The Unthinkable is the best place to start to begin preparing for disasters. Preparation is the key to survival and to quell fears.
The book is highly readable and informative from a practical standpoint as well as helpful in understanding human response to disaster and how to counter the natural reactions which could cost you time (and time is life) in an emergency.
Read this, then instruct your family in disaster preparedness. Pressure your workplace to implement emergency planning and drills.
Use this book as a stepping stone for further personal development. Someday, you'll be very glad you did.
Nobody wants to look old, especially the old. I mean, older. The young-old. Fifty is the new Thirty. Whatever.
I don't want to look old either, so I read a lot of books like this, many of them ridiculous.
So it quite refreshing to encounter Charla Krupp's take on "fast, effortless ways to look 10 years younger."
Ms. Krupp has a very good grip on reality and understands that (a) most women don't want to look like teenagers, they just want to look fresh and attractive; (b) most women don't have a ton of disposable cash to spend on themselves.
The book is well laid out with each chapter devoted to a particular subject (clothes, makeup, etc) and, within that chapter, suggestions and products at a variety of price points.
The style is pleasantly conversational, not pushy; the author's years of experience in the beauty field shows, as well as her own experiments.
I have tried enough of the advice in the book to know that she is on track. Dressing well but youthfully cuts years off your look; good foundation garments make a huge difference. Her advice and brand recommendations are on target.
Her product recommendations are probably worth the price of the book, because you can spend a lot of money experimenting.
This book is probably the best I've read on the subject. Highly recommended.
Carole King. Joni Mitchell. Carly Simon. Three of the highest profile women in the music industry.
How did that happen?
Sheila Weller is happy to tell you, and tell you, and tell you, but, you're likely happy to sit there and listen, especially if you lived through the 60s and 70s, .
Ms. Weller does a pretty good job of putting these women in historical context, which gives the reader a chance to be in context as well. She also does a pretty fair portrait of these women and the individual journeys that brought them to the pinnacle of music industry success.
These kinds of books are not easy to write, I'll grant Ms. Weller that, and she bit off a big chunk. At times I felt the approach was a bit too precocious and artsy and would have just preferred that she get on with it instead of meandering around.
Then I felt she gave short shrift to the women's current lives. She tries, I suppose, but realizes that most people are more interested in how they got to the top, not what happens now that they're back among mere mortals like ourselves, especially if it's not full of drama.
While this book will undoubtedly appeal to Baby Boomers, it is a decent read for subsequent generations, who have enjoyed taking the roads paved by these women (and others, such as hey, how about more on Laura Nyro, whom Ms. Weller mentions several times) and probably don't know what the world of music was like for women. Or the world in general, for that matter. (It wasn't so long ago that unmarried pregnant women were treated very shabbily.)
Quite an enjoyable book, packed with a lot of perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed comparing notes with Carole, Carly and Joni.
I rather feel as though I had a bit of a relationship with the minor poets myself but didn't really enjoy it, like one of those romances you fall into and then think, how do I get out of this.
James Conrad assembles a cast of "minor poets" who drift in and out of relationships, write a little poetry (but not so much necessarily) and struggle (but not all that deeply) with the age-old problems of commerce versus art.
While Mr. Conrad's prose kept me going, I had to keep track of a number of characters who, while distinctive enough I suppose, weren't all that distinctive or even particularly likeable.
About halfway through, I really wanted to let the book go, but I felt I'd invested too much in it and there surely would be a payoff.
Um, not precisely. For me at least.
On the other hand, I'm sure this book is quite appealing to those who like their almost-chick lit to be a little more high brow.
The highly touted "science" was superficial and the "manipulation and intrigue" to be rather understated.
If you don't demand too much from a novel, you may well like "Minor Poets." Otherwise, move slowly away.
David Sedaris is an amusing guy. He's fun to listen to on NPR, he has a wry twist in his writing.
That said, his work is not always as amusing as he's given credit for.
"When You Are Engulfed in Flames" redeems him. The growth, perhaps through confidence, in his writing his obvious. He doesn't seem to be trying so hard and, in doing so, he reaches a little deeper, producing a more satisfying book.
The book is more touching, more revealing that previous books, but when it's funny, it's really funny. Sedaris takes us along as he muddles his way through life and it's like a journey with a neurotic friend that, thankfully, we don't have to take care of.
The finest part of the book is his bumbling stay in Japan while he weans himself from cigarettes. Poignant and laugh-out loud funny, it is a fine fish-out-of-water adventure.
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Marie Angell has commented on (19) products.
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes--And Why by Amanda Ripley
Marie Angell, August 25, 2008
The Unthinkable is the best place to start to begin preparing for disasters. Preparation is the key to survival and to quell fears.The book is highly readable and informative from a practical standpoint as well as helpful in understanding human response to disaster and how to counter the natural reactions which could cost you time (and time is life) in an emergency.
Read this, then instruct your family in disaster preparedness. Pressure your workplace to implement emergency planning and drills.
Use this book as a stepping stone for further personal development. Someday, you'll be very glad you did.
Stay safe out there!
How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better by Charla Krupp
Marie Angell, July 20, 2008
Nobody wants to look old, especially the old. I mean, older. The young-old. Fifty is the new Thirty. Whatever.I don't want to look old either, so I read a lot of books like this, many of them ridiculous.
So it quite refreshing to encounter Charla Krupp's take on "fast, effortless ways to look 10 years younger."
Ms. Krupp has a very good grip on reality and understands that (a) most women don't want to look like teenagers, they just want to look fresh and attractive; (b) most women don't have a ton of disposable cash to spend on themselves.
The book is well laid out with each chapter devoted to a particular subject (clothes, makeup, etc) and, within that chapter, suggestions and products at a variety of price points.
The style is pleasantly conversational, not pushy; the author's years of experience in the beauty field shows, as well as her own experiments.
I have tried enough of the advice in the book to know that she is on track. Dressing well but youthfully cuts years off your look; good foundation garments make a huge difference. Her advice and brand recommendations are on target.
Her product recommendations are probably worth the price of the book, because you can spend a lot of money experimenting.
This book is probably the best I've read on the subject. Highly recommended.
Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon--And the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller
Marie Angell, July 20, 2008
Carole King. Joni Mitchell. Carly Simon. Three of the highest profile women in the music industry.How did that happen?
Sheila Weller is happy to tell you, and tell you, and tell you, but, you're likely happy to sit there and listen, especially if you lived through the 60s and 70s, .
Ms. Weller does a pretty good job of putting these women in historical context, which gives the reader a chance to be in context as well. She also does a pretty fair portrait of these women and the individual journeys that brought them to the pinnacle of music industry success.
These kinds of books are not easy to write, I'll grant Ms. Weller that, and she bit off a big chunk. At times I felt the approach was a bit too precocious and artsy and would have just preferred that she get on with it instead of meandering around.
Then I felt she gave short shrift to the women's current lives. She tries, I suppose, but realizes that most people are more interested in how they got to the top, not what happens now that they're back among mere mortals like ourselves, especially if it's not full of drama.
While this book will undoubtedly appeal to Baby Boomers, it is a decent read for subsequent generations, who have enjoyed taking the roads paved by these women (and others, such as hey, how about more on Laura Nyro, whom Ms. Weller mentions several times) and probably don't know what the world of music was like for women. Or the world in general, for that matter. (It wasn't so long ago that unmarried pregnant women were treated very shabbily.)
Quite an enjoyable book, packed with a lot of perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed comparing notes with Carole, Carly and Joni.
Making Love to the Minor Poets of Chicago by James Conrad
Marie Angell, July 20, 2008
I rather feel as though I had a bit of a relationship with the minor poets myself but didn't really enjoy it, like one of those romances you fall into and then think, how do I get out of this.James Conrad assembles a cast of "minor poets" who drift in and out of relationships, write a little poetry (but not so much necessarily) and struggle (but not all that deeply) with the age-old problems of commerce versus art.
While Mr. Conrad's prose kept me going, I had to keep track of a number of characters who, while distinctive enough I suppose, weren't all that distinctive or even particularly likeable.
About halfway through, I really wanted to let the book go, but I felt I'd invested too much in it and there surely would be a payoff.
Um, not precisely. For me at least.
On the other hand, I'm sure this book is quite appealing to those who like their almost-chick lit to be a little more high brow.
The highly touted "science" was superficial and the "manipulation and intrigue" to be rather understated.
If you don't demand too much from a novel, you may well like "Minor Poets." Otherwise, move slowly away.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames Signed 1st Edition by David Sedaris
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1-5 of 19 nextMarie Angell, July 2, 2008
David Sedaris is an amusing guy. He's fun to listen to on NPR, he has a wry twist in his writing.That said, his work is not always as amusing as he's given credit for.
"When You Are Engulfed in Flames" redeems him. The growth, perhaps through confidence, in his writing his obvious. He doesn't seem to be trying so hard and, in doing so, he reaches a little deeper, producing a more satisfying book.
The book is more touching, more revealing that previous books, but when it's funny, it's really funny. Sedaris takes us along as he muddles his way through life and it's like a journey with a neurotic friend that, thankfully, we don't have to take care of.
The finest part of the book is his bumbling stay in Japan while he weans himself from cigarettes. Poignant and laugh-out loud funny, it is a fine fish-out-of-water adventure.
David Sedaris' best work yet.