1 Reporter - 7 Years - 21,000 Miles - 60,000 Years of Human History - 30,000,000 Steps

"In 2013, journalist and National Geographic Fellow Paul Salopek begins an ambitious expedition to retrace the path our ancestors took as they migrated across the world. Equipped only with what he can carry in his backpack, Paul's goal is to cover the major global stories of our time by walking alongside the people who live them on a daily basis: cattle nomads, artists, traders, villagers, farmers, and scientists. The end result? A global mosaic of stories, faces, sounds, and landscapes that highlight the pathways that connect us to each other."

Check out the website. Trust me, it will blow your mind: http://www.outofedenwalk.com/

Teenage Wastelands

I recently finished Matched, the popular dystopian novel by Allie Condie, and here are some brief thoughts. I was hooked from the very beginning - I pretty much can't resist the star-crossed lovers thing - and finished the novel in a day, but it was unnecessarily long. I found myself skimming at times and growing frustrated as I thought Condie needed to keep her plot tighter. Overall, an easy and satisfying read. It's in the RAS library - check it out!

 

 I just started Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, another novel set in a grimly imagined future. I love it! The writing is faster, tighter, funnier, and just so, so much better than Condie's prose. If you dig the '80s, video games, and/or good writing, you MUST read it! Also in the RAS library.

Life and Death

When Susan Kuklin came to visit us at RAS, she discussed her interviews with young prisoners on death row which she transformed into her gripping book, No Choirboy; Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row. I like this book because it made me feel how the prisoners felt and I realized while they have done terrible things they are still human beings. The book also triggered a fascinating discussion in Writing Workshop. (Although it appears Ms. Cox wrote this it was actually composed by Sidi Mohammed and friends)

The BEST

A link to the 10 Best Books of 2012 (at least according to the New York Times. Personally, I think they missed one or two) ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/09/books/review/10-best-books-of-2012.html

Under non-fiction you'll find a brief review of Under the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon. This book was discussed in the article Salma wrote about (thanks, Salma!) and I can't wait to read it. Solomon is an eloquent and moving writer; I tore through his book about depression, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. 

Little Strangers Achieve Big Things

                                                                        

                      

      I read a very gripping article called Little Strangers. When I read the title, the first thing that popped into my head was children. I learned about families which struggle with children who are different. These children are faced with challenges everyday of their lives. The fact that they do not share the same obstacles as other children, can sometimes make them more vulnerable in today's society.

What would you do if you encountered some of the same struggles with some of your family members? 

Here is a link to the article, if you ever want to check it out http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2012/11/19/121119crbo_books_heller

SHOUT OUTS!

To Ms. Wagner for contributing. Thanks! And to certain members of Writing Workshop - Aditi, Alvaro, and Will - for their posts. You guys are the best! Hopefully we'll have some more guests soon. Stay tuned ...

Check out Brain Pickings (http://www.brainpickings.org/) for book suggestions, thought-provoking quotations, stunning graphics, etc. Right now they have a list of the 10 Best Psychology and Philosophy Books of 2012. I've read number two on the list - Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar. It's an easy read and packed with wisdom. Sugar tells it like it is. 

Game of Thrones by W. Humenansky

I started a book titled Game of Thrones (yes, the HBO series is based on this book). I wasn't able to read much in the small amount of time I had, but it was enough to get me interested. The characters are described with subtle traits, but you feel like it's enough to know who they are. Looking forward to learning more about the character Will.

Check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-Song-Fire-Book/dp/0553573403

Let me take you Into Thin Air ...

Do you know anyone who has climbed Mt. Everest AND recorded their experience in a gripping book?  In his memoir Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer takes us on a terrifying journey to the top of the world's highest mountain. If you can get through the slow beginning, Krakauer will take you on an ill-fated adventure (Alvaro & friends) ...

Sweetness of Salt

Sweetness of Salt is a book about two sisters, Sofie and Juliana. Sofie graduated before Juliana, and now it's her turn. After graduating she is going to live with her sister and get to know some secrets her family has been hiding from her. Now as the two sisters get together they will bound better than they have together in the past years. Juliana will know why these secrets were kept from her. A book full of love, family and friends by Cecilia Galante.

Hmmm ... don't know what to think about this. Could be interesting ...

'The Silent History' invites readers to become active participants: http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2012/10/12/new-book-the-silent-history-invites-readers-become-active-participants-story/lwuPuibzJe7wQSA7P2wGZN/story.html

“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” - Mark Twain

Enough said. Use this site to discover something new to read. Includes YA reviews, news and interviews:

http://www.books4teens.co.uk/ 

The People's Library

Interesting and disturbing article on the People's Library of Occupy Wall Street. Check it out:

http://www.thenation.com/article/164766/peoples-library-occupy-wall-street-lives

A taste: " I love books—reading them, writing in them, arranging them, holding them, even smelling them. I also love having access to books for free. I love libraries and everything they represent. To see an entire collection of donated books, including many titles I would have liked to read, thoughtlessly ransacked and destroyed by the forces of law and order was one of the most disturbing experiences of my life."

My Ideal Bookshelf

Take a peek at the dream bookshelves of great musicians, writers, designers ... yeah, guess what? They ALL read:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/11/13/my-ideal-bookshelf-jane-mount-thessaly-la-force/

And some quotations to further inspire you ...

From Pico Iyer: "What more could one ask of a companion? To be forever new and yet forever steady. To be strange and familiar all at once, with enough change to quicken my mind, enough steadiness to give sanctuary to my heart. The books on my shelf never asked to come together, and they would not trust or want to listen to one another; but each is a piece of a stained-glass whole without which I couldn’t make sense to myself, or to the world outside."

And Patti Smith: "I longed to read everything I possibly could, and the things I read in turn produced new yearnings."

And finally, an ode to public libraries by Maira Kalman: "I love the architecture of public libraries, the very large windows. Inside it’s polished, it’s quiet; during the day, the sun is usually streaming through one room or another. And all the people are sitting there together, but they’re all going to completely different places through the books they’re reading."

Listen up!

Here's a link to one of my favorite short stories, "The Swimmer" by John Cheever. It's a strange and heartbreaking story, and guess what? You can just sit back and listen: http://www.newyorker.com/online/2011/02/14/110214on_audio_enright


Enjoy listening? Each month the New Yorker fiction podcast features a story from the magazine's archives chosen and read by a contributor. Check it out: http://www.newyorker.com/online/podcasts/fiction

Eyes on the Prize

The websites below will lead you to award-winning writing. Check them out! Buy or borrow a book and read already!!:

The Man Booker Prizes: http://www.themanbookerprize.com/

The Pulitzer Prizes: http://www.pulitzer.org/

The Nobel Prize in Literature: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/

ROCKtober

My brother - a funny guy who loves music as much as I do - has always referred to October as, yes, Rocktober. In his honor, I urge you to check out some of my favorite books about and by musicians:

If you like Elvis (or good writing and a great story), read Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley ... http://www.amazon.com/Last-Train-Memphis-Elvis-Presley/dp/0316332259/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351545381&sr=1-1&keywords=last+train+to+memphis

And for the end of the story, Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley: http://www.amazon.com/Careless-Love-Unmaking-Elvis-Presley/dp/0316332976

Also very good, Keith Richards' autobiography Life: http://www.amazon.com/Careless-Love-Unmaking-Elvis-Presley/dp/0316332976

Part elegy, part love poem, part memoir ... Just Kids by Patti Smith (Never heard of her? Well, hear this!!!): http://www.amazon.com/Just-Kids-Patti-Smith/dp/0060936223/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351546052&sr=1-1&keywords=patti+smith

Haven't read it, but I'm a huge fan so I will someday: The John Lennon Letters ... http://www.amazon.com/John-Lennon-Letters/dp/0316200808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351546493&sr=1-1&keywords=john+lennon

A History of the World in 100 Objects

Check out a new object every day: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/british-museum-objects/

(You can even listen, if you must).

I mean really ...

doesn't the following sentence ignite a burning desire to read Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen?

"Some said Caballo Blanco was a fugitive; others heard he was a boxer who'd run off to punish himself after beating a man to death in the ring. No one knew his name, or age, or where he was from. He was like some Old West gunslinger whose only traces were tall tales and a whiff of cigarillo smoke."

If you like non-fiction, running, crazy wacked-out adventures, Mexico, first-rate journalism or just a very good read, you should check this out: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/borntorun.htm