A productive (long) weekend of reading

Good morning everyone, it has been a while since my last post. Because of the long weekend, I was able to get some serious reading done; so, here they are:

1) Last week I finished one of Thomas McGeoghan's books on how the Republican's deregulation tactics increased civil litigation. He makes some interesting points; one part that was particularly funny was he notes Elliot Spitzer as a fighter of deregulation and a champion of litigation. I'm sure current readers (as well as myself) got a good chuckle out of that.

2) Friday, into Sat. AM I read my first novel by Zora Neal Hurson "Their Eyes Were Watching God"; this is a real interesting book about growing up in the south during the mid 20th century. One of the main character's names is Tea Cake, with a name like that, how can you resist? It is however, in all fairness a nickname. Hurston's background as an anthropologist gives interesting insight during the 20th century on how relationships are formed/kept (or not) as the case might be. The next book I will be reading by her is "Moses, Man of the Mountain". I know she has a number of other published novels which I will look forward to reading as well.

3) Saturday and Sunday I completed by third book by Tim O'Brien, "Tomcat in Love"; another fantastic read, he doesn't dissapoint. The protagonist is a professor of linguistics at the U. of Minnesotta. He marries his high school sweetheart, after a number of years of marriage she leaves him to go to Florida to marry a rich financeer who is called "the Tycoon". He makes numerous plots to try and get back at her, however as the story unfolds, we learn that he's a womanizer himself. The book has an unexpected ending, one that I certainly did not expect. This is a fantastic read, I absolutely reccommend it. My next book by him is at home waiting to be read, "July, July".

3) Monday morning (I am also still reading this) I begain Alan Dershowitz's "Is There a Right to Remain Silent? Coercive Interrogation and the Fifth Amendment after 9/11." As usual, Dershowitz gives a scholarly history of the fifth amendment and cites numerous Supreme Court cases over the years as to how it has been interpreted. One case in particular he sights is Chavez vs Martinez in which a police officer (Martinez) interrogates a suspect (Chavez) while he's in the hospital awaiting treatment. The suspect speaks broken English and at numerous instances states I do not want to speak to you anymore. This and the other cases cited are interesting; for those of you interested in these particular issues, I would definitely suggest it. I should finish this today as I am on the final chapter.

3) Last night, just to take a break from 'serious' reading I read about Manayunk (a notable Philadelphia neighborhood about 6 miles west of Center City) as part of the 'Images of America' series. For those of you familiar with Washington DC, it is similar to Adam's Morgan in it's vibrant nightlife, interesting shops, overall crowdedness and noisy nature. I was hoping for more information on the second half of the 20th century. The book, however, mostly noted the turn of the century through the 1930's. Those of you interested in Philadelphia and/or history of Manayunk, it's still pretty interesting; the pictures are fantastic.

7/1 - "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

Good afternoon everyone, I completed the book on law yesterday regarding the massive deregulation and because of this, the number of civil lawsuits have grown astronomically. I don't recall the title of the book, it has a long name. The author's name I believe is Michael McGeohean (sp.) something like that.

Anyway, back to the novels....Zora Neal Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God". I have read about 30 pages and am enjoying it very much. My plan is to finish it tomorrow. I will have plenty of reading time this weekend since I don't work on Friday in celebration of Independence day. I may post tomorrow, not sure yet. I will definitely have plenty to say on Monday.

As always your commens, critiques, and suggestions are always welcome. Happy reading, have a great weekend everyone!

6/29 - A Productive Reading Weekend

Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. The weather here was phenomenal, first time in a while we had two beautiful days! Anyway, I completed two books:

First, 'In the Lake of the Woods' by Tim O'Brien. I previously read another book by him about Vietnam which I enjoyed. This one had flashbacks to the war but had a much different plot; a couple vacations over the summer and the wife disappears. Won't tell you how/why, you will need to read it! But very suspenseful and great ending. If you read it, please feel free to share. I got a comment via facebook from a college friend re: another book by O'Brien which I cannot remember. However, I do have "Tomcat in Love" at home which I will be reading shortly.

Second, I re-read (after a number of years) "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. I have heard this compared to Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis"; in my opinion, it's completely different. But it is a very depressing tale of a boy who grows up mentally retarded and undergoes an operation to become a genius. The operation does in fact raise his IQ but the still has the social skills of the lower IQ. I would say the book is depressing (I didn't remember which was why I read it again). After a number of years, he goes back to the way he was as a child and is no better off than before. So, the question...was he better off with/without the operation. As depressing as the book is (in my opinion) the end is somewhat uplifting. I'll leave you to decide that for yourself...:)

This morning I started "See you in Court: How the Right made America a Lawsuit Nation" by Thomas Geoghean. I generally dislike reading books around party politics, however, Geoghan really puts forth some interesting hypotheses as to why we as a country are in court all the time. His basic thesis is because of deregulation and the weakening of unions, people are constantly suing and going after each other civilly. I think his ideas are interesting and are backed up by statistics and personal experiences.

I also received a recommendation on Friday from a friend on a book about books: "Who the Hell Is Pansy O'Hara? It tells the background of a number of popular books, I have requested it from the library and will report on it once it has been read.

Happy reading everyone!!

'That Was Then, This is Now' by S.E. Hinton & 'Chutzpah by Alan Dershowitz

Good afternoon, I neglected to add 'That Was Then, This is Now' by S.E. Hinton earlier in the week. It was a quick read, I finished it in a couple of hours. This was a really enjoyable book about two boys growing up in the sixties in a single parent home. One of the boy's parents both shot themselves in an argument and consequently the mother of the other boy graciously took him in. They remain great friends until the end of the book...I will not tell you why. This is interesting read because the climax comes at the end...but I won't ruin it.

I finished John Perkins 'Confession of an Economic Hitman' over the weekend and started Alan Dershowitz's 'Chutzpah'. I was very skeptical at the beginning but I am really enjoying it. He discusses his upbringing in a traditional, Jewish home; he attended Yeshiva for both elementary and high school and then matriculates to New York City College and then of Course to Yale for Law School. His insights are interesting especially regarding his career as a 'Jewish' clerk in the Supreme Court and faculty member at Harvard. Even if you are not a fan of Dershowitz and whom he advocates for; this is nonetheless an interesting read on how a traditional Jew confronts modernity in the cut-throat world of jurisprudence, Anti-Semitism and political autonomy.

6/22 - "Confessions of an Economic Hitman"

Good morning, hope you had a good weekend. I started a fantastic book on Saturday titled "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins. This is about a guy who writes his memoirs about going to foreign countries convincing them to take loans they knew they could not payback; the countries would then default on them and the individual countries would be indebted to the US by having to build military bases, airports, infrastructure, etc. Normally, I am not such a fan of propaganda, however, this book is certainly anything but that. The author gives vivid accounts of meetings with world leaders, people who supposedly 'did not exist' a la Sean Connery in 'The Rock'. This was a recommendation from a friend who posted to the blog (the first I believe).

6/19 - 'Love Medicine' by Louise Erdrich

Good morning everyone, after I finished 'The Testament' I started 'Love Medicine' instead because I left the other book 'A Patch of Blue' originally titled 'Be Ready with Bells and Drums' by Elizabeth Kata at home. So, that's next. In any even, 'Love Medicine' takes place in and around North Dakota and tells different tales about the Chippewa Indians in the 1960's - 1970's. Pretty interesting stuff, you don't read too much about this part of the country and its inhabitants. If any of you read, I 'd be interested to hear your comments. My goal is to finish it today, only about 100 pages left. I should start Kata's book tonight or tomorrow morning.

Have a great weekend.

6/17 - Elie Wiesel 'The Testament'

Good afternoon everyone, I continue to read Elie Wiesel's 'The Testament' and hope to finish it tonight and start a new book tomorrow. However, to this point, I continue to enjoy the story he tells about Communism and the Spanish War. He also fights with modernity in terms of continuing on with traditional Judaism or abandoning the ways of his youth. Such topics explored are pre-marital relations, eating non-kosher food, praying daily, wearing tefillin, etc. I am excited to read the conclusion.

Next up is 'A Patch of Blue' originally titled 'Be Ready with Bells and Drums' by Elizabeth Kata.

6/16 - Elie Wiesel's 'The Testament'

Good morning everyone, I had a very successful reading day on Monday mostly due to the fact that there was a broken down trolley and we were stuck in the tunnel for at least an extra half hour which allowed me to finish Tim O'Brien's 'The Things they Carried'. For those of you that saw my facebook status update yesterday, you'll note that I got caught up in Sportscenter instead of starting the book...one of my weaknesses, what can I say?

Anyway...I started Elie Wiesel's 'The Testament' on the way home. I was not disappointed either; the protagonist grew up in an orthodox (Jewish) household and then leaving his parents to go into the Communist world. Once he leaves home, he becomes more secular by shaving his peyot (earlocks), not praying as much and mostly refrains from using his phylacteries (Heb. Tefillin) daily, I am about 1/3 of the way through and can't wait to continue.

Also, last night since there was nothing I cared to watch on television (taking a break from 'The Testament'), I read through the 'Eastern State Penitentiary' book from the 'Images of America' series. I have been impressed by all of those I have looked through so far. The one on my township is especially good (no bias of course) but I find so many interesting insights on neighborhoods from primary sources. I find it's very difficult to obtain those these days.

I shall be continuing 'The Testament' hopefully to be finished tomorrow evening or possibly Thursday at the latest. Have a great day everyone!

6/8 'The Things They Carried'

Good morning everyone, I had a pretty productive reading weekend. I finished 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel Friday evening. I did enjoy it, definitely a new perspective on life. I have his other book out currently to which I cannot remember the title but I will be reading it shortly.

I also completed 'The Things They Carried' this morning. There was a broken down trolley so I had some extra reading time sitting in the tunnel. This is an excellent book about the memoirs of fighting in the Vietnam War (the author is a veteran). I have requested a couple of his other books from the library. A colleague of mine commented on the blog that she enjoyed his writing, I can defintiely see why, he has a way of making the scenes really come to life.

Next up is Elie Wiesel's 'The Testament' which I am planning on beginning today either at lunch or on the commute home (hopefully without any signficant delays. I had the honor of hearing him speak at Boston U. while I was in college. I don't remember exactly what he talked about yet the venue was absolutely packed and was totally silent through every word he spoke.

I am looking forward to a very productive reading week, I am home four nights which is rare!

Any thoughts? Comments? Please feel free to pass on and/or share......

Last post (hopefully) for 'Life of Pi'

Good afternoon everyone...has been a busy week but am determined to finish 'Life of Pi' tonight or at the latest tomorrow morning. I am really enjoying it; the author has some really interesting insights about life in general. Not to give too much away but the scene where he wants to be three religions to be closer to God is priceless. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Marc

Still going....'Life of Pi'

Good morning everyone, I actually didn't have a chance to read yesterday because I didn't take the train and I had to referee. But I am hoping to finish by either tonight or tomorrow at the latest. Not sure what is up next but have many choices at home....possibly S.E. Hinton or Elie Weisel..possibly even an 'Images of America' on neighborhoods in Philly....have a great day!

6/8 - Beginning Yan Martel's "Life of Pi"

Good morning everyone: as promised, I did complete Kate Walbert’s “Our Kind”, a novel told through short stories regarding American Women fraternizing in the 1950’s through marriage, having children, divorce, etc.

Today I began Yan Martel’s “Life of Pi” which I have wanted to read for a long time. Well, I started on the train today and hope to finish by Friday (Thursday night would be preferable). I have to drive tomorrow since I have one more night of refereeing football but then it’s subway for the rest of the week.

While I am concentrating on novels, I have also began reading the “Images of America” series, they do neighborhoods, cities, municipalities, etc. all over the country. I have really enjoyed the ones about certain areas of Philadelphia, especially around Broad Street learning about how Jewish communities formed.

I did go to the library last night and I have a number of interesting reads coming up including:

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” – Z.N. Hurston
“Flowers for Algernon” – D. Keyes (I believe I’ve read that one previously but wanted to revisit it again).
“That was then, this is now” – S.E. Hinton
“The things they Carried” – Tim O’Brien

If any of you have read any of these books or anything else by these authors, please feel free to share!

Happy Monday - 6/8

Happy Monday everyone: this weekend I finished 'Stern Men' by Elizabeth Gilbert (large print edition). Interesting read for those who are looking for a novel about lobster-mongers (is that a word?) in Maine during the second half of the 20th century. The story really revolves around the trials and tribulations of a teenager sent away to boarding school by her mother's employer, a wealthy man outside the state. She comes back, people are pushing her to get away, go to college, and make something of herself. Without giving too much more away, it revolves around her growing up around people pushing her out and round through her desire to work on the boat catching lobsters. A colleague of mine has read her other novels and speaks quite highly of her. FYI, 'Stern Men' won a National Book Award (NBA) in the last decade or so which is my current quest. I want to all the fiction NBA winners over the past 40 years (or as long as the award has been in existence). Then maybe move on to poetry and non-fiction.

This morning I began Kate Walbert's 'Our Kind'; also I believe an NBA winner which is a collection of short stories. Between my lunch break and commute, I expect to finish it today and will report tomorrow (it's only 195 pages).

Thank you all for your feedback, it is really helpful. I am off to the library tonight as I have a stack of books waiting for me. Once those are done, I will begin reading your recommendations and report back.

Also, fyi, today is Robin's birthday so wish her a happy birthday!

Marc

'Stern Men' by Elizabeth Gilbert and 'Living a Life that Matters' by Rabbi Harold Kushner

Good afternoon everyone, this morning I started 'Stern Men' by Elizabeth Gilbert. The book takes place in Maine and is about the lobstering trade during various decades during the 20th century. It is very interesting and the plot thickens as a female who completes high school wants to get into the business but the family is hesitant because of her sex.

Yesterday I finished "Living a Life that Matters" by Rabbi Harold Kushner. I think he has some great incites on how to make our daily routines more meaningful. One line I find particularly appropriate: "Most people aren't afraid of dying rather not as having lived".

This will probably be my last post until next week. As always, comments are always welcome. Happy reading and have a great weekend!

Why do I read so much

I am often asked this question...I think it's for a few reasons:

1) I take the public transportation most days for at least an hour. There really isn't much else to do besides read. None of my colleagues live near me and I'm not so much into talking to complete strangers.

2) I watched so much television as a kid that I think I just grew generally tired of it. I still do watch some, mostly sports, and some crime shows; most notably all of the 'Law and Order' series.

3) Few people take advantage of the wonderful library system we have in our county so many books to read, movies, periodicals, etc.

4) Oh yeh, I actually enjoy doing it! I don't really have a list of things I read but I mostly go on reccomendations and National Book Award Winners. Those should keep me busy for a while.

'Living a Life that Matters'

I am currently reading the above titled book by Rabbi Harold Kushner who is probably best known for 'Why Bad Things Happen to Good People'.

As of 6/3/2009 all the books (I think) I have ever read

Achebe, Chinua
Things Fall Apart

Albom, Mitch
Tuesday's with Morrie
Five People You Meet in Heavan
For One More Day

Allende, Isabel
House of Spirits

Anaya, Rudolfo
Bless Me Ultima

Angelou, Maya
I Know Why the Cage Bird….

Ariel, David
Kabbalah: Mystic Quest

Atwood, Margaret
Handmaid's Tale

Bauer, Yehuda
Holocaust Reader

Babauta, Leo
Power of Less

Baldwin, James
Native Sons
No Name in the Street
Fire Next Time
Beale St. Could Talk

Boadt, Lawrence
Reading the Old Testament

Borowski, Tadeusz
This Way for the Gas….

Boteach, Shmuley
Kosher Sex
Broken Male
Shalom in the Home

Brecht, Berthold
Three Penny Opera

Buber, Martin
Tales of the Hasidim

Clyatt, Bob
Work Less, Live More

Camus, Albert
The Stranger

Caplan, Marvin
Farther Along

Capote, Truman
In Cold Blood

Carnegie, Dale
How to Win Friends and Influence People

Cather, Willa
My Antonia

Cernea, Ruth F
Passover Seder

Cisneros, Sandra
House on Mango Street

Conrad, Joseph
Heart of Darkness

DeLilo, Don
White Noise

Dershowitz, Alan
Supreme Injustice

Drucker, Peter
Effective Executive

Eliach, Yaffa
Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust

Fadiman, Ann
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Feinman, Jay
Law 101

Ferriss, Timothy
Four Hour Work Week

Fisher, Mary Pat
Living Religions
Fitzgerald, F. Scott

The Great Gatsby
Ford, Ford, M.
Good Soldier

Frank, Anne
Diary of a Young Girl

Freedman, Samuel
Jew VS Jew
Inheritance: How three..
Who she was: search..
Small Victories
Upon This Rock

Friedman, Thomas
Hot, Flat Crowded
World is Flat
Longitudes and Attitudes

Gladwell, Malcolm
Blink: power of thinking

Golding, William
Lord of the Flies

Green, Arthur, R'
Speak my face Speak my name
Greene, Graham
Heart of the Matter

Harr, Jonathan
A Civil Action

Hawthorne, Nathaniel
The Scarlet Letter

Homer
The Oddyssey
The Iliad

Hosseini, Khaled
The Kite Runner
Thousand Splendid Suns

Ibsen, Henrick
Doll's House

Images of America
Cheltenham
Manayunk
Jewish Strawberry Mansion
Jewish Broad Street
Jewish W. Philly
Keswick
Springfield (Montco.) Tship
Jewish Comm. S. Philly
Chestnut Hill
Morelands/Bryn Athn
Pa Tpke
Kafka, Franz
The Metamorphasis

Kerouac, Jack
On the Road

Kesey, Ken
One Flew Over…

Kingsolver, Barbara
The Bean Trees

Kiyosaki, Robert
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Who Took My Money
Rich Kid, Smart Kid
Why We Want You to be Rich

Kubler Ross, Eliz.
Death and Dying

Kurzweil, Arthur
Torah for Dummies

Kushner, Harold
Bad Things Happen…
Overcoming Life's Dissapoin…
How Good do we Have…
Living a life that Matters

Kushner, Lawrence
The Reader

Lawrence, DH
Sons and Lovers

Lee, Harper
To Kill A Mockingbird

Lewis, Sinclair
Babbit

Levitt, Steven
Freakanomics

London, Jack
White Fang
Call of the Wild

Mahfouz, Nahgib
Midaq Alley

Marquez, G.G.
100 Years of Solitude

Miller, Arthur
The Crucible
Death of a Salesman

Mistry, Rohinton
A Fine Balance

Moody, Raymond
Near Death Experiences

Morrison, Toni
Beloved
Sula
The Bluest Eye

Opposing Viewpoints
Death Penalty
Juvenile Crime
Welfare State
Vietnam

Orwell, George
1984
Animal Farm
Parry, Aaron R'
Idiot's Guide To Talmud

Potok, Chaim
Asher Lev
The Chosen
The Promise
Old Men at Midnight
Davita's Harp
In the Beginning
I am the Clay
Zebra & Other Stories
Gates of November

Roth, Philip
Zuckerman Unbound
Everyman
Sabbath's Theater
Patrimony
The Dying Animal
When She was Good
Great American Novel
My Life as a Man
Plot Against America
Goodbye Columbus
The Human Stain
The Human Stain
The Breast
Ghost Writer
Zuckerman Unbound
The Anatomy Lesson
The Prague Orgy
The Counterlife
American Pastoral
Operation Shylock
Professor of Desire
The Dying Animal
Our Gang
So I married a Communist
Shop Talk

Salinger, J.D.
Catcher in the Rye

Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg
God's Echo….Midrash

Schlesinger, Rudolf
Memoirs

Shakespeare, William
Hamlet
MacBeth
Romeo and Juliet
King Lear
Henry VIII
Julius Ceasar
King Lear

Shaller, Michael
Reagan Memoires

Silverstein, Shel
The Giving Tree
A Light in the Attic

Sinclair, Upton
The Jungle

Singer, Isaac, Bashevis
Image and Other Stories
Old Love
Collected Stories

Smith, Anna D.
Fires in the Mirror

Sofer, Dalia
Septembers of Shiraz

Steinbeck, John
Grapes of Wrath
The Pearl
East of Eden

Steinberg, Milton
Basic Judaism
As A Driven Leaf

Steinsaltz, Adin
Thirteen Petalled Rose

Strassfield, Michael
Catalog I
Catalog II
Catalog III

Stowe, Harriet, Beecher
Uncle Tom's Cabin

Terkel, Studs
Work

Toobin, Jeffrey
Inside the Nine
Gore V Bush 2000 Election
A Vast Conspiracy

Vonnegut, Kurt
Jailbird
Cat's Cradle

White, E.B.
Charlotte's Web

Wiesel, Elie
The Trilogy
Messengers of God
A Jew Today
Twilight
The Accident
Journey of Faith
Night Trilogy
Mad Desire to Dance

Williams, Tennessee
A Streetcar Named…

Opening Post

Hey everyone, as some of you may know, I tend to read just a bit so my brother suggested I start a blog. I do spend a lot of time on the computer and I am trying to limit it. But I thought this was a cool idea. So, below will be (what I think) are all the books I have ever read. As I continue reading, I will post more books and my comments. You should feel free to comment as well.