Book 42 of 2012

Book 42 of 2012: The Honest Truth about Dishonesty by Dan Ariely. Like the title suggests, this is Ariely's research on human dishonesty: what influences it, discourages it, or doesn't affect it at all. Through several experiments, he seeks to answer questions like whether we're more or less likely to be dishonest in groups; how it is we manage to lie to (and convince ourselves); and most importantly, how we find the balance between benefiting from our dishonesty while viewing ourselves as wonderful people. The book was a bit microcosmic for me, but such are the limitations of research sometimes. It's accessibly written though, and the subject matter is  interesting enough on its own.

Book 41 of 2012

Book 41 of 2012: The Rest of her Life by Laura Moriarty. This book reads very much like a Jodie Picoult novel-which it ought to, as I found it on a "similar to JP's novels booklist". A teen-aged girl gets into a car accident and accidentally kills a classmate, and her mother struggles to have a relationship with her, recalling her vow to be unlike her own mother. The book explores (really well, in my opinion) how tragedies can often illuminate to us how we're actually perceived by people, and the real state of our relationships with the people we love. It could have been a bit longer, I think, because it ended with a sort of random foreshadowing (I'm not sure if the author intends on writing a sequel), and one of the characters was really under-developed and needlessly unlikeable in my opinion, but it was still a really well-done book.  

Book 40 of 2012

Book 40 of 2012: In One Person by John Irving. I've never read a book that's been so aptly named; coming from the same author as "A Prayer for Owen Meanie", this book similarly does not disappoint. There were times when I thought the book was too long, as it basically spans the lifetime of a boy who experiences being bisexual in the 60's onwards, his relationships with people who are transgendered, and obviously the social climate at the time. And it's also about love: unrequited, loving "the wrong people", and all that complexity existing in one person. The way the book wound down was a bit Shakespear-esque (not in the language, but you'll get it when/if you read it), but I found myself missing the characters when the book ended. It's one of those long, slow, but really good reads.

Books 6 through 39 of 2012

Book 6 of 2012: To Touch a Wild Dolphin by Rachel Smolker. One of the very few books that I'll likely read again, and one that only deepened my fascination with and respect for dolphins.

Book 7 of 2012: The Litigators by John Grisham. As compared to books like "The Client" and "The Chamber", this one was rather uninspiring, and I struggled to connect with any of the characters. Oh, and I'm thankful that I'll be (hopefully) practising as part of the Canadian (and not American) bar! ;). I'd give this book a 6.5/10.

Book 8 of 2012: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Cells are removed from the cervix of a young, uneducated black woman shortly before she dies of cervical cancer, her body literally blackened from overdoses of radiation. These cells, due to their unique "immortal" feature, have since been used repeatedly for medical and research purposes. This book was about many things: consenting to what will happen to tissue once it's been removed from your body; the exploitation of the uneducated suppressed class; a daughter who aches, and wants desperately to understand exactly what happened to the mother she never knew, who's cells seem to be all over the world now. I'm feeling very confused with respect to my own position on the extent to which we should have control over what happens with tissues/cells once they've been removed from our body. Aside from the anticipated feelings of anger and my own insignificance, this book raised more questions than answers for me. Definitely a worthy read.

Book 9 of 2012: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. A teenaged boy travels to a remote island to learn more about his grandfather's past which involves, as you might have suspected, a home for peculiar children. Definitely a bit of magic/fantasy/horror, but it was a quick and enjoyable read. I'd give it a 7/10.

Book 10 of 2012: Plainsong by Kent Haruf. This is one of the most well-written books I've ever read, and I'd argue that there's hardly a word in it beyond a grade six or seven reading level. The story is heartbreakingly simple yet complicated, and the author is the best type there is: one who just doesn't get in the way of the story being told. It's one of those books that follows the inter-connected lives of a few characters, (a man who's depressed wife just left him, his two sons, a pregnant teen-ager who's left on her own, two farmers) and I wish I hadn't finished it so quickly. Definitely a 9/10.

Book 11 of 2012: Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. This book started out with too many clichés, and they unfortunately persevered throughout. Think "Promise you'll be my best friend forever" and "Mommy, do you love me?". The book follows the lives of two best friends who simultaneously love and envy one another. Throw in a few life lessons, and you've got it. It's hard for me to rate books like this, because I don't think they aim to be riveting life-changers. A decent enough read for a day at the beach, though. 6.5/10, in my opinion.

Book 12 of 2012: Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo. It took me a very long time to finish this book--mostly because not much happens in it (and it's about 500 pages). It's another "character" book if you will--and although the main character is compelling and has a lot of good one-liners ("the guy couldn't say shit if his mouth was full of it"), I had a hard time getting into it. It's about life in small-town America in the early 80's, and has also apparently been made into a movie (I think this book would actually be better as a movie, come to think of it). I gave it a 7/10.

book 13 of 2012: Girls in White dresses by Jennifer Close. Definitely a chick lit novel. Characters weren't very well developed in my opinion, and although I'm somewhat of a "girly girl", I find it hard to relate to a lot of books like this. Oh, and I also found it hard to keep track of all the characters. I know it didn't aim to be life-altering, but it didn't even do very well at being a good chick lit book, in my opinion. 6/10.

Book 14 of 2012: Touching the void by Joe Simpson. He's a mountain climber, and is climbing the Siula Grande with a fellow climber, and things go so, so wrong. I'm always fascinated by people who beckon and taunt death the way mountain climbers do--a concept that really straddles the line between perseverance and insanity. Joe Simpson recalls his experiences with such vivid and jarring accuracy; while reading it, my body nearly felt sympathy pains. This is one of those books that contains the entire spectrum of the human experience. Definitely a fast read. 9/10.

Book 15 of 2012: The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. baseball fans (and basically anyone else who isn't me) will guess that this book is about baseball, and it is. A young and happening baseball player loses the ability to..umm...throw? pitch? field? whatever it is that he did really well. Throw in some soft core gay porn scenes and a girl with lots of funk, and you've got the book. I read it with Chris, who said he "liked it guiltily" (referring to the baseball, not the soft core gay porn...just saying). I'll forget everything about this book in less than a week. 6/10.

Book 16 of 2012: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. As you might suspect, this is a book about vegetarianism--or rather, a social and philosophical book about why it is we choose to eat meat, why our sense of taste is exempt from the ethical limitations we place on our other senses, and the reality of the factory farm.--as a meat eater, I didn't find the book shouting at me, but I do feel burdened with the responsibility that inevitably flows when you read a book like this. Here's one really good quote from the book: "It's always possible to wake someone from sleep, but no amount of noise will wake someone who is pretending to be asleep." This book was exceptionally well-written in my opinion, and includes more perspectives than his own (including that of a factory farmer's)8.5/10.

Book 17 of 2012: Lone Wolf by Jodie Picoult. She's a best-selling author, and all her novels have the following ingredients: a controversial issue (in this case whether and when to stop life-sustaining support), a family with exceptional problems (husbands and wives in court against one another or something similar), legal drama (re: the life support issue) and a twist near the end. Oh, and way, way too many cheesy metaphors. Having said that, she's an excellent writer, and I finished the book in less than a day--you at least (sort of) want to know how it'll end. 7/10.

Book 18 of 2012: The Man who Lives with Wolves by Shaun Ellis and Penny Junor. The title is pretty self-explanatory, but it's actually true. He begins his journey by living in the enclosures with wolves at national parks, but decides to try it in the wild as well. eventually making his way into the wolf pack itself (which involves eating, sleeping, and playing with them), he dispels a lot of myths (surely drawn from many fairytales) about wolves and wolf culture. I never knew how sophisticated their systems were, and while I wouldn't even dream of doing what he did, am really inspired by one man's desire to "be a wolf" so as to learn about them. 8.5.

Book 19 of 2012: I've got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. As far as chick lit goes, her books are classics, and I'll likely read everything she writes. her characters are loving and hilarious, and there's always a mix-up that'll have you in stitches while letting you indulge your fantasies just a little bit. You don't have to think too hard (or at all, really) and it makes for great stress-relief reading. That's all I'll say about this one. 8/10.

Book 20 of 2012: Defending Jacob by William Landay. It's a crime fiction book, but qualifies as one of the best I've ever read. It's about a prosecutor who's 14-year-old son is accused of stabbing and killing a classmate. The way the author explores how this affects the family, the community, and the insane struggle of trying to be the boy's father while maintaining a "lawyer's mind" is unbelievable. This author just knows what it's like to be a real person.

Book 21 of 2012: With a Bit of Luck by Caprice crane. I'm reading mindless books right now because I'm in the midst of exams and don't want to think too hard. Anyway, as far as chick lit goes, it's probably the worst book ever. Imagine a very uncompelling main character, and then like, an entire book of conversations she's having with various people that are only half-witty. I read "Stupid and Contagious" by the same author and loved it, but this is definitely not Crane's best work. Just saying. 5/10, maybe even lower because I'm particularly grumpy about my next exam.

Book 22 of 2012: The Tie that Binds by Kent Haruf. Similar to his other book I reviewed (Plainsong), this is about small-town America. The author alludes to a story about a murder (that unfolds to a rather anticlimactic finish) that sort of left me unsatisfied. Some things done by the characters in this book didn't really "fit" with the way they were portrayed, and that bothered me a bit. And I can't seem to actually numerically rate these, so that's all I'll say :D.

Book 23 of 2012: I am Not myself These Days by Josh Kilmer-Purcell. This book is written by a drag-queen in New York, and all the associated night activity you might find on the drag scene. And it's about love, about addictions, and is also very, very funny.

Book 24 of 2012: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. This novel is aimed at (and about) young adults; nevertheless, I think a lot of people would benefit from reading it. It's about a girl who gets seven chances to re-live the last day of her life, and the lessons she learns and the decisions she changes. Obviously, few people know which day will be their last, but we all know that we have one. You just never know when it'll be too late, and rather than depress you, this book reminds you that while you're here, you still have a say.

Book 25 of 2012: More Than it Hurts You by Darin Strauss. This one is about a doctor who suspects a young mother of intentionally making her baby sick so as to garner sympathy and admiration from other people, as well as the story from both the mother and father's perspective. Given the potential for intensity with this subject matter, I would have expected a bit more drama and fewer racial issues (doctor is black/mother is white), but it was still a decent read.

Book 26 of 2012: The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker. The title alone sounds counter-intuitive--since when do most of us perceive fear as a gift? But this book teaches us a lot-about how to identify our own instinctive responses (knowing something without knowing why), and how we can interpret our instincts so as to keep us as safe as possible. The author goes through several real-life scenarios, and is qualified to do exactly that, as he heads a firm that specializes in predicting violent behaviour. Probably one of the most simultaneously interesting and informative books I've read in a while.

Book 27 of 2012: Little bee by Chris Cleave. A teenager manages to escape from an African country after her village is invaded and obliterated in the quest for oil. She is in England now, and begins in a refugee detention centre. What follows is a story about sacrifice, self-preservation, friendship, and unspeakable horror. This book can be quite disturbing at times, so if you're not in the mood for intensity, perhaps hold off. A great read, though.

Book 28 of 2012: Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. You know how chick lit novels often feature an endearing, very funny, but often paralyzingly stupid girls? this has all those ingredients--except the girl actually has a head on her shoulders and struggles with things most of us are likely to encounter: heart ache, body image issues, just trying to live in general. A good, lightish read that's actually of some substance.

Book 29 of 2012: Night falls Fast by Kay Redfield Jamison. This is a non-fiction book that studies suicide from a passionate, psychiatric perspective. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has either struggled with suicidal thought themselves, or has been affected by someone who has. One quote from the book that resonated with me a lot is: Look to the living, love them, and hang on.

Book 30 of 2012: Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James. I had to read this because it was flying off the shelves and I caved into all the peer pressure. Probably one of the most poorly written books I've ever read-and not because the author can't write, but because the character can't even be reconciled with herself. The book has lots of sex and very little else. It was inspired by the Twilight series, so I can only be so surprised: pale, innocent, never-been-kissed girl meets big, badassed, sexually hardcore man who wants to toss around the whips and chains. That's the entire story.

Book 31 of 2012: Fifty Shades darker by E L James. I held out hope, and read the second one. Slightly more happens in this book than the wild sex alone, but not enough to really redeem the entire story. And no, I didn't read the third book--the trilogy came to a grinding halt for me right there.

Book 32 of 2012: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. A non-fiction account that follows the lives of seven people who live din and ultimately defected from North Korea. So much secrecy surrounds this country, and the accounts of life there are both fascinating and disturbing. We get the perspective of teenagers in love, medical students, and even someone who swore an undying allegiance to "The fatherly leader". This book is a great balance between learning the historical and political context, and hearing the narrative of people who lived it. Definitely recommend it.

Book 33 of 2012: The Good Father by Noah Hawley. A father tries to understand what could have possibly led to his 20-year-old son being the primary suspect in the assassination of a presidential candidate. He examines his son's childhood, his own marriage, and his son's disposition. We also hear from the son himself. An interesting read, though I have to say that "Defending Jacob", which was a story with a similar plot, was better written and more realistic.

Book 34 of 2012: While I live by John Marsden. This is the first book in the "Ellie Chronicles", the series following the "Tomorrow, when the war began" series (which was an unbelievable page turner series that could seriously have rivaled "The Hunger Games"). Wow, that was an epically terrible sentence. Anyway, an Australian girl is trying to rebuild her life following the war, although the book definitely alludes to the war possibly not being over at all. Still a good read, but nothing really comes close to the original series.

Book 35 of 2012: A Thousand acres by Jane Smiley. This book is about a farmer who has three daughters, and his decision regarding how to allot his land to them. That's the basic "plot". What the book jacket won't tell you is how much you'll learn about empathy, how much you'll be an audience to the subtle nuances of the human character, and how, even if you never thought you could, you can relate to people wanting to do unspeakable things. I definitely recommend it.

Book 36 of 2012: Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes. Remember how I said earlier that most chick lit features a bubble-headed character who is funny and endearing? This is it. She goes to a mental health institution for alcohol addiction. It was set in Scotland, and was occasionally funny, but was also packed with clichés, in my opinion. A quick read, but nothing that'll stick with you.

Book 37 of 2012: Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen. This was a very popular book, about a former circus veterinarian recalling his days travelling with the circus and caring of animals. There's some romance in there, too. I can see why it was a hit; it's a quick, moving read.

Book 38 of 2012: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. This is a crime/suspense novel full of twists and turns, and the occasional indfuck. It wasn't entirely predictable, which distinguished it from a lot of other crime books. A wife goes missing, and the husband is (naturally) suspected of being involved. We get the story from both their perspectives. Definitely one of the better crime novels I've read.

Book 39 of 2012: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. This book examines the power of habitual behaviour--how habits are sought, formed, and changed. Not only do we learn about changing habits on an individual level, but the author also talks about consumer habits and how these habits are carefully scrutinized for marketing purposes. It's basically another book that explains why successful people are successful, but it convinces you that if you employ the right techniques and habits, you might have a shot, too. I know I'm making it sound really stupid, when I actually rated it really positively on goodreads. I just really enjoy non-fiction books that analyze peoples' behaviours and how we change them. And it's really accessibly written, which makes it sky-rocket in my rating non-fiction books hierarchy.

My training material has arrived!

On the last day I could possibly retrieve it from them mailbox, my training material finally arrived in the mail! I can't really articulate the excitement I felt when I reached into the (often disappointingly empty or bill-filled) mailbox to find a folded padded envelope--the shape of a bundle of CDs clearly discernable. I rushed upstairs and tore the envelope open just to confirm that it was indeed my material (and not some other random package for my fiancé), and my hopes were confirmed when I felt some Braille indicating that I was holding "disk 1".

     For those of you who don't know what the training material is used for, it's essentially the class lecture material that will compliment my in-class training when I'm at GDB. The topics covered are things like: preparing your house for a guide dog, interacting with your guide dog, feeding/watering the dog, clicker training, dealing with rounded curbs, etc. I haven't actually started reading any of the material yet, but from what I've heard, a lot of it is self-explanatory. Some of it, however, is more GDB and guide specific (like dealing with rounded curbs, getting in and out of vehicles, and clicker training). I'll update again when something noteworthy comes up. In the meantime, the count-down continues: 47 days left!

The home visit

                I'd done a guide dog school evaluation before, but I was nervous nevertheless. The night before my home visit, I could barely sleep. Morning came slowly, and my hart was in my throat as I showered and dressed for the day. That was a bit of a disaster too, as I wasn't sure whether or not it was going to rain.

The instructor arrived on time, and we chatted in my living room for a bit. He was interested in my experiences with my past guide dogs, as well as the reasons I was switching schools. I hesitated when answering him, because despite feeling that my decision to switch schools was justified, I was in no hurry to cast my former school in a light that it didn't necessarily deserve. He was quick to reassure me that the schools themselves are really not all that competitive; as I'd suspected, much of the competition resides in the handlers. People leave all schools for all sorts of reasons, he said, and I felt reassured. We talked a little more about the type of dog I was hoping to be paired with, though this conversation was rather vague, as the evaluation itself had not been done yet. He referred to the notes that had been taken during my phone interview though, and asked me a few questions to clarify.

"So," he said, "It almost seems as though you have a utilitarian view of guide dogs."

I stiffened. What did that even mean? So I asked him exactly that.

"Well, it says here for instance that you don't want an overly licky dog, not too stimulated, stuff like that."

"I can elaborate." I offered. "I grew up in a traditional Pakistani Muslim household, and never really had much exposure to dogs. In fact, I'd been afraid of them as a child, and continued to be afraid into my teen years. I still don't really know how it all ended up working out, because I literally woke up one day when I was nineteen and decided that I was going to apply for a guide dog. Until the very day I met my first guide dog, I was still hesitant and a bit afraid of dogs. So I do like dogs, my dog that is, but I still wouldn't call myself a dog person per-see, and dogs who are overly "mouthy" still make me uncomfortable. I know I'll have to feed them food rewards by hand though, which I'm already used to."

"Thanks," he said, "That really cleared things up for me. GDB is used to serving people from all backgrounds, and we've certainly heard of this before."

We then headed out to do the evaluation route. At first, he said to just walk as if he weren't there. That always makes me feel as though I'm being scrutinized by some silent god though, so I asked if it was ok if we just chatted casually as I walked. Thankfully he was ok with this, and the knot of anxiety in my stomach eased a little. For the most part, the walk went without a hitch. I picked a relatively straight forward route with a few lighted intersections. I was worried that he'd be scrutinizing my cane skills (which sucked royally as I haven't been a cane user in several years). I was swinging that stick around all over the place, but provided that I was safe and responsible, I don't think the instructor really cared how I got somewhere.

On our walk back, we did the juno route portion of the walk. This is a simulation of a route-with the instructor acting as the guide dog (Juno) and holding the harness so that you'd hold the handle as you normally would when walking with a guide dog. The walk has several purposes. The instructor has an opportunity to show you what walking with a dog would actually be like by simulating the same type of pressure you'd feel in the harness handle with an actual dog. The walks are also used to get a more accurate reading of your preferred walking speed (since obviously not all dogs walk at the same pace). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it's used to see how quickly you'd be able to respond to a dog turning the wrong direction, sniffing, or generally being distracted. So the instructor turned left when I told him to go straight, started drifting quite perceptibly in the middle of streets, and would sniff at the occasional bush. Obviously, guide dogs don't typically dottle and drift all over the place, but they're still dogs, and the handler needs to be able to keep on top of them--because although the dogs do all the seeing, the handler does all the route planning.

Anyway, that portion of the walk was actually really fun, and a welcome stress relief following the first portion. It made me miss having a real guide dog so badly. When we got back to my place, the instructor told me that although he couldn't get his formal written report into GDB admissions until later the following week, he'd be calling them immediately with a recommendation that I be put in the August class so that a spot could be held for me. My relief was so palpable, I think.

After that, it took about a month until I heard formal word from the admissions committee. I think you can typically hear sooner, but I was dealing with a combination of the report taking a while to get in, people taking holidays, and a long weekend. Anyway, I'm scheduled to go in August, and plan to keep a daily log while I'm there (god knows how many random search strings I typed into Google looking for other peoples' blogs during training!). So, the count-down officially began twelve days ago, and as of today, I've got 50 more to go! I'll update when something else exciting happens.