Summer Reading Update--

Best book of the summer so far--

HIGHLY RECOMMEND--

Amy Tan's book of essays: The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life

I'm loving this book. Amy is just one of the best writers around. She is honest and interesting and this book which gets a little more into her true family life, the making of The Joy Luck Club Movie and how fate has played into her life..or not (a subject I'm always fascinated about).

She just writes well and I find rarely do I get bored of what she has to say no matter what she is writing about. This is a rarity for me with writers, sometimes it's the subject matter that keeps me reading, but with Tan, it's what she says, how she says it, and what she thinks that keeps me reading. Wonderful book. I haven't skipped an essay yet!

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Also read:
Pam Houston's book of essays/memoir (A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME). It's pretty good, but some essays are much better than others (I skipped a couple, sorry to say as Houston is a fav of mine too.)

**RECOMMENDED for Pam Houston fans


Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison
: So far, I'm enjoying this. It really helps me understand what it's like to live with Asberger's. He has a very clear writing style that is quite observational and an understanding of how he learned to fit in as a child.

I would recommend this for any parent who has a child with this form of autism. Or maybe with any form.

Actually, I don't have a child with autism, but I find his story quite interesting in what he went through.

****RECOMMENDED


The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
by Tim Ferriss-- I listened to this one and was surprised what a funny writer he was with a book like this. There are definitely some sections I found helpful to help me organize my life, but a few that didn't quite fit my world and I found myself tuning out.

This was a positive surprise for me as I just happened to pick this book up at the library because I wanted something to listen to as I cleaned before my vacation and there wasn't a very good selection of audio books.

I like his beliefs though, that life is about having experiences, not things and that we do not live to work. Also, the goal in life is not to be a millionaire, but to enjoy life.

Also, if you decide to get this book, I wouldn't recommend the audio version but a hard copy because he has lots of reference info and websites you may want to refer to again.

****RECOMMENDED

Just got-

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
(haven't started)

and

How we decide by Jonah Lehrer

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Also, has anyone read GRAYSON (about the swimmer and the whale) and do you recommend it? I keep wanting to start this, but I'm a little nervous (I tend not to like books that involve real animals because I get anxious...) So it's been on my nightstand...tell me if I should read it or not.



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