52:120 The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

A crazy little play about two men, neither of whom are named Earnest, who fall in love (at lightening speed in one case) with women who believe them to be named Earnest and swear that they wouldn't be able to love, let alone marry, someone of a different name.  This leads them to going to great lengths to make the name change and life change necessary to procure the love of the women they pursue.

I found it somewhat cute but also utterly preposterous.  Maybe it's something about the time it was written that doesn't translate well to current times but the whole "I just met you, let's get married" thing bugs me and then especially how if the man isn't named Earnest than forget it, can't happen.  I get that it's supposed to be a comedy and poking fun at the societal issues of the day but seeing women portrayed in that kind of foolish light really rubs me the wrong way.

Page count: 58p/12,313p ytd/193,351p lifetime

51:120 The Ancient Roman World by Ronald Mellor and Marni McGee

Covering from the legends regarding the founding of Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire.  There were some famous people like Archimedes that didn't get mentioned so won't be heard of at all in this entire series which I find to be a shame (time to pull out some other books and rectify that) but on the whole a good installment for this series and for middle-school history in general.  It is very difficult reading this one while at the same time reading the "a-g approved" high school Glencoe as it makes Glencoe look absolutely horrid for all the glaring omissions.  This series is just so much richer and goes so much deeper than what is given to our high school kids.  Just continues to go to my point that we should stop worrying about quantity and worry more about quality because what they are being taught in high school really isn't worth anything when it's so shallow the bottom of your shoe barely gets wet if you step in that puddle.

Here's my review from a few years ago:
Part of "The World in Ancient Times" history series for middle school by Oxford.  I learned a lot with this one starting from the beginning as they had more than one version of the founding of Rome.  Weird since all I had ever heard about previously was the story of Romulus and Remus.  There was also a fair amount on the emperors that came after Augustus, how they were chosen, how they ruled, etc.  There was a chapter on the Jews and their history as well as a chapter on how Christianity started and spread.  In all, I felt it was a good well-rounded history book that presented a lot more than just what seems to be typically known and explained the findings that told us these things.

Page count: 190p/12,255p ytd/193,293p lifetime

50:120 The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida

Naoki Higashida wrote this when he was 13yrs old in an attempt to explain his thoughts and behaviors as someone with autism.  It's written as a Q&A session and offers interesting and unique insights into the mind of an autistic person.  Many of the questions focus on why he does certain things or doesn't do other things and he tries hard to explain the compulsions he is under and how he must battle his mind and body to do what he wants to do, to be the kind of person he sees around him, to not be a bother to others, to not be so lonely.  Some of what he has to say is heartbreaking to read as you can hear the longing in his "voice" to be accepted, to not make others angry or upset with him.

Here is my one only real criticism of the book.  Naoki tries to speak for everyone with autism and I think that is noble but at the same time, people with autism are still people.  They are individuals and what one thinks or feels is just that, the thoughts and feelings of one person.  They are absolutely of value and hopefully it will bring about more acceptance and help for those on the spectrum but at the same time, I would hate for someone to read this book and think they have everyone with autism figured out.  My oldest son has atypical autism with many problems with social cognitive behavior, theory of mind, and executive planning skills.  Some of what Naoki said I could absolutely see coming out of my son's mouth and I'm hoping to have him read this book and get his feedback on it.  Other things seem completely the opposite for my oldest.  In other places, the things Naoki talks about are more like things I deal with my younger two who are not autistic but have vestibular and other problems that they are getting occupational therapy for.  As we have found already, many of these things can go hand in hand but just because they have one does not mean they have the other.  I had one doctor convinced that my youngest was autistic because of verbal issues at the age of 18mos only to have it properly diagnosed as apraxia of speech which while common in autistic children can also be independent of it.  The same with vestibular issues and a whole host of other things, some of which Naoki seems to be dealing with as well.  Does this negate anything in the book for me?  No but it does lead me to put the caution on those who read it to understand that this is one person's thoughts and feelings.  Very valid thoughts and feelings and yes, I do think that many autistics would find several places where they agree wholeheartedly with Naoki but I'm not sure how many you would find that agree 100% with everything.

The biggest thing that everyone should take away is his constant plea "Don't give up on us!"  These are real people and need to be treated with all the dignity and respect we should show everyone in our lives.  They are NOT less!   They struggle in ways that we cannot understand and deserve our support and our help and most of all our love.  And not only them but also their caregivers.  It can be a lonely and thankless job even when it's your child and you love them beyond reason.

The last thing I want to mention is that there are several page long writings of Naoki and a short story that he wrote in the back that are simply amazing.  It certainly shows what a lie it is that autistics don't have the same feelings we do.  They feel so very much.

Page count: 176p/12,065p ytd/193,103p lifetime

49:120 The Demon You Know by Julie Kenner

A short story set in the Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom universe, between books 4 and 5.  Allie has started training to be a demon hunter like her mom and considering her bad choice in dates lately, Kate has agreed.  They are having the normal teenage head-butting thing going as well so it's been a challenge but Kate is trying to loosen up so let's Allie off to the mall with her friends and from there she has a sleepover planned at another friend's house.  Little does she know that Allie's friends have plans to sneak off to a major party at a local playboy's mansion and little do they know just why they have been invited to this party....

Apparently a 6th book is being released this year after several years hiatus so this is a tease to get people back in the universe.  It's a simple story and if you don't know the backstory it's a little hard to get into so definitely not a good introduction to the series but since I read all the books a few years ago, it was nice to dip back into that world.  I'm very curious as to where it's going to go after the last book when it appeared that Kate and her husband were heading for splitsville.  The stories are bubblegum, fun without a lot of substance but as a soccer mom, there are so many ways I can relate to Kate (except the whole demon thing, that just happens when the youngest hasn't eaten lately).  I'm looking forward to the new installment.

Page count: 22p/11,889p ytd/192,927p lifetime (numbers shifted as I went through and found some errors)

48:120 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Ok, for those who have not read this here's the brief synopsis.  Pip is orphaned and living with his sister and her husband who is a blacksmith.  He meets a girl and dreams of being something more to have a chance of becoming worthy of her.  He gets a surprise benefactor who thrusts upon him "great expectations".  He turns into a jerk.  Girl doesn't care about him being a jerk or his "great expectations" and marries someone else.  The benefactor is not whom he had been assuming it was for years.  His life gets turned upside down and nothing went as he expected it.  The End.

There are a few more twists and turns (almost all of which are completely predictable) but those are the salient points.  It was a 490 page book.  It slogged and dragged.  I understand that some people get really into his language but I personally find it pedantic and lethargic.  It doesn't move, it doesn't paint a picture for me, it's dull and plodding.  My son had to read this for his book club and he didn't finish on time even with a month.  I am of the opinion even though I don't run that book club that I will read what he does for it so I read this around my own book club reads.  It's finally over and I'm glad it's over and I don't really care that I can now say I've read it.  I think the story itself might have been interesting if I'd ever actually cared about any of the characters but the narrator turned into a complete a$$ once he got into money, his friend wasn't fleshed out enough (although he was probably one of the more interesting characters), the one assistant lawyer again was sort of interesting but was more a ploy to get information to the character than a full-fleshed character himself.  I get that the story was supposed to teach a lesson about virtues and decisions and all that but I was hoping that Pip had hung with Magwitch for aiding and abetting because he was just so unlikable.  Maybe if Pip had been likable to any extent, or the book was half as long so it moved at a decent pace but as written....Blech!

Page count: 490p/11,885p ytd/192,877p lifetime

47:120 Oh Myyy: There Goes the Internet by George Takei

Being a card-carrying geek since long before they gave out cards for such a thing, I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't know who George Takei was once I was old enough to know such things.  A child of the 70s, I grew up watching Star Trek reruns and looked forward to them.  My mother made me a tiny Uhura costume and there is a picture out there of me around 3yrs old sitting in her chair on a set someone brought to a convention.  That's when I wasn't dressed up as Princess Leia.  So yeah, I'm a geek and proud of it.  So of course, being a geek, I've been following George on FB for as long as I knew he was on there which has been a few years now.  I enjoy the humorous posts he throws out there as well as his commentary on them and I tend to align well politically with him so any of those types of posts, I appreciate as opening my eyes to something I may want to research further.  When I saw this book for cheap on Amazon for the kindle, I jumped on the chance to grab it.

Is it amazingly awesome? No.  It's a pretty quiet sketch of his foray into social media, what he has found that works for him, what hasn't, how he has evolved in his usage of it.  This isn't an autobiography of his whole life, just a specific snapshot in time focusing on a specific topic.  An enjoyable and quick read and for the price I paid, a fun read but I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it.

Page count: 246p/11,395p ytd/192,387p lifetime

46:120 Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Happier Life by Arianna Huffington

I'm passingly familiar with Arianna Huffington which means I've seen her on The Daily Show/Colbert Report and I read articles that my friends post on FB that link over to the Huffington Post and I knew this was her baby.  This book was chosen as our book club book this month and I thought it looked interesting and I looked forward to reading it.

Let me sum up the book simply for you.  Sleep more, unplug from devices, slow down, meditate, listen to your intuition.

That was the main message in the book and the rest was just cherry-picking from reports experts have written or sayings of her mom to illustrate these points.  None of the points are new or amazing or anything else.  There were some good quotes that I bookmarked to remind myself of things but it's no more than you would get on a quote of the day calendar.  What surprised me the most was that the book ended at 69% with the next 6% being a list of apps to help you unplug, set timers for your social media use, or even do nothing so you can meditate.  Seriously?  The point of the majority of your book is to tell everyone to unplug and then the next thing you do is give a list of apps?!?!?  I'm sorry but I unplug by putting my phone down and leaving it in another room.  Going outside without it or a computer is another one.  I don't need an app for that and I think it completely contradicts the whole point especially having an app to meditate.  The last 25% of the book was notes on everyone she quoted from so in reality, it's a short book (remember, there are a LOT of quotes and sayings throughout) that is not outstanding or filled with anything that experts haven't been telling us for several years now.  For all that, I'd give it 3/5 stars because if you hadn't been paying attention before this and she helps you hear it than that is a good thing.

Page count: 352p/11,149p ytd/192,141p lifetime