Books and nooks

[calzephyr]

Every bibliophile faces one constant challenge - so many books, so little time. Last night I finished Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. It seems like a book every kid should read - it's a cute story for the sake of being a story. There's no morality lesson, no stock characters, just a tale about a man and his penguins.

I couldn't finish Blood Music by Greg Bear, but I'm interested in finding the short story that it originated one. It was published in 1985 and received praise for its technological realism, although I wonder how much of it holds up today. It revolves around nanotechnology and a grey goo theory - but I couldn't make it past the third chapter. It was terrible clunky. His style reminded me a lot of Michael Crichton, but it was just too mired in technology. There's no plot motivator.

Lastly, there's The Joy of Working: The 30-Day System to Success, Wealth, and Happiness on the Job by Denis Waitley and Reni Witt. My FIL bought it for my husband got his first job. I more or less read it for fun after finding it on the book shelf, but didn't realize that it would be so extremely positive or filled with good suggestions. Each chapter highlights a habit or attitude that in the end will "make every day feel like Friday!". From opportunity to risk taking to pride, it really does have a lot of motivators.

Oh, and this is just a reminder for me to put this on hold - Death Benefits: How Losing a Parent Can Change an Adult's Life--For the Better . I read an in-depth article about it while at the doctor's office and it seemed really intriguing. Certainly I don't wish my folks to be dead, but there were enough examples about how people were changed by the death of a parent that really piqued my interest. I guess the idea that death can have a positive effect is a rare one.

Comments

[fledchen.livejournal.com]

I've never read either version of Blood Music, but the 90's version of The Outer Limits did an adaptation of it. It was chilling and gross but it was a good story. I think a few of the seasons of The Outer Limits are on DVD now but I don't know if that story is on them.

[calzephyr77.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip Fledchen, I'll have to see if I can find it. I didn't watch The Outer Limits much as a teenager...it was probably on too late or something.

[fledchen.livejournal.com]

I remember it being on very late, either 11:00 or midnight.