What I've Been Reading Lately

I just starting reading The Emperor of all Maladies.  

Ever since reading the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks my interested has been piqued in health related books.  As I've been reading this book, I've found so many different things fascinating.   Learning of how historical care practices from doctors, who with the best of intentions, but lack of knowledge was really horrific and macabre for the patients.  There really is a fine line between human trials and human experiments that was probably crossed with the best intentions.  

I have to confess, I really know nothing about cancer, with so many different types of cancer, I really didn't know what cancer really was.  I'm so ignorant, I didn't even know that oncology was until I started reading this book.  And I guess that makes be lucky  but I'm retiscent to talk about all the things I've been reading, because I've seen how hard it is for families when I family member has cancer.  So I will leave you with one thing I found interesting.

One interesting thing

When the humoral theory was proposed, with the different fluids of the body (black bile, phlegm, yellow bile, and blood), the only disease that was attributed to black bile was cancer and depression.  I wonder if its because the symptoms of either manifest in a variety of different ways, or that people often look fine on the outside, but are well aware of their "condition" on the inside.  Or that those closest to a person with depression and cancer are also affected by the disease.  

 I'm also reading an interesting article that explores the correlation between your gut microbiota and your metabolism.  This kind of article is a little outside my field of knowledge, but its still pretty interesting, and so far I can grasp what it's saying without googling any of the big words.  

The article is talking about how the gut microbial community has more microorganisms that in the body by "two orders of magnitude".  In my mind I have a tiny universe of microorganisms living inside my gut helping my body with biochemical and metabolic stuff.  Kinda like the locker in Men In Black that holds an entire universe:

 

~b~

Books

I think I've read more this year than I have in the past 10 years.  To circumvent immense boredom that is bound to occur if I posted a blog on each book I've read, I thought I would compile a book list using an assortment of random categories.

Lakeside Reading

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

• The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

Books that Made Me Think

• Counterfeit Gods - Timothy Keller

• Now, Discover Your Strengths - Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.  This book comes with an online assessment that highlights your five main areas of strengths.  After reading mine I certainly make a lot more sense to myself and I feel kinda dumb that I couldn't see this in myself before.  It's like when I "discovered" I had straight hair - seems kinda obvious now, but I was naively oblivious before.  

•  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - Donald Miller

LL's Author Recommendation

• Saturday - Ian McEwen  A incredibly "knowledgeable in all things English" friend of mine recommended McEwen to me.  I have always enjoyed her recommendations and so I started with Saturday.  

Most Surprising Page Turner

• The Host - Stephanie Meyer.  This was a two night read for me.  I'm not into teenaged vampire love and would have never read this had it not been recommended by two co-workers.  Plus, I didn't realize who the author was until night two.    

Short Stories

• Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle  You can download this Sherlock Holmes App (Sunscroll) and read Sherlock Holmes for free.  I did at times, however, get annoyed with Watson's constant praise of Holmes intellect.

• My Best Stories - Alice Munro.  I thought I enjoyed the short story genre.  So I read this well known Canadian author.  Turns out I don't like story's of small towns and Canadian history.  

Most Disappointing Read

• An Echo to the Bone - Diana Gabaldon.  This is the seventh book in the Outlander Series.  These are long books and seven books makes a long series, but I've developed a literary crush on the main character.  I thought this was the last book in the series and was looking forward to the ending.  But the ending was left open ended and was not at all what I expected.  Plus, sex between fictional characters in mid life just isn't as hot (at all) as when they were in their twenties.  

Books I Bought For My Son and Then Borrowed

• Octavian Nothing Traitor to the Nation - M.T. Anderson

• The Lost Symbol  -Dan Brown.  I've always enjoyed reading a Dan Brown novel, not to be confused with the New York Times best-selling author Dale Brown.  A mistake I made when I ran into McNally on afternoon and grabbed some books to bring with me to the lake.  

(Not So) Secret (Anymore) Author Crush

• Blue Like Jazz- Donald Miller.  

Further Reads on Spirituality

• Plan B:  Further Thoughts on Faith - Anne Lamott

Non Fiction

• Empire of Illusion  The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle - Chris Hedges

• Hot, Flat, and Crowded - Thomas L. Friedman

• How to Be a Better Foodie a Bulging Little Book for the Truly Epicurious - Sudi Pigott

• Memories, Dreams, Reflections - Carl Jung

• The Age of the Warrior: Selected Writings - Robert Fisk

Book That Did Not Disappoint My Expectations

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot.  

In Progress

• The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells. I miss reading to my son at night, so I've started to again and I don't care that he's a teenager and not a little kid anymore.  I'm gonna read, and he's gonna listen.  

• Beloved - Toni Morrison

• Searching For God Knows What - Donald Miller

• Sundays at Tiffeny's - James Patterson

~b~

Off the Bookshelf - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell

The book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clack is set in the 1800's where there is a revival of magic in England.  This return of practical magic is spearheadedby two men.  Mr Norrell is a recluse who is has amassed a vast collection of books on magic and who believes in acquiring the knowledge and theoretical aspects rather than practicing magic.  Jonathan Strange, who is quite limited in knowledge and books of magic, but rather possesses a natural ability to performing magic, believes that magic should be practiced.  The opposing viewpoints of the use of practical magic strains the relationship between the two magicians, and they go their separate ways.  The schism between the two magicians is limited to both sides publishing scholarly articles, as keeping with the manners and etiquette of society.  The use of magic is reserved for practical purposes, such as aiding England in the war against France.  

Sometimes my mother would show me all the pictures she had taken that had been recently developed.  The first few would be interesting, a picture of my grandparents, or a place she had been while on vacation.  Each picture required elaboration, from who the individuals in the picture were, to some anecdote connected with the picture.  She would show me picture after picture: people I don't know and will never meet, a picture of the front of her house, a picture of random flowers.  She would show me the pictures that were blurry and out of focus, the pictures where she had missed including their heads in the composition, or a double of a previous picture.  The pictures soon blurred together and nothing stood out and I only had the overwhelming urge to leave.  


This is how I began to feel towards the middle of the book, I had the overwhelming urge to finish.  The detail of this book is tremendous as it follows the individual journeys of both Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.  It includes footnotes throughout the narrative which gives background to events and elaborates on references made within the story.  It took me a while to finish this book, as the details on the journeys slowed down the story line.  Towards the end, as the plot includes The Man with the Thistle-Down Hair and the Faerie world, my interest revived.


~b~

Off the Bookshelf: Skinny Bitch

My latest read:

Skinny Bitch looks like another weight-loss book with a fresh angle, it could have been subtitled:  How to get skinny from some smart-mouthed girlfriends.  This book is loaded with information about the importance of healthy food.  Skinny Bitch provides information on a variety of issues involving the ingredients in our diets: from the rampant antibiotic use in the meat industry and the problems with artificial sweeteners to the different types of fasts; to information on vitamins and nutrients and their importance to our bodies.  This book also offers great substitutes such as raw sugar, turbinado sugar, or even agave nectar or syrup as a sugar substitute.  The information is presented in a way that definitely isn't boring, especially with the frequent use of the words: ass, crap, bitch, and even poop.

Skinny Bitch details some of the horrible things that are included in our foods and which we ingest into our bodies.  And slowly, chapter by chapter this book persuades you to eliminate so many things in our diet which is essentially crap for our bodies:  simple carbs, sugar (the devil), and even meat.  You are encouraged to seek out sources of vitamins and enzymes through healthy, wholesome foods:  fruits and vegetables, whole grains, soy and legumes.  And while this book is touted as a How to Get Skinny book, it really is a book on persuading the general consumer to become a vegan.  

I was initially impressed with the many citations of facts, until I checked the sources consulted section and found them to come from highly biased sources such as Peta, milksucks.com and fishinghurts.com.  I also found some of the arguments to be highly skewed.  For example, "meat" is the decomposing, decaying, rotting flesh of a dead animal . . . You want to put a dead animal corpse-that has been rotting away for months - in your mouth?  In your body?  

This statement makes anyone eating meat sound disgusting, until I realized that really anything anybody eats is rotting and decaying to various degrees.  This book advocates a vegan diet that includes "meat substitutes", tofu and soy.  Its interesting that the authors can advocate eating organically and yet eat fake food in the form of meat substitutes.  That they can rely on soy beans as a main part of their vegan diet when (according to Food Inc), 90% of the soy crop planted in the United States is a genetically modified variety of soy bean.

Despite the authors use of highly bias sources and flawed reasoning I found this book to be persuasive.  Very persuasive.  During the time it took me to read this book I quit drinking coffee for 2 days.  Yes, 2 very long days.  (And if anyone knows me well enough, not drinking coffee is pure craziness).

It makes sense that eating natural, wholesome foods will be a healthier choice.  I like the the emphasis on the importance of the ingredient (which should be healthy, wholesome, and pure) rather than counting calories and fat grams.  Plus, any and all vegans and vegetarians I know seem skinny and healthy to me.  These two bitches know a lot of stuff about food and food ingredients and while I can't give up meat, or coffee, (and especially not cheese), I am more aware of what I am putting into my body and am consciously choosing to eat food that is healthy and wholesome.

~b~

Off the Bookshelf

When I first picked up A Fraction of a Whole by Steve Toltz I just wanted to read a good story.  The outside of the book is littered with praise and acclaimation from various sources:  "Riotously funny" . . . "That rarest of long books - utterly worth it" . . . "nothing less than a comic masterpiece".  And so, I bought it, with full expectations of reading something that is "laugh-out loud funny".

The story follows the absurb life of Jasper Dean who seems to blame his outlandish father and ridiculous circumstances for his miserable state in life.  All I want to say is that I've been duped . . . this book was not funny.

I also read the Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket.   I found this book in the bargain book section at McNally Robinson and since it was getting close to Christmas, I simply had to buy it. Having read all 13 books of A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was looking forward to Snickets humor.  I love children's stories and I especially love reading childrens stories out loud.  And so I promptly brought this book back to work and held a special reading for my coworkers.  I then went home and forced my son to listen to me.




Just look at that little lump of coal.  The little guy looks so sad and forlorn.  He's so cute.

While I'm on the topic of funny books, if someone would like to buy me At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances, I would be soo happy!  This is the third book, written by Alexander McCall Smith, that follows the crazy antics of Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, and his collegues: Professor Florianus Prinzel and Professor Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer.  The first two books are called Portugese Irregular Verbs and The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs.  These books poke fun of academia through these three professors escapades.

~b~

Off the Bookshelf: The Tipping Point

It's been some time since I've read this book, so I thought I'd write about it to make more room on my bookshelf. The Tipping Point, written by Malcolm Gladwell studies social epidemics and connects the small details, such as the presence of certain factors and specific kinds of people which must be present in the creation of a social epidemic. He looks at different kinds of social epidemics, from the popularity of Sesame Street, to the reduction of crime in New York City, and the rise and fall in popularity of the Airwalk brand. Throughout this book, Gladwell picks out the presence of a few little things which can cause a big difference.

Gladwell pinpoints a few people who have specific personality traits who have a large influence. These people he calls Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. These are people who know a large number of people and who are connected to different types of groups of people. They are people who helpfully pass along information about the best places to eat, or stay if you are traveling to a new city. They are people who are charismatic and who's emotions are contagious. Gladwell also outlines several factors which are also important. He calls these factors the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context. These factors include how an impact needs to be lasting, and how you go about doing things is very important.

So I guess after reading this book, I realized that pretty much anybody can create some type of social epidemic: from starting a new company, to promoting your band, or starting a social justice movement. It's not about the number of people you get exposure to. Rather, its about how the presentation is made that will influence the receptivity and how people relate as well as targeting the right kinds of people.

~b~

Off the Bookshelf: Stuffed and Starved

I just finished reading Stuffed and Starved by Raj Patel.  His bio on the back of the book says that Patel has worked for the World Bank, interned at the World Trade Organization and consulted for the United Nations.  If anyone would have a grasp of how things work on a global scale, I think it would be this man.  Since my job connects me with the food industry I was interested in Patels global view on global food production, how I fit in and how I am affected as a consumer.

This book really opened my eyes.  Here are some things which I have learnt:

• essentially all markets are monopolized (corn, coffee, wheat) by a few companies,  97% of the tea market is owned by 1 company.  This means that there is essentially no free market to encourage competition and thus lower prices for the consumer.  A select few companies have all the power and control and dictate to both the consumer (us) and the producers (the farmers) the prices.  These companies are governed on the principle of making money for their shareholders.

• food aid to other countries is essentially another "market" for US farmers.  This aid introduces a new type of food to the country needing aid and changes the diet of the people.  It changes the crop production choices of the farmers living in those countries.  Often there are conditions and policies attached to food aid which negatively affect the farmers living in those countries.  Also, farmers work very hard and often deal with environmental factors, but it is the polices of government which have the greatest detrimental impact on farmers.

• colonialism is so passe, economic control is the way to go

• all the excess additives in our food are for the manufactures benefit and are added for reasons such as: improving "taste", extending shelf life, allowing for transport under various temperatures.  

• Many farm laborers experience modern day slavery.  They are imprisoned, beaten, or paid little.  It is estimated that between 25,000 to 40,ooo people in Brazil are working in conditions amounting to slavery.  In 2003, farm inspections resulted in 4932 people being freed from slavery.  This is also happening in North America.  In 1997 there were seven successful prosecutions of slavery involving tomato pickers in Florida.  These workers haven't had a wage increase since 1978 and earn about $10,000/year.  They were beaten, chained and locked inside a truck at night.  

The forces of globaliztion are huge, as are the trans-national companies which operate.  However, Patel offers some solutions for us at an individual level.  Here are some which I like:

• eat locally and seasonally
• support locally owned businesses
• buy fair trade products

While so many issues of injustices are on a global scale and often involve large trans-national companies or are systematic in origin, I believe in the power of individual action.  I feel as individuals we need to make choices regardless of whether this action grows into a part of a larger collective action.  

Plus: locally grown food tastes good, supporting locally owned business creates connection with those in your community and buying fair trade products makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

With love,

Becky

Off the Shelf (The Bookshelf That Is)

I recently finished reading The Shack and Messy Spirituality.  I really had no intention of reading these two books together, during the same week, at the same time, its just how it worked out.  I'm the kind of girl who likes to read one book at a time.  You could say I'm a monogamabilbiophile (I just made that word up, it means:  the practice of only loving one book at a time . . . I also just made that definition up).

As I was perusing the books at Costco, I noticed The Shack, but I was too hasty and judged the book by its front cover (isn't that a no-no?).  I honestly thought The Shack was a Dean Koontz/Stephen King-ish type book that involved a scary story line about a mysterious shack in the desolate woods, death incarnate, and some zombies or too.  I've got a pretty active imagination, hey?!

Here is the front cover of the book, what do you think the book is about?

Okay, on second glance, it looks like a remote shack at about Christmas time with some heavenly hosts singing in the sky. . . or something along those lines, definitely not zombies though.  

I had passed by this book, until I overheard a woman tell her friend that it was a good book, so I thought I'd give it a chance.

I am usually a voracious reader and can often finish a book in a weekend, or even a day.  These two books, however, caused me to slow down.  I read a bit every evening or so, and allowed the ideas to simmer somewhere in my head throughout the day.

Both of these authors are presenting a view of a relationship that challenges our traditional views.  The Shack challenges our assumptions of how we view God, while Messy Spirituality challenges our views of how we see ourselves in this relationship.  The Shack also shows how our pain, losses and tragedies in life can really trap us and keep us in bondage, and how by changing our perspective we can gain freedom from that bondage.  Similarly, Messy Spirituality frees us from striving for an image of who we think we need to be in order to obtain Gods love.  

It was interesting reading both books at the same time they both set out to challenge prevalent assumptions of how we see God or how we relate to Him and they both conveyed a God who just wants us in His love.  And really, who wouldn't want to be in a relationship with someone who will always love us more that we could ever love back? 

my latest read

I just finished reading Reconciliation by Benazir Bhutto.  She is a former Prime Minister of Pakistan who returned to her homeland in October, 2007.  The images on the news that night showed the emotion of the huge crowds: the excitement and celebration of her arrival.  The news also showed the assassination attempt on her life which killed almost 200 people.  By December, Bhutto was killed in a successful assassination attempt.  It was her death that compelled me to find out what was so important to her that she willingly put her life in danger.

It is Bhuttos belief in democracy for her homeland of Pakistan that led to her death.  In essence Bhutto believes that poverty and hopelessness create an environment condusive to terrorism. She advocates that democracy, as well as education and economics will end terrorism.  This solution isn't unique to the people of Pakistan.  I think that many social problems can be alleviated by addressing education and economic disparity, in specific and tangible ways.

While Benazir Bhutto's message may have been about democracy.  What really stood out for me was the importance of her parents.  Her parents instilled the importance of education, fairness, equality, and hard work.  Her parents modeled these values and ethics both through their expectations at home, as well as in their daily life.  Her father was a former Prime Minister of Pakistan who was trying to bring about democratic change in his country.  He was overthrown and executed.  I believe in the importance of our actions, because our actions will always speak louder than words.