What I'm Reading This Week-- Jan. 24, 2010 -
Quote de jour
"We're all born with reading lists we'll never complete."
Well, at least I am. Sometimes I think if my brain exploded, it would spew out bits of inky letters. Are you feeling like there's TOO MUCH INFORMATION? I do, and it's not enough to have quantity, we need it now and faster, faster like spinning around like we did as kids until we puked.
I experimented with a new format with photos this week. It's a dismal failure. The copy is too small to read but there is a weird synchronicity in the design of the four books. I'll try something new next week.
I don't envy the pressure Elizabeth Gilbert must have felt to follow the huge success of Eat, Pray, Love. She and her publisher can breathe now. Her follow-up memoir Committed debuted at # 1 on the NY Times best seller list this week. I ordered the large print version from the library. The covers are never as pretty but the wait is much shorter for popular books. Like her millions of fans, I enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love, but I'm less committed to Committed. It's written in her familiar chatty style but the magic is gone. No matter, the juggernaut that is her career plows forward. Ms. Gilbert is hoping to return to writing novels and I hope she finds the breathing space to write what her soul, and not what her publisher desires. Her new spruced up website is a perfect example of tweaking gone wrong. The original website was perfect. It reminds me of people who have too much plastic surgery. Leave well enough alone!
The master of reinventing the wheel of the body/mind/spirit genre, Deepak Chopra has a churned out another in his juggernaut career. There's nothing new here but for the uninitiated, it's nicely formulated.
Now, to the real good stuff and why I'm proud to be Canadian: Malcolm Gladwell and Alice Munro. What the Dog Saw is Malcolm Gladwell's collection of essays from the New Yorker. I've read most of these before, but he sucked me in and re-enchanted me all over again. Listen to him talk about the book. (P.S. I'm so glad he finally got a haircut).
Too Much Happiness a collection of short stories by Alice Munro is pure genius. I'd like to be a fly on her keyboard. Listen to her funny, charming self in a recent interview.
"We're all born with reading lists we'll never complete."
Well, at least I am. Sometimes I think if my brain exploded, it would spew out bits of inky letters. Are you feeling like there's TOO MUCH INFORMATION? I do, and it's not enough to have quantity, we need it now and faster, faster like spinning around like we did as kids until we puked.
I experimented with a new format with photos this week. It's a dismal failure. The copy is too small to read but there is a weird synchronicity in the design of the four books. I'll try something new next week.
I don't envy the pressure Elizabeth Gilbert must have felt to follow the huge success of Eat, Pray, Love. She and her publisher can breathe now. Her follow-up memoir Committed debuted at # 1 on the NY Times best seller list this week. I ordered the large print version from the library. The covers are never as pretty but the wait is much shorter for popular books. Like her millions of fans, I enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love, but I'm less committed to Committed. It's written in her familiar chatty style but the magic is gone. No matter, the juggernaut that is her career plows forward. Ms. Gilbert is hoping to return to writing novels and I hope she finds the breathing space to write what her soul, and not what her publisher desires. Her new spruced up website is a perfect example of tweaking gone wrong. The original website was perfect. It reminds me of people who have too much plastic surgery. Leave well enough alone!
Now, to the real good stuff and why I'm proud to be Canadian: Malcolm Gladwell and Alice Munro. What the Dog Saw is Malcolm Gladwell's collection of essays from the New Yorker. I've read most of these before, but he sucked me in and re-enchanted me all over again. Listen to him talk about the book. (P.S. I'm so glad he finally got a haircut).
Too Much Happiness a collection of short stories by Alice Munro is pure genius. I'd like to be a fly on her keyboard. Listen to her funny, charming self in a recent interview.
I had coffee yesterday with the middle-aged version of Sex in the City gal pals. We talked about the usual girly stuff plus health issues and heredity. I said at one point our DNA isn't necessarily our destiny. Needless to say, I was thrilled to see a similar headline on my weekly "magazine mountain" showing scientific proof of what I've always believed to be true.
How's this for polar opposites in periodicals? It works for me.The pink/yellow trend continues, and of course lots of red, the color that embodies the word fast. Time really is speeding up. Must run...
Posted by Layla Morgan Wilde at 1/24/2010 11:31 AM 
Categories: Writing, What I'm Reading This Week
Tags: Elizabeth Gilbert Alice Munro Malcolm Gladwell Deepak Chopra
Categories: Writing, What I'm Reading This Week
Tags: Elizabeth Gilbert Alice Munro Malcolm Gladwell Deepak Chopra
Wow! What's your secret for reading this much?
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Speed reading and less sleep.
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Glad well is so brilliant. I did not know he was so young. Alice Munro ...I have not read her yet. Both videos were delightful.
I have always believed that environment and habits are as important if not more important than DNA; in my family, of course, are the Mormons. Those family members who do not drink or smoke live a long time, even though they eat too much and do not exercise. Mormons and Adventists are often included in medical studies because of their longevity. Adventists eat lots of fruit and vegetables and drink lots of water.
My relatives who do drink several times a week or who smoke live much shorter lives.
My husband is 59, looks 49 and has the heart and bones of a very healthy 40 year old. He knows track and field athletes in their 90s who are going strong in every way.
I eat very healthy...mostly...but I need to get back to fitness..(off the computer...)
I have a genetic weakness, in that my cells are not as strong as they could be. I get cut easily, and get respiratory or skin infections. My cells fall apart at the seams more easily than say...my husband's...do...typical very strong constitution he has...so I have since teen years taken care of myself.
When I was 50, my bones were excellent. I want to make sure I keep everything.
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I think you'll enjoy Alice Munro. She's subtle and fearless. Thanks for reminding me to get of the computer and excercise!
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I was wondering whether Elizabeth Gilbert's new book could possibly top Eat Pray Love. It doesn't sound like it can. I wonder how much of her NY Times bestselling debut for Committed is due to so many readers hoping for a "sequel" to EPL.
As for Deepak Choprah, while I love his message, his last few books have been little more than rewrites of his earlier books. It's a little disappointing to me that he can't come up with newer, more original content.
Layla, you would probably enjoy The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. It's all about how genetics do not have to determine our physical destiny. The research is fascinating, and inspiring.
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I agree with you, and coincidently I was listening to Wayne Dyer mention the Lipton book today. Two mentions in one day is my cue to read it, thanks.
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