Reading's good, when it's not bad

I feel like doing a little book reviewing.

Here goes:



A co-worker lent me "The Brain That Changes Itself" by Norman Doidge. It's all about the human brain and how for so long scientists thought that once a part of it was damaged, the functions that area controlled were gone forever. It was an unpopular field to study, but "plasticity" has proven them wrong. The brain can overcome so much, with the right training. People can have huge portions of their brains damaged and relearn to function normally. People can be born with half a brain and still be almost completely normal. It's really, really interesting. Recommend!



I have been working on "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut. I'm going to compare it to "Catch-22." Both have soldiers in them. Both are perfectly good. Both seem to entirely lack a plot. Both had me moving onto more exciting things by halfway through the book.

Both I thought were semi-interesting. "Catch-22" was quite clever and funny. But halfway through, I just wondered where they were going. I mean, there was never anything to make me want to find a moment to read. It was more like, "I guess I'll read some of this now." That's really all I can say. Not good, not bad. Not enough to keep me bothering when I know there is something really, really great out there.

Speaking of which...



"Twilight." My friend mailed it to me, wanting me to read it so badly. I thought it was a silly kids' book. I started reading it so that the next time I talk to her I can say I did, and now I want to do nothing BUT read it. I don't remember the last time I was so intrigued by a book.

I think Stephenie Meyer does a wonderful job of creating a relationship full of passion and intrigue and true love without it even being about a physical relationship. I'm only halfway through, but I cannot wait to keep going. I am sort of obsessed with this young vampire myself. I can't wait to rent the movie, either.

I also realize that I'm not making myself out to be very impressive, literarily speaking, if that's a word. But I'm just not someone who feels the need to impress people with the fancy, boring books I've read. I read what's fun to me. So there.