'Blink' - Malcolm Gladwell

This book was a good break from the fiction that I have been immersing myself in lately. Once I got past the irony that the book was an in depth analysis and problematization of the why and when and what triggers people to overanalyze situations, I found it interesting.
I'm not going to lie, I skim read the parts discussing past wars and went straight to the point. War stories just don't appeal to me but these may be exciting parts for others. But the majority of the book was read and enjoyed. It had a ton of evidence from decisions made in the past to experiments done by psychologists. Overall, the book had the main focus on knowing which situations to make rapid judgements in instead of looking at each detail, and in each of these situations to only focus on the details that are pertinent to this decision. Also, Gladwell discussed how accurate first impressions typically are but to not believe them without noticing if the context was conducive, or not, to making a rational decision.

'Bergdorf Blondes' by Plum Sykes

'Bergdorf Blondes' is about a girl's self-obsessed world in terms of boys and shopping, and there's a bit of uncomfortable family moments thrown in there. This book gave some laughs and was entertaining. I think that a person needs to have a strong sense of values before they read this book in order to understand the sarcasm in a lot of the situations and not just take them for face-moral-value. It was a good length considering the plot, but it was a great easy nighttime read and now I am going to look for a sequel.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Fantastic. I cried throughout the last two or three chapters and couldn't put the book down once I was halfway through. The epilogue seemed rushed, but was a nice ending.

Dan Brown - 'The Da Vinci Code'

Just a blurb as I'm nearing the end of this story. At first I was not interested in the dramatic introduction to this story meant to brainwash people into feeling like they were missing out if they didn't buy the book through giving them a feeling of knowing conspiratorial knowledge. It felt like the only reason that Dan Brown thought that he could attract the attention of a large audience is to provide some suspenseful plot, versus the tracking of paper (document) pushing. I am finding it an enjoyable read though so I thank Dan Brown for finding a way to learn about Christianity with a little bit of zeal.
The middle portion of this fictional novel went on and on and on about how the holy grail is a metaphor for the chalice being Mary Magdalene's womb and that many historians and Christians have been willingly in denial that Jesus and Mary were married because this truth would undermine the church's view that men are superior and should, therefore, be in positions of power in the church. The last portion is describing Robert Langdon, Sophie and now Teabing's quest to find the tomb in which Mary and her unborn child (Jesus' son). The solving of the cryptex took me back to my childhood when my mom used to create hunts with similar clues including mirror messages for my Easter hunt.
This book is giving me a growing anticipation to read the online publication of Darwin's letters and journal entries as they will have a plot AND are real. This book is great for entertainment but does not all factual, obviously.

Retribution and 'the curious incident of the dog in the night-time'

Retribution, by Jilliane Hoffman, has been lying beside my bed for a few months and I finally committed myself to finishing it one night last week. It was an entertaining and exciting read. I feel some spooky and twisted dreams creeping up but they haven't been experienced yet, phew! I recommend this read for days when you're at home, sick, or just lying in bed, and want to enjoy a good mystery.
The curious incident of teh dog in the night-time, by Mark Haddon, was exceptional. I brought it to Mexico and was reading it on the beach, when two people throughout the span of one day stopped walking (or stumbling, 'dirty monkey' in one hand, pina colada in the other) and started telling me about how much they enjoyed this book. It was interesting to get in the head of a boy who has autism. Everyone has some autistic tendancies within the spectrum so I could relate to certain aspects. such as a lack of emotion when nothing can be changed in a situation. Now I can be pretty emotional and girl-ish but a lot of times I really just am emotionally mono-toned when it comes to social events. It's a protection mechanism for me, ignoring the fact that I may be hurt makes me think about it less and, therefore, it takes the power away from the hurter by not letting the situation consume my life very much. But with Christopher (the protagonist), it is hard to determine whether his lack of emotion towards his mother and father's history being explored and surprisingly discovered, is a strong protection mechanism or if he honestly does not feel these emotions in his core. His life sounds really hard and I am thankful to not be 'autistic' and capable to make day-to-day decisions and function fruitfully. Fruitfully is from the definition of mental health: "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community."
That is all for now, I may want to write more about 'the curious incident...' later but overall, it was intellectually stimulating and complex.

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

This book gets a 5/5 from me. It is insightful and objective. I read this book in spurts and haven't finished the whole thing yet. Right now I'm on the section about the origins of Chemistry. The stories about chemists who got credit for other peoples' work through manipulation is interesting. I'm unsure if these stories are fictional but put in there to increase the book's appeal or if they are true (how would Bill Bryson have gotten all of this information?!! I guess through reading many many random journals but that is highly unlikely as these chemists did not complete their task and therefore get any outstanding recognition to lead Mr. Bryson in their direction) but I don't really care either way because it has increased my enjoyment and interest in the book. Interpersonal connections always seem to brighten up scientific knowledge. Similar to how constructive gossip can give a relief from the stress that people sometimes feel from trying to solve a problem or conflict clouding a friendship.

The Rope in the Water

After reading this book for a second time, I am disappointed. The first time I read it all of the abstract ideas and mental images were new to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it then because the idea of Indea was intruiging. Now I know a lot more about India, mostly due to my close friends and roommates Pam and Sabrina who are Punjabi. I now realize that this book doesn't actually have much valid historical information (it does have some info. on religion but does not back it up) or content. Don't get me wrong, the form is very pleasing. (I knew first year English was good for something, 'form' and 'content' were drilled into my skull). Sylvia Fraser writes vividly about her so-called experiences during her trip to India - the soul purpose of this trip was to find a moment of enlightenment as she did not feel enthusiastic or extra motivated with life. The descriptions of her trip sound fictional due to the vast effort she has put into describing her surroundings. Yes, it is important to describe what everyone else is doing around her for the setting, but I was left frustrated in being pulled around by vivid descriptions without digging any deeper into current issues in India or surrounding Bhuddism. The book is written as if she is on a drug and not experiencing the world critically, she takes every experience as a symbol, on purpose!! That is ridiculous to me, but what do I know. She left for India with expectations to have a magical time and the book is written as if her time topped all expectations. Good for her if this is true, but having travelled many times, I know that things don't run as smoothly as they appear to in this book.