I took a detour from the book I intended to read...now I'm halfway through another book: Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us. Fantastic read!

http://ecimages.kobobooks.com/Image....gYTA&Type=Full

The "science" is a bit sketchy, but as the authors themselves admit, it's tricky to measure something that is so subjective. Still, it's a fascinating look at the things that universally annoy us (of which there are many), and why.

The authors explore the annoyance of the senses at a fast clip, leaping from sound (nails on chalkboard, the sound of someone vomiting, overheard cell phone conversations) to smell (even skunks hate the smell of skunk, yet an aversion to the smell of poop is learned), to sight (clutter, traffic), to taste (at which age do Mexican children acquire the taste for hot peppers?) to touch (how a cloud of gnats around a pitcher's head can ruin a perfect game).

The last half of the book focuses on the sociological rather than the physical. I haven't yet learned why all the adorable little quirks of one's loved one eventually become annoying, but I have learned how mice show their annoyance when you hide their cheese. :|

It's a fun read...and if my dog ever gets sprayed by a skunk, it's worth five times the cost of the book just to have a scientifically proven recipe for removing the smell.

trash novel
 

She calls me her curmudgeon but really I am a big softie...lol....I am reading the last book of the last book of Radclyffe's Honor Series called "Word of Honor" Yeah...it is mindless trash but entertaining. And yeah....I'd do Blair....emm...and Diane.....but not together...lol...dream on...lol.....

She had a very out-of-the-ordinary philosophy....
 

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Just finished: Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

It was a cute, fast, fun read with a healthy dose of Jane Austen love mixed with the banal idiocy of reality TV.

Now reading: Canoeing and Kayaking New York (Canoe and Kayak Series) by Kevin Stiegelmaier :)

and picked up for a little skimming and inspiration...

Leaves of Grass - Walt Whitman


I'm reading everything in sight to get more raffle tickets in the community library summer reading program. Wish me luck!

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Never-Wanted-alcoholism-addiction/dp/0982579438/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342189980&sr=8-1&keywords=everything+i+never+wanted+to+be"]Everything I Never Wanted to Be[/ame]--Dina Kucera (just finished--loved it--true story of a family's struggle with addiction written by the mother who is also a stand up comedian; her wit and perspective amidst so much struggle is amazing)

Currently reading:

Diane Arbus: A Biography

by Patricia Bosworth

Just finished:

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

By Nujood Ali

Just finished The Glass Castle- Jeannette Walls.

Good read. Gritty.

Read this today lying out in the sun; devoured it one tense sitting.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Angelhead-Brothers-Descent-into-Madness/dp/0226067645/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342304310&sr=1-1&keywords=bottoms+schizophrenia"]Angelhead: My Brother's Descent into Madness--Greg Bottoms[/ame]

Amazon:
A taut, powerful memoir of madness, Angelhead documents the violent, drug-addled descent of the author's brother, Michael, into schizophrenia. Beginning with Michael's first psychotic break—seeing God in his suburban bedroom window while high on LSD—Greg Bottoms recounts, in gripping, dramatic prose, the bizarre disappearances, suicide attempts, and the shocking crime that land Michael in the psychiatric wing of a maximum security prison. A work of nonfiction with the form and imagery of a novel, Angelhead enables the reader to witness not only the fragmenting of a mind, but of a family as well.

Just finished "Blood Noir" by Laurell K. Hamiltong (Anita Blake series)

*Waiting to start "Skin Trade" by Laurell K. Hamilton (17th book in the Anita Blake series) for when SS (f) gets home so we can read that one together*

Just started "Eleven On Top" by Janet Evanovich

Just finished Fire Monks by Colleen Morton Busch. It's about the fire that threatened the Tassajara Zen Center in 2008. Disappointing. Not recommended.

It is interesting and noble that monks and others saved most of the buildings when a forest fire rolled through. But so much of the book was about petty decision-making drama, which is part of all organizations' lives, especially when in crisis, but does not make for a good read.

I am sure the five monks who stayed to the end and actually fought the fire are interesting people, but I got little sense of who they are.

I can't believe the SF Chronicle said it was one of the best books of the year. They were probably just enamored of the story behind it all. Or personally acquainted with the author. *snark* (Tassajara is one of the SF Zen Center's retreat locations and its major cash cow.)

Hey :) Would you recommend either? I'm looking for good stuff to read....

Currently reading:

Tuesday Night Miracles - Kris Radish

..it's an emotional ride so far.

And on CD in the car this week:

77 Shadow Street - Dean Koontz

..the exact opposite of the other book, lol.

Per Mizta Metro...I'm now reading "THE FOUNTAINHEAD" by Ayn Rand.

In my spare time, I've been scoring my own music:
reading from other texts of music,
developing my own style,
fine tuning my keys,
pitch,
melodies.

Just finished the 5th book in Game of Thrones series. Next on the reading list is "Teaching ESL/EFL Reading and Writing"

Stone Butch Blues

1001 Cranes by Naomi Hirahara

and

Wild (from lost to found on the pacific crest trail) a memoir by Cheryl Strayed


...still reading my way through the library's summer reading program. I'm bound and determined to win one of their raffle prizes!! :)

2
 

"Crazy Brave" by Joy Harjo

her autobiography, an example of
strength, and resilience.


"Swimming Studies" by Leanne Shapton

an Olympic trial swimmer...if you love
to swim in the pool, or in the sea...this
is an enjoyable read.

Greco

"Memoirs OF An Exorcist." Father Gabriele Amorth

When I heard Father Amorth, the most powerful exorcist in the catholic church, say in a television interview:"The devil sh**s in his pants when he sees me.", I had to buy the book. A very interesting aspect in this book is evil spirits, when they perceive some powerful exorcist, get very scared. To scare murderous and vicious demonic spirits, this book asserts, it must be a really nightmarish place in hell, so they roam Earth, without peace, until they can get into a physical body again, to do what they do. The case studies in this book are interesting.

Just finished "Twelve Sharp" a couple of days ago and now reading "Lean Mean Thirteen"
They are simple reads, enjoyable and funny, can't seem to ever put the books down. SS (f) got me into this series this past Christmas (and in between I have read books from the Anita Blake series which she also got me hooked into when we first met)

Thanks for starting me up on these series of books baby ;) You can't get annoyed if I don't have time for anything else :p psssstt you know I always got time for you (f)

Justice Roberts' opinion on the Affordable Care Act.... ick, it's so lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng

i just finished pearl in the sand by tessa afshar. it's a christian romance retelling of the story of rahab from the old testament. i read it because it was free on kindle and because historical fiction is a guilty pleasure of mine. it was a bit preachy and the plot went along far too neatly, but overall it was a fun light read :)

i'm still working my way slowly through sex & disability and lilith's brood/xenogenesis by octavia butler.

i read
the amateur - ed klein

then to wash the memory out of my brain

the call of the wild - jack london

Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self
by Danielle Evans

Alexandria by Lindsey Davis. One of the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries. This one is set in the Great Library of Alexandria. Good so far.

Guru Sri Tat Baba- Free online book.
http://yogiphotos.com/index.html

An easy summer romance read...
 

Across by Blue Dawson.

Julia Cameron
 

"Faith and Will" by Julia Cameron

I just picked this up, read the first sentence and
knew I had to read it.

Greco

started the revolution will not be funded, edited by incite! women of color against violence. and the new jim crow: mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness by michelle alexander.

I have been reading from several authors (Swedish or Danish, by origin) but I guess what I miss reading the most or perhaps even miss in face to face conversations is unvarnished, completely transparent exchange of ideas between people who might agree or tend to disagree; but certainly I miss the verbal or textual exchange in an unvarnished format.

That's not to say I miss ugliness or language that pushes the envelope of incivility. What I mean is that it would be nice to read or participate in an exchange of ideas or dreams or whatever in unvarnished ways.

That's what I miss the most: when reading here or there or anywhere
(conversations included, too).

10 more days until the library summer program ends!

Now reading:
Farther Away - Jonathan Franzen

Favorite passage in the book so far, "If you dedicate your existence to being likable, however, and if you adopt whatever cool persona is necessary to make it happen, it suggests that you've despaired of being loved for who you really are. And if you succeed in manipulating other people into liking you, it will be hard not to feel, at some level, contempt for those people, because they've fallen for your shtick. Those people exist to make you feel good about yourself, but how good can your feeling be when it's provided by people you don't respect?"

Buddhism for Beginners - Thubten Chodron


and two in the kitchen for a little light summer canning:
175 best Jams, Jellies, Marmalades - Linda Amendt

Pickles to Relish - Beverly Alfeld (her full name is longer than the title)

50 Shades of Grey trio of books
 

"In One Person", by John Irving.

Funny, well-written and interesting. How can you beat that?

I got this book for Kindle after seeing your post and I'm curious about how you liked it. I liked it a lot- but the charm is definitely in the details.


Right now I'm reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson. It's hysterical.

starship troopers - robert a. heinlein

i have to admit - for a book written in 1960 it still reads very modern
and i totally get why the odd man at the va hospital was so keen to recommend it