Wrapping Up 2011, Looking Forward 2012

Well, here we are again! When I wrote this post in 2010, I had only been using this blog for four months. This time I have an entire year to reflect on. Let's consider how my book reading went...I took on a goal to read 100 books, as well as a handful of other book challenges which turned out to be a bit more than I could handle! The beginning of the year went well, but there were four months surrounding the Jasper disaster that greatly lacked in book reading followed by the most difficult semester of school I hope to experience. Excuses aside, I did read 76 books which I am satisfied with. Here's a recap of the challenges I undertook:

• 100+ Reading Challenge - As mentioned above, I finished 76 books, including just over a dozen rereads. Next year I am confident I will be able to reach 100. I won't be participating in any official 100+ challenge in 2012 (especially as Amy, the host of the challenge I took on this year, is upping it to 150+ which I am confident I would not be able to achieve :P), but I do have a personal goal of reading more books in 2012 than I read in 2011, the ideal number of which would be 100 ;)
• 2011 Global Reading Challenge - I didn't think I would come anywhere near completing this challenge, but I pulled it together in December and nearly reached the easy level (one book from each continent - I only made it part of the way in to my books from Africa and South America), even though I had initially signed up for medium. If only I hadn't gotten carried away with Japanese authors ;P I liked this challenge because it made me expand my reading, so many of the authors I read are just American or British.
• Memorable Memoirs Reading Challenge, 2011 Edition - Here's a challenge I completely bombed! When I was browsing challenges back in December 2010, I liked the idea of reading more memoirs and selected some that I had heard of and sounded like must-reads, but I didn't really have any desire to read the books I'd chosen and sort of ignored them for the entire year...I do plan on reading Girl, Interrupted early in 2012, though.
• Foodie's Reading Challenge 2011 - This was my favourite challenge that I participated in. I love reading about food; food plays such an incredibly significant role in our lives and it can be fascinating to read about. I easily completed this challenge, which was nice ;P
• 2011 TBR Pile Challenge - I have only just noticed that this challenge is supposed to be 12 books, not 10. I managed eight out of ten, thinking 'Not so bad' but it's really eight out of 12. Oops. This is the only official challenge I'll be taking on again next year, so hopefully I will get it right this time!  This challenge helped me discover some new all-time favourites (1984, Kafka on the Shore, Catch-22) and I very much liked the other books I read as well. I enjoy reading Adam's blog and look forward to tackling this challenge again.
• Harry Potter 2011 Book Challenge - Last and, honestly, least, the Harry Potter challenge I took on  and completed in the first part of the year. I felt like it was my duty to reread the series before taking on my duty of watching the final movie. I'm glad I did because I've only read each book once, often just at the time of its release, and it was good to give the whole series another shot and reflect on the story.

As you've probably noticed, I've greatly lessened the number of challenges I'll be taking on in the new year. I found myself thinking 'Ahh, I need to finish this book so I can read all those other books!' and focusing too much on just finishing books instead of enjoying them. Also, I felt obliged to read some books that I ended up not really being interested in, all for the sake of meeting a challenge. I set all those goals and just wanted to achievethem which sort of ended up defeating the point of reading so many books. I want to just focus on enjoying whatever I am reading at the moment and not worrying about rushing through a bunch of books. That being said, I will be taking on two TBR challenges because I really do want to work on my TBR list, books I actually do want to read, and I hope these challenges will me help guide me through this. In this spirit, I greatly overhauled my TBR list, which you can view here. I've also created a personal Tolkien challenge as a guide to all the Tolkien related books I've read bits of or always wanted to read, so I can finally get down to reading them all. The second official TBR challenge I'm taking on is the TBR Double Dare to read only books on my TBR list through January 1 to  March 31. I hope to read 20 books on my list that time, even if I don't manage to stick strictly to the list.

That summarizes my 2011 and my goals for 2012. I'm looking forward to blogging in the New Year! :)

Extra Books - December 25 to 31

• Everfound by Neal Shusterman
• Published: May 2011
• Genre: Young adult fiction (after death story)
• Why I picked it up: Love the series
• Rating: 4 stars
• Challenges: 100+
• My Thoughts:
• The first book was relatively juvenile (which is appropriate, given the intended audience), the second book got increasingly dark towards the end and this book, the final in the trilogy, was very very dark and that is part of the reason why I loved it so.
• What I liked most about this trilogy was the premise and the little quirks and rules of the in-between world of Everlost. The entire trilogy was smartly written, thoughtful, intense and overall a great read.

Christopher Paolini - Inheritance

  Author: Christopher Paolini

Title: Inheritance
Series: Inheritance Cycle

Published: November 2011

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Length: 849 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Why I picked it up: Fan of the series
Rating: 3/4 stars
Challenges: 100+

Buy: IndieBound | Chapters | Check your local bookstore!

At long last! We have reached the end of what came to be known as the Inheritance Cycle. It was a long haul, but I think in the end it was worth it. I felt proud of Paolini for making it this far, it was very nice to see the maturation of style and plot elements between Eragon and this concluding novel. I first read Eragon in grade seven and immediately loved/hated it. I enjoyed reading the books, but didn't think the story anything too special and the style a bit over the top. But still, I liked reading the story and I liked the idea that it was written by a guy my age, it was very inspiring to me. After the first book, however, I felt like the story really grew into something that was distinctly Paolini. I'm conflicted about the four star rating I'm giving this book. I liked it but I'm not sure what I think about the work as a whole and I don't think I can critique it critically at all, speaking as a learning writer as I normally like to - I've got too much history with the series. So, while I can't really explain whether this is a good book or not and whether I really loved it, I did make a lot of notes on what I liked and didn't like, so let's get to that first.  

***The rest of this post contains SPOILERS.***

 Didn't Like:

• The Daethdart - Or however the heck you spell it. Like death except screwy. This weapon came out of nowhere and ended up being the key to beating Galbatorix. It was never mentioned in any of the other books. Just, poof, oh look, now we have this awesome weapon, deus ex machina to the extreme, I have never seen such a blatant case of it. I was disappointed and frustrated that Paolini would have to resort to such a technique.
• Queen Arya - I see no reason for her to have become Queen. Blah. It completely goes against her character. The story would have been the exact same (minus some fretting about how Arya can be ruler and, at the same time, remain an impartial Rider); her becoming Queen was pointless. 
• Firnen - Augggghihitypqieuouiut. How absolutely painfully unsatisfying. The hatching of the green dragon should have played a major role in this novel. The last dragon egg! Will it hatch for Galbatorix or will it hatch for the Varden? Etc, etc. But no, the green dragon's role is reduced to a plot 'hole' that gets wrapped up with some of the other stories in the last hundred or so pages. Bah. How...disappointing. Such a word is apt for what should have been a much stronger conclusion to such a supposedly-epic tale.
• Eragon gone forever - This made absolutely no sense. There was no one single reason for ahh
• Pacing - Quite a few segments of the book, a lot more than I would normally tolerate, were dragged out. The capturing of various cities is a good example. They were interesting to read but very lengthy. As with Murakami's 1Q84, though, this didn't really bother me until I thought about it afterwards, as I was only concentrating on getting through the book. Such scenes would be very difficult to get through on a second read; I would do a lot more skimming. If I were to recommend this book to someone, I would warn them about that. 

Neutral:

• Murtagh and Nasuada - I was going to put this in like, but then I thought of a bunch of things I didn't like, then I was conflicted, so I made a neutral category :P I liked that we got to see a lot of them. I liked that they were together in some way and that hint of romance was there again between them. But I was sad that they couldn't be together and I was sad that we saw so little of Murtagh after the conflict was over and that he just vanished and that was that. I has happy that Nasuada got to be Queen, she was deserving of that at least.

Liked:

• Eragon and Arya's relationship - I actually really appreciated how their relationship was developing in Brisingr and Inheritance. It was painful watching him pine after her in the beginning, but at least it was believable. The direction in which their relationship develops in the later books is also realistic - he works to control his feelings and they become very good friends, as they should be in the positions they find themselves in. I am happy they did not end up together because that just wouldn't have felt right. The way their relationship ended fit how it was developing. However, after I thought about all this, I realized that the sudden display of romantic interest from Arya towards the end kind of ruined the steady build to a strong, neutral friendship between the two. It felt like a road bump, a strange and awkward turn in the development of their relationship, but at least the whole thing ended up back on track. Overall, I was satisfied with how their relationship played out. It was different from your typical hero gets girl story. 
•  Defeating Galbatorix - Okay, there was really only one thing I specifically liked about this and that was Eragon forcing Galbatorix to understand. In any great conflict, the one question you're always shouting at yourself is 'Why can't he just understand?' I realize this works for both sides, and if Galbatorix tried this on Eragon there would have been problems. But that's why I think this was so neat, this question was screaming at Eragon for so long and then finally, at the end, he has the ability to make Galbatorix understand, with devastating effects. I thought that was neat.
• Inside the Vault of Souls - There was one thing I never, ever expected to see from this series and that was the proper reestablishment of dragons. I never expected more dragons to be found, I never expected there to be a solid hope for their comeback. I don't know why, I just didn't feel like that was something that was going to happen. So when Eragon opened the vault and found not just Eldunari (this didn't surprised too much, after Glaedr crushed the idea that their might be Eldunari I got suspicious...) but hundreds of dragon eggs, I was pleasantly surprised. I hope I'm not the only one who was blown away by this revelation :P

That's really all I have to say for now - these are my relatively immediate impressions, the first things I thought of while reading. I realize that a lot of my views on Inheritance may differ from popular opinion...this book provided a lot to think about, especially in context with the rest of the series. I'm sure my own opinions will change over time and upon a good reread of the entire series. But for now, I'm mostly content with how the cycle concluded, even if certain aspects slightly infuriated me ;P

Extra Books - December 19 to 24

(Christmas Day will be included in the final round-up)

• The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai
• Published: June 2011
• Genre: Fiction
• Why I picked it up: Read a review in the newspaper, sounded interesting
• Rating: 3.5 stars
• Challenges: 100+
• My Thoughts:
• A relatively light and easy read, I was expecting this story to be more moving/mature. The ending was underwhelming, but I did enjoy reading this book mainly because of its somewhat outrageous plot, believable and unique characters and the combinations of elements you don't normally see together, such as a young librairian, a ten-year-old being sent to 'turn 'em straight' classes, a kidnapping and the Russian Mafia.

Isaac Asimov - I, Robot

  Author: Isaac Asimov
Title: I, Robot
Published: 1950 (Edition I read: June 2004)

Publisher: Gnome Press (Edition I read: Bantam Books)

Length: 272 pages (Edition I read: 224 pages)

Genre: Science-fiction

Why I picked it up: On my TBR list
Rating: 4 stars
Challenges: 2011 TBR Pile | 100+

Buy: IndieBound | Chapters | Check your local bookstore!

Some quick thoughts as it is Christmas Eveeee and I still have not posted this: I thought this was going to be a somewhat dry, mostly bleak post-apocalyptic novel. I was pretty much wrong on all accounts. :P I enjoyed how Asimov threaded all the stories together and I liked that each story was about the loopholes and paradoxes and such that arise from conflicts of the three laws; the stories were fairly intelligent. I found the writing to be very modern as well, to the point, humorous and easy to digest. I am not generally a fan of short stories unless they are done exceptionally well and as this felt almost more like a novel than a collection, I enjoyed this book very much.

Extra Books - December 12 to December 18

• The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
• Published:
• Genre: Science fiction
• Why I picked it up: On my TBR list
• Rating: 3 stars
• Challenges: 2011 TBR Pile | 100+
• My Thoughts:
• I've never read anything by H.G. Wells before. Hey, there's a first time for everything.
• I liked Griffin recounting how he became invisible and what happened before Iping and I liked the last part, especially 'The Hunting of the Invisible Man'. This short chapter gives the reader a very good impression of what kind of terror the Invisible Man could and intends to wreck, and it was at this point that I really got into the story, caught up in the craziness.
• Winter by Adam Gopnik
• Published: September 2011
• Genre: Non-fiction
• Why I picked it up: Read a review in the newspaper, interested in books about winter
• Rating: 3 stars
• Challenges: Global | 100+
• My Thoughts: 
• Not really what I had hoped it would be...the first topic was interesting and directly related to winter (the Romanticizing of the season) but the other topics weren't as much about a winter as about people and philosophy and the activities that grew out of the season, which is of course a fine topic but not what piques my interest in the season.
• I had put off reading this book for so long because I've been waiting for it to snow...I don't like that I can see grass on Christmas :( Reading this book was a little depressing because the whole thing (I mean, at least the essay I was interested in) is about that magical feeling of being warm and cozy with snow falling and ahhhh this is the first time since I fell in love with winter that there isn't a decent amount of snow :(
• Winter is a very well-written collection of essays, but the subjects weren't really what I'm interested in. 
• Canadian Pie by Will Ferguson
• Published: November 2011
• Genre: Non-fiction
• Why I picked it up: Like the author (went to his book signing for this book)
• Rating: 3 stars
• Challenges: Global |  100+
• My Thoughts:
• While I do enjoy Ferguson's subjects and style, I'm not really a fan of collections such as these that round up snippets of an author's work, bits published in anthologies and fragments from other previously published (or not) books.
• ^^^That covers everything I have to say :P

Haruki Murakami - 1Q84

*The following information applies to the English hardcover edition. (the novel was originally published in Japanese in 2009/2010).*

Author: Haruki Murakami
Translator: Jay Rubin (Books 1 and 2) and Phillip Gabriel (Book 3)

Title: 1Q84

Published: October 2011

Publisher: Knopf

Length: 925 pages

Genre: Post-modern surrealism

Target age: Adult
Why I picked it up: Fan of the author, massively hyped
Rating: 2 stars

Buy: Chapters | IndieBound | Check your local bookstore!

Weehoo, I finished it, I finished it! The last two hundred pages made me feel like Frodo climbing up Mount Doom and now that I'm done I feel like Frodo laying on the mountain waiting to die...well, perhaps I exaggerate. I don't know how I stuck it out to the end - I suppose it has to do with good ole' Samwise Gamgee, always there to carry me through. Except that's a lie, there was no Sam, I had to tough it on my own. Booo. But it's all over now, so that's that.

As you might have gathered from extended Lord of the Rings metaphor up there (sorry, couldn't resist, watched 7.5 hours of LotR movies last weekend), I was not very happy with this book. Honestly, I was immensely disappointed by it and I am greatly impressed by those who are not. Interestingly, I also wasn't that impressed by the book that preceded 1Q84...I hope Murakami's not losing his touch! (Although I did like After Dark more than this 1Q84 if only because it's a fraction of the length...). Why did I not enjoy this book?

The main answer to that question is there was very little substance. A few things happen regarding a book and a murder...augggh, but see, if I describe how I felt nothing happened then you might think I'm just not that thoughtful and didn't realize what was happening. Granted, that may be the case, but I got a lot out of Kafka on the Shore and I didn't get anything at all out of 1Q84. I couldn't really grasp any underlying message, any purpose to anything that happened. Murakami's not one to lay out a story neat and tidy for a reader, but I can usually piece things together to gain some meaning - not so with this novel. The third book consisted of three people waiting around to find each other. Basically, three events happen but nothing is very notable. The end. The third book was so lifeless (although the last ten pages or so were nice, admittedly) it made me forget that some things did happen. I remember there were a few moments in the first two books when I was shocked/surprised at something that happened, but the novel just dragged on sooooo long I forget that there was anything I remotely liked about it. Maybe it all boils down to the length. But even if you cut out the last book, I would still not be overtly impressed. I feel like this novel lacked the heart of other Murakami books I read. It's all about the love between Tengo and Aomame and eventually that comes out but not until the very end. Everything to do with the book and the cult and Tengo's first memory and anything that seemed like it was going to matter eventually didn't. Maybe that's the point. It was a very long and winding crazy novel but eventually you get to the end and realize none of it mattered. Haha, I think that's the message I'll take from this. My parents ask me 'What's it about? what does it have to with 1984?' and I say 'I don't know, it's difficult to explain' and those are honest answers. It's a love story, ultimately, I suppose? Bah, I've blathered on long enough. I don't really know what I'm talking about. This hasn't been a very good analysis of the novel's story or what did/didn't happen in the book so just to sum up - ultimately, I feel like this novel was lacking in the crucial something that might have brought it to life. (Perhaps a professional review would be better at conveying what I feel about this book - click here to read one that I agree with.)

Somehow, I managed to make it through books one and two without being to upset. No worries, this is how Murakami is, I'm sure it'll all come together in the last book. The last book was fairly different from the first two, though, and by the time I was around page 700 I wanted to give up. What had gotten me in that far was Murakami's prose. I don't know what it is about his writing style. I can't tell you why I like it. I just know that I can read 30 pages at a time no problem, just patiently reading every word and enjoying the flow of his words. Had this book been written in anyone else's style, I probably would not have made it through. The best part of 1Q84, however, is probably the book design. The cover image I've posted above doesn't do it justice. The translucent book jacket, the overlapping images, the symmetry and the soft smooth pages made this book somewhat easier to read.

Who knows, maybe I just totally missed the point of this novel. Maybe it's just not for me. I felt like the story was greatly lacking even though I liked the characters (I didn't talk about the characters at all in this post and I don't feel like saying anymore. But I did like Tengo and Aomame and sometimes strange Fuka-Eri and weird Ushikawa). At least I have a pretty book for bookshelf.

Nightwish - Imaginaerum

Artist: Nightwish

Album: Imaginaerum

 Year: 2011

Length: 74 minutes, 50 seconds

Genre: Symphonic metal

Why I picked it up: Liked their previous album

Favourite tracks: Storytime, I Want My Tears Back, Rest Calm (and every other song on the album...)

Random lyric: At the end of the river / The sun down beams / All the relics of a life long lived

Purchases: Amazon | iTunes | Check your local music store! [North American release date: January 10]

This album was released in Finland on November 30. I had to stay focused on finishing a couple of linguistic analysis papers so I didn't torrent it until December 2 (I will purchase it when it becomes available over here but I could not resist temptation that long), but I have been listening to it almost non-stop since then. Every now and then a song or an album or an artist comes along that sinks a hook into me that doesn't loosen up for a few weeks, and even then that hook leaves a lasting mark on me. Imaginaerum is one of those albums. I can't judge the music objectively in any way - not that I ever try to, but especially in this case my love for things fantastical and dramatic and provocative of the imagination is fuelled in no small way by this album. Is the music too much, too big? Bah, who knows, who cares. I absolutely love every track on Imaginaerum (except perhaps one...) and each song has a different reason for why I love it, so I think for the first time ever I'll do a song-by-song analysis/review/thingy with some overall album impressions at the end. My earlier review of 'Storytime' showed I had very high hopes for this album (especially after my disappointment with Within Temptation's latest!) and I am so glad to say those hopes were exceeded. I wanted a sweeping orchestral sound with a solid metal base, just something listenable that I can rock out to - I got that in a variety of forms all pulled together with some great lyrics. I could not be more pleased with this album, it's just what I was in the mood for. And that's enough of my lavish praise, onto the songs.

1. Taikatalvi -  This song is a perfect introduction to the album. The music-box beginning, the slow, deep male vocals, the use of Finnish (gives it an old-world fairytale feeling), the low flute towards the end (I love a low flute, haha) and the tie-in to Storytime...the song creates a good feeling of anticipation by hinting at what lies ahead without spoiling the surprise. 
2. Storytime - I think I said enough about this song here. Again, I'm sucker for the theme of the lyrics, especially the Alice and Peter Pan references.
3. Ghost River - On first listen, I immediately though 'Eh, this is going to be one of those songs I don't like...oh no what if the rest of the album is like this?!' but I squashed that feeling of panic and gave the song a chance. Now it's one of my favourite tracks. I am in love with Marco's voice. I liked Annette's first verse, however I'm not so much a fan of the aggressive male singing (which is why I thought I wouldn't like this track). I did come to like the pull and tug between their two characters, even so. The chorus of this song is why I love this song, it's so darn catchy. I catch myself walking around the house, mumbling 'He will go down, he will drown, drown, deeper down, the river wild will take your only child' which is somewhat sinister out of context, yes, but I can't help it. A few songs on this album feature quite a bit of repetition; this is one of them. I don't mind it because I love that sort of build that repetition done well, as in this song, can create. There's variation of instrumentation, Annette's backing vocals and some use of a children's choir that keeps the repetition from sounding...well, repetitive.
4. Slow, Love, Slow - Anyone familiar with Nightwish's signature sound will likely be a little surprised by this jazzy track, but will probably love it. I think it's a great thing, something different, a change in pace, a good example of all the different  styles and sounds to be found on this able. Yet it doesn't seem out of place, it fits very well with the rest of the album. Annette is a talented singer; her ability to sing in different styles is showcased on this album (consider the differences between this track, Scaretale, Storytime and the beginning of I Want My Tears Back). I like the transformation this song undergoes, starting off as a melancholic, jazz-era reminiscent song but slowly growing into something more sinister. 
5. I Want My Tears Back - I absolutely adore this track. That line, 'I want my tears back' may be a little sappy but it captures a sentiment perfectly. I love the lyrics and the bittersweet feeling they invoke, I love the intertwinning of Annette and Marco's voices (I think this song really shows off Marco well) and I love the overall melody and instrumentation. Obviously, I love everything about this song. It exemplifies everything I like about this genre of music. 
6. Scaretale - There are two songs on this album that I like slightly less than the rest of the songs; this is one of them. It's just a little aggressive (?) for my style. What I like about it, though, is that it really shows you how versatile Annette's voice can be. As well, I watched a video where Tuomas described what each song is about and he said that 'Scaretale' is about nightmares he used to have as a child and I think the song is very good at capturing that vibe. Which, perhaps, may be why I don't like it quite as much as the others! Haha.
7. Arabesque - A lovely short instrumental piece with Middle Eastern influences. I love the rhythm of this song, I always imagine a dancer performing her heart out to this track.
8. Turn Loose the Mermaids - This is the essential proper ballad track on this album and can you take a guess how I feel about it? :P Yup, I love it. It tells such a simple and lovely story and, like many of the tracks on this album, I get completely swept away in the chorus and the rhythmic beat towards the end.
9. Rest Calm - This is definitely one of my favourite tracks on the album. It has such a powerful build and once again showcase's Marco's talent. I feel like I can't say much more about this song without repeating everything I've said about other songs, but I really do love this and it's very moving for me. The lyrics are simple and pure, beautiful.
10. The Crow, the Owl and the Dove - My least favourite track on the album, but that's not really saying much. It's a nice enough song with a nice sentiment but 'nice' is probably the only word I would use to describe it. Also, Marco, so it's very nice :P
11. Last Ride of the Day - A good, classic, rocking out metal tune. Catchy chorus, as always. One of the two tracks that didn't really mean a lot to me, but it's still great to listen and head bang to.
12. Song of Myself - What a great cap off to an epic album. A song of me, a song in need of a courageous symphony. I feel like this would be fantastic live, I love singing along in my car. The six minutes of spoken word at the end was different and creative and really tied things together.
13. Imaginaerum - Tuomas said this track was created for the ending credits of the movie and I feel it's very appropriate. It has that sweeping drama and blends the main melodies from the album quite well. I get caught up even just in this song

Essentially, this is an album that makes it incredibly easy for me to get swept away. The drama, the lyrics, the vocals, the instrumentation, the story being told - it's like this was written for me to enjoy. I've just reread some of my descriptions of each track and it sounds like I'm just over-the-top gushing and repeating myself, but this album really does mean a lot to me and I adore it. It's just what I need.

Some Songs

'Storytime' by Nightwish

'Get Some' by Lykke Li

'Cough Syrup' by Young the Giant

'Colours' by Grouplove

One of these things is not like the others...haha. The Nightwish song is their first single from the upcoming Imaginaerum. I've been excited for the album since I had first heard about it, but after hearing this track, I am totally psyched. After the disappointment that was Within Temptation's latest album, I finally have a symphonic metal album to look forward to. I love the percussion and bass on 'Storytime', Annette's vocals (of course!) and the lyrics. References to Peter Pan? I'm hooked. I think this track perfectly embodies what symphonic metal should mean. I could, and have, listen to it over and over again. It makes me want to sing along while jumping up and down, pumping my fist. A perfect balance between dramatic epicness (using the technical terms here...) and musicality. I am optimistically confident that the rest of the album will be just as impressive. Purchase the single or preorder the album here. [I wrote this before the album was out but am publishing after the album's released...go buy it!!......or torrent it if you're in North America like me :(]





The last three songs are all songs that I've enjoyed hearing on the XM for the past six months or so and decided to purchase. I put them together in a mini-playlist (along with '99 Problems') and just listen to thing on loop. '99 Problems' and 'Get Some' are so, so catchy, they always make me want to dance and sing along. 'Cough Syrup' and 'Colours' are almost more like anthems for me. I love the chorus in 'Cough Syurp' and the use of repetition on 'Colours'. I like the songs' 'messages', if you can call it that, and I love to crank them up in the car. All these songs are clean, catchy songs I can easily get caught up in, which is why I like to listen to them all together. This playlist got me through the last week of school where I was working non-stop to finish 12 page papers! The chorus from 'Cough Syrup':

If I could find a way to see this straight

I'd run away

to some fortune that

I should have found by now

And so I run back to the things they say could restore me,

Restore life the way it should be

I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down

Michael Pollan - In Defense of Food

 Author: Michael Pollan

Title: In Defense of Food

Published: January 1 2008

Publisher: Penguin Press

Length: 201 pages

Genre: Non-fiction

Why I picked it up: Interested in Pollan's writing
Rating: 3.5 stars
Challenges: Foodie's | 100+  

Buy: IndieBound | Chapters | Check your local bookstore!

This is the follow-up book to The Omnivore's Dilemma. While The Omnivore's Dilemma examined where our food can and does come from, In Defense of Food presents Pollan's opinion on what food we should consume. More precisely, he proposes various rules that might serve as guides when deciding what to eat.

I liked a lot of what this book had to say. It fits with my own developing philosophy towards eating, notably 'eat food.' I found his arguments about reductionist nutritionism (which focuses on isolating a nutrient and determining how much of a nutrient should be consumer rather than how much of a food should be consumed, but it is impossible to totally isolate a nutrient and its effects [says Pollan]) and I would love to whole-heartedly agree with everything he says, but I have to remember to have some caution, as this is a single person's opinion I'm reading. As Pollan writes, 'Are we better off now with these new authorities telling us how to eat than we were with the traditional authorities they supplanted?' I don't think so, but then, I'm not a scientist. He suggests food is a good example of something that is greater than the sum of its part. Given the history of food, and how we've survived thousands and thousands of years without the science behind it, I'm inclined to think that's true, but I need to remind myself that I don't really know or understand any of the science behind food so I have to be careful not to get too caught in my what I wish to believe, I'm no scientist and can't just take mine and Pollan's beliefs as true because I want them to be true.

Even so, I can see no harm in the rules he proposes. I already unconsciously follow a lot of them and it was interesting to read some rationale for why I make the choices I do. He writes of eating food your great-grandmother would recognize as food. One example that I found striking was bread. He describes a brand of bread with 36 ingredients, many of them made necessary by the industrialization of food production. If I buy my favourite kind of bread from the local bakery, it has five ingredients (flour, water, rye sour, sea salt and ascorbic acid, I checked) - just what bread really needs. I like to eat food that's actually food. Another important aspect of his argument is that good food is totally worth it; that is one point I can entirely agree with. Pay $4 more for organic locally grown produce? Hell yeah, I will. There are a lot of people who can afford to eat ethically produced food (if I may use a loaded term for a moment...) but don't. I don't want to be one of those people. I'm willing to invest in what I eat. Food is a major aspect of my life, whether I want it to be or not, and it has major implications for the environment. I'll pay a little more to get the right thing.

In summary, Pollan presents some interesting ideas regarding the current Western way of choosing what to eat based on specific nutrients. It's probably best to take his criticisms of nutritionism with a grain of salt, but I can't see any reason why not to take up his suggestions of 'food rules'. While I'm not particularly interested in my health (which seems to getting along fine without any special help from me...), I am interested in the philosophical and environmental aspects of food, so Pollan's writings are still highly relevant for me. An interesting read with some good ideas to put into practice.