91. Read and Review 100 Books (14/100) House Rules - Jodi Picoult

'Rules, we all live by them. Some people live to break them and there are others who live their lives by these rules. Jacob Hunt is one of those people who lives his life by those rules, primarily because he’s “hard-wired” to think just that way. Jacob has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of Autism that keeps him on the fringes of “normal” society along with those that care most about him. It keeps him from having the meaningful relationships that most of us take for granted and eventually ends him in a situation where he looks guilty enough to kill for one of those relationships'


Kept me entertained during a trip from Houston to Grand Junction, Colorado for work. Although I must admit I kinda figured where the plot was going before Picoult got there herself it was still confronting enough to make me think, what if it was me, what would I do?? Typical Picoult novel, dealing with current medical controversies in a confronting and soul searching way...  however I didn't quite feel she hit the mark this time... 

91. Read and Review 100 Books (13/100) Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security, Christopher Cooper

'The fatal inundation of New Orleans was no natural disaster, argues this hard-hitting investigative report. Wall Street Journal reporters Cooper and Block finger two very man-made causes of the tragedy. The first was the decades-long failure of local officials and the Army Corps of Engineers to fix New Orleans' poorly designed and constructed levees and floodwalls, which collapsed under moderate hurricane conditions. The second and more spectacular was the breakdown of the Federal Emergency Management Agency after its incorporation into the Department of Homeland Security, which cut FEMA's funding and authority and reoriented it toward the national obsession with terrorism. The result, when the flood came, was a bumbling federal response hobbled by complacent planning, miscommunication, red tape (even recovery of the dead was delayed by paperwork) and an inability to deliver promised supplies and transportation. The authors' exhaustively researched account slogs through the intricacies of this bureaucratic nightmare and goes beyond the usual pillorying of FEMA head Michael Brown to criticize higher officials in the White House and, especially, DHS. Cooper and Block manage to thread a readable, coherent story through the morass of detail and acronyms, with disquieting implications about the government's ability to cope with catastrophe'


Frustrating to read, this account of what occurred during the catastrophe that was Hurricane Katrina seemed to be a reasonably bipartisan account of the US Governments response toward the Gulf Coast. The book includes background on the levy systems in New Orleans, history of FEMA, and information on the relationships between each governmental organisation involved in the disaster relief effort. I very much found myself reading the book like I was watching a movie, disseminating the players into good v evil... I find Katrina fascinating, most likely due to my current location 300 miles away from ground zero and found that this book gave me a good overall picture of what not only went wrong but also what did go right.. the book showed that to a certain degree people are just that... people... and we can only ever do our best, and even the most capable people can make mistakes in tough situations. This book doesn't lay blame but it doesn't make excuses for people either and in the end it perfectly captures the fact that the US Government dropped the ball and forgot the people of Louisiana in a spectacular fashion... 

49. My two words of the week

dis·sem·i·nate

   [dih-sem-uh-neyt]

–verb (used with object),-nat·ed, -nat·ing.

to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast; disperse: to disseminate information about preventive medicine.

AND

ha·bit·u·ate

   [huh-bich-oo-eyt] verb,-at·ed, -at·ing.

–verb (used with object)

1.

to accustom (a person, the mind, etc.), as to a particular situation: Wealth habituated him to luxury.

2.

Archaic. to frequent.

–verb (used without object)

3.

to cause habituation, physiologically or psychologically.

86. Send a birthday card to every member of my immediate family for a year (5/11)

My mother-in-law's birthday was coming up and I had a problem.. you see she just doesn't get my sense of humour, and I have a house full of silly, sarcastic, pop culture reference birthday cards SO instead of causing an international incident (teehehe) by sending a card that makes me giggle uncontrollably but creates a response of confusion on the other side of the world, I headed to Hallmark to search out a birthday card that was a little more traditional in nature... Well I managed to find this beautiful card that not only fits the anti-sarcastic bill but is also covered in bees!!

Isn't it super pretty?? And its not overly soppy and lovey dovey which always feels that little bit tongue in cheek to me as I'm really not a gushy type person... It was the perfect balance of traditional and unique

Now hopefully she forgives us for sending it a little late... but its the thought that counts right?!?! I swear we where thinking of you Doris and we meant to send the card WEEKS before we did, but sometimes with our schedules, the hardest thing about birthday cards is actually managing to get to the post office to buy a stamp!! Next time I go, I think I'm going to have to buy a whole roll!!

49. My two words of the week

sur·feit

   [sur-fit] 

–noun

1.

excess; an excessive amount: a surfeit of speechmaking.

2.

excess or overindulgence in eating or drinking.

3.

an uncomfortably full or crapulous feeling due to excessive eating or drinking.

4.

general disgust caused by excess or satiety.

AND

pa·lav·er

   [puh-lav-er, ‐lah-ver] 

–noun

1.

a conference or discussion.

2.

a long parley, esp. one between primitive natives and European traders, explorers, colonial officials, etc.

3.

profuse and idle talk; chatter.

4.

persuasive talk; flattery; cajolery.

91. Read and Review 100 books (12/100) The Host - Stephanie Meyer

'In this tantalizing SF Thriller, planet-hopping parasites are inserting their silvery centipede selves into human brains, curing cancer, eliminating war and turning Earth into paradise. But some people want Earth back, warts and all, especially Melanie Stryder, who refuses to surrender, even after being captured in Chicago and becoming the host for a soul called Wanderer. Melanie uses her surviving brain cells to persuade Wanderer to help search for her loved ones in the Arizona desert. When the pair find Melanie's brother and her boyfriend in a hidden rebel cell lead by her uncle, Wanderer must reconsider her species reason for invading and settling on Earth.'

I've been meaning to read The Host forever!! I think it was one of the first books I ever downloaded on my Kindle... and I've had that now for well over a year!! Anyways I was sitting at home one afternoon earlier this month, having just finished Catching Fire and trying to decide what I was going to turn my attention to next when I remembered that I'd yet to try The Host (I think watching New Moon finally may have also had something to do with the decision) Anyway, I loved the Twilight series so much (who doesn't?!?!) and had such positive memories of it, the books literally got me through 30 hours of flying and transitting when we first expatriated from Australia, that I began to wonder why it was that I'd let this other book of Stephanie Meyers for so long? Time to solve that mystery... I begain to read... I must admit, its no Twilight Saga... it'll still have you genuinely conerened for what happens to the main characters, but I didn't feel as invested in them as I did in Twilight, they're just not quite as loveable... Meyer sets up yet another love triangle, but its not the sort of triangle that polarizes camps as beautifully as Edward - Bella - Jacob. Its a good story, interesting premise, and it did keep me wanting to head straight home from work and delve into the Kindle (a good sign)... It sets the story up for a sequel so perhaps this will be the next Meyer Saga?? If so, I'll be reading the next!

On a side note, completely unrelated.. how annoying is it that books are released in Kindle format and then are removed from sale with no notice or explaination?!?!?! I jumped on Amazon this morning to download the kindle cover of the book for my blog and low and behold the book is no longer available for Kindle... Publishers?!?!?! It really means if you want to read a book on the Kindle you need to grab it when you see it or potentially, you could miss out.. frustrating!!

49. My two words of the week

Mondays

 As in what do you mean the weekend is already over and I have to go back to work again tomorrow for another 45+ hours sitting in front of a desk writing reports and responding to emails?!?! Already?!?! It’s just simply not fair!!

One of my favourite ‘Monday’ quotes is ‘looks like someone has a bad case of the Mondays’… love Office Space and since I’ve been suffering, rather surprisingly, from the Monday Blues the last few weeks it seems a pertinent word for the week... It’s amazing how much I complained about not working when I wasn’t and how much all I really desperately wanted was a job and now that I have one (and have been working for 3ish months) all I want to do is go back to being a house wife for a couple of weeks… teehehe grass is always greener… ;) I think that part time work, say Tues-Thurs would suit me just perfectly!

Despondent

'feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom' 

I always feel a little down and blue until my lunch time walk on Monday when I head out into the fresh air and sunshine, crank up some thumping, mood lifting tunes and hit the downtown pavement in my high heels for a half hour power stroll… usually it hits the spot really well and sets me up with a positive mental outlook, ready to face whatever the rest of the week has to throw at me.. teehehe moral of this story ?? I guess don’t call me, or book a meeting with me on a Monday morning!!