Author: Rachelle

Review: 30 Rock and Philosophy

Published on by Rachelle

  • Edited by William Irwin
  • Pages: 240

With edgy writing and a great cast, 30 Rock is one of the funniest television shows on the air–and where hilarity ensues, philosophical questions abound: Are Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy ethical heroes? Kenneth redefines “goody two shoes,” but what does it really mean to be good? Dr. Leo Spaceman routinely demonstrates that medicine is not a science, so what is the role of the incompetent professional in America today?
In 30 Rock and Philosophy, Tina Fey and her fellow cast members are thrust onto the philosophical stage with Plato, Aristotle, Kant and other great thinkers to examine these key questions and many others that involve the characters and plot lines of 30 Rock and its fictional TGS with Tracy Jordan comedy show. – Goodreads synopsis

30 Rock and Philosophy is another one of the many ebooks I bought when I only had my 1st gen Nook.  After the Boyfriend got me a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas a few years ago, that old Nook languished on a bookshelf along with all of the ebooks on it.  That very quickly changed after Barnes and Noble notified customers that the 1st gen Nook would no longer be supported after June 29th of this year.
You know what?  I’m glad B&N made that decision.  It lit a fire under my butt to finally get around to reading all of those ebooks.  Not only did I discover I had a lot of duds that weren’t worth my reading time, but I also found several excellent books that I’m glad I spent a little money on.  30 Rock and Philosophy is one those books.
Like “Popular Science” books, the Pop Culture and Philosophy books are a great way to learn that Philosophy isn’t just for elderly professors spouting their love for the classical philosophers.  Nope, Philosophy can be applied to just about anything in our world, Philosophy snobs be darned.  I’ve read several other Philosophy books from this series, including The Hobbit and Philosophy, and so far, I’ve never been disappointed with them.  If you are a fan of “30 Rock” you should give 30 Rock and Philosophy a try.  Fair warning, though, you might find yourself re-watching the entire series after reading a couple of chapters.

Monday's Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • Angel’s Ink by Jocelynn Drake
  • The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
  • I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t) by Brené Brown
  • Walden by Henry David Thoreau

     
Finished:

  • How to Make Disease Disappear by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee


Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 429
Total books for the year: 49 of 90.  I’m not reading as much now that I’m looking for a job instead of putting together furniture.
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #30

Published on by Rachelle

Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.
My TBR pile is still sitting at 721 books.

This week’s five books:


P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern – GO.  I saw the movie adaptation years ago, and really enjoyed it.  I got the paperback, thinking that it would be even better.  However, after reading reviews stating that just about everything was changed for the movie, I’m going to have to let this one go.

Cannonbridge by Jonathan Barnes – KEEP.  I’m horrified by the fact that I haven’t read this one yet.  Why?  Because this is one of the first ARCs I received through Netgalley.  Not only that, but I also own the trade paperback!  I’m going to make a point of picking this one up before the end of #COYER.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – KEEP.  This is another book that I feel the need to finally get around to reading this Summer.

Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer- KEEP.  Here’s another one of which I’ve seen the movie adaptation first.  However, I’m still going to read it.  I feel like this book should be read during the Winter, though.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens – KEEP.  Why have I not read this yet?! *Sigh*
My to-read shelf is down to 720 books.  Hopefully I don’t find anymore books to add before next Saturday! 😉

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for June 22nd – 28th.
  • It’s taken me a long time to find something that not only works for me but that I WANT to stick to doing.  That is the workout program in the book Zombies, Run! Keeping Fit and Living Well in the Current Zombie Emergency by Naomi Alderman.

  • I suppose it makes sense that I would love the book since the Zombies, Run! app was often the only thing that would get me out of the office to go walking during my breaks.
  • While I’ll still be tracking my steps, miles, and active minutes, my focus will be on my new goal of doing my workouts each day.  Since I didn’t start until Monday, I’m short of my new goal by 2 days.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Workouts: 4/6
  • Steps: 15,609
  • Miles: 6.39
  • Total Miles: 357.50
  • Active Minutes: 55

Thursday's Things: #SciFiSummer

Published on by Rachelle
Image: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • 19 Science-Fiction And Fantasy Novels By Women Of Color – As the title suggests, not all of the books on this list are Sci-Fi.  Also, I’ve only read the first book, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, but it was an excellent book.  It terrified me and made me think, which is exactly what I want in my Speculative Fiction.
  • Making Lists: Mindblowing SF by Women and People of Color – Here’s another much longer list of diverse books and authors, but this one is all Sci-Fi.  If you’re looking for ideas of books to try out for the Sci-Fi Summer challenge, definitely check this out.
  • Postcards from Space – Looking for some Sci-Fi postcards to write to all of your friends about the great fictional totally real places you’ve visited this Summer?  Look no further.
  • 8 Struggles All Science Fiction Fans Know Are Real – I do have to say that the real-life e-readers we have are far better than what was portrayed in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Monday's Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • Angel’s Ink by Jocelynn Drake
  • The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
  • Walden by Henry David Thoreau
  • How to Make Disease Disappear by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee

     
Finished:

  • Beauty by Robin McKinley
  • The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe


Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 795
Total books for the year: 48 of 90.  While putting together a “Thursday’s Things” post for this week, I came across a way to convert ebooks from one format to another.  It took some time, patience, and a couple of do-overs, but I’m completely free of my 1st gen Nook now.  While I’m *supposed* to be reading from my COYER list, I’ve been celebrating my new found digital freedom by reading whatever strikes my fancy just because I can!  Seriously, y’all, I’m so excited about this I want to run around shaking my butt and waving some books in the air!
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #29

Published on by Rachelle

Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.
My TBR pile is up to 721 books.  Though I finished a couple of books on my Nook over the past week I added several more to my wish list.

This week’s five books:


The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir – KEEP.  I will tackle this beast of a book some day.

The Complete Stories by Franz Kafka – KEEP.  I enjoyed “The Metamorphosis” and was interested enough in Kafka’s life to want to read his other work.  I also own copies of his novels, Amerika and The Trial.

Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi – KEEP.  I’m skeptical but intrigued, and since I already own a physical copy, I’ll go ahead and keep it for now.

The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens- KEEP.  I love Dickens, especially during the Winter.  There’s no way I’m getting rid of this one.

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory – KEEP.  I know a lot about Henry VIII, but other than Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, I don’t know much about his various wives.  I’m willing to keep this one for that reason.
My to-read shelf is stuck at 721 books, but that will hopefully change as I continue to clear out my Nook.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for June 15th – 21st.
  • I’ve decided to no longer track how much money my activity is accruing for donation through Plus3.  It’s such a tiny amount that I no longer feel it’s worth my time to check every week.  I’m keeping my FitBit connected so that my activity continues to go towards charity, but I won’t be including the amount in my check-ins anymore.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 29,148/56,000
  • Miles: 12.07/25
  • Total Miles: 351.11
  • Active Minutes: 186/210

Review: The Wanderer

Published on by Rachelle

Thirteen-year-old Sophie hears the sea calling, promising adventure and a chance for discovery as she sets sail for England with her three uncles and two cousins. Sophie’s cousin Cody isn’t sure he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father. Through Sophie’s and Cody’s travel logs, we hear stories of the past and the daily challenges of surviving at sea as The Wanderer sails toward its destination — and its passengers search for their places in the world. – Goodreads Synopsis

I don’t remember when or why I purchased this ebook, but I’m glad I did.  I’m also happy to have finally read The Wanderer and discovered how talented Sharon Creech is at writing Middle Grade fiction.
My reason for saying Creech is talented is because I’m not remotely interested in sailing, and yet this story of a family sailing trip to England from the East Coast of the United States pulled me in from the first line.  I remember thinking, “OK, this grabbed my interest, but I’m sure it will quickly disappear as I get further into the book.”  Nope, not even close.  I was irritated whenever I had to put my Nook down to do anything else.  I stayed up well past my bedtime when I got to the climax of the story because I HAD to know what would happen.  Creech managed this by keeping Sophie’s back story a mystery and doling out bits and pieces that led to more questions throughout the book.  She also made sure that my assumptions about the other characters were called into question.  It wasn’t until after I finished reading it that I realized this is a Hero’s Journey, with a rhythm that matched the ocean they sailed on.
While I still have no interest in sailing (I prefer relaxing while I travel), I became extremely interested in reading more of Creech’s work.  I’ll be reviewing another of her books, Ruby Holler, later this week, but just know you definitely have to read The Wanderer.  It might not make you want to go sailing, but you could find yourself viewing the meaning of family in a new light.
This book qualifies for the COYER Scavenger Hunt item #29 (a book with no magical or futuristic elements).

Monday's Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • Angel’s Ink by Jocelynn Drake
  • Beauty by Robin McKinley
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
  • Walden by Henry David Thoreau
  • The Evolution of God by Robert Wright

     
Finished:

  • The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
  • 30 Rock and Philosophy ed. by William Irwin
  • You Are Not Your Fault and Other Revelations by Wes Nisker
  • Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
  • Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

  
 
Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 925
Total books for the year: 46 of 90.  The #COYER Fairy Tale retelling readathon started yesterday, so I’ll be concentrating on reading Beauty.  It’s the only fairy tale retelling I have on my Nook, so if I finish it with plenty of time to read another one, I’ll have to choose something from my Kindle or physical TBR.  This week, the Sci-Fi Summer reading challenge starts, so be sure to get signed up!
What are you reading this week?