divulgences from the depths of new york

My life is a firmly-held contradiction. I grew up in the middle of the country, where I have come to believe that people calculate the exact center of every political issue or social problem, and plant their feet firmly there – fringes scarcely being tolerated – in ideas or people. I suppose conformity would have been a nifty goal, but I struggled to remain somewhat true to myself, wandering and pondering, sometimes my tendencies and actions not easily understood, even by me. While I would consider myself private, reticent, enigmatic, and intentionally veiled; occasionally I am daringly-comfortable exposing more of myself than others would. Contentment comes from that newness found in exploration of the mental and physical world, pushing myself, unprepared for the luster to fall from the fruit as it consistently does.

"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves." Victor Hugo

"So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work." Peter Drucker

"We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything." Thomas A. Edison

"Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." Mark Twain

"Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone." Gertrude Stein

"The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men." George Eliot

"Be obscure clearly." EB White

"Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing." Robert Benchley

"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." Jim Morrison

"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives." C.S. Lewis

Those listed are what I can remember reading in 2009. Sometimes years just meld together; I will update as memory allows. Incidentally, I unsuccessfully attempted Say You're One of Them, something recommended by Oprah, and I have to say the book, actually a collection of short stories, was hideously terrible and just plain crap; as were my two readings of Revolutionary Road, where I was snubbed by the Gatsbyesque selfishness of the characters and couldn't have cared less about what their fate entailed.

And although they are somewhat interesting, I will never read another Dan Brown novel. His plots are so twisty and turny, that they give me a headache. C'mon Dan, the guy was immersed in a tank of "water" but didn't drown? Jesus H...give me a break.

The World's Greatest Books, Volumes I - VI took up a lot of time and were well worth it. I was introduced to many new authors and their works, and found most of the material captivating.

Before you get all elitist about some of my chosen material, don't. After spending a lot of my time reading pretty boring texts, I just need the ease of a vampire, laugh of an Evanovich, or the rampant romping in a Victorian romance. Granted, it is not classic literature, but must Americans who claim to "read" wouldn't know the difference, anyway.

My favorite of the year were Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (non-fiction), and Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (fiction).

2009 includes:
The World's Greatest Books, Volumes I - VI
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Outliers: The Story of Success
Revolutionary Road (2x)
Fearless Fourteen
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Plum Lucky
The DaVinci Code
El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha
The Lost Symbol
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Let the Great World Spin
Rick Steves' Spain 2008
Spain in Literature
Touring Avila and Segovia
Green Your Work
The New Financial Capitalists
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
The Masque of the Black Tulip
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
The Deception of the Emerald Ring
Henry VIII: The King and His Court
Angry Candy
Glass Soup
The Book Thief
A Child Called It
Fast Food Nation
A Meaningful Life
New Moon

2010 will bring more texts and hopefully some Irish novels to preempt the August trip.