Yesterday was another day at work, and I am definitely getting the hang of all there is to do around that joint. My workplace actually has some good defining principals and hires good people in general, so if you ever want any good coffee, I can hook you up with where to go (so that'll be either Heifer International or Java Roasting Cafe). The beans are roasted right in Hot Springs, which is awesome, and the owners are great people.
But here's the thing with blogging: by sheer virtue of rattling on about my day or whats on my mind, I break all of those internet rules designed to protect your identity. Eugh. But I've got to blog, yo. Once one has gotten into the habit of blogging, one can't stop. This is the public version of the mind's cathedral (see prior blogz) and I find it valuable to keep it up.
But now, the long awaited book reviews.
Onion John by Joseph Krumgold. Too much baseball. I couldn't get past the first twenty five pages, but it's supposed to be great. Try it, you might have better luck than me.
What The Songs Look Like by Various Artists. I spent hours with my headphones on looking at this beautiful beautiful book. It's the perfect combination of two of my favorite things- the Talking Heads and artists from the 80s.
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Another supposedly great classic I had a hard time with. One formulaic story element, cliche, and debunked stereotype after another. Valuable perhaps at another point in anthropological history, but not today.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. This incredible text is, no joke, every single book I've ever read smashed into one. If you can think of a subject, it's probably mentioned or directly addressed. I highly recommend this eccentric ride through a strange soul's life. P.S. this soul would have been strange even if he wasn't middlesexxed.
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. This nonfiction book about Dr. Paul Farmer is a combination of inspirational, beautiful, and frustrating. Although Paul Farmer is doing great things in the world, I feel that him and I would have severe personality conflicts (38 second mark over). This dude talks junk about foreigners in English right in front of them, then goes on crusades to help them. He seeks wealth and health for the impoverished, but insists that his lowest paid workers should work overtime without compensation. Farmer does great work, Kidder presents interesting read, and although I am inspired by and proud of Farmer, I am glad I don't have to work with him. Ophelia Dahl plays an interesting role in Farmer's life. This text also provides a great insight into the functioning of the World Health Organization. It's seriously just a personality thing with Farmer. Don't let my knitpicky things keep you from reading this book.
Alright, it's lunchtime. Huzzah!
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