Cold Wave and Books

Well, quite the opposite is taking hold in the Midwest: we are in the midst of a cold wave (is that even a term?). For the last two days, the mercury did not break zero. It's currently 20, so pretty balmy. Combined with completing my grad apps (!), I now have little purpose, direction or anything to do really. Those jobs I've applied to haven't yielded anything, but you can only expect so much (which is nothing) when just sending out your resume or filling out apps through the internet. First thing Monday, going to actual stores and applying in person for some random retail job.

But, I've been filling my time with reading. Some from the list that I mentioned a few weeks back, some that popped up in my near every-other-daily wanderings of the local library.

From the past month, more or less, the books I've read in no particular order:

I Was Told There'd Be Cake, Sloane Crosley: Okay, I lied, there is some order. This was my favorite book of them all. A series of essays written by a late twentysomething New Yorker recounting funny incidents from her primarily post-college life. It's achingly funny. I was at a Starbucks at laughing out loud. Smart writing, tight essays and sharp details. Highly recommended. Think of a David Sedaris referencing Oregon Trail, Carmen San Diego and neon. D: I think you'd either LOVE this or HATE this, but I can't imagine you feeling ambivalent.

Who Moved My Cheese?, Spencer Johnson: The seminal business leadership/management book. Quite the short book and can be read in one 45-minute sitting. Relevant anecdote and I can understand why it endures. In fact, I think it'd be a great children's book. Every parent should read this to their kid as a bedtime story.

Eats Shoots and Leaves, Lynne Truss: A christmas gift from my sister. A british writer's take on punctuation and grammar and the atrocious state of it. And tries to rectify it by going through each punctuation mark, a bit of its history and appropriate use. Good read and I know that I'm quite more aware (and more fond) of the semicolon and dash because of it.

Holidays on Ice, David Sedaris: Reading his experience as a Macy's elf makes me feel better at my upcoming employment at some retail establishment at the mall. Some of the essays I wasn't so quite fond out, especially the one that involved the baby in the washing machine.

Watchmen, Alan Moore: That graphic novel of all graphic novel that gets all the hype and the fanboys peeing their pants. I enjoyed it, but I'll be honest, I didn't really know how to read it. I mean, I found myself overwhelmed trying to process the text and the graphics all at the same time. Though I'm looking forward to the movie in the spring if they can get the copyright issues sorted out.

Old Masters, New World, Cynthia Saltzman: Quite the interesting read for the art historically inclined. Basically recounts how the first industrialists used their immense wealth to buy old master paintings from Europe to establish American art museums. Great great great read.

Dry Store Room No. 1, Richard Fortey: A natural scientist at the Natural History Museum (London) explaining the importance of taxonomy, natural history, etc by recalling his own life work and that of his peers at the museum. A bit technical at times, but things moved along. And it's amazing at how the smallest things have such a large impact. Also, this guy, spent his entire life studying trilobites. How crazy is that?