All Creatures Great and Small

by James Herriot  442 p.

             I loved this book. It reads like fiction, but is nonfiction. It is the first couple years James Herriot, a Scottish veterinarian, spends in his first job which is in Yorkshire England in the late 30s.
         It had chapters that made me cry, the next made me laugh, and grossed me out. It confirmed I made the right decision in not becoming a vet, but he does have some great moments with animals. Read this book! I look forward to watching the series that was on PBS in the 70s.

Time for Outrage!

by Stephane Hessel p. 41

This book is by Hessel, a 93 year-old former French Resistance fighter. Being a French naturalized citizen born in Berlin, Germany he has a particular insight into living through the Nazi occupation of France in WWII and fighting the Nazis as a French Resistance fighter fighting under Charles de Gaulle. He also lived through a concentration camp. Though his life story is fascinating we don't hear much of it except a short biography in the back. He also worked in the UN and was involved in the Declaration of Human Rights being written. This is a very short call to action. Now he doesn't really specify what action. He says if you look around you will find it. While most would say peace of mind is essential to find he thinks that outrage that fuels one to action is essential to a life. One possible outrage he states a few times of his own opinion is the disparity of poor to wealthy. Some have suggested this book that has been out in other places for a year may have helped inspire the Arab Spring and maybe I could see where the Occupy people would grab on to it. When I first heard of it I didn't see why it was controversial with some groups, but having read the very short essay there are some thoughts about violence vs. non violence and the Israeli and Palestinian peace issues that would cause disagreement. I can't imagine it inspiring or causing much motivation because it is so short there is hardly anything to it. It mentioned he has a memoir which I think would be more interesting. His part is actually only about 29 pages long and that is a very small book. Really small. I mean it's only like 5 inches tall. I was just a bit disappointed, because the news story I read about it made it sound very interesting and there was very little actually to it.

The geeks shall inherit the Earth : popularity, quirk theory, and why outsiders thrive after high school

by Alexandra Robbins.  436 p.

Robbins follows six "geeks" through the most torturous American institution: high school.  Instead of being the typical 'follow high school students to show that they're all the same, really' that many documentaries and books of late follow.  Instead, 'The Geeks' main point is that being nerdy is ok and that, in the real world, the geeks and nerds end up being the innovators and leaders people look up to (think Mark Zuckerburg, Lady Gaga, President Obama).

Robbins follows the six geeks as they deal with social pressures in and around school, but also challenges them to work to change their perception of the outside world without sacrificing who they are.  Follow the Loner, the Popular Bitch, the Band Geek, the Nerd, the New Girl, the Weird Girl and the Gamer as they struggle with the twisted hierarchy and messed up rules that govern adolescent and high school society.  To complement Robbins' investigative reporting, scientific data is woven into the narration is a witty, socially conscious manner.

This book was truly shocking.  My high school life wasn't so long ago, but reading these books made me realize just how much I don't want to remember about it.  Despite it's moving message, I still found my anxiety and stress levels increasing since I could relate so much to what the participants were going through.  Robbins' use of the cafeteria as the centerpiece for much of the anxiety in these geeks' worlds (the place where statuses are made and lives are ruined) rang true, both in personal retrospect and as current social commentary.  By maintaining this cliquish, mean-spirited society bent on stifling creativity and uniqueness, we're not helping anyone.

Oh No She Didn't: the Top 100 Style Mistakes Women Make and How to Avoid Them

by Clinton Kelly, 201 pages

Thank you to the ladies who have previously recommended this book.  It was hilarious.  The title about says it all: women wear some bizarre and unsightly things, and Clinton is here to save us from ourselves.  Almost every page had a laugh.  I couldn't keep it all in, so I ended up reading parts of this book out loud to my husband, mom, and several co-workers while on my break.  The pictures are a  riot, too.  If you need some light, fun (and surprisingly helpful) fashion advice, this is the book for you.

Oh No She Didn't, Clinton Kelly

Oh, yes. She did.

In two hundred and one pages Kelly chronicles the 100 top style mistakes women make. Part rage against laziness and poor taste, part heartfelt advice and all with Kelly’s signature biting humor. Along with style mishaps you read of the author’s respect of Judge Judy, and learn of some of his lovely fantasies, including a loudspeaker speech dedicated to the woman in pajamas at the Ice Cream cooler in frozen foods. I laughed my way through the book, it has great illustrations and a blunt way of stating the facts then providing alternatives. Throughout the book you find great advice including how to talk to your tailor, how to avoid those various gaps in the fit of your pants, and the secret to the perfect placement of hemlines.

Oh No She Didn't, Clinton Kelly

201 pages

"Oh No She Didn't: The Top 100 Style Mistakes Women Make and How to Avoid Them" by Clinton Kelly

Professional stylist and co-host of TLC's What Not to Wear, Clinton Kelly guides the reader through the top 100 style mistakes women make and discusses appropriate ways of remedying each one.

I would wager that of all of the women I know - we have all committed AT LEAST three or four of these fashion faux pas. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the entire book. Kelly's writing style flows very well and each fashion violation is accompanied by a descriptive graphic and a hilarious bit of text. It was a very quick read and it left me inspired to update my wardrobe!