1/52: Less Than Zero

Off and running, year two of the 52 books in 52 weeks resolution!

Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis, 3/5 Stars

"Less Than Zero" is a manifesto of what's wrong, and though it was written more than twenty years ago, you can see the similarities in today's youth: the vices, the hypocrisy, the fashion (or lack thereof), the aimlessness, purposelessness, and no hint of contribution or care. They lose themselves in the importance of unimportant things, like a medication that's intended to mute the heart. Because they are swimming in it, they can't see the way out of it, so they keep treading water, looking at each other, wondering which one is going down next or which one is going to lead them to shore, but none go... anywhere... ever. "I want to see the bottom," Clay thought. If our parents had no parenting, there is no reason to expect that we'll know how to parent... and so, kids lost in the wealth of a 20th Century LA were only a precursor to a lost generation.

TURN OFF THE DAMN TV & READ MORE!

Book #01 = Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis, 3/5 Stars

See last year's list of 53 books...

Crazy Coincidental Conversations

Image by S and C via Flickr

My life is amazingly coincidental--maybe all lives are when we open our eyes, pay attention, and retain our experiences to draw upon in the future. Most of y'all know what I'm up to in my quest to become a published author; passing along the things that I've learned about life and love. In the past week, I've had three conversations about teaching. Last week my aunt, a recipient of the Kansas Teacher of the Year award, told me that she thought I'd be a fantastic substitute teacher. The same week, a long-time friend, mentor, and my editor asked to speak with me about joining him in the effort to help troubled kids at his charter school. And today, I walked into Starbucks, sat down with my hot tea, and met a gentleman who has been substituting for three years. We spoke of the challenges and rewards of the work. We spoke of connecting with the kids. We spoke of generating loyalty with the teachers that you substitute for so that they continue to request you specifically.

As is usually the case, it's not so different from marketing a product, where the product just happens to be me.

Since I left the technology marketing world, I've done well to follow two passions: writing and doing good. Connecting with kids, even just one kid, would absolutely qualify as doing good. And, as a sub, it would generate some income to help me get from here (writing my arse off) to there (a published author). Often people assume that getting from here to there means I give up what got me there, but I don't consider that in my plan, at all. If I work hard enough and find myself lucky enough to get there, then I believe there gives me a greater opportunity to do more good.

I'm paying attention to the coincidences, are you?

The Final 52... well 53.

Image by fimoculous via Flickr

With a little more than a month to go, I was worried. In fact, prior to Thanksgiving I considered giving up the quest--my ONE resolution for 2009--to read 52 books during the year, one for each week. With great vigor (and no job), I read 4 books during the 4 days of Thanksgiving holiday. I could taste victory. As it turns out, I finished my 53rd book a week before the year actually ended.

I meant to finish my book as number 52, but I realized that I can't just read it without rewrites and edits. So, I had some backups in place (and already completed).

Anyhow, here are the final 52 (53) books from 2009.
(I've already started on the same task for 2010!)

Notes on Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin:
One of the most captivating books that I've ever read. I cried most of the last 50 pages as things that I'd suspected were revealed... and things that I hadn't were discovered.

“Love does that. It names the nameless and gives voice to the voiceless.”

“He said he gave up what he couldn’t keep to gain what he couldn’t lose.”

“Men spend their entire lives asking Who I am when the real question is Whose am I? I don’t think you can answer the first until you’ve settled the second. First horse, then cart. Identity does not grow out of action until it has taken root in belonging.”

I started this book on an afternoon after having finished "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," and found myself finishing it near 2am--complete in one sitting.

BONUS Book #53 = "Chasing Fireflies" by Charles Martin, 4.5/5 Stars
Book #52 = "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt, 2.5/5 Stars
Book #51 = "The Autumn People" by Ray Bradbury, 2.5/5 Stars
Book #50 = "Into the Wild" by John Krakauer, 3/5 Stars
Book #49 = "Old School" by Tobias Wolff, 4/5 Stars
Book #48 = "Firmin" by Sam Savage, 3/5 Stars
Book #47 = "The Devil and Miss Prym" by Paulo Coelho, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #46 = "The Shack" by William P. Young, 3/5 Stars
Book #45 = "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #44 = "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli, 1/5 Stars
Book #43 = "Highlighted in Yellow" by H. Jackson Brown, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #42 = "Warrior of the Light: A Manual" by Paulo Coelho, 5/5 Stars
Book #41 = "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd, 1/5 Stars
Book #40 = "It's Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong, 2/5 Stars
Book #39 = "Dragonfly" by K.R. Dwyer (Dean Koontz), 3/5 Stars
Book #38 = "Teaching a Stone to Talk" by Annie Dillard, 1/5 Stars
Book #37 = "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury, 5/5 Stars
Book #36 = "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury, 2/5 Stars
Book #35 = "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway, 3/5 Stars
Book #34 = "Now & Forever" by Ray Bradbury, 4/5 Stars
Book #33 = "Coincidence" by David Ambrose, 2/5 Stars
Book #32 = "The Discreet Charm of Charlie Monk" by David Ambrose, 2/5 Stars
Book #31 = "Fish" by Lundin, Paul, Christensen, & Blanchard, 4/5 Stars
Book #30 = "Purple Cow" by Seth Godin, 3/5 Stars
Book #29 = "The System's Bitch" by John Wright, 3/5 Stars
Book #28 = "Twitter Power" by Joel Comm, 3/5 Stars
Book #27 = "The Cluetrain Manifesto" by LLSW, 3/5 Stars
Book #26 = "What Kind of World Do You Want?" by Jim Lord, 5/5 Stars
Book #25 = "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" by David Meerman Scott, 4/5 Stars
Book #24 = "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, 3/5 Stars
Book #23 = "Lisey's Story" by Stephen King, 1/5 Stars
Book #22 = "My Favorite Place on Earth" by Jerry Camarillo Dunn, 4/5 Stars
Book #21 = "Wisdom 2.0" by Soren Gordhamer, 4/5 Stars
Book #20 = "Oath Of Gold" by Elizabeth Moon, 5/5 Stars
Book #19 = "The Age Of Engage" by Denise Shiffman, 3/5 Stars
Book #18 = "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20" by Tina Seelig, 4/5 Stars
Book #17 = "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, 4/5 Stars
Book #16 = "Divided Allegiance" by Elizabeth Moon, 3/5 Stars
Book #15 = "The Curious Incident of the Dog..." by Mark Haddon, 2/5 Stars
Book #14 = "The Sheepfarmer's Daughter" by Elizabeth Moon, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #13 = "Love Is The Killer App" by Tim Sanders, 4/5 Stars
Book #12 = "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk, 4.5/5 Stars
Book #11 = "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, 5/5 Stars
Book #10 = "The Finder" by Colin Harrison, 3.5/5 Stars
Book #9 = "Veronika Decides To Die" by Paulo Coelho, 1/5 Stars
Book #8 = "By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept" by Paulo Coelho, 3/5 Stars
Book #7 = "Stiff" by Mary Roach, 2/5 Stars
Book #6 = "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, 1/5 Stars
Book #5 = "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, 3/5 Stars
Book #4 = "Eleven Minutes" by Paulo Coelho, 2/5 Stars
Book #3 = "The Good Guy" by Dean Koontz, 3/5 Stars
Book #2 = "My Ishmael" by Dan Quinn, 2/5 Stars
Book #1 = "The Zahir" by Paulo Coelho, 3.5/5 Stars

Pendulum Motion

Image by _Pixelmaniac_ via Flickr

Swinging the slow-motion pendulum,
from the past to the future.
Here it comes. Watch it go.