdings so that all you have left is cash and you aren't stuck being an asshole. It's pretty lively and Mezrich has really good pace to his stories and just the right touch of self-deprecation for the portions of the story where he plays a role.

For a little extra insight in to the contemporary culture of Japan, particulary its youth, read Speed Tribes. I think I mentioned it here before in a book post.


06/07/05--20:58: Bookcrossing.com (chan 2000628)

I finally got around to registering two books to release into the wild. I will release them tomorrow.

I'm an ass. I should have registered the Ugly Americans book I gave to a co-worker. What was I thinking?!


06/12/05--07:31: Book post - Orson Scott Card (chan 2000628)

Ok. I have to tell you all about what a moonbat this man is. I love his writing, but really, he's starting to kind of scare me. http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/5/28/22428/7034 I realize that not everything on the internet is true, but go ahead and follow the links to his articles and judge for yourself whether nor not he's a Mormon freak.

That being said, I've just finished two of his books, Shadow of the Hegemon and Seventh Son. The first one is the sequel to Ender's Shadow and revolves around Bean after the end of the Formic War. The story returns to Peter Wiggin, the older brother and his rise to power. It also focuses on Petra Arkanian, one of the children from Battle School to befriend Ender. This time the Cold War origins of the story are more obvious than ever before. It's an interesting look at geopolitics, but pretty outdated. I'm more of a Gibson-economic war futurist so this military business doesn't appeal to me. I think greed is a more powerful force than military supremacy. After all you have to feed and provision the army to win a war. Other than that, the story moves around a bit and it has really good pace. I like the opening of each chapter with a little email that keeps the story moving along.

Seventh Son is one of the Alvin Maker series. OSC envisions a different America, one that might have been had history been just a little bit different. It's a really good story and kind of interesting to see how he creates this alternate universe America. I like the mystical aspect to it and I can't wait to read the others. I admit I thought the story sort of slow moving at first and I was disappointed that it ended where it did, but hey, I guess that's the point of a series of books, yeah? Think Little House on the Prairie with a little boy as the central figure and a lot of fantasy tossed in there. (uh oh. i'm losing keys on my keyboard today. I shouldn't have let my wet air drip on the keyboard.)

I realize I'm not much of a book reviewer, but it's hard to know how much to tell a person about the story without spoiling it, or writing a full on essay critique like you would for English class. I hated those essays in high school, why would I write them now of my own free will?

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06/21/05--16:37: Button I saw last night... (chan 2000628)

On a barista at a Starbucks inside of a Barnes & Noble.

"Reading is Sexy."

How true!


11/03/05--11:41: Book entries (chan 2000628)

Book I

I read The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell on my way to SF last month. He makes some interesting points about how a fad or idea takes off. He likens it to epidemiology and how epidemics spread/viral pathology. I think his case has a lot of merit, but I would hate to think that overall crime falling in NYC is only about finding the tipping point. I think there's a lot more going on there than simply the tipping point on the Broken Windows theory. (see l_stboy's post on Freakonomics.)

I do think it's quite valid when it comes to marketing and fads to the general consumer public. Word of mouth is very important. That there are three types of people that typically start a trend, Mavens, Connectors and Salesmen, is interesting. I can think of quite a few people in my circle of friends that fit into those categories. It's rather true, I do trust the opinion of a maven when making a purchase. I rely on a connector to help me find the right maven. While I avoid salesmen, I think I've often been convinced by salesmen friends to go to parties I might not otherwise have attended. I definitely see those three types at work.

Worth reading, but I think I might like reading a book about epidemiology just as much.

****************

Book II

I finished Eldest, by Christopher Paolini when I returned. It was a nice follow up to Eragon. I look forward to Inheritance to round out the trilogy. I know brdgt doesn't care much for his writing, and yeah, it does leave a lot to be desired. I could also see how die-hard fantasy readers would think this is a rip off of LOTR and The Dragonriders of Pern. Then again, so are most of the books out there. I think what makes this different is that it's not stupid, it's not cheesy with wretched dialogue and he brings in some philosophical ideas that might be the first time a pre-teen thinks about ethics, killing, and the nature of religion. So while I don't consider it adult literature, I think it's an okay story for kids to read.


11/28/05--19:54: Books (chan 2000628)

Parting with books is very difficult for me. I love books. Books are my friends. They've stuck with me through the thick and thin times. They've given me good advice and adventure. To destroy a book is sacrilege. I hate to see them unceremoniously dumped into the trash when they are discarded. This leads me to taking lots of books from friends when they move. I have a lot of post-move literary orphans at my house and I'm mildly overwhelmed. I have about 15 still in the trunk of my car.

I strive to keep every book I've ever bought unless I've really hated it. In the past year, I've been giving books away to friends or using Bookcrossing. But I read this article and now I'm thinking of selling all of my books off. I could give the money to the New Orleans Public Library

I buy books at Barnes & Noble.com. Now that my sister works for Amazon, I should buy books there, but I've always been creeped out by the amount of information they gather about people.

Last year, I discovered my lovely local library. I used to walk there on Sundays. But now I work on Sundays and my trips there have ceased. I should go back since the library is always cheaper than the bookstore and my local branch actually stocks stuff I like to read.

So I don't like keeping lots of stuff around. That's one reason why I don't buy CD's. I have clothes, but I usually give them away to Goodwill. If I really wanted to, I could sell the boxed set of Star Trek DVD's on my shelf. New in the box because I'll never watch them. The only other stuff that I gather in quantity are Hello Kitty items and yarn. I know I could sell both online.


01/01/06--17:52: Book Post - 3 books (chan 2000628)

Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire: V left this for me. It's a pretty interesting take on the Snow White story. There are *eight* dwarves, and they're not quite really dwarves. The story perspective changes a lot and is told in different voices. It's not like Louise Erdrich's work, which is that it's a story of a family/town with each chapter being a standalone short story in a different voice. This is one single story, but different narrative viewpoints. It's well-done, but I can't say how much I liked it. It took a while to get used to it. It's a very good experiment and I think it turned out well. It puts you into the heads of many different characters and so you can understand their actions better, especially the part about the hunter who spares Snow White's life. The woodcut illustration is awesome too. I like the way it's repeated throughout the book.

Cary Grant: A Biography, by Marc Eliot: It's a pretty good biography if you like the movie industry and it's intrigues. I really enjoyed it since Cary Grant is one of my favorite movie stars. The Philadelphia Story and To Catch A Thief are two of my favorite films. The former being absolute fantastic for its dialogue. But the downside is that it doesn't get too deep or personal about Grant's depression and psyche. I learned a lot about the man, but perhaps it reads more like a chronicle of the movie deals and machinations of getting cherry roles and beating out other actors for parts, namely Gary Cooper, of whom I never was a fan. I can't even tell you if I've seen a Cooper flick. I'm so into the urbane and sophisticated Grant. It totally makes sense that he was bisexual. I'm still a fag hag.

Blowing My Cover: My life as a CIA Spy, by Lindsay Moran: A fun read. It has good pace and moves along nicely. I definitely demystifies being an agent and deglamorizes the job of being a case officer. It's all about recruitment and I suppose it's easy for a young American woman to recruit agents since your cover is generally going to be that of an illicit affair if you ever get caught in a clandestine location. I think she could have woven a whole other section about her interactions in Macedonia and how the Eastern European Muslims don't like us much. It predicts the next wave of bombings on March 11 in Spain and where world sentiment is against the US. I do recommend it to anyone who thinks the CIA is some great place to be. It's not. It's just another bureaucracy with loads of paperwork and a few annoying civil servants wasting our money. It's like any other. After applying for a DIA job in college, and finding out how mundane it actually was going to be, these jobs don't have that much appeal anymore.