Here's a catch-up post of what I've been reading.
Not Just a Geek
Book review of Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton
When Wesley Crusher was Put on a Bus in The Next Generation, Wil Wheaton, the actor who portrayed him, mostly fell out of the public consciousness. Wheaton struggles to regain a reputation in Hollywood, his new hobby-turned-second-career of writing, and coping with The Wesley part of his past. We learn what it's like to be a struggling actor, child star, stepdad, blogger, and all around geek. Highly recommended for geek-culture enthusiasts and Trekkies, especially anyone who resented Ensign Crusher.
Inspiring Boredom
Book review of Ennui to Go: The Art of Boredom
I've been browsing the bargain section of the bookstore lately. (Pro tip: bargain hardbacks are still typically more expensive than regular paperbacks.) Ennui to Go is in vein with the onslaught of quote and fact books that have flooded the bargain section recently. Most of the book is quotes describing the state of boredom. Many of the quotes attempt to pin down the causes and relievers of boredom. One chapter lists definitions of types of boredom terms. Another chapter lists historical people associated with boredom. If you're interested in psychology (or philosophy), this book has some interesting insights into lack-of-interest.
Book review of 11,002 Things to be Miserable About
Not quite the bargain section, this book came from the check-out line. This is book is exactly what it sounds like. Composed as a stream of consciousness list, part of the fun of the book is juxtaposition (the rest is the shock factor). One fun game to play is to come up with compelling reasons why some items might make someone miserable. The extremely disappointing thing is that the editors failed to catch several repeating items, some on facing pages of each other. Also, this book is not recommended for children or those suffering depression. Highly recommended for those with macabre humors.
Here are a few examples that particularly resonated with me (from throughout the book): spam, calculus, artificial grape flavoring, being awake at 4 am, nonrecyclables in the recycle bins, vending machines that steal your money, the macarena, militant vegetarians, actors, unexamined lives, American attention spans, evolutionary explanations of love, Shakespeare translated into modern English, manual labor, daytime tv, bureaucracy, divas, work on Sundays, middle school band concerts, bad movie adaptations of good books, freezing rain, trying to sleep on a train, prequels, construction, Antigone, unpaid internships, charging for checked baggage, facebook apps, blinking in photos, books you can't finish, broken flip-flops, LA traffic, infomercials.....
