Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Completion Date: 09.21.2010
Rating: <3
Number of Pages:359

Most Memorable Quote: "Fiddling with the damp terragon left me so intensely irritated that when I was done I had to stick the ramekin/mise bowls back in the fridge and go watch both the episode where Xander is possessed by a demon and the one where Giles regresses to his outrageously sexy teen self and has sex with Buffy's mom, just to get over it." -- I think we all know why I love this quote. It's because it mentions Buffy. Also because it portrays Julie's eccentric, bizarre personality and writing style quite well -- straightforward, to the point, slightly unstable, and simply funny.

You know, that quote up there isn't the only quote about Buffy the Vampire Slayer in that book! In fact, Julie mentions it quite often, which rocks. That's probably why I love it so much. I always have another Buffy quote to look forward to. And hey, she even referenced Firefly once! She must be a Whedonite. That fact made me love her, even before I learned how seriously funny and insane she is.

Aside from the Buffy-ness of the book, I really liked Julie and Julia. It was great. It made me literally laugh out loud. OUT LOUD. It has been such a ridiculously long time since I've laughed so hard at a book. Granted, that's because I've been reading thrillers and serious, intense books lately, but still. I was so pleased.

Julie Powell has an awesome writing style. It's just so...honest. She doesn't beat around the bush, sugar coat things...she said a couple of things that were awkward enough to make me squirm a little, which is quite impressive. She doesn't hold back. She puts her entire personality on the page, saturating it with witty, unstable goodness.

I was really shocked at how interesting this book was. I mean, it's about an average New Yorker making a blog about cooking a lot -- but the humor and other little side stories made it worth getting through the stuff that I didn't comprehend in the least.

For a book about cooking, there was a tonnn of swearing and sexual references, so be warned. I mean, honestly, it adds to the charm of the book; without the stream of swears and awkward cooking vs. sex comparisons, it just wouldn't be the same! However, this may make it so that it's not for everyone.

Talking about the story, it's pretty awesome, what Julie Powell did. I know I couldn't cook 524 French recipes in 365 days. That's just silliness. She pulled it off though, which is certainly commendable. And now she's all famous, with a book and a movie. Just goes to show, it doesn't matter what situation you're in -- set goals and accomplish them. You never know what could happen.

Well, I liked it. Mostly for Buffy, but for the rest of it, too. ;)

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Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Completion Date: 09.07.2010
Rating: *
Number of Pages:569

Most Memorable Quote -

"All faiths are admonitions that there is something we cannot understand, something to which we are accountable...with faith we are accountable to each other, to ourselves, and to a higher truth. Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed. If the outside world could see this church as I do, looking beyond the ritual of these walls, they would see a modern miracle...a brotherhood of imperfect, simple souls wanting only to be a voice of compassion in a world spinning out of control."
-- This is when Camerlengo Carlo Vestra is speaking to the world about the Illuminati and the faults of science. This quote is actually quite accurate about the nature of religion, I find. There isn't a religion on the Earth today that is perfect -- men spin in prejudice, politics, weakness . . . no man is infallable, and religious organizations and opinions are formed by men. However, perfection is not what's important in religion. Religion is a moral compass; it is a source of hope, of love, of service . . . despite all error or uncertainty, religion is the root of so much good in this world, and is beautiful.

So, uh. Yes. That is my religious thought of the day. Does that have anything to do with Angels and Demons, the book? No, not really.

On a more related note, I quite enjoyed Angels and Demons! At first I thought I was going to like The DaVinci Code better, as that one's about the history of art, which I find fascinating. However, as I read myself deeper into the Angels and Demons symbology, plot twists, and pure action-packed-goodness, it simply encaptured me.

Now, let me clarify, this was not the best book I've read in my life. Not even close. I know that last paragraph was raving (and goodness gracious, YOU try to come up with as intricate a work of fiction while mixing in so many hard facts and detailed history -- I mean, seriously!) but there were plenty of flaws with this book. Dan Brown is a freaking genius when it comes to the storyline -- the detail, the twists and turns, the characters -- it's all top notch! I simply find that he could probably find more eloquent ways of putting across the mass amounts of information that he shoves into your face. I mean, you hardly notice this because the plot is enough to excite you and keep you enthralled, but his writing style is certainly simple.

Angels and Demons is altogether a good book. Is it my favorite? nah. But it's really, really good.

As a final note, I really wish I could think like Dan Brown. He must be such a smart guy. Sadly, however, my intellectual level is probably about the same as a puppy. Eh, but such is life. Maybe I'll just write a book about what it's like to be completely, utterly, ridiculously ordinary.

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The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

Completion Date: 05.03.2010
Rating: <3
Number of Pages: 158

Most Memorable Quote:

"When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun." -- I love this quote because it describes, in essence, if you look at each part of that quote, the whole theme of the book. It's a very eloquent way of saying that life really isn't as complicated as it is generally made out to be.

I absolutely loved this book; it is definitely in my top 3 favorite books of all time. It's exceptionally different from most books that I've ever read.

Taoism is a very seldom understood way of life. Many find that the only ones that can fully understand or explain it are those old Chinese philosophers who often seem too distant and impossible to relate to. Benjamin Hoff took the task to explain some fundamentals of Taoism through the beloved and well-known Pooh Bear and all his friends in the 100-acre woods.

In this book, everything from the basics of what Taoism is to the principle of the Uncarved block is explained in terms that I could relate to exceptionally well. I discovered that, whereas it's a beautiful belief system, etched with simplicity and harmony with the Universe, I would suck as a Taoist. A quote from the book simply made me giggle, as it explained me so well:

"The surest way to become Tense, Awkward, and Confused is to develop a mind that tries too hard - one that thinks too much."

That...is me. I think. And I think. And I over think. And I over think my over thinking. And honestly, you will never meet some one more tense, I'm almost incapable of relaxing; awkward, I suck at making conversation and being around people; and confused, I'm pretty sure my mind is permanently boggled by things like religion, politics, and boys; and I can definitely see that it's my need to think about things through and through that's to blame. I would love to be a Taoist, but my very nature seems to be against it.

The point in all this rambling about how much I would suck as a Taoist is that I have a lot that I can learn and take from a book like this. Whereas I can't call myself a Taoist, I can attempt to apply Taoist principles to my life to make myself happy, and a book that can help me understand how to do so in simpler terms is a great book.

"Do you really want to be happy? You can begin by being appreciative of who you are and what you've got."

Knowledge, and wisdom, and skepticism isn't everything in the world. It's important to stop and smell the roses every now and then, and not get all caught up and stressed over things that are going on. According to Taoism, the pieces will fall where they may and worrying about it serves no one. Sometimes, every now and then, you don't need to figure everything out and you need to just accept things for what they are.

"Now, scholars can be very useful and necessary, in their own dull and unamusing way. They provide a lot of information. It's just that there is Something More, and that Something More is what life is really all about."

I loved this book so much. It was just so...good. Read it.


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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Completion Date: 03.17.2010
Rating: *
Number of Pages: 456

Most Memorable Quote: "We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel his presence most when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us: and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence." -- p. 326.

Pretty neat quote, eh? I thought this a beautiful description of God and how powerful and wonderful He is. The context of this quote is when Jane is worried about Mr. Rochester and she realizes that God wouldn't let a creature He created suffer.

Jane Eyre was an excellent book. It took me about a million and a half years to read, but the story was top notch. Though disguised as a regular classic romantic novel, the book is not only about love but really about overcoming adversity and trials, about God and religion, about independence and forgiveness. It's a very compelling story and there is plenty to take away from it.

Jane Eyre, raised an orphan in an abusive family, was not supposed to succeed in life. When sent to Lowood school she makes friends and role-models, but also suffers humiliation and malnutrition and loses her best friend to illness. She eventually ends up teaching at that school and heading to Thornfield Manor to be a governess to live a simple life. There she tutors Adele, Mr. Rochester's ward.

When Mr. Rochester and Jane meet, Jane is certain Rochester doesn't think much of her. Later she is surprised to find out that he was quite taken from the very beginning. Of course they fall in love, but Bronte made it far more complicated than that. This novel was actually very intriguing at points; it wasn't the usual predictable classic, but it threw in some really shocking plot changes. Events occurred that caused Jane to run away and be taken in by St. John Rivers.

After a while of feeling discontented without Rochester, though happy that she has a family with St. John and his two sisters, Jane goes back to find Rochester to make sure that he's doing alright. There she finds tragedy and worry. I wondered how on earth they could resolve the story in the amount of time that they did and it was difficult to get through the last 100 pages or so, but it was totally worth it -- the book was resolved in a satisfying way for me.

It was just such an interesting book. I love the style of writing and Bronte made a very compelling story for me to read. I suggest this book to anyone who cares anything about their own well being. ;) READ IT.

Sorry about the crappiness of the review. It's like, 2 AM.

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