The Sex Lives of Cannibals

Bibliography
Troost, J. Maarten. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific. New York: Broadway Books, 2004. Print.


My Thoughts
Well, if the title was actually what the book was about, it might have been more interesting! This work is non-fiction (could everything he writes really be true?) about a man who is aimless in the world and decides the remedy for his situation is to live on a tropical island. Well...the island isn't quite the paradise Troost had in mind. He confronts the reality that "paradise" sometimes is full of people pooping in their own water and dogs that truly exemplify the survival of the fittest theory.

There were a few humorous parts that I found myself chuckling out loud. For example, the most popular song on the island is "La Macarena" which is played loudly all of the time. I could imagine the author's reactions as authentic. Chapters 14 & 18 were funny. They need to be read.

This book was one way to travel abroad while keeping the comforts & traditions of home.

Profiles in Fashion: Vera Wang

Bibliography
Petrillo, Lisa. Profiles in Fashion: Vera Wang. Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds, 2011. Print


My Thoughts
Finally, a designer that still owns their product! Of this entire series, Vera Wang is the only one (as of the book's printing) that did not sell their name.

It was interesting to know that Vera Wang actually started out in figure skating and even tried out for the Olympics. When that didn't happen, she began designing bridal gowns. Her father was not convinced that his daughter should do this, but eventually backed her financially. Her business was born and she has now spread out to many lines besides bridal wear. She even created figure skating outfits for Nancy Kerrigan. Her knowledge of the ice skater's needs helped her clinch this market.

Like the other books in this series, the photos correlate in some way to the story, but they might not be personal pictures for the topic. The book itself was only 100 pages.

The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains

Bibliography
Carr, Nicholas. The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. New York: W. W. Norton, 2011. Print.


My Thoughts

This should be required reading for all of humanity! This book is not an easy, fast read, but it was a very interesting read! I kept finding myself agreeing with Carr in how my personal brain works (or sometimes doesn't), and now I have a better understanding of why.


The early chapters discuss the brain forming and the history of brain research. When I was reading these chapters, I was actually at a technology conference. I was amazed at how often something was mentioned there that I thought, "I just read about that!"


Chapter Four discusses writing. I didn't realize that in the early days of print, words ran together just like in speech (Carr 61). As more people learned to read, there was a need for more books. More books equals more literacy (Carr 70). "The reader becomes the book" proves that reading is not a passive activity (Carr 74).


I thought Chapter Five was interesting because it discusses the progression of the Internet. I found myself remembering my 8th grade computer literacy class. Chapter 7 discusses how the Internet and our constant scattered attention makes us have, as the title is so aptly named, a "Juggler's Brain." (Carr 115). "When our brain is overtaxed, we find 'distractions more distracting'" (Carr 125). We are not reading in a linear fashion, spending only about 19-27 seconds looking at a page on the Internet (Carr 136). Carr proclaims that our brains are engaged less directly and more shallowly and "skimming is our dominant mode of reading" (137).


Chapter Six was about books. When newspapers became mainstream, people warned that books would go away. As the Internet and ebooks/readers become more mainstream, there are those warnings coming out again.

Chapter 8 is entitled "The Church of Google." The entire chapter is devoted to Google's history & goals. Pretty interesting.

Chapter 9 made me realize why I have trouble remembering anything. I don't have to remember! I have an "external" memory (my computer) that will store information for me. No longer must I use my brain. However, when we store new memories, we strengthen our brains (Carr 192). So, I really should rely more upon my brain than my computer. It's hard. I had a recent example when my daughter asked me a multiplication question. I honestly didn't know the answer. I've come to rely upon a calculator to do my "ciphering" nowadays. Carr explains that the Net is "technology of forgetfulness" (193). I agree! Carr warns, though, that as we rely upon "outsourc[ing] memory [to a machine]" that "culture withers" (197). Yikes!

The final chapter of the book warns that as we become more involved with our computers, "we'll lose our humanness" (Carr 207). The more we use a keyboard, the less we will write in cursive.

Hmmm....all of these things make sense. Like I said, this is not a fast, easy read. In fact, I took notes as I read to help me stay focused. I think every person should read this book (soaking in a chapter at a time). After all, the Internet is changing our brains.

Fallout

Bibliography
Hopkins, Ellen. Fallout. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010. Print.

My Thoughts
This is the final book of the Kristina Snow trilogy. I had to read it and find out what happened. Hopkins continues the story from the viewpoint of Kristina's three oldest children. Hunter, who is now 19, begins the story. We learn of two girls, Autumn and Summer and then of two more boys. So, Kristina has five children from four different men. She never takes responsibility for her life.

Autumn is the baby she had with Trey. Thankfully, Aunt Cora, at age 17, took Kristina's responsibility and raised Autumn. Autumn lives in Texas and never knew she had a family in Nevada. Once Aunt Cora gets married, Trey returns to the scene and takes Autumn to meet the Snow side of her family. It is one memorable Christmas drive. Trey is going to rekindle something with Kristina. Autumn is going to meet her family for the first time.

Summer is a child that resulted as a night spent with one of Trey's friends. Summer has spent most of her life in foster care because her dad can't stay out of trouble, and of course, Kristina can't either. Summer reminded me of Kristina when we first met her--"good" student/AP classes. I figured Summer's life would take one of two turns. She would either follow her mom's lifestyle or do something different to spite her mom. Well, her life path actually turned into a hybrid of these paths. Summer runs away with her boyfriend (also a junkie) Kyle. On their road trip to teenager freedom, a Hummer forces them off the road. They are rescued but must have a reason for their trip. Ah...going to see Grandma.

We don't see much of the two youngest boys' story except to learn that they are holy terrors! Thank goodness that Kristina's mom, once again, is helping.

I am glad that I read this trilogy and only had to ride vicariously the roller coaster that mirrors Hopkins' real life drama. Hopkins explains, "while these books are rooted in our real life, they are to a large degree fiction" (Hopkins 665). To be as real as these books seem, I would say that she knows what she's writing about!

In the Garden of the Beasts

Bibliography
Larson, Erik. In the Garden of the Beasts.

My Thoughts


Even though this was a non-fiction book, it read like a novel. We follow William Dodd's appointment as Ambassador in Berlin and learn of how Germany was changing as Hitler gained more power in the government.

Dodd tried to warn the U.S. Government, but the warnings fell on deaf ears. I wondered how history would have changed (if at all), had the United States done something. I'm not sure what they should have or could have done, but when repeatedly warned about the conditions of life, it seems plausible (of course, looking back this is easy to say), that something could have be done.

Dodd's daughter Martha was quite a character, and I wondered how my perception of women differs from the actuality of Martha's life. She goes with her father for adventure. She is naive and thinks what is happening in Germany is for the greater good. It's not until a certain weekend that Martha begins to question her belief in this new Germany.

The author does a good job giving us the history of Germany. I have a better understanding of Hitler, the Gestapo, and the "real" Germany during this time. I enjoyed reading this book.

Profiles in Fashion: Marc Jacobs

Bibliography
Branscomb, Leslie Wolf. Profiles in Fashion: Marc Jacobs. Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds, 2011. Print.

My Thoughts
Why do people follow this inane nut? Now that I have read his story, I will not be so impressed with his label. He is credited for making the grunge look fashionable. Strike one. He is a drug addict. Strike two. He makes absurd comments that make him seem humble (or at least are trying to) when they just scream for attention. Strike three.

One example is when he describes a "dumb blouse." "'I love a blouse that's dumb. I love to use the word "dumb." It's not knowing, and the word "blouse" is so out of fashion that I love it: a blouse that's dumb'" (qtd. in Branscomb 87). What is he saying? Yeah, I don't know either.

An amusing note about Marc Jacobs' awards is that of the Parsons award. He only received it because Tom Ford quit Gucci right before the awards were given. One requirement of receiving the award is to be employed. There isn't a Tom Ford book in this series, but I would read it if there was.

One thing I'm learning about reading this series Profiles in Fashion is that many designers don't even work for their own label anymore. Very interesting. Only one more to read: Vera Wang.

Profiles in Fashion: Isaac Mizrahi

Bibliography
Petrillo, Lisa. Profiles in Fashion: Isaac Mizrahi. Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds Publishing, 2011. Print.

My Thoughts
I found it interesting to read about this person who, to me, just "hit" the market, only to learn that he's actually been in the fashion business since the 1980s! This book was just a scratch on the surface of his life and didn't really include much about his designs (a disappointment). I also didn't think the pictures were...relevant...no, they seemed relevant, but also space fillers (for example, there's a picture of "tailoring tools" and two pages later, a different picture of the same thing). (pages 20 & 22). The pictures also repeat in the book.

There is also a printing error because page 73 begins mid-sentence.

The book mentions a documentary made that follows Mizrahi as he tries to prepare for a fashion show. "Though fifteen years old, the file remains so popular it is still widely available...It is considered among the best movies about fashion ever made" (Petrillo 39). Hmmm....I can't buy it from my book vendor. How popular is it really?

I learned a little about how is Isaac Mizrahi, but I'm disappointed that I didn't get a feel for his designs. I would not recommend this book to others unless they are desperate for a source.