Why I'm a Compulsive Reader

I would like to offer this explanation of why I read so much. I can't help it.

Seriously, it's an occupational hazard. What happens is this, I'm at work, minding my own business, just buying new books for the library when I run across book titles like the ones listed below. Now, you tell me if you don't just really want to read a few of them...

How Many Friends Does One Person Need? Dunbar's Number and Other Evolutionary Quirks

by R.I.M. Dunbar

Evidently...you can only have 150 friends. I can't help but want to know why...and then mentally count up who my 150 friends are...(they certainly include anyone who actually reads and comments on my silly little blog)

The Secret Life of Your Cat: Unlock the Mysteries of your Pet's Behavior

by Vicky Hall

I don't actually want to read this...I don't really understand wanting a pet, let alone wanting to understand your pet. But I still think it's a great title for a book.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture

by Peggy Orenstein

I MUST read this book. The title is amazing and the whole idea just screams to be investigated.

The Man Whisperer: A Gentle, Results-Oriented Approach to Communication

by Donna Sozio

Does this book remind anyone of a little movie titled "When a Man Answers"? I have no intention to read this book...but, again, it still intrigues a little.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

by Elisabeth Tova Balley

I am reading this book right now and it is pretty good. Not as good as it's title, but that is really close to being the best title I've seen in months...ever since "Here's Looking at Euclid".

Science of Kissing: What Our Lips are Telling Us

by Sheril Kirshenbaum

Don't laugh...I am sooo excited to read this book! It "explores the act of kissing from a scientific perspective, from the history of kissing to how it differs in different cultures to the effects of lip gloss..." Good stuff, eh?

The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker

by Roger Ebert

I'm totally not making that up!

Creative Paper Jewerly

by Dafna Yarom

I...um...don't know what to say. I didn't know there was paper jewelry...and I don't actually intend to find out about it....but look at that necklace!

Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Never Set Foot and Never Will

by Judith Schalansky

Totally sounds like my kind of travel book! Learn all about a beautiful new place without having to deal with all the sand and sunburns.

Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools,

Including the Author

by Donovan Hohn

Love it. Totally makes me think of another book I really wanted to read this year and never got around to..."Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Da

nger of Everyday Things".

We, Robot: Skywalker's Hand, Blade Runner, Iron Man, Slutbots, and How Fiction Became Fact

by Mark Stephen Meadows

Brilliant title...but the reviews didn't actually make it sound all that interesting. The title is a bit misleading.

Well, anyway there are just a few books that caught my eye this past week. I probably won't get around to reading most of them...but I want to, and that is what keeps the pile of books by my bed so tall. And keep in mind, these are just the nonfiction books, fiction titles can be just as good...like say "Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right."

But I think I've made my point.

Book Reviews...I'm Way Behind!!

So, I haven't kept up on this, so I thought I'd catch up tonight. I haven't LOVED anything recently...but I've read some good stuff and some dumb stuff. More complete reviews at: http://provolibrarystaffreviews.blogspot.com/search/label/CZ

Blind Descent by James Tabor

If you don't have claustrophobia before reading it...you will after.

Defending Angels by Mary Stanton

Silly supernatural mystery book...total waste of my time.

Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman

Not squeaky clean, but I really liked it and would recommend it.

I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Seriously fascinating novel about a girl kidnapped by a serial killer.

Roses by Leila Meacham

Not bad but its plot was a little too much like a soap opera for me.

Thin, Rich, and Pretty by Beth Harbison

Kinda annoying and really pointless.

Earth (the book) by Jon Stewart

He's funny...inappropriate, but funny.

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Cruise

I really loved this quick little piece of chick lit.

A Secret Kept by Tatiana De Rosnay

Not nearly as good as her 'Sarah's Key' that I read last year.

Proofiness by Charles Seife

This book convinced me...as if I wasn't convinced already...that statistics presented by politicians, reporters, and corporations are all complete crap.

Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth

Some parts presented interesting insight into addictive behavior..but the rest was too much like the last yoga class I attended...I have no idea what it means to "center yourself in your core."

Rich Boy by Sharon Pomerantz

I didn't like this book...almost as much as I really didn't like the protagonist. I haven't wanted to reach into a novel and strangle a character so much in a long time.

Naked Heat by Richard Castle

A novel spin-off from the ABCs Castle...not great literature...but it's fun anyway.

Great House by Nicole Krauss

Huge disappointment. I loved "A History of Love" and this was just great writing with a really lame story.

Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay by Beverly Jensen

Just strange...and depressing.

Colorado Kid by Stephen King

Strange story, but a great taste of King's amazing writing without the gore or freakiness.

Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton

This was a great psychological thriller...well not thriller, thriller....but it was still a page-turner.

Oh, No She Didn't by Clinton Kelly

100 fashion faux pas..only a few of which made me start freaking out...he tried to convince me to throw away my hoodies...I still believe they are appropriate sometimes. It's cold and they are comfy!!

I'll Mature When I'm Dead by Dave Barry

He's still funny!

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Really not as good as 'The Forgotten Garden', but I liked it.

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow

Short book that really stuck in my head. Terribly well written.

The Wave by Susan Casey

Tow surfing sounds like the scariest thing ever....I'll stick to boogie boarding.

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

Science is crazy...scientists are crazier!!

At Home by Bill Bryson

Bryson is always brilliant. He's the king of the tangents and I love him for it!

The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

A surprisingly tender tribute to motherhood.

Okay...that's it! I'm too tired to add cover art...I doubt anyone will actually read all this anyway :)

Halloween at the Library

I experience scary moments in the library year round. But this Halloween brought a couple of special treats.

First, a story about me and a little old man who likes to hang out at the library all day. He seriously looks like this old man from the Pixar short.

Old Man: Do you dress up for Halloween?
Carla: Not usually.
Old Man: You should dress up as a cat.
Carla: Excuse me?
Old Man: It would be perfect for you. Just draw on a little nose and some whiskers.
Carla: Um...interesting. I'll keep that in mind.

Well, needless to say, I didn't dress up as a cat. And I kinda forgot about the interaction as one of those quirky conversations I so often find myself in. (Right after this one...some guy came up and told me I looked ill. But at least I didn't look tired...right?)

Anyway, yesterday the little old man returned for an encore...

Old Man: Did you dress up as a cat?
Carla: No. I didn't.
Old Man: Why not? You would make a perfect pussy cat.
Carla: Um...I'm not really sure how to take that. I'm not really a cat person.
Old Man: Oh...not a cat. A pussy cat.
Carla: Meaning....?
Old Man: Well a cat that doesn't scratch or bite...just rubs up against your leg purring.
Carla: (speechless)

First of all, if you know me at all...you know my personality is so far from a "pussy cat" this whole story is frankly hysterical. And second, it's creepy...right?

Moving on.

I did actually dress up for Halloween, but only because I pretty much had to for work. We presented our first ever Teen Book Fest and had YA author extraordinaire Scott Westerfeld as a keynote speaker. The event was fantastic and we had over 800 people there.

The only downside was that I did have to dress up. So, for weeks before the event, I spent hours putting together my costume. I had the pith helmet already and just built the steampunk (Westerfeld's latest books are all steampunk) costume around that.

Anyway, it turned out really well. The most impressive part...I sewed the shirt, vest, and pants all by myself (with a little help from my mother on the pants and the button holes...'cause she loves me). Seriously...you're impressed aren't you...I know I am.

I kinda consider myself a 4-H success story since I haven't really sewn clothing since high school...just crafty stuff which I think is totally easier. (And I don't count the Von Trapp costumes as sewing....I didn't even use a pattern on those and they barely held together for the ward party.)

Some of My New Favorite Things

First of all, a super great co-worker (AM...are you reading this?) pointed out a website titled Catalog Living at catalogliving.net . So, on this site, they take pictures out of catalogs and make up captions for them as if people actually lived in them. Totally hilarious.

Also, just to make my day, yesterday I received my favorite catalog in the whole world. It's called Heifer International and you can buy animals for

communities in third world countries. The concept is actually really great...but for some reason the idea of buying "Pigs as Presents", "Heifers for the Holidays", and the "Gift of Goats" makes me giggle.

The best is that you can give the "Gift Ark" which includes 2 cows, 2 sheep, 2 camels, 2 oxen, 2 water buffalo, 2 pigs, 2 beehives, 2 goats, 2 donkeys, 2 trios of ducks, 2 trios of rabbits, 2 trios of guinea pigs, 2 flocks of geese, 2 flocks of chicks, AND 2 llamas!! (Only $5,000!!)

And finally, I love the Old Spice guy commercials...and the BYU parody was great...but, that's not all! Now I found a Grover version...here it is! (This is totally for you Marla!!)

My Favorite Sign in the Whole World

I've seen a sign like this before, but I still get a kick out of it whenever I see a new one. This one is located on my route home from work and it always makes me smile and feel just a little better about myself.

I kinda wish I could hang one around my neck, but I don't think anyone else would get it. I think it's the word "Gorgeous"...not pretty or special or beautiful...."I'm Gorgeous Inside!"

Aren't we all?

Feeling a Little Nostalgic?

I was reading a newsletter the other day at work and ran across this website. It's called the YouTube Time Machine. You just give it a year and it gives you a youtube video from that year.

www.yttm.tv

It's an excellent time waster! And who doesn't need a good time waster every once in a while?

Book Reports

Remarkable Utah Women

by Christy Karras

This is a collection of short biographies of over a dozen remarkable women from Utah's history. I should have expected it, but I was surprised how much polygamy played a leading role in the lives of most of the women. Really interesting and a quick read. I highly recommend for book clubs!

The Postmistress

By Sarah Blake

This was a really interesting work of historical fiction and I'm not really sure how to even describe it. It takes place as World War II is beginning but before the United States becomes involved. But the story is really more about several people on both sides of the Atlantic, as they come to terms with the violence erupting in Europe.

Packing for Mars

By Mary Roach

A quirky look at space travel. What I learned was that I do not want to be an astronaut! I don't really like to go camping because of the inconveniences involved. Space travel is a million times worse! Seriously, though.....weightlessness does still sound kinda cool.

Priceless

By Robert Wittman

This is an autobiography about an FBI agent that specialized in art crimes. I listened to it, and it was okay. An interesting mix of "Burn Notice" and "White Collar"...without the really cute guys (so maybe a little pointless).

The Passage

By Justin Cronin

This book was totally not what I was expecting. The first section really made me think of "The Road" in all it's post-apocolyptic glory. But later it becomes a really exciting adventure story with a little romance and a whole lot of super terrifying vampires. Certainly not for everyone, but I really liked it. Looking forward to the next one in the trilogy.

Book of Awesome

By Neil Pasricha

This book is a collection of posts from a blog called 1000awesomethings.com The author writes about the simple but beautiful joys in life like pealing an orange in one piece, going to bed right after shaving your legs, waking up and realizing it's Saturday, and the smell of freshly cut grass. My only real complaint was that every single entry ends with the word "Awesome". Guess what!! The word awesome can be over used. Eventually, I started putting my hand over the last line of the post so I wouldn't have to read that annoying final AWESOME!

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise

By Julia Stuart

I don't even want to talk about this book. Other than the little bits of fascinating history about the Tower of London this was a complete waste of my time! It had been compared to "Guernsey" but it was soooooo not! Don't read this book!

Blind Descent

By James M. Tabor

Deep cave exploration is a very dangerous hobby. This book talks about a number of teams of spelunkers who were trying to penetrate the deepest cave in the world. I listed to this book on CD, so this may just because of the narrator, but the author seemed to have written each sentence as a cliffhanger and the cavers almost died so many times I could barely keep from rolling my eyes toward the end. But, it was an interesting look into an area of science/extreme sporting that I NEVER want to explore. Logan cave was enough for me!