Like just about everything else Richard Bach has written, I was charmed and captivated by this book from page one. Bach has such a lively, intimate, conversational writing voice that it’s impossible not to feel like he’s sitting right there next to you, spinning his tale. I love how he weaves his love of airplanes, and his comprehensive knowledge of their workings (at least to the uninformed observer), into his stories. I’ve never had a real desire to become a pilot, but when I read his books, I’m lifted into the world of flight and for that time, I love flying, too.

As with any book, you take what you like and let the rest fall by the wayside. I’m not much for the reincarnation, the walking on water, the “messiah” concept. But I do love several of the messages embedded in this book, about passionate pursuit of what makes us happy, about learning from experience as our highest value and raison d’etre, about taking responsibility for our choices, and above all, the italicized reminder that “We are all. Free. To do. Whatever. We want. To do.” Such a simple dictum, and yet one too often forgotten.

I’m ever so glad that a friend recommended this book to me! I’d heartily recommend it to others.

This cute little book, written in French, claims to be targeted at 8-9 year olds. This is perfect for me, as that’s approximately my level of French “fluency.” I was able to read the book with ease, although there were some words that were outside my vocabulary. Perhaps I also need an 8-year-old’s dictionary. At any rate, the story is about a chatty girl who simply cannot restrain her tongue, even when she’s been entrusted with an important secret by her best friend. Cute (predictable) moral, and even cuter illustrations (they definitely helped with my limited vocabulary).

The idea of this book is almost more fun than the book itself. The book is put together beautifully, with red gilt edges to the pages and fantastic illustrations throughout. The book was written by a grad student in robotics, and his sub-theme seems to involve working in tidbits of real information about the current state of robotics. The “Know Your Enemy” section has a lot of this kind of background, although it is sprinkled with tips on how to “beat” each robotic sense or power or ability. “Surviving a Robot Uprising” abandons all pretense at reality and focuses on doomsday scenarios, especially those popularized in movies (I bet you can name at least four) that involve robots taking over and killing or enslaving humanity. In general, it’s a fun book, although I’d say that the joint goals of entertainment (via deadpan, paranoid humor about robots in our lives) and education (about real robotics research) are somewhat at odds and make the book read rather unevenly. Still, I’d recommend it, if only for the fabulous illustrations!

This book is a collection of poems and essays about, well, tea! Memories, stories, fantasies, recipes; everything tea-inspired. Each contribution comes from a different author, and the range of styles and countries of origin combine into a strong impression of the world-wide appeal of this hot drink, from bitter to sweet to milky to black to chai to green to mint and more. Tea is woven into so many people’s lives, summoning vivid memories of one’s first foray beyond the world of Lipton (mentioned specifically in several entries) as well as prized tea kettles and tins.

Throughout the book, I observed a consensus that tea is about peace, pausing in a busy life, savoring moments. Coffee is for quick energy, to gear you up to tackle a big task, but tea is for reflection, for sitting down and musing about the present. Tea is about community and healing and comfort. So many things!

Overall, the book is a lovely collection that I very much enjoyed. The stories of Moroccan Mint and Tibetan Chai transported me into far-off worlds. Definitely recommended, whether you’re a tea-drinker or not!

This movie captures the Australian side of the 1969 Moon landing, when the responsibility fell to them to relay the first video of the first Moonwalk. Humor is liberally laced throughout the movie, with sometimes laugh-out-loud entertainment value (and enough to make you wonder just how close to reality this movie was supposed to be). But what struck me even more was the amount of time and care lavished on capturing the reactions of Earth-bound folk who were glued to their TVs as Armstrong and Aldrin touched their booted feet to the surface. Expressions ranged from awe to disbelief to tears to jubilation (and more). Yes, conceptually I was aware that this was a big milestone, and that the moment is engraved on an entire generation (or more) of people’s memories—but actually seeing that moment, in their eyes, made it more real for me than it had ever been. Wow.

Here’s to making that accomplishment a reality, once again.

This is an excellent movie. Wynona Ryder plays a disturbed teen who reluctantly commits herself to a mental institution, bowing to pressure from her parents. All of the acting is fantastic, including that of Whoopi Goldberg and whoever it is that plays fellow inmate Daisy. But it’s Angelina Jolie who overwhelms the viewer with her raw sociopathic self, possibly because most of us don’t have any experience with someone so out of touch with social mores. The movie is creepy and engaging and heart-wrenching to watch.

This is the best book I’ve read all year. Period. It might even qualify as life-altering. Anneli Rufus takes on all of the societal stereotypes about “loners” in this Manifesto, shooting them down one by one. She shows us why enjoying one’s own company does not mean that you’re secretive, guilty, a freak, unfriendly, a people-hater, uncaring, uncompassionate, or lacking in social skills. You simply enjoy the empty spaces in which you can sit, think, and (this is a big emphasis of hers) create. People do not create great works of art or music or technological inventions in the midst of a crowd. It is the loners, she argues, whom we are to thank for the creativity in the world.

Her positive take on being a loner is uplifting and affirming. She is perhaps a bit more strident than I would be in her Manifesto, likening loners to a downtrodden minority akin to what gays and lesbians have suffered through (this is an exaggeration in my experience, but who knows what she’s been through?). I also think that there’s value in the creativity that can occur in partnerships (and possibly even in groups), though I think her point about the majority of creative output coming from solitude is valid.

The sad thing is that I haven’t been able to finish the book! It came due at the library and I had to return it. I’ll have to lie in wait and snap it up again sometime in the future (I had to get on a waiting list last time).

This is a great book with some great advice, offered in a conversational, chummy fashion. Anne Lamott repeatedly addresses some of the psychological barriers to writing, such as writer’s block, low self-confidence, insecurity, etc. She has specific advice on how to get past these things and get going, such as managing the impulse towards perfectionism, using a memory to get you started, focusing on writing about only what will fit in a one-inch picture frame, etc. I found her sections on specific writing issues, such as characters, plot, and dialogue, to be the most useful.

Here’s a great quote from the book:
“Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself and going over the material coldly.”

And another of my favorites:
“A writer paradoxically seeks the truth and tells lies every step of the way.”

This is Barbara Kingsolver’s first book. I was motivated to read it after being entirely enchanted by “The Poisonwood Bible.” (I read “Prodigal Summer” for the same reason.) The characterization is, like her other books, quite good, and the plot has enough twists to keep you reading and caring about the people involved. However, it really can’t top “The Poisonwood Bible”; if you haven’t read anything by Kingsolver, I’d still recommend “The Poisonwood Bible” over her other work, or at least the ones I’ve read. The voices are stronger, the language is more polished, the setting is more captivating, and story is fraught with more overall meaning. No disrespect to Kingsolver is intended, of course; “The Bean Trees” is a fabulous first novel, and it’s great to see and appreciate the evolution of her writing as she tackles new and different subjects.

Ursula Le Guin has a real gift with language and characterization. The stories in this book cover topics as diverse as adventure, love, death, innocence, rebirth, and the power of perspective. If I had to pick two favorites, they would be “Mazes” and “The Wife’s Story”, because I really like stories portrayed from an unusual perspective, where part of the fun in reading is puzzling out who the narrator actually is.