Books 1 - 4

Year 8! I cannot believe I have been doing this for 8 years. But here we go!

The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl - This started out a little slow, and I wasn't sure if I would get into it or not, but it really picked up about 75 pages in and I loved the rest of it. It was a little like reading historical fanfiction. I do wish I knew more about Dante before I started reading it, but everything was explained well. I now want to read the second book, The Poe Shadow.

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina Firlik - Autobiographical account of the author's years as a neurosurgical resident. Interesting, but not too in depth. I read a chapter of this a night before going to sleep.

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance: A Memoir by Elna Baker - This was a much better memoir than I thought it would be. It made me laugh.

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman - Very cute story. I read this as a kindle edition, and the illustrations did not show up well. But the story was good.

Meme

I have not done one of these in a very long time, but Christina tagged me, so I thought, why not?

= list 7 habits/quirks/facts
= tag 7 people to do the same
= don't tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag 'whoever wants to do it' (actually, you can, I don't mind)


(1) I am deeply suspicious of the ethical character of people who do not like dogs. Do not want their own personal dog? Fine. Do not like poorly behaved dogs? Fine. Appreciate that some people like dogs but prefer not to be around them? Fine. Do not like dogs at all, even in theory? How can you still be a good person?

(2) I think everyone already knows this, but I had bronchitis or walking pneumonia 37 times in a 7 year period. I was diagnosed as being extremely allergic to cigarette smoke. (Even though I have never smoked.) For the first 3 years, I worked parttime in a casino (which allowed smoking), then I lived in an apartment above neighbors who smoked on the back porch, then I lived in a townhouse next to neighbors who would stand outside my bedroom window and smoke. Since I moved to my own house 2 years ago and laid down extremely strict no-smoking rules (Do you want to come visit me, and you smoke? NO.), I have had bronchitis once. The fun souvenir I got from all this is permanent lung damage.

(3) One of my favorite foods is Quorn Grounds. Another one is the the wonton soup at The Vegetable Garden.

(4) I am currently in grad school although it feels like I am not because so far it has been all online classes. So I don't tell people that I am.

(5) One of the phrases that drives me crazy is when people say "That's so random!" or describe an event or action as random. I always want to shout "It is not random! Just because something is unexpected to you does not mean that it is random!" But I never do.

(6) I've never broken a bone or had an injury that required stitches. Hopefully it will stay that way. (ditto!)

(7) I think that Lucy knows a lot of english - I will talk to her in full sentences and she responds as though she understands me. Especially when we are hiking, and I talk to her about where we are going or what we are doing. Alice does not know a lot of english - she does what Lucy tells her. When I talk to her she looks at me as though I am an alien speaking an alien language.

Tag: I don't know anyone else who would want to do this. But you can if you want to.