books books books

A lot has happened since my last post. I have read three books on my list and started on a fourth.

The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Dr. Oliver Sacks
Hot Plastic by Peter Craig

All were really good and drastically different from each other. The first takes place during WWII and is a true story of a girl who was exhiled with her family to a Siberian work camp for the duration of the war. I read this book once as a child and I loved it, but as I was reading it this time around, I had trouble seeing how I could have read it then. It’s not necessarily written for children (I believe I was 4th grade when I read it), but maybe for young teens. I would definitely suggest it to a 12-14 year old and everyone else older than that. It is very good, and worth keeping on my shelf!

The second is a nonfiction science book. Dr Sacks is a neurologist who writes from his heart, instead of his head. I read one of his books in college and was instantly hooked. I am definitely not a science buff, but he makes the topic fun and interesting. What I love most about his books is that he does not write about the disease, he writes about the patient. This book is one of his early ones so there is definitely a lot more science talk than the last book that I read by him. But this book is filled with amazing stories of survivors. The stories are about people with neurological disorders who have overcome them in some way in order to find a better way of living life. Parts of it are really sad, parts of it are really inspiring, and parts of it are hilarious. If you think you can weed through the science talk and get to the meat of the story, I would definitely suggest this book (or if you are a science buff!) to you.

Hot Plastic is the story of a father and son con team who meet a young con woman that they both fall in love with. It is a pretty light hearted and fun novel (even through out the thievery, jail time, and gun wounds!). I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I don’t think I will keep it on my shelf for long unless my husband decides he would like to read it. I wouldn’t suggest it if you can’t stand cussing or the general theme of sin. There is definitely a lot of that in this book. But it is a fun story that will keep you engrossed ‘til the very end.

I started Frankenstein today. I read this in high school and hated it, but I saw a play of it last year and I thought I might like it a little more as an adult. So far, I really do. I can’t wait to get through it and know for sure!

Oh, and I guess I forgot to mention that I found a job! I started working Wednesday at a bank that is about 5 minutes away from our apartment. I like it a lot so far, but there are certain parts of it that worry me. Right now, I’m just delighted to have a place to go every day. My official training starts on the 9th of November. Right now I am just a go-fer, but I’m glad to be getting paid for it. I am waiting patiently for that first paycheck so that I can finally go buy myself some winter boots and a nice jacket!

All in all, I'm feeling pretty great. I have felt my luck turn around in the matter of one short week. Ryan and I have had an amazing weekend off together and I am so glad that I can fully enjoy the weekends again.