!! Nerdtopia !!
I've always loved books. Ever since I was in grade school, I've been reading books for school and for pleasure. Once the college years hit, I had to give up the pleasure reading in order to read assignments and pass the damn classes I was paying for in order to attain my higher education and the coveted diplomas. After the Masters degree, it has been a pleasure to return to my love.
It's so wonderful to get lost in a book's setting and character's life! I realize these are nerdling rantings, but we only have 1 life to live and it seems like the only way to experience all our wants and adventures would be through books! I've recently been into reading books with the characters based in Chinese culture. As this is a culture I haven't experienced first-hand, it's been interesting to read about the woman's place in society - from foot binding, to the importance of having a son, etc.
Snowflower and the Secret Fan was my first foray into this genre. Then I found some non-fiction books by Anchee Min who had based her female characters on women who have lived during the past two centuries: Jiang Ching (Mao Zedong's wife); the book is called Becoming Madame Mao.
"Known as the White Boned Demon during her reign of terror in China, Madame Mao was blamed for countless bloody and vengeful executions; she sought out those who had wronged her in the past and wiped them off the face of the earth. Eventually she was reviled in China and executed, even as her husband was revered as a hero."
The second book, also by Anchee Min, is about the last Empress of China and is called Empress Orchid. This book took me into the ancient Forbidden City and the roles played by the Emperor's wives - Empress Orchid in particular. Orchid was a poor girl from "rural China who auditions for a job as royal concubine, winds up as emperor's wife number four, gives birth to the "last Emperor," rules China as regent for 46 years. The fascinating, implausible life of Tsu Hsi, or "Orchid," was reviled by the revolutionary Chinese."
Now that these books have been read, the next on the list is The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I think I've already read this book, but since I don't remember I guess that means it should be read again :-) Actually, now that I think about it... I wrote a paper comparing and contrasting The Awakening with The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman for a summer English Literature class. OMG! I can't believe that! WTF, I'm going to re-read the damn book anyway and try to find that paper :-)
The hardest thing about returning to my book habit, is the cost! I have this problem where I read about an awesome book and then go buy it! It's fine if I get the book at the airport bookstores because they have the read and return program. But other than that, it can break the bank! So as I was searching for a new book on Barnes and Noble, it hit me... why not check out the damn Public Library's web site and see what they have?!?! HELLO!
So last Sunday was a truly remarkable day in Nerdtopia! I jumped on the Library's web site and was blown away at the leaps and bounds made on the site! Not only could I search for a book and place it on hold... but I could join a fiction and non-fiction online book club!!! I've been wanting to join a book club for MONTHES, but I've been held back by the time commitment. The book clubs I joined online kick some MAJOR arse! There is a new book every week and I get e-mailed excerpts from the books each day. I can then get the book at the library if I choose to do so! How cool is that?!?! I was so excited, that I burst in on the Beau to share my news. He was heavily engrossed in Geektopia and had to shake his head at me.
Yes... we have 2 kingdoms in our household: Nerdtopia and Geektopia. We've learned to live in harmony even though it gets tough at times. The Beau has to put up with me & my reading lamp as I try to tear myself away from a book before sleepy time AND I have to deal with him tweaking his servers and firewall. It's all about balancing the kingdoms and living peacefully :-) Let the good books roll...
It's so wonderful to get lost in a book's setting and character's life! I realize these are nerdling rantings, but we only have 1 life to live and it seems like the only way to experience all our wants and adventures would be through books! I've recently been into reading books with the characters based in Chinese culture. As this is a culture I haven't experienced first-hand, it's been interesting to read about the woman's place in society - from foot binding, to the importance of having a son, etc.
Snowflower and the Secret Fan was my first foray into this genre. Then I found some non-fiction books by Anchee Min who had based her female characters on women who have lived during the past two centuries: Jiang Ching (Mao Zedong's wife); the book is called Becoming Madame Mao.
"Known as the White Boned Demon during her reign of terror in China, Madame Mao was blamed for countless bloody and vengeful executions; she sought out those who had wronged her in the past and wiped them off the face of the earth. Eventually she was reviled in China and executed, even as her husband was revered as a hero."
The second book, also by Anchee Min, is about the last Empress of China and is called Empress Orchid. This book took me into the ancient Forbidden City and the roles played by the Emperor's wives - Empress Orchid in particular. Orchid was a poor girl from "rural China who auditions for a job as royal concubine, winds up as emperor's wife number four, gives birth to the "last Emperor," rules China as regent for 46 years. The fascinating, implausible life of Tsu Hsi, or "Orchid," was reviled by the revolutionary Chinese."
Now that these books have been read, the next on the list is The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I think I've already read this book, but since I don't remember I guess that means it should be read again :-) Actually, now that I think about it... I wrote a paper comparing and contrasting The Awakening with The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman for a summer English Literature class. OMG! I can't believe that! WTF, I'm going to re-read the damn book anyway and try to find that paper :-)
The hardest thing about returning to my book habit, is the cost! I have this problem where I read about an awesome book and then go buy it! It's fine if I get the book at the airport bookstores because they have the read and return program. But other than that, it can break the bank! So as I was searching for a new book on Barnes and Noble, it hit me... why not check out the damn Public Library's web site and see what they have?!?! HELLO!
So last Sunday was a truly remarkable day in Nerdtopia! I jumped on the Library's web site and was blown away at the leaps and bounds made on the site! Not only could I search for a book and place it on hold... but I could join a fiction and non-fiction online book club!!! I've been wanting to join a book club for MONTHES, but I've been held back by the time commitment. The book clubs I joined online kick some MAJOR arse! There is a new book every week and I get e-mailed excerpts from the books each day. I can then get the book at the library if I choose to do so! How cool is that?!?! I was so excited, that I burst in on the Beau to share my news. He was heavily engrossed in Geektopia and had to shake his head at me.
Yes... we have 2 kingdoms in our household: Nerdtopia and Geektopia. We've learned to live in harmony even though it gets tough at times. The Beau has to put up with me & my reading lamp as I try to tear myself away from a book before sleepy time AND I have to deal with him tweaking his servers and firewall. It's all about balancing the kingdoms and living peacefully :-) Let the good books roll...
