Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Recently I was watching television and Augusten Burroughs was on talking about his latest book Possible Side Effects which I am thinking of reading. Last year I picked up his book Running with Scissors which was an account of his life growing up in a really strange and outlandish family. He grew up in Massachusettes in the 70's with his bipolar mother, alcoholic father, and various other crazy characters. The interesting part about his Memoir is that it seems as though while growing up, he was completely aware that his family and the people his family associated with were fairly dysfuncional. His writing is very witty, and it makes you think he must be very intelligent to be able to analyze his life the way he has been able to do. Even though I was not alive to experience the 1970's, I can almost experience it through this book. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll weren't just limited to the 60's. If you don't get to read his newest book, pick this one up. It's worth reading about someone's life which may be stranger than your own.
Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon
Last month I read this really interesting book called Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. I really enjoyed it, even though I'm not a huge fan of science fiction. The story takes place in the future at a time where the human body is easily replaceable. Basically human (the soul?) memory and life experiences are stored in computer chips. When people go to prison, they lose their physical bodies and are trapped more in an electronic type prison. When (if) they got released their chip could be planted into another body. They would be the same person, but in a different body. There was a market for bodies.... you could pay a lot of money and have yourself cloned to have a new shell waiting for you, or you could get someone else's shell.... it's just such an interesting concept. It definitely feels like the author was trying to push the idea that the electrical impulses in our brain can be contained and digitized. Has anyone ever pondered that idea? Would something like that be unethical? Do our ethics and moral even have a way to question that type of science? I really liked the fact that people could in fact die, but only if their computerized chip was destroyed (and even then, smart people had back up copies.....). Let's get a good discussion going on this topic, I'd like to hear what others think.
The Bible Code II
I read the original Bible Code when it came out back in the late 1990's, and I was really excited to read the Bible Code 2 which I didn't even know had been published. The Bible Code book is about this code which is apparently encrypted into the old testament of the Bible, or the original Jewish text of the Torah. It's amazing when you see the crossword puzzle like text that is encoded in different areas. The Bible Code 1 talks about things that had happend in the past such as the Yitzak Rabin assassination and the assasination of the Kennedys. The reason I really wanted to read the second version was because in the first book the END OF THE WORLD was thought to possibly take place in the year 2006. So, I figured I better bone up on book #2 to see if they still thought that was going to happen. According to Michael Drosnin the author, the reason the Bible Code is just being discovered now is because we have the computer technology to do it. I really want to read up on the Hebrew codes and things of that nature. Does anyone believe the Bible Code? Or does anyone have any information they can direct me to that may refute it?
The Great Gatsby
Out of all the books I somehow missed reading in High School and College, I am so glad I picked up this classic. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an excellent look at the lives of the wealthy class of the 1920's in the Long Island area of New York. The story is about Nick who moves to New York in order to learn about stocks and bonds. He doesn't live in an extremely extravagant home, but his eccentric neighbor, Mr. Gatsby does. Gatsby threw crazy parties every weekend and entertained many of the communities wealthy folk. However, we find out that his parties are really only a weak attempt at impressing a married woman he has a desire for. This book does an excellent job of showing how morally corrupt people can be not only because they have a lot of money but because they are selfish and do not do enough good things with their lives. In the end Gatsby dies and no one shows up to his funeral. How sad is that? I definitely want to read this book again. What do you all think of the Jordan and Daisy characters?
Dreamside
A co-worker recommended that I read the book Dreamside by Graham Joyce because I mentioned that I had an interest in lucid dreaming. This book was a really interesting fictional account of some students who start a lucid dreaming club in order to try to contact each other on 'dream side' which was their lucid dreaming state. Although the premise of the book was extremely interesting to me, the way they decided to twist and turn the story was a little to surreal for me. I really liked the concept of Dreamside until they brought in the rape aspect. Basically if you haven't read it, a woman in the group was raped on Dreamside and then ended up having a baby there too. Of course she didn't really lose her virginity or become pregnant in the real world, only in the world of lucid dreaming... or did she? Does anyone have lucid dreaming experiences? Do you think it's possible something like that could have happened? I would have liked to see the story take a slightly different direction, but it was definitely an interesting concept!
Anthem
Reading Anthem by Ayn Rand gave me a very interesting viewpoint on Communism and how bad it is for humans. Anthem was a short story but had such a big impact on me. I thought it was really cool how everything was written in third person to express the fact that there is no individuality within communism and that everything is done for 'we' and 'us' and 'them'. Everyone was placed in to certain jobs that they would be good at. No one was able to be creative or think for themselves. The cool part was at the end when the main characters escaped her voice changed from third person to first person to show that these people are now able to think for themselves and not as a hive mind. For some reason people think Communism is such a great idea because it provides for all people in the society no matter what their slot in life is. After reading Anthem I definitely had a strong dislike for communism and am glad I do not live in a communist environment. Did this book have an impact like that on anyone else?
Chariots of the Gods?
Recently I read the book Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Daniken. I was really interested in his theory about Aliens and the Bible. He thinks that the leap from prehistoric humans to humans with an advanced culture happened not because of a biological occurance but because Aliens came down to Earth and taught us the necessary skills to become more advanced. In the Bible there are references to 'Chariots of fire' and other things that lead him to believe Aliens were visiting Earth for many years. Some of the artifacts he discusses are the Egyptian Pyramids, and the giant heads of Easter Island. Did Aliens make these? Could this really be possible? I've also read information contradicting his information, but now I don't know who to believe. Sometimes I'd like to believe in aliens, but it seems like it could also be a hoax. Has anyone else read this book? What are your thoughts on the Alien possibility, especially the possibility of Aliens being talked about in the Bible?
Things to make from the garden
I have a ton of red raspberries growing in our garden. We harvested a quart and a half just today! NE1 have any good suggestions on what to make using raspberries fresh from the bush? We also have really nice smelling things like Lavender and Lemon Balm. I am thinking of making those into little sachets to give to friends and family. I think I will run up to the store today and find out the cost of doing that. It can't be TOO expensive. I think making things from the garden is a great way to make presents for people without spending too much time and money. I'm really interested in making lavender scented bath oils. Does anyone know any good websites or books I can look at to teach myself how to make those type of goods?
Party School!
I hear Penn State is a great party school to go to... has anyone heard this? I want to party my ass off when I get to college because that's what you're supposed to do, isn't it? Party schoolz rock! My parents would hate me going to penn state just to party, but I think they have pretty good academics too. Does anyone know if penn state wants the SAT's or the ACT's when applying? I don't know which one I want to take. All I want to do is drink and PARTY! Maybe I should go to Florida or Texas instead...I hear their schools are crazie party zones!
Rachel Ray makes my day!!
I love Rachel Ray. I can't say it enough. Rachel Ray is my everyday time of joy. Watching her on the cooking channel gives me so much encouragement! Spend 30 minutes with Rachel Ray on a daily basis and you will have the ability to cook amazing quick meals that are healthy and taste great. She also has a TON of cookbooks out there on the market you will probably enjoy. Make everyday Rachel Ray day and make her your best friend. She will teach you great things about food and you will be happy and not hungry. Thanks Rachel!