Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Summer Reading
This post comes to you from one of my best friends, Emily Miller. I tried to keep up with Emily's literary skills during freshman year of college when I took an 18th (or was it 19th?) century British Lit course with her. My science brain had a tough time adjusting to an English course but it was still fun to spend all of Tuesday and Thursday with my one and only Emily.
Cue Emily:
I have always been a huge book dork, and when I was younger one of my favorite parts of summer vacation was my library's Summer Reading Club. Each summer there was a different theme, and prizes were awarded as you read books from different categories--read a mystery book and you get a Frosty coupon. Biography = free fries at McDonalds. Fiction, a Tootise Pop. Yayyy childhood obesity.
Now that I'm in my mid-20s, I often have a tough time coming up with new books to read. Without the themes, guidelines and free Happy Meals from the Summer Reading Clubs of my childhood, I walk into Barnes and Noble feeling totally overwhelmed, and I leave wondering if the $14.99 i just paid was money well spent. The books on the list below are my summer reading recommendations. Enjoy--and if you get through the whole list, buy yourself a Frosty.
1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
You get a gold star if you finish this one. It's long and the characters are very complex, but it's worth it. It's considered a "classic", but more importantly it's a great story.
2. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
Office humor at its best.
3. The Devil in the White CIty by Eric Larson
Some of the sections about architecture are a little dry, but the real-life murder mystery combined with the descriptions of America at the turn of the century are fascinating.The Devil in the White City is non-fiction, but it reads like a novel.
4. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, Something Blue by Emily Giffin, and In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Everyone needs some chick lit in her life from time to time (unless you're a guy, in which case you can substitute something else). These three are together as one entry because they're quick and somewhat forgettable, but perfect for beach reading.
5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Weird title aside, this is a great love story--mostly because it avoids a lot of love story cliches. It's about love, but it's also about "why are we here", responsibility, industrial and cultural changes, and the passing of time. Pay attention and you'll get more out of it.
6. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Kind of a combination between Love in the Time of Cholera and The Devil in the White City. Part love story, part American history, mixed with some tragedy and drama. A very strong main character (based on a real person) ties everything together.
7.Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews
Disclaimer: I know all of the words to The Sound of Music and I cried during The Princess Diaries 2, when Julie Andrews sang for the first time after she lost her voice to surgery. So if you don't love Julie Andrews, I don't know if you'll love this book--but I do, and I did.
8. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Again, this book is non-fiction but it reads like a novel. Jeannette Walls had an incredible childhood and manages to make her story sad, funny and inspiring all at the same time. She somehow manages to stay straighforward and almost objective instead of self-pitying.
9. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.
Both are hilarious.
10. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
One of my all-time favorites. Like East of Eden, it's considered a "classic" because the writing is so good (I first read it in my eighth grade English class, and then again in college in one of my senior seminars), but it reads like a beach book. Incredibly suspenseful, definitely a page-turner.
Books on my own summer reading list:
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max
3. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
4. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
5. God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
Cue Emily:
I have always been a huge book dork, and when I was younger one of my favorite parts of summer vacation was my library's Summer Reading Club. Each summer there was a different theme, and prizes were awarded as you read books from different categories--read a mystery book and you get a Frosty coupon. Biography = free fries at McDonalds. Fiction, a Tootise Pop. Yayyy childhood obesity.
Now that I'm in my mid-20s, I often have a tough time coming up with new books to read. Without the themes, guidelines and free Happy Meals from the Summer Reading Clubs of my childhood, I walk into Barnes and Noble feeling totally overwhelmed, and I leave wondering if the $14.99 i just paid was money well spent. The books on the list below are my summer reading recommendations. Enjoy--and if you get through the whole list, buy yourself a Frosty.
1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
You get a gold star if you finish this one. It's long and the characters are very complex, but it's worth it. It's considered a "classic", but more importantly it's a great story.
2. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
Office humor at its best.
3. The Devil in the White CIty by Eric Larson
Some of the sections about architecture are a little dry, but the real-life murder mystery combined with the descriptions of America at the turn of the century are fascinating.The Devil in the White City is non-fiction, but it reads like a novel.
4. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, Something Blue by Emily Giffin, and In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Everyone needs some chick lit in her life from time to time (unless you're a guy, in which case you can substitute something else). These three are together as one entry because they're quick and somewhat forgettable, but perfect for beach reading.
5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Weird title aside, this is a great love story--mostly because it avoids a lot of love story cliches. It's about love, but it's also about "why are we here", responsibility, industrial and cultural changes, and the passing of time. Pay attention and you'll get more out of it.
6. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Kind of a combination between Love in the Time of Cholera and The Devil in the White City. Part love story, part American history, mixed with some tragedy and drama. A very strong main character (based on a real person) ties everything together.
7.Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews
Disclaimer: I know all of the words to The Sound of Music and I cried during The Princess Diaries 2, when Julie Andrews sang for the first time after she lost her voice to surgery. So if you don't love Julie Andrews, I don't know if you'll love this book--but I do, and I did.
8. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Again, this book is non-fiction but it reads like a novel. Jeannette Walls had an incredible childhood and manages to make her story sad, funny and inspiring all at the same time. She somehow manages to stay straighforward and almost objective instead of self-pitying.
9. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.
Both are hilarious.
10. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
One of my all-time favorites. Like East of Eden, it's considered a "classic" because the writing is so good (I first read it in my eighth grade English class, and then again in college in one of my senior seminars), but it reads like a beach book. Incredibly suspenseful, definitely a page-turner.
Books on my own summer reading list:
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max
3. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
4. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
5. God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Highlight of my day
My attending said this quote today to one of his patients:
"I'm at an age where I think more about food than I do about sex. Last week I put a mirror over my dining room table."
-Rodney Dangerfield
That should have made me feel awkward but it didn't.
Speaking of Rodney Dangerfield:
"I'm at an age where I think more about food than I do about sex. Last week I put a mirror over my dining room table."
-Rodney Dangerfield
That should have made me feel awkward but it didn't.
Speaking of Rodney Dangerfield:
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
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