The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

So, this was an amazing read. Especially considering it was non-fiction which I've been trying to avoid as much as possible post-grad-school. Bleh. The book was recommended to me by a friend from the local music scene and all-around rad chick Anamieke (check out her band Treasurefruit here). The "tipping point" refers to that mystical, magical place where an idea or trend takes hold and blows up... like an epidemic, but a social epidemic rather than medical. I think just about everyone would find this book interesting. The Tipping Point is a terrifically fertile place for new ideas and new ways of thinking about the world around you.

I , for one example, was taken in by the description of children's understanding of narrative structure, more specifically, of how reliant children are on narrative structure for organizing the world around them in the chapter titled "The Stickiness Factor". Somehow, it offered me hope in the grand sense. I think I have an easier time conceiving of life as something souls would opt into if our lives really are simply narratives at their core, as opposed to random onslaughts of suffering in a sea of just-getting-by... but that might just be me.

Here's a great quote from the book that captures its essence...

"To appreciate the power of epidemics, we have to abandon this expectation about proportionality. We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that sometimes big changes follow from small events, and that sometimes these changes can happen very quickly."

Coal to Diamonds:: Beth Ditto

In an effort to consolidate my blogging practices in order to free up more fiction-writing time, I have decided to do away with Book.Read.Good. and simply include book write-ups here on my personal mainstay. I found blogging just about books a little frustration mainly because it impeded my reading and writing time. I realized the ridiculous confliction in play and did away with it. Anyhoo, here we go... 

I'm a fan of the band Gossip. I'm a big music fan in general. What I'm not a fan of, however, is biographies so why I decided to pick up Coal to Diamonds still remains a bit of a mystery to me. Of course, I picked it up this morning and I've already knocked it out by the time I sat down to work on posts in the evening so it wasn't a terribly involved undertaking. I think Beth Ditto is an interesting persona - the femme punkrocker and Riot Grrrl in the post-Grrrl era. From her Arkansas upbringing to her emergence on the not-quite-underground scene, Ditto relates (with the help of writer Michelle Tea) her short life (she's only 32) with concision. Touching upon fat-positive body image and LBGTQ identity, the book was worth reading. My favorite quotes from the book are as follows:

"Punk to me has always been a moral philosophy, more than a style of music or a fashion you wear. The underpinnings of all the songs and clothes was, for me, a core rejection of the way the world operates, the mainstream world. It was a critique of capitalism, which makes some people rich on the backs of so many powerless workers. It was about smashing beauty standards that taught fat girls and boys and anyone not adhering to inhuman expectations to hate themselves."

"It's like I've won some crazy fucking lottery, and the prize has been my life."

Swamped!

Moving to a new house can turn everything upside down and it has. The fella and I have to keep repeating that the house will never be as messy as it is right now. Never again! My hands are reacting to the cardboard in a very hostile way. Can't wait to get all settled in. Until then, please forgive any delays in posts. This is an across the board fiasco. I need rest and some sort of topical cream. Amid all the chaos, I am trying to cook dinner as often as I can. My current plan of attack in the battle against CPH is to eliminate all processed foods and scary chemicals from my home and diet. Doing well except for the cardboard-contact-rash. Toxins are very bad things, FYI.

Right now, I"m just daydreaming of a quiet reading spot. 

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a moment of zen

Go ahead. Hug a book today.

Lifting the Library Embargo...

It's been a stressful week between doctors and more doctors but I've kept my goals in sight and I seem to be moving through it. As a reward for my efforts, I decided to break my library ban and triumphantly return to the world of book borrowing. I planned on only allowing myself two books. Of course, I left with an armful but I'm very excited about some of my finds this time...

I was looking for Ben Lerner's novel Leaving Atocha Station. The library didn't have a copy but they did have this collection of poems that I have yet to read.

Never read it. Always wanted to read it. Found the fiftieth anniversary edition in the "new books" section.

David Cross alternately annoys and amuses me. I suppose this must be like effect every person on the planet has on him. Here's hoping his book falls more to the latter side.

I've already read this book and I love it. My friend Mike knew I was looking for a copy so my fella could read it to and he found one on our library trip today. Very exciting times.

Hahaha. I really checked this book out. And, I'm really going to make something from it. Maybe not the roasted boar... maybe more like the honey biscuits. Thankfully, the book offers both the medieval and modern versions of recipes.