Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
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Books Update - Non fiction
Merry Christmas everybody! I'm having breakfast guests in the morning. We'll be a small group, and I've finished all the tasks I can safely accomplish this evening, so as a gift to all who follow the blog, I'll update my reading log.
DOG TRIPPING by David Rosenfelt
Rosenfelt writes a mystery series, featuring a lawyer who has a passionate interest in the health and welfare of dogs. A dog always seems to end up being involved in the legal case in the book. In real life, Rosenfelt and his wife operate a shelter for dogs in their home. At last count, they had 25. Most of them are large, elderly, and have some sort of health problem. The kind of dog too easily consigned to the euthenasia room. They moved from California to Maine, rented RV's, rounded up volunteers, and drove across the country with all the dogs. This book relates their experiences on the trip and also gives a brief history of how they got involved in the whole venture of rescuing dogs in the first place. It's a very entertaining read.
QUIET by Susan Cain
A study of the differences between introverts and extroverts. The author makes the point that quiet people have advantages arising from their introversion tendencies. Most of us at the book discussion evening self classified as introverts. We enjoyed the book and our discussion, thought parts of the author's presentation might be a tad repetitive. But I've seen the book listed on more than one "best of 2013" list.
DAVID AND GOLIATH by Malcolm Gladwell.
Gladwell makes several points very similar to Cain's. He relates several examples of underdogs in various situation who found a way to persevere. I thought the most interesting chapter was about a junior high girl's basketball coach at a small California community. The coach was an immigrant from the Indian sub continent and completely unfamiliar with the game. He was mystified by the continuing back and forth of the classic game pattern, when as soon as one team scores, all players take off for the opposite end of the court. He trained his young women in an unrelenting full court press, and his charges began to win regularly, none of their opponents were prepared for that sort of game. They scrupulously followed the rules, but nevertheless faced one rules challenge after another from opposing coaches. Referees were often baffled, but had to admit that the tactic was within the rule book.
I had the book on audio - I really like Gladwell's style as a reader.
THE MEN WHO UNITED THE STATES by Simon Winchester
Another author who reads his own books for the audio version and I always wait for the audio to be available from the library.
Winchester follows the development of the United States from several different perspectives. He primarily focuses on movement of goods to facilitate commercial activity and on advances in communication. There are a lot of familiar names in his account, but he finds some fascinating little known innovators as well. He also traveled in person to many of the locales he writes about, and the book is enlivened by his personal experiences as he worked on research.
That's in for non fiction - fiction in the next entry, perhaps in the next two.
DOG TRIPPING by David Rosenfelt
Rosenfelt writes a mystery series, featuring a lawyer who has a passionate interest in the health and welfare of dogs. A dog always seems to end up being involved in the legal case in the book. In real life, Rosenfelt and his wife operate a shelter for dogs in their home. At last count, they had 25. Most of them are large, elderly, and have some sort of health problem. The kind of dog too easily consigned to the euthenasia room. They moved from California to Maine, rented RV's, rounded up volunteers, and drove across the country with all the dogs. This book relates their experiences on the trip and also gives a brief history of how they got involved in the whole venture of rescuing dogs in the first place. It's a very entertaining read.
QUIET by Susan Cain
A study of the differences between introverts and extroverts. The author makes the point that quiet people have advantages arising from their introversion tendencies. Most of us at the book discussion evening self classified as introverts. We enjoyed the book and our discussion, thought parts of the author's presentation might be a tad repetitive. But I've seen the book listed on more than one "best of 2013" list.
DAVID AND GOLIATH by Malcolm Gladwell.
Gladwell makes several points very similar to Cain's. He relates several examples of underdogs in various situation who found a way to persevere. I thought the most interesting chapter was about a junior high girl's basketball coach at a small California community. The coach was an immigrant from the Indian sub continent and completely unfamiliar with the game. He was mystified by the continuing back and forth of the classic game pattern, when as soon as one team scores, all players take off for the opposite end of the court. He trained his young women in an unrelenting full court press, and his charges began to win regularly, none of their opponents were prepared for that sort of game. They scrupulously followed the rules, but nevertheless faced one rules challenge after another from opposing coaches. Referees were often baffled, but had to admit that the tactic was within the rule book.
I had the book on audio - I really like Gladwell's style as a reader.
THE MEN WHO UNITED THE STATES by Simon Winchester
Another author who reads his own books for the audio version and I always wait for the audio to be available from the library.
Winchester follows the development of the United States from several different perspectives. He primarily focuses on movement of goods to facilitate commercial activity and on advances in communication. There are a lot of familiar names in his account, but he finds some fascinating little known innovators as well. He also traveled in person to many of the locales he writes about, and the book is enlivened by his personal experiences as he worked on research.
That's in for non fiction - fiction in the next entry, perhaps in the next two.
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