January 17, 2006
Feeling Good
by David D. BurnsAnother book started in 2005 but not finished by the end of the year!
It's an interesting book - much of what he says about fighting depression by changing your thoughts is not new to me. I mean, I've been struggling rationally against depression since I hit puberty. But he does have some interesting methods for fighting back against nasty automatic thoughts, which is cool.
Now that I've finished the book, I'll add that it was a pretty darn good book overall. Sometimes he lapses into oversimplification and egotism, but it's pretty rare, and a lot of his techniques have actually been pretty useful to me.
The Pagan Book of Living and Dying
by Starhawk and M. Macha NightMare
Another book I started in 2005 and still haven't finished. It's taking me ages - as you can tell from the title, it's not easy going. I bought it shortly after my Grandfather passed away last Spring, and have been slowly working my way through it. I'm not sure how to count these books I start in one year and finish in another toward my annual totals. Maybe they should only count as half a book?
Well, now that I've finished the book, I feel like I ought to write something about it. It's a very moving piece, especially the personal stories of memorials and experiences near the end. Some of the rituals are absolutely beautiful, and all of them are good. I would highly recommend this for anyone of any faith, not just Pagans. The eloquence and compassion with which Starhawk and Nightmare write is touching.
Word Freak
by Stefan Fatsis
I started this in 2005, but am still not done, so it goes in my 2006 pool. I'll update with more detail once I'm finished, but so far I'm really enjoying it. Fatsis paints fascinating, detailed pictures of pro Scrabble players with his words, and is honest and hilarious without being mean. So awesome.
Updated 3/22/06: Huzzah, I have finally finished this book. Go me. It isn't really the kind of book you put your feet up and read for a good time, but it's very interesting to someone like me who plays Scrabble for fun. This book makes me want to study really hard and get better - if only because the author notes that there are very few female Scrabble players in the top ranks.
Actually, that fact makes me want to do a book about female Scrabble players. I think that would be really interesting. Hm...