Literally Blogging

Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami
   Last March 20, 1995, the Aum Buddhist Cult released the fatal sarin gas in several trains of the Tokyo Subway. The gas silently seeped in the cars and was able to injure a thousand of its passengers by rendering them blinding and causing damage to their lungs. Immediately after, a media frenzy occurs and the drama of its victims and Aum unfolds. Murakami stems in the scene six months after to give some perspective after the dust has settled by interviewing the experiences of its victims. In general, the …read more

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Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Roughcut) by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
More Information: www.freakanomics.com
      With my head always stuck in the clouds, I have always been a fan of fiction. It was brought about my fear of treading into the territory of real world books and especially the realm of numbers. In addition, it didn’t help that my college text book branded with the disability of innumeracy or being mathematically challenged because I was a marketing communication student. However, one day I lost my way in the bookstore and found my self in the …read more

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I enjoy books from other languages, other cultures, and in particular, early Christian writings. Unfortunately, if you can’t read the book in its original language (I can’t), it loses some of its flavor. Much of the intensity and power of these books are due to the writer’s use of language – appropriate to that period of time, but as they say, “It’s all Greek to me.” The key in reading and understanding, as well as becoming emotionally involved with such a book is the translator.
I found a wonderful translator, and in doing so, found a wonderful author …read more

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About three months ago, I found a wonderful book club online. Well, maybe book club isn’t the best description. It is like a giant wish list that… well, that’s not really it either. Let me try again. This book club had resources to help me find books that I might be interested in… but that wasn’t all. The name of this site is Book Browse and it is a great Web site for readers who need a little organization and love to hear about new books.

Let’s face it. When you go to your “Local Bookstore,” …read more

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I just finished reading The Year of Magical Thinking. I was attracted to the book because of the topic of grief and bereavement, but I don’t see it as a book that is only suited for those who have lost a husband or faced a potentially fatal illness in a child. It is a beautiful work of nonfiction – the creative expression of what Ms. Didion experienced during her first year of widowhood is called “taut,” by Publisher’s Weekly, “lacerating yet peculiarly stirring,” by The Washington Post, and “a stunning book of electric honesty and passion,” by Random …read more

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