2020, will you bring 200 volumes of consumed words? Let Record A tell the story.
| Book # | Approximate Date of Completion | Title | Author | Notes | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 176 | 12/30/20 | Becoming Wild | Carl Safina | Whale, bird, and chimpanzee cultures can instruct on raising families, appreciating beauty (it's our prerogative to love where we live, it should be beautiful), and maintaining peace (when we mindlessly lose our individualism and segregate ourselves, we are in a constant state of war) | Y |
| 175 | 12/30/20 | How to be Well When You’re Not | Ariane Resnick | Be friendly to your body, mind, and spirit. Survival (not giving up) + love (ingredient to thrive) | N |
| 174 | 12/26/20 | Because Internet | Gretchen McCulloch | Enjoyed this capsule of 2020 internet language (texting, emoji, memes, connecting in a third environment) | N |
| 173 | 12/26/20 | The Way I Heard It | Mike Rowe | I have not seen the host of shows where he moderates the delivery of stranger-than-fiction accounts of life. An amusing collection of memoirs based on his podcast. | N |
| 172 | 12/24/20 | Talking to Strangers | Malcolm Gladwell | Glad I listened to the audio version. We don't know how to talk to strangers with our learned biases. Too much context to consider. Too much rote actions without critically thinking about the relevance or necessity of conducting yourself in that manner. The Sandra Bland incident was well examined. | Y |
| 171 | 12/21/20 | Living in Color | Tommy Davidson | The next time he's in town, I would love to see his stand up. Glad to read his perspective of how things unfolded in In Living Color. Being the best supporting cast member is difficult when you are in a toxic environment. It was hard to read that he took to drugs and alcohol in response. | N |
| 170 | 12/20/20 | If You Ask Me | Betty White | Her authentic love of writing shines through this aural edition. I look forward to exploring other titles by her. I love that Motherhood is a choice for her. I didn't know she was an advocate for animals or enamored by nature. This was published in 2011 and I have no recollection of Hot in Cleveland. | Y |
| 169 | 12/19/20 | 15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy | Luminita D. Saviuc | Puff. A collection of quotes that should have been uplifting, but I was not receptive. I have seen/heard about these things to give up, but I am still trying to find words that knock me out of this funk | Y |
| 168 | 12/18/20 | 50 Museums to Blow Your Mind | Ben Handicott and Kayla Ryan | A quick diversion on possible places to explore:
| N |
| 167 | 12/17/20 | World of Wonder | Aimee Nezhukumatathil | Beautiful memoir of communing with nature and the almost lost art of finding wonder outdoors. Loved that it was a compilation of essays and stunning illustrations of unfamiliar flora and fauna being an Angeleno city kid. Piqued my interest learning that she is Filipina-Indian. My introduction to the friendly countenance of an axolotl. | N |
| 166 | 12/16/20 | Goodbye, My Havana | Anna Veltfort | Life is certainly more fascinating than fiction (especially expressed in a graphic memoir). A journey of German-American-Cuban self-discovery of axial identity during a turbulent regime in 1960s and 70s Cuba. | N |
| 165 | 12/14/20 | Fire and Rain | David Browne | I feel whole hearing the James Taylor side of the story after listening to nothing but Carly a month ago. 1970 created a new beginning. It destroyed 1960s ideals - especially in the way music was created in altered states of mind. I need to finish that Paul Simon book. I got my fill of Beatlemania from the Coursera information scavenge. I checked out on the Ono sections. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young needs exploration beyond the Buffalo Springfield hit | Y |
| 164 | 12/12/20 | No Ivy League | Hazel Newlevant | Appreciated the artist's insight into her process of creating this graphic novel. Cultural integration by race, gender, age takes listening, respect, and willingness to come together to bring peace. It is not easy. Is home schooling really a good reaction to integration? | N |
| 163 | 12/12/20 | The Moment of Lift | Melinda Gates | Equality is the penultimate goal. I love that connection is the ultimate goal in Mrs. Gates' book. Bringing women together can bring forth cultural changes to reach equality and connection. It was hard to read about women at the margins | N |
| 162 | 12/8/20 | In Praise of Walking | Shane O’Mara | Design environments that provide ease, safety, and enjoyment of walking. We were meant to be in motion. To be in a state of flow to absorb the information rich world around us. To activate neighboring parts of the brain that help us solve meaningful problems. To provide a balm for our social ties. Even 3 days of inactivity can derail your cognitive abilities and mood regulation. Just move. | Y |
| 161 | 12/5/20 | Voice Lessons | Rob Paulsen | Being an audio book enhanced the experience. Hearing the talent behind Raphael (he didn't really alter his voice to portray this turtle), Yakko (Groucho on helium), and Pinky (Poit) was a joy. I melted into the whole emotional spectrum listening to him utter the words that he didn't know how to live until he cried. | Y |
| 160 | 12/5/20 | Cosy | Laura Weir | The British art of comfort = pausing with warm beverages (cuppa tea); Sunday roast or a warm meal in batches to share; a good wool pair of socks to conquer the extreme weather; the most mismatched, but comfortable layers to hibernate in; an enclosed corner to hole up in; sentimental wanderings in a movie or book | N |
| 159 | 12/2/20 | Think Like a Rocket Scientist | Ozan Varol | I agree with his approaches to tackling problems. I have employed some of these thought patterns in my own day-to-day pursuits with space visiting vehicle scheduling. I can appreciate the research and credibility in his thoughts as he was involved in a Mars mission at JPL. | N |
| 158 | 11/30/20 | Celestial Bodies | Jokha Alharthi | Discomfort in arranged marriages, dowries, post-slavery realities in Oman. An introduction to Muscat, the capital. | Y |
| 157 | 11/28/20 | Confessions of a Prarie Bitch | Alison Arngrim | Disgust from incestuous abuse. Little House brought Nellie Olson leverage (read: notoriety to bring attention) to effect change in legal protection for these victims. | Y |
| 156 | 11/22/20 | To Live | Yu Hua | Glad I had the opportunity to hear this formerly banned Chinese novel. It's devastating to fathom burying 6 of your loved ones (children and grandchildren in the count) with your own hands. | Y |
| 155 | 11/20/20 | Boys in the Trees | Carly Simon | Glad I explored the audio version of the book. Enjoyed the musical interludes interspersed in the chapters. | Y |
| 154 | 11/19/20 | The Bride Test | Helen Hoang | Wow, a flashback of the guilty pleasure of reading a twisted V.C. Andrews tale combined with the immigrant narrative and a dose of gaining cultural empathy for folks on the spectrum. | N |
| 153 | 11/17/20 | Messy | Tim Harford | Relinquish control. Life is messy. Follow nature and arrive at resolution by finding comfort and a way through messes. A good test for your problem solving strategies. | N |
| 152 | 11/12/20 | We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program | Richard Paul and Steven Moss | What a trip! The civil rights history orbiting Huntsville, AL in the '60s should stimulate the country in the present to develop antifragility with diversity to achieve greater technological feats that benefit humanity on and off the Earth. Julius Montgomery, Theodis Ray, Ed Dwight, George Carruthers, Delano Hyder, Richard Hall, Clyde Foster, Morgan Watson, and George Bourda's stories propel the need for efforts to better integrate even more diverse communities in the space industry today. | N |
| 151 | 11/10/20 | The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific | J. Maarten Troost | An introduction to Tarawa (Gilbert Islands) shows how soft I am. I have no survival sensibilities. I wouldn't know how to thrive in a rural island with no utilities or safe food diversity | Y |
| 150 | 11/7/20 | Ikigai | Héctor García | I anticipated too much. It was like reading the Cliff Notes version of Blue Zones. On the other hand, happy for the introduction to antifragility (going beyond resilience) | N |
| 149 | 11/5/20 | Silence | Erling Kagge | Precise articulation of my present feelings about the extraneous noise from social media and other news outlets about the state of the world. I found frustration and delight in the digressive reading of John Cage's Lecture on Nothing (PDF). Overall, a good read for my restless psyche. | N |
| 148 | 11/4/20 | Spark Joy | Marie Kondo | I am so visual. The drawings fortified the folding techniques. Reading these books are nudging me towards a tidying campaign. Something amongst my possessions must be suffocating and needs to be aired out. | N |
| 147 | 11/2/20 | Get a Financial Life | Beth Kobliner | A practical overview in being a responsible middle class adult | Y |
| 146 | 11/1/20 | You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up | Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn | "What a dysfunctional couple!" My first impression. Towards the end, I accepted this is sadly the normal American couple. I am glad we deviate and this is not my norm. Got some chuckles to balance the whirlwind of anxious empathy. | Y |
| 145 | 11/1/20 | Full Circle: From Hollywood to Real Life and Back | Andrea Barber | Needed this spontaneous cry. Her struggles with anxiety and being loved and surrounded by people to help you heal and bring meaning to life relieved some pent up pain. It makes me reflect on the thanksgivings that needs to be expressed more often | Y |
| 144 | 11/1/20 | The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing | Marie Kondo | The Netflix series didn't miss a beat. Reading the book reinforced the lessons she imparted to frustrated Angelenos. Something in my day-to-day feels off. I feel the need to tidy up books and papers more so. Maybe that will bring back confidence and balance into my life. | N |
| I Love You | 10/30/20 | Successful Aging | Daniel Levitin | Connecting with others from all age groups, move around (especially in nature), try new things to keep a conscientious pulse on life, moderation, and focus more on health span than lifespan. Reinforcement of knowledge that is regurgitated in attempts to enhance life MOOCs, books, and e-mail clippings | Y |
| 142 | 10/20/20 | Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers | Mark Sapolsky | Stress exacerbates the production of certain hormones that lead to a diminished life experience. Cursed hormones. Conflict resolution by picking your battles and relinquishing control. | Y |
| 141 | 10/20/20 | Sunny Days | David Kamp | Wow, didn't know about the HBO deal with Sesame Street. Wow, I want to watch The Electric Company. Wow, I grew up during a fantastic time of children's TV programing. | N |
| 140 | 10/12/20 | We Are La Cocina | La Cocina | Appreciate the historical anthology of San Franciscan denizens and how their life struggles, victories, and hopes are infused into these recipes. I hardly know about the northern California culture. It is eye-opening to see how food is always a catharsis to the pains of separated families. | N |
| 139 | 10/12/20 | The SCRUM Fieldbook | J.J. Sutherland | All or nothing mentality scares me. Transitioning into this approach will take a dramatic cultural shift. Who wants to play? Who will be my set 3-9 people team? | N |
| 138 | 10/12/20 | Supreme Glamour | Mary Wilson | A good coffee table book to reference timeless styles and grace of the Supremes. I didn't realize the group had evolved so much and that Mary Wilson was the constant member. | N |
| 137 | 10/9/20 | Play Anything | Ian Bogost | Must be the poor sleep. What I got out of the book: Cow Clicker can be a thing. Recognize the constraints. Accept this reality. Maneuver through this artificially made playground. You're playing. | Y |
| 136 | 10/6/20 | Eat That Frog! | Brian Tracy | Success in your key areas means repetitive, robotic concentrated efforts and a Pollyanna-like outlook to prioritize 3 things that only you can output quickly and provide the most value. Shuffle papers. Shuffling papers as a distraction or way to subject you to the discipline of focusing? I got tired of the reminder that I am running out of steam to self-motivate and discipline myself to action. | Y |
| 135 | 10/3/20 | Failure is an Option | H. Jon Benjamin | Good job, Mr. Benjamin, ending on a diarrhea tale. | Y |
| 134 | 9/28/20 | The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse | Charlie Mackesy | Loved the ink drawings. Naturally, I see myself in the mole. Cakes and hugs, please. | N |
| 133 | 9/28/20 | It's the Way You Say It: Becoming Articulate, Well-Spoken, and Clear | Carol Fleming | I'll summon the courage - one day - to record myself in a conversation and review it. I have recordings of me reading a passage, but it doesn't capture the vocal quirks. My wild assumption of why I do not perceive myself as a clear speaker: low voice, lose breath towards the end of a winding statement, my confidence mired by a rising intonation at the end of statements. I wouldn't be opposed to a speech therapist. | N |
| 132 | 9/26/20 | Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter | Curtis Jackson | Wow, another mindset I need to work on. I have that work ethic in me. There is some bad energy I need to release. Go, Fifty. It's your day o' birth. | N |
| Palindrome 131 | 9/26/20 | The Other Einstein | Marie Benedict | Enjoyed this fictional traverse into what-ifs. It aligns with the common social outcry of 2020 that diversity is our strength. The first Mrs. Einstein stripped of her public scientific honor just because men could not fathom an intellectual force in a woman. What scientific heights could we have reached if she was able to pursue her intellectual curiosities? | Y |
| Was hoping for a coincidence in time and count. Finished reading at 1:35am, but this is the 130th entry. | 9/24/20 | The Eight Master Lessons of Nature | Gary Ferguson | Master Harmony (adjust to move with the flow), Balance (energy in = energy out), and Rhythm (cyclical strong action with calm restoration). Heal your relationship with beauty. Beauty helps you to start moving again. The curiosities and interwoven webs of nature arrest you with its beauty. Connect. | N |
| 129 | 9/22/20 | The Odd 1s Out | James Rallison | Introduction to the simple vector joy of The Odd 1s Out comic. Simplest presentation seems to get the most monetization. I was most amused by the science fair. | N |
| 128 | 9/20/20 | Normal People | Sally Rooney | Stubbornly finished it although it infuriated me. I don't like the submissive side of my passive tendencies. This book brought it to light and didn't help me transform my dislike. | Y |
| One 2-2-7 | 9/20/20 | The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing | Mira Jacob | Wavered between intrigue and numb. Sleep and connection with the spiritual afterlife of loved ones that passed are topics I shy away from. Life could be a dream. Deceased loved ones may be communicating through your dreams. | N |
| 100twentySIX | 9/16/20 | Rich Dad Poor Dad | Robert Kiyosaki | My financial intelligence and attitude towards money needs a change. I am slowly getting more receptive to a new approach because I am tired from this rat race. Good lessons:
| N |
| oneTWO5 | 9/16/20 | Weird | Olga Khazan | My disillusioned self felt comforted by these stories of resilience. How these social outcasts established footholds in a close-minded homogenous communities encourages me to embrace my otherness and get over the self-defeating impostor syndrome I feel a lot lately. | Y |
| 1 day equals 24 hours and some | 9/11/20 | Your Money or Your Life | Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez | A more thorough, visual way to understand money is an exchange of life energy. You are actually getting paid significantly less than your hourly rate if you invest additional resources on your job (commuting, professional garb, vacations or other distractions to decompress from the debilitating effects of work (stress, toxic co-workers or management, spending time complaining to others)). Don't forget to accumulate natural wealth, too - abilities, belonging, community. Consider the cross over point where your capital gains exceed your expenses. Do you know what enough means to you? Or you're just making a dying? | N |
| 123, you, and me | 9/8/20 | McMindfulness | Ronald Purser | Haha. I knew he would comment on Headspace. There are some good focusing skills learned from mindfulness practices, but it needs to be coupled with critical thinking and a community mindset to improve social conditions that lead to stress and other mental dissatisfaction. | Y |
| 122 | 9/5/20 | Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust | Loretta Lynn | I love the no-nonsense grit that emanates from recollections of Ms. Cline. Time to listen to some country-crossover tunes. | N |
| 121 | 9/5/20 | Karamo | Karamo Brown | Now I'm intrigued about the reboot of Queen Eye that he is involved with. I want to see the internal transformations of the heroes. Surprised to learn about his Houston and Oprah ties. | Y |
| 120 | 9/4/20 | Hedy Lamarr: An Incredible Life | William Roy and Sylvain Dorange | A delightful graphic novel (liked the French inspired illustrations). Now I need to watch one of her MGM movies to understand her celebrity. | N |
| 119 | 9/3/20 | The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank | Erma Bombeck | Didn't care for this one as I am already disenchanted with cookie cutter suburbia. | N |
| 118 | 8/30/20 | Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession | Erma Bombeck | What grit mothers have. American children of the 70s and 80s sound pretty annoying. Would Ms. Bombeck parrot her thoughts with today's children? | N |
| 117 | 8/30/20 | If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What am I Doing in the Pits? | Erma Bombeck | First exposure to her observations. Even though I am not a parent yet, I can appreciate her chronic hesitation and preparedness. Looking forward to the other books. | N |
| Sweet Little Sixteen | 8/29/20 | Erotica Stories for Punjabi Widows | Balli Kaur Jaswal | It was an eyebrow raising flashback to the first encounter with V. C. Andrews with a Punjabi flair. Amusing twists in the plot that captured my attention. Didn't expect the soap opera and humor. | Y |
| F5n | 8/24/20 | Keep It Moving | Twyla Tharp | Welcome the many acts in your life. Move through the discomfort. | N |
| Four After 10 | 8/23/20 | Captivate | Vanessa Van Edwards | Good collection of social heuristics to sharpen your interpersonal attunement and capacity for meaningful connection. Something to revisit. | Y |
| First of the teens | 8/21/20 | Good Talk | Mira Jacob | Revisited this telling in the graphic novel format. At the end, I can't say I enjoyed one presentation over the other. The author's illustrations brought a comforting texture to this touchy topic. | N |
| Doce | 8/19/20 | All You Have to Do is Ask | Wayne Baker | I misunderstood the purpose of the book. It felt like subterfuge. A subconscious seeding of getting folks to use the Givitas platform. I thought there would be even more counsel and examples on developing communication skills (e.g. what to listen for in conversations, key phrases to pepper in to facilitate the brainstorm, and the like) to form more effective inquiries to get results. I do appreciate the reusing the SMART mnemonic to formulate your ask: specific, meaningful, action-oriented, realistic, and time-bound. The thought of investing effort to gamify the ask to build that psychologically safe culture to experiment and uncover resources gave my ticker some palpitations. I am clearly not in a crowd of people that really embrace a culture change if I feel that much unease. | N |
| Elf oven | 8/17/20 | Sabrina and Corina | Kali Fajardo-Anstine | It felt like a visit to El Sereno except in Colorado. The soul, love, and emotions of this multifaceted existence are realized by many narrators that bring these heroines and anti-heroine to the forefront. However, it is apparent that Ms. Fajardo-Anstine was the poet that unified these meters to explore the depths of life cycles. | Y |
| X | 8/16/20 | Women Who Run with the Wolves | Clarissa Pinkola Estés, PhD | What an anthology for soul nourishment! What a craft to breakdown folklore that have been passed down for orally generations and to treat it like an academic composition. This collection is meant to be revisited, studied, and mediated on. Another one I would consider buying. | N |
| Nine | 8/16/20 | The Power of Nunchi | Euny Hong | I liked the message of resilience by being quick to uncover nonverbal social cues. There is power in collectivsm. It is a power to gain insight of crowd norms with social grace. There is no unctuous practice of currying social favor. You are mindful of the room and can navigate through it. | Y |
| Eight, eight, it's not too late | 8/15/20 | Good Talk | Mira Jacob | I appreciate that I got to enjoy Jacob's thoughts through an audio format. The production team was smart to have a dynamic cast of voice actors to bring this memoir to life. It's a piercing reflection on the state of society when your 7-year-old Indian Jewish questions good versus bad. | Y |
| KGLK, The Eagle | 8/14/20 | Older, but Better, but Older | Caroline de Maigret and Sophie Mas | Didn't sustain my interest. Maybe How to be Parisian will be better? | Y |
| POWER 106 | 8/13/20 | Form of a Question | Andrew Rostan and Kate Kasemow | Five-time Jeopardy master finds the answer to living the good life: do not cross-examine others for the template, but to seek guidance and experience through your own authentic self-expression. This graphic memoir moved me so much because I had a similar, close relationship with my grandfather that jump-started a life-long appreciation for learning. Grandpa never verbally expressed his support and belief in my ability to lead an enriching and meaningful life for myself and those in my orbit. However, he always showed the most loving kindness by staying by my side and took cared of me when my mom had to work. It meant a lot that he genuinely was a friend and instilled self-confidence by spending time with me and nudging me to explore intellectual curiosities. | N |
| 105 | 8/12/20 | One Minute Millionaire: The Enlightened Way to Wealth | Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen | I liked how the concepts were presented in 2 manners - one that appeals to the story-telling lovers and the didactic outline. Hearing everything twice (and in 2.0 to 2.5x speed) reinforced the need to be a strong fulcrum to leverage millionaire attitudes, thoughts, and resources. This was the Law of Attraction in the financial sense. I can manifest wealth because I'm a magnet of the right resources and circumstances. | Y |
| Schick Quattro | 8/10/20 | Piero | Edmond Baudoon | Beautiful, clean lines. I loved this autobiographical visual journey to a career as a comic artist. His younger brother had the formal art training, but his brother didn't want to dream anymore. It's the wise naivete of children to keep dreaming to propel all kinds of vehicles into unknown territories. Momon here kept the dreams alive by etching them into existence. | N |
| TRESemmé, TRESemmé, Oooh la la | 8/10/20 | I Was Their American Dream | Malaka Gharib | It's Ma-la-ka. Gosh, I miss the melting pot that is Southern California. I reveled in the 90s references. She's only a year younger than me. I love the introduction to Filipino and Egyptian culture. What an upbringing! | N |
| 100 Deuce | 8/9/20 | Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: A Visual History | Melissa Wagner, Tim Lybarger, Jenna McGuiggan | Gentle, simplicity, unconditional love, express feelings, graciously receive (it's one of the best gifts you can give someone). Learn to persevere. Be nice and serve. Did I learn this from watching the show? I'm not sure. I did enjoy this reminder to play to release energy in a healthy manner to get me back on a productive track to try again. Ironically, this book is overdue at the library. A second one about Mr. Rogers that I have neglected to return on time. | N |
| Dalmatians | 8/8/20 | Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister | Jung Chang | It's frightening that these events transpired within the last century. How easily a nation's foreign relations have turned sour even though the revolutionaries were inspired by occidental religion and political proclivities. Prior to hearing this story, I have not heard of the Methodist, American-taught Soong sisters. All 3 were significant political figures (not just because they married a preeminent finance minister, Sun Yat-Sen, and Chiang Kai-Shek) that benefitted from the modernizing efforts of the Dowager Empress Cixi. | Y |
| Half Way Through My Goal! | 8/7/20 | The World's Strongest Librarian | Josh Hanagarne | The playful words. The curiosity. The love of reading. Finding joy in movement. Empathy from reading an account of Tourette's. Insight into the church of LDS. Fertility challenges. I really enjoyed it. | N |
| Gonna party like it's... | 8/3/20 | The Joy of Movement | Kelly McGonigal | That Prince song moves anyone. It is a joy to move. When I get into a groove, the world seems right. A timely read to get me off the sedentary path I let myself collapse into. I have felt disconnected because I haven't experienced the loving synchrony of swaying in unison with others that like to dance and learn. The resilience and achievement of a physical challenge helps you shift into an identity that you previously thought impossible. Kinetic poetry drives people to accomplish many mental feats. | Y |
| 98 | 8/1/20 | The Automatic Millionaire | David Bach | I love how I was easily inspired to action on taking better financial care of myself. A good read with easy-to-implement, somewhat mindless, automatic ideas. Caveat: it is setting you up to be a millionaire post-retirement. Look elsewhere for increasing your income in the shorter term. | N |
| 7th grade concludes | 7/29/20 | Indistractable | Nir Eyal | Good thoughts. Reassuring that I know what it takes to cultivate focus. It's just a matter of practicing it. | N |
| First completed year of middle school | 7/26/20 | Feel Free | Zadie Smith | I zoned out a lot. Maybe the print version would have been more impactful and intriguing. At the moment, I have a horrible bias towards audio book since I process information better visually and recall and connect information through that mode. | Y |
| Cut Off Year for Music | 7/26/20 | Getting Things Done | David Allen | Bahaha, I intrinsically knew these steps and tools and relieved I only invested time in the content. A reminder to write it down (no psyche baggage), date notes, physical filing system, periodic review of written tasks, brainstorm, organize, determine the actionable steps, and do it. | Y |
| Favorite NBA Jam Year | 7/25/20 | Dear Girls | Ali Wong | I enjoyed the series of maternal wisdom she wanted to bequeath to her daughters for their spiritual and cultural estates. Motherhood, wow. Appreciated that her husband provided the afterword on breaking down the ego and challenging social norms of the father being the breadwinner. | Y |
| 93 | 7/18/20 | Breakfast of Champions | Kurt Vonnegut | I'm sold. I would like to explore other Vonnegut books. Martinis are breakfast of champions for Pontiac salesman. Thinking of Mondays do make me blue. Stats of average appendages were uncomfortable. | Y |
| 92 | 7/17/20 | Reset | Ellen K. Pao | Tough read. I know it was intended to bring awareness and encourage other women in tech to speak out. However, my confidence feels more wavered. I feel disillusioned from the frustrations of trying to make a difference during a pandemic. My ego bruised. | N |
| 91 | 7/13/20 | Tell Me More | Kelly Corrigan | Surprised by how drawn I was to Corrigan's stories of rebounding from loss and grief in her father and good friend's deaths. Things to say that give more meaning than solutions. Sometimes words do not suffice. | Y |
| 90 | 7/13/20 | Troublemaker | Leah Remini | Scientology practices make me feel uneasy. Make friends from all walks of life because the true ones will support you regardless of how you practice your faith. | Y |
| 89 | 7/13/20 | LeBron, Inc. | Brian Windhorst | Challenged myself to a different kind of read. I had no inkling of Mr. James' financial empire (Blaze Pizza, State Farm, soccer team). Or his athletic achievements for that matter. What I interpreted as the lessons learned: Surround yourself with a diverse cast of discipline maestros to develop your legacy-defining business magnum opus. You dream big and methodically connect ambitions. Find the right team to execute a clearly articulated and passion-driven endeavors once you have established your brand. | N |
| 8×11 | 7/12/20 | Aloha Kitchen | Alana Kysar | Uncooked taro and its leaves = danger. Wear gloves. POG = Passionfruit, orange, guava. The Asian fusion makes me feel at home. I'd like to visit soon. | N |
| 87 | 7/11/20 | Everything is F*cked | Mark Manson | Good brain fodder to muse on. Thinking brain seeks logical similarities (horizontal); feeling brain sets emotional hierarchies that we act on (vertical). Only when we unite these brains do we get the self agency to battle the ever present conflicts in life meaning (the religions we subscribe to and how they constantly change in importance when we learn/embrace new values). Towards the infinity of our time and space, we reckon with the uncomfortable truth that we are insignificant and meaningless so we should just be our best. | N |
| #86 | 7/5/20 | Joyful | Ingrid Fetell Lee | Color, getting off the hedonistic treadmill, reconnecting with the luster and cycles of nature, cycles, cute and effervescent, little things in design bring joy. Bright and airy. What invites you to play or delight in mystical occurrences? | Y |
| 85 | 7/3/20 | Twelve Years a Slave | Solomon Northrop | A timely Book Club selection. Such anguish to be stripped of your natural right as a free citizen. How we take our citizen's rights for granted. It is a timely meditation on biding your time, finding the right allies, and summoning grit and strength to persevere through mental and physical abuse in the face of such a noxious institution. | N |
| 84 | 6/28/20 | I Thought It Was Just Me | Brené Brown | Since I read this book after more recently published ones, it felt repetitive and not as impressive since it was built on ideas presented here. | N |
| 83 | 6/27/20 | Hotbox | Matt and Ted Lee | Love the clarion call of acknowledging the hard work, snappy calculations, and dynamic problem-solving behind catering, party rental, event planning, and hustling to execute an invisible performance that hardly gets appreciated, but spurned so gruesomely when it goes to poop. I appreciate that the brothers actually performed the duties of a KA, kitchen assistant, and exposed the humanity and dreams of caterers and their support teams. | Y |
| 84 minus 2 | 6/24/20 | Gingerbread | Helen Oyeyemi | The desire to read the other book I borrowed on wild woman folklore overshadowed my enjoyment in reading this allegorical tale of changes (Brexit) and subterfuge of edible snaps that leave a trail in many fairytales. When I paid attention, I delighted in the plaits of whimsical language that hoisted you up into the imaginary kingdom of obscene drama. | N |
| The fear of 2 when 8 you-know-what | 6/21/20 | Save Me the Plums | Ruth Reichl | Would I have thought Gourmet was highfalutin? I appreciate the risk-taking food commentary career narrative. Now I want to hear or read about other women with different cultural, approachable backgrounds and their journeys with food | Y |
| 80 | 6/20/20 | The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl | Issa Rae | I related to being a 90s adolescent gushing out my juvenile identity, thoughts, and feelings on a Geocities site. My cultural awareness heightened with her frustrating reckoning with her last name, Diop (rhymes with hope), and her American and Senegalese culture clashes. My interest faded towards the last chapter, but I enjoyed most of the book. | Y |
| 79 | 6/14/20 | Fire Islands: Recipes from Indonesia | Eleanor Ford | Bumbu, sambar, nasi. You haven't had a meal until you have eaten rice. Cooked rice is life. | N |
| 78 | 6/14/20 | Year of the Monkey | Patti Smith | Dream Inn. I am traversing this lucid, mischievous existence with Ms. Smith. What comforts? What pain? What meaning of memories? Of fantasies? Fleeting feelings that recalibrate your sense of reality. What matters is felt, not seen. | N |
| 7×11 | 6/14/20 | The Lager Queen of Minnesota | J. Ryan Stradal | Appreciated the nods to actual craft breweries and the immigrant work ethic to bring solutions of water, grains, hops, and yeast to a palatable beverage. I was surprised how it mashed the stories of an enterprising Lite beer sovereign, her sister of homemade apple pie fame, and her grand niece into one satisfying conclusion. | Y |
| The gas station | 6/9/20 | Russian Script Hacking | Judith Meyer | A good starting guide to phonetically read Cyrillic. | N |
| 75 | 6/9/20 | Resilient | Rick Hanson | Compassion. Breathe. Empathy. Be kind to yourself. | Y |
| Year Philadelphia Freedom was recorded | 6/6/20 | On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous | Ocean Vuong | Beautiful integration of reminiscing, healing, and being vulnerable when professing and strengthening your identity (when your local society denigrates the color of your skin and sexual orientation). I like the informal letter format that doesn't start with formal pleasantries and greetings (a complete 180 from my personal correspondences). It jumps right in to connecting with the protagonist's mother. No filters. Just expression. | N |
| #73 | 6/6/20 | The Soul of an Octopus | Sy Montgomery | It soothed my soul listening to Ms. Montgomery's exploration of the intelligence and curiosity of this mystifying cephalopod. These souls are adaptable, resourceful personalities that inhabit their own echelon of living a meaningful life. The dense concentration of neurons on their arms give them an understanding of the world that we can only begin to fathom. Their ability to multi-task effectively shame our homo sapien attempts to squeeze more moments in this life. They just flow, process information, ink, and connect as much as they can in 3 relatively short human years. | Y |
| Hours in 3 Days | 6/4/20 | The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek | Kim Michele Richardson | Another Book Club selection that surprised me. Learned about the WPA's Pack Horse Library project, its reach in Kentucky, and congenital methemoglobinemia. It tugged at my empathy center with how a woman of (blue) color was marginalized. It is a raw pain to imagine my union with my kind sir being unlawful under a century ago. | N |
| 71 | 6/1/20 | Calligraphy & Lettering: A Maker's Guide | Thames & Hudson | Good reference for creative prompts, techniques, and historical context | N |
| 7 year itch-0 | 6/1/20 | Rising Strong | Brené Brown | Enjoyed this map on resilience - the reckoning, rumble, and revolution. It definitely was built on ideas from the other books. Are thoughts on vulnerability installed? | N |
| A Taboo Position | 5/31/20 | Daring Greatly | Brené Brown | Warm fuzzy thoughts. Hope is an act. Perfectionism is an addiction. Courage is minding the gap of where you need to be and taking the steps regardless of errors and shortcomings. Show up even if the outcome is not guaranteed. Dare to be vulnerable to courageously pursue that meaningful life. | N |
| What did six eat? | 5/26/20 | 10 Women Who Changed Science and the World | Catherine Whitlock & Rhodri Evans | These women worked so hard to make their mark in the physical sciences, but didn't care to get the acclaim: Virginia Apgar, Rachel Carson, Marie Curie, Gertrude Elion, Dorothy Hodgkin, Henrietta Leavitt, Rita Levi-Montalcini, Lise Meitner, Elsie Widdowson, Chien-Shiung Wu. How can I develop more of that humility and purpose? | N |
| 67 | 5/25/20 | Hong Kong Food City | Tony Tan | Gustatory nostalgia. I didn't actually try the recipes, but it seemed straightforward. I would like to try making the wonton noodle soup and dim sum recipes one day. I need to invest in a bamboo steamer. | N |
| A devilish double 6 | 5/25/20 | You Can Have It All, Just Not at the Same Damn Time | Romi Neustadt | Prompt another review of how I spend my time; my priorities and goals; pausing and self- compassion; and more questions for introspection that I tend to shirk away. Brené appears again. Authenticity and vulnerability reigns | N |
| No, this is retirement | 5/22/20 | Consider This | Chuck Palahniuk | I really, really like this fireside chat dispensing writing discipline on writing meaningful passages for the American audience. The asides, A Postcard from the Tour, are voyeuristic accounts of book event torture for authors. These incidents confound your understanding of expected human behavior. | N |
| Cube of 4 | 5/20/20 | Made in America | Bill Bryson | I'd like to see a 2020 version of this book and see what Mr. Bryson would have to say about PC culture since 1994. | N |
| Multiple of 3 and a 3 | 5/16/20 | The Little Book of Lykke | Meik Wiking | I liked his hygge book better. No new thoughts on happiness for me. I guess I've been reading books and articles that draw from the same research. I was delighted to learn about flink - the Danish word for (striving to be) friendly, affable, kind, and good-natured | Y |
| Common retirement | 5/16/20 | I'm Your Huckleberry | Val Kilmer | Really enjoyed this memoir. Surprised with the blips of romances across the Hollywood star-scape. A type of poetic soul I can appreciate. Is he trying to subconsciously convert readers/listeners to Christian Science with the attractiveness of love? | Y |
| 61 | 5/16/20 | Fair Play | Eve Rodsky | Conception, plan, execution. Minimum standard of care? Unicorn space. Uh, that's all I got. I could not relate. Not my kind of gamification to divvy up tasks. Maybe if I revisit this again when I am a mother, this system would provide a salve leading to golden mental deliverance from unfair division of invisible work | Y |
| 60 sounds thrifty | 5/14/20 | Gifts of Imperfection | Brené Brown | Yes. Be wholeheartedly me. Why would I want to be the same as others, but try to be better? Doesn't compute. | N |
| Fiver Niner | 5/13/20 | In Such Good Company | Carol Burnett | It's soothing listening to an octogenarian reminisce on 11 witty years of physical gags, all-star guests, elaborate orchestral productions, blunt Q&As, and a family built around serendipitous circumstances that brought talents together. Hearing sound bites ("Roll tape!") liven my interest in wanting to watch episodes of her show. I am not confident if I had seen any. | Y |
| 58 | 5/12/20 | The Lemonade Life | Zack Friedman | Perspective, Risk, Independence, Self-Awareness, and Motion to become a "daring disruptor" (one that is proactive and unconventional). The ease of the passages helps me gel other lessons that were taught, but didn't stick the first time around. | N |
| Favorite Chevy Bel Air | 5/10/20 | Path to the Stars | Sylvia Acevedo | This year's Yuri's Night celebration introduced me to Ms. Acevedo. This memoir helped me appreciate the mission of the Girl Scouts to develop confidence and success-oriented skills to bring about positive changes in the world. | N |
| 6 more years to retirement? | 5/9/20 | The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck | Mark Manson | An enjoyable thought of taking more responsibility of being honest with yourself and questioning your values and what truly matters in this limited duration of morality | Y |
| Driving 55 | 5/9/20 | On Gold Mountain | Lisa See | I loved this oral history of a mixed-race Los Angeles Chinese American family. It tickled a curiosity of how I could piece my own family's traverse and life in Gim Saan (How the heck would I romanize the Toisan inflections? You see the Wades-Giles or pinyin equivalents for the shrill and rapid-fire Cantonese and Mandarin dialects). My mom talked about arriving in San Francisco. Did grandpa stay at Angel Island? I appreciate the potential rabbit hole of discovering the Chinese Angeleno experience. I started looking at the current map of Chinatown and stumbled across this list of commissioned works that I want to relish further. A great observance on Chinese industry and perseverance to maintain family, tradition, and love. | N |
| Studio 54 | 5/8/20 | The Unwinding of the Miracle | Julie Yip-Williams | Wow, I am happy I borrowed this title! Seeing a Chinese-American bare their soul and life reflections in an eloquent memoir makes me proud that someone I can culturally identify with have asserted themselves in this American conversation about a life worth examining and luxuriating. Against all preconceived notions of what a legally blind person can and cannot do, she thrived. Her anecdotes remind you that a paralyzed mind kills dreams. Make the conscious decisions to live on your own terms. Find the mutual humanity in others to connect in ways to enrich your life. | Y |
| 53 | 5/2/20 | I Heart My Little A-Holes | Karen Alpert | I was intrigued enough to listen to the entire book. However, I don't know if my future suburban motherhood experience would relate. Amusing that there were book club questions at the end. If I were to listen to this compilation of 2014 musings as a mom, would I feel different? We have a similar dislike to Caillou. | Y |
| Weeks in a Year | 4/28/20 | The Genius Habit | Laura Garnett | I always tell mentees about knowing your strengths. Now I will also tell them to know how to articulate and work in your genius thinking mode, knowing your purpose, and your value. | N |
| One After 50 | 4/26/20 | The Dance of Connection | Harriet Lerner | Brené Brown sent me here. A reminder to listen and identity differences to initiate greater understanding and connection | N |
| Golden 50 | 4/25/20 | A Walk in the Woods | Bill Bryson | A 1998 travelog through 39% of the Appalachian Trail still incites wonder and desire to amble through a different scene and arrest my thoughts on something other than creature comforts and mundane climbs of importance in suburbia. I appreciate how Bryson interspersed history and science in his adventures through Maine and Illinois | Y |
| A miner, 49-er | 4/19/20 | Between the World and Me | Ta-Nehisi Coates | Wow, this essay to his son shook me. What is the definition of a person? A body with certain physiognomic features? Reduced to a racial profile? How painful to live through an inter-generational (even millennial) public conscience that reinforces the notion that not all are free to dream and carve out your own identity. Comfort awashed my questioning, sensitive soul by being reminded that calm and resilience bolster you and your efforts to shape your own identity. Explore the world out there and assert yourself not in anger, but calm resolve. A mother that lost her son to senseless violence declared with great equanimity to Coates' son, "You exist. You matter. You have value. You have every right to wear your hoodie, to play your music as loud as you want. You have every right to be you. And no one should deter you from being you. You have to be you. And you can never be afraid to be you." | N |
| 40+8 | 4/19/20 | Vanni | Benjamin Dix | It pains me to think that this Sri Lankan conflict occurred within the last 20 years. And this bloodshed exacerbates the grief from losing loved ones and life as you know it during a tsunami. This graphic novel is no Donald Duck. It is a sensitive portrayal of difficult human rights violations. A level of surviving and thriving that I can barely begin to understand. To develop such grit is admirable. | N |
| 47 | 4/19/20 | The RGB Way | Rebecca Gibian | A nice introduction to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I appreciated the lessons learned summary at the end. However, I was uncomfortable with the fan girl presentation. I wanted the Justice's reported actions to amp up the likability meter. Not be told "this is why we adore her." Let me develop my own whys. Regardless, this RGB introduction would make me open to reading other works about her and her trailblazing ways to emulate. | N |
| To 4-6 | 4/12/20 | Not Taco Bell Material | Adam Carolla | I didn't watch Man Show or listen to Love Line, but I enjoyed his recounts of Jimmy Kimmel and Dr. Drew shenanigans. I appreciate the organization of the chapters by abodes he lived in. Where and how you lived certainly shapes your identity. | Y |
| Quartet with a fiver | 4/11/20 | Me Talk Pretty One Day | David Sedaris | I enjoyed the conversational anecdotes of learning French and other vignettes of finding his identity. It's authors like him that inspire me to try to write about the wonderful norm that is my life. Sedaris has a dynamic voice (hurrah, no monotone) and the musical interludes between chapters kept my attention. I think I want to traipse between chapters with a ditty when I read the next hard or soft bound collection of tales | Y |
| Deathly Number Twice | 4/5/20 | Stillness is the Key | Ryan Holiday | The most equanimity I have felt in a while. A meditative read of finding stillness in the mind, nourishing the soul, and maintaining the vessel of your thoughts and spirit. The message was enhanced by the enjoyment of reading it in my backyard on a Sunday. I was happy to find out that Mr. Holiday is a voracious reader. | N |
| 43 | 3/31/20 | Nancy and Plum | Betty Macdonald | Flea loved this book so I was curious about it. As a child, I loved Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle so I figured something by the same author would be delightful. However, even with the happy ending, I felt morose with the horrible treatment these 2 sisters received at the boarding house they stayed at and their only surviving relative/ guardian is unaware. | N |
| Highway 40 Blues Plus 2 | 3/29/20 | The Gaijin Cookbook | Ivan Orkin and Chris Yong | Very approachable Japanese recipes from an American transplant. Loved the quips in the head bars. I'd like to try Ivan Ramen one day. His TED Talk is on the "Watch Later" list | N |
| 41 | 3/29/20 | Acid for the Children | Flea | The memoir of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist surprised me with how much heart he has. I appreciate his bibliophile tendencies and nostalgic saunters through familiar Los Angeles roads. I am endeared by his tenderness and reflection on life and spirituality. | N |
| Deuce of 20 | 3/27/20 | Becoming | Michelle Obama | Yes! Not overhyped at all. A good read about striving and forward momentum to continuously improve. | N |
| 9 XXX | 3/20/20 | A Fire Story | Brian Fies | An emotionally stirring graphic account of the 2017 northern California wildfires. It almost makes me want to document the unsettling uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have been fortunate to have been able to telework this entire week. I am bewildered that loved ones attribute this to the start of the end. I am hurt that a loved one is stuck in quarantine while mourning the loss of sibling 1 year their senior. The day the airport closed was the day they were supposed to travel to another sibling's country. I am heartbroken by this global curtain of dread and isolation. The timing is always off. | N |
| 38 | 3/19/20 | When I Was White | Sarah Valentine | An East Coast gal discovers her father is not her biological one and contends with a biracial identity without knowing her biological father. Heavy stuff. The challenges of an interracial couple raising a child to develop a healthy identity will hopefully be minimal. | N |
| 7 past 30 | 3/19/20 | Never Play Dead | Tomi Lahren | A reminder that at the end of the day, people matter; let all experiences - good or bad - help you develop that grit to maintain your own opinion and stay that course; and to pause and reflect on unsettled triggers. I do not identify as a conservative, a liberal, a feminist, or a politics enthusiast. This collection of personal reflections (coupled with her appearance on the Theo Von podcast, This Past Weekend) was intriguing though. I appreciate the opportunity to witness an industrious person overcoming frustrations and learning humility and self-worth to help them become a better person and try to elevate those around them that need a voice. | N |
| 3 and 3×2 | 3/14/20 | Forking Good | Valya Dudycz and Stephen H. Segal | Didn't watch The Good Place, but I feel caught up with 2 seasons, amused with the philosophical musings, and appreciate the ingredients in recipes that were similes to these schools of thoughts | N |
| It's not risky to conceive at this age | 3/14/20 | Definitely Hispanic | LeJuan James | Essays from this family-friendly social media comic were very relatable. His articulation and deep love for the Hispanic culture (not just Puerto Rican and Dominican Republic) led to a YouTube subscription. His context clues of Spanglish makes it easy for non-native speakers to comprehend the idiomatic expressions. I admit I was surprised with how much Spanish I have retained. Growing up in LA with Spanish-speaking loved ones definitely ingrained an appreciation and understanding of the culture. | N |
| 3, 4, close the door | 3/11/20 | How to Skimm Your Life | theSkimm | I am clearly not the target demographic in terms of shared vernacular. However, bemused chuckles were audible over some Oldies lyrics references. Would these young ladies really know it? I liked the doodles and fun factoid presentation of information. A lot of good reminders on mini life hacks. | N |
| 3×11, hee hee | 3/9/20 | Trick Mirror | Jia Tolentino | Appropriate that I finished this collection of essays the day after International Women's Day. Women have made strides to achieve parity, but there is more work to do. I appreciate how I can relate to her narrative from an Asian-American in Houston lens. Happy Women's History Month! | N |
| 32 | 3/8/20 | Beginner's Guide to Kirigami | Ghylenn Descamps | A little bothered by a French artist breaking the art of paper-crafting, but I enjoyed seeing the geometric arrays of textural beauty. I'm not invested enough to invest in blades to practice this fine art. At least I read about the techniques of using a metallic ruler for straight edges, letting the tools do the work (don't grip too tight), use the scalpel for curves and intricate cuts, and leaning into straight edges with a box like cutter. | N |
| San shi yit | 3/8/20 | Winter Warrior | Eve Gilbert | A Vietnam vet's anti-war odyssey. The distrust, psychological damage, disbelief, and ignorance feel repetitive with each violent encounter overseas. So conflicted with the freedoms we have, but at the price of blood on both sides of the conflict. It was emotionally difficult to digest this Marine-turned-pacifist graphical journey of trying to make something of your life, but having your mind reprogrammed to commit atrocious acts on people you don't understand, but abiding by your commanding officer. To much turmoil to process. I feel trauma trying to empathize. | N |
| The not-so-new twenty | 3/3/20 | Making Comics | Lynda Barry | I love the composition book format, the margin drawings, the no fuss outpour of personality (self-portrait with ciggie butts regardless of character), the license to have filler words and nonsensical doodles until you discover that it eventually comes together. Stories interwoven with images come together from different observer points of view, characters, a shift from the ordinary, and a scene/setting to provide context. Yes, another book to purchase if I need prompts to jumpstart the creative storytelling engine. | N |
| Peanut butter jelly time | 3/1/20 | Bird Box | Josh Malerman | Netflix took a lot of liberties with this story. I enjoyed it more by reading. It was more suspenseful by watching with the blindfolds and all. It's too meta. | N |
| A meaningful date in November | 2/25/20 | La voz de M.A.Y.O. : Tata Rambo. Volume 1 | Henry Barajas | The biopic of natives and Mexican-Americans fighting for their homes in Tuscon (the expansion of I-10 during the 70s) drew me to the supplemental records in the back. Trilingual newsletters en Español, English, and a native tongue stretched my linguistic fascination and comprehension. The community board that humbles you with their simple thanksgivings and pleas for engagement to find greater strengths in numbers. Folks take study halls for granted. A safe haven to advance your studies really helped this community. I was drawn to the seventh-grade poems about finding beauty sourced from the emanating celestial bodies in the sky. I appreciate the newspaper clippings and type-written manuscripts. | N |
| 27 | 2/21/20 | Plate Tectonics | Margaux Motin | Enjoyed the style of this illustrated memoir. She broke out into song and rebounded from a divorce, breakup, and imperfect life circumstances. | N |
| Twice the baker's dozen | 2/18/20 | At Home | Bill Bryson | Yep, Occidental-centric history of the home, but it is still intriguing. I'd like to read it again as I was distracted with the aural narration | Y |
| Rent that car in a U.S. state | 2/17/20 | Grown-Up's Guide to Making Arts with Kids | Lee Foster-Wilson | When kiddos come into the picture, I would like to have books like this on the bookshelf. There are good techniques and prompts to take note of patterns to create | N |
| Hours in a day | 2/17/20 | There's No Such Thing as a Bad Kid | Titus O'Neil | The pick-me-up I needed to continue developing a humble service outlook and the discipline to cultivate that character to inspire and make a positive impact. From growing up in a detrimental environment, being an underachiever, graduating high school, excelling in criminal justice/sociology in 3 years (after an NCAA scandal), arena football player, and now WWE superstar. He persisted, but elevated his community along the way. How am I showing belief and love in the community? | N |
| 23 | 2/16/20 | Old Man's War | John Scalzi | Another Book Club sci-fi selection that surprised me with its absorbing narrative that made me question my current outlook on the purpose and maintenance of human life. The need for war as a simple, but complex solution to address competing forces hurts my passive brain. Wow, to have your consciousness transferred into a body many years your junior. Is it ethical? Are you truly still alive if your mortal remains are no longer functioning with a consciousness? The idea of DNA extracted and embedded into a mortal Frankenstein frightens me. | N |
| Double deuce | 2/15/20 | Our Super Canadian Adventure | Sarah Graley and Stef Purenins | That would be fun to make my own comic travelogue! I appreciate the chibi quality and superimposing the cartoon on actual travel footage at the Toronto Comics and Arts Festival | N |
| Blackjack | 2/11/20 | The Ballad of YaYa: Book 3: The Circus | Jean-Marie Omont, Patrick Marty, Charlotte Girard, Golo Zhao | YaYa is such a brat! Bragging that her pops is a top Shanghainese diamond merchant. Embroils her and Tuduo in an unconscious state on a boat. Frustrating. I'm looking forward to part 4 though. | N |
| Perfect vision | 2/10/20 | Girl on the Block: A True Story of Coming of Age Behind the Counter | Jessica Wragg | Yes, a carnivore's delight. An autobiography with tidbits about butchery! | N |
| 19 | 2/9/20 | Greetings from Las Vegas | Peter Moruzzi | Enjoyed the pictorial that inspired sketches in the last couple of days. Sad that there were a lot of unceremonious implosions of these fantastical model/casino/resort escapes | N |
| Wasn't this the American legal drinking age 30 years ago? | 2/9/20 | One Summer | Bill Bryson | 1927 is a more fascinating and pivotal year than I imagined. I halfheartedly listened so I'll definitely would like to read this again. I think I was distracted by Bryson's accent. My thoughts wandered as he delved into the collage of characters (Lindbergh, Ruth, Harding, Capone). Regardless, a great introduction to his work. I think I'll make him the theme of my book club month. | Y |
| At the Edge of... | 2/4/20 | Heads in Bed | Jacob Tomsky | Now I need to read Kitchen Confidential. This was supposedly the hotel version of it. I was attached to this tell-all like a bedbug in a run-down motor inn sheet. I'm sure I'd be ravenous for an exposé in the backstage of one of my favorite pastimes. | Y |
| Johnny Burnette this beauty | 2/3/20 | The Drawing Ideas Book | Frances Stanfield | This book revealed how scared I am to reimagine and create through feeling. My drawings can improve through my rigid carbon copies if I would just observe and flow AND experiment with tools, textures, colors, and mediums | N |
| That one expo for coming of age | 2/2/20 | Shut Up and Listen! | Tilman Fertitta | I liked his message more than I thought. Details, complementary alliances, persistence through data, intelligently use opportunities to soften the blow from the paddle to the behind. | N |
| Valentine's Day is upon us | 2/1/20 | Who Says You're Dead? | Jacob Appel | Wow, this would be fun to discuss at a dinner party. Ethical decisions I don't contemplate at all. Life is defined by heartbeats and breathing. Death is really not certain if there are tax implications. Definitely should reread. A lot to ponder | N |
| 13 | 1/26/20 | How Rich People Think | Steve Siebold | A part of the "Ignite Reads" series. I want to read more from the series. Easy to read and a lot of different ideas to ponder and incorporate into my subconscious and everyday behavior | N |
| Days of Christmas | 1/25/20 | Space Dogs: The Story of the Celebrated Canine Cosmonauts | Martin Parr and Richard Hollingham | I appreciate this photograph book of pupnik memorabilia! Fun, quirky names kept me amused: Laika (Barking), Belka (Squirrel), Strelka (Little Arrow), Chernushka (Blackie), Ugolek (Little piece of coal), Veterok (Light breeze). The star-facing poses on cigarette and confectionery tins shows a stark difference in pop consumerism and nationalism. | N |
| Oh, thank heaven! | 1/21/20 | In Waves | AJ Dungo | I was moved to tears in seeing the mirror of southern CA comfort through a surfing context and the strength and grit to immortalize your zest for life even if you are challenge-ridden with mortal, landlocked bounds (bone cancer leading to leg amputation, lung degeneration, and pelvic metastatic spread). Yes, I am that friend/acquaintance that will unabashedly and overwhelmingly celebrate, empathize, and reminisce with tears. I appreciate the primer of surfing history: a native Hawaiian retreat from Westerners (who did not appreciate the restorative powers of the sea), the Duke (Kahanamoku, a noble beach boy cresting the status of surfing from his global swimming celebrity), and Tom Blake (and his dedication to revitalize the sport with lightweight boards and adding a fin). The poignant parallel of how sea and space are symphonies of sun (stars), sea, and comfort emanated through the monochromatic moving illustrations. There is rejuvenating energy and limitless possibilities of traveling beyond the gravitational pull of this blue-green marble. | N |
| 10-10-321 | 1/20/20 | If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? | Alan Alda | I appreciate Mr. Alda even more now, knowing that he strived to make the scientific community more articulate and engaging. I was delighted to learn that his motivation to join a book club was to ensure exposure to fiction to understand the depths of human emotion. Empathy can be used for malintent. In communication, empathy is not necessarily the magic panacea to cure misunderstandings. It takes the ability to recognize social cues, to try to read minds and mirror emotions, to generate intrigue through relatable storytelling, and to reconcile the curse of knowledge that your audience may not necessarily possess. | Y |
| Third Multiple of Three | 1/20/20 | You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life | Jen Sincero | Happy reaffirmation of the law of attraction and what I have been exposed to in coaching. Pause, breathe, reflect, develop great relationships, maintain those high frequency vibrations, and surrender to the universe. The universe likes details. Visualize those infinitesimal details and the universe will fill you in with the "how." I love that the author read it herself. Her personality shown through. | Y |
| Lucky digit for most Asians | 1/19/20 | Women's Work | Megan K. Stack | First completed audio book of the year. I was very engrossed with it during my short trip to LA/Vegas. What a strange dynamic in exchange of energy. Yes, you expend money and time, but the energy towards making sure that the working women's children experiences their mother's love is ultimately usurped. I take for granted that I have the abundance in energy to pursue my career ambitions, clean my own house interior, cook, and mind other personal endeavors without a hired domestic aide. I can't imagine trying to achieve this with 2 toddlers and a husband whose work imposes travel in China and India. | Y |
| The Occidental lucky number | 1/10/20 | The Right Kind of Crazy | Clint Emerson | When I first started reading, I was intrigued. After taking a break for a week or so, I had become numb, pained, and sag for the life and end of a SEAL. It was a good marketing ploy for his 100 Deadly Skills title. The vivid drawings interlaced in the pages were good logical breaks for the intense topics he covered. | N |
| Seis | 1/8/20 | Palimpsest | Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom | My heart aches for these Korean adoptees. Forged documentation and illegal adoptions broke my naivete. Desperate times. The title is fitting because all adoptees searching for their origins encounter these repurposed, falsified letters approving this international transaction that splits families. | N |
| Fingers I have on 1 hand | 1/5/20 | I'll Never Tell | Catherine McKenzie | The twists and turns. Great! Never would've guessed it was the not so contrary one. | N |
| Room | 1/5/20 | Congratulations, by the way | George Saunders | Appropriate that I listened to this speech rather than reading it. Kindness is something we often relegate to success. Are we truly successful if we're not kind? | Y |
| Tri- something | 1/4/20 | Finding Chika | Mitch Albom | Makes me want to re-read "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." I think I've read them. Reading these sentimental passages provide good releases of pent up frustration and impatience. I appreciate the organization of his thoughts into "You," "Us," "Me," and "Lessons." A reminder of not to hoard time hit a raw chord. I wonder, with the passage of time, what the following phrases would mean to me:
| N |
| Deuce | 1/3/20 | Creative Spaces | Ted Vadakan & Angie Myung (Founders of Poketo) | Seeing a curated pictorial of the Angeleno aesthetic reaffirms that I still crave the vibe of a LA creative's domicile. I am inspired, but these celluloid exhibits don't feel lived in. It is not completely functional, but the minimalism is attractive. | N |
| ¡Uno! | 1/1/20 | After the Spring: A Story of Tunisian Youth | Hélène Aldeguer | An intense graphic novel on uncertainty and frustration of the early 2010s Tunisian political climate through the perspectives of college-aged adults trying to make the most of the confusion (a conflagration set by a man responding to the government?!). Originally written in French, I wonder how much more impactful it would have been to understand and read it in the book's original language. | N |
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