A Guest Review: The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald, reviewed by Boomer

It is once again my great pleasure to be a guest blogger on El Estante Para Libros. :)

The Great Brain is a short book about the adventures of a boy named John growing up in Utah and his very intelligent and gifted but slightly unscrupulous older brother Tom. Fitzgerald paints John and Tom's stories of growing up against the backdrop of life in a rural and predominantly Mormon town. As The Great Brain, Tom uses his brain for the benefit of others, but usually also to make a profit. The story is told from John's point of view and illustrates both Tom's experience of exploring boyhood as well as John's more simplistic and honest take on events.

I found the book very wholesome and amusing and I found the characters and setting very restful to read. If you were a fond of mystery books growing up such as Encyclopedia Brown and T.A.C.K. then you will definitely enjoy The Great Brain. I'm looking forward to reading more books in Fitzgerald's Great Brain series.

It's Finals Week!

I have two term papers due next week. This is a cartoon I found while avoiding working on them. =D

The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

In high school, I wouldn't have described myself as driven (and I still wouldn't). I worked hard enough to get into the university that I wanted to go to. In college, I wasn't that driven either. I chose a major that I loved to study but I didn't have any grand aspirations for how I would use it after graduation. And in graduate school, well, I'm taking an extra year to finish the program.

I want to do well in whatever I do...and this applies to graduate school and training for this profession, but it also applies to taking care of myself and being fully present to my family and friends and to life. It also helps that I don't like to be busy. I'm not in a rush to get anywhere fast (maybe this also explains why I drive the speed limit!). I like to enjoy the journey and I like to get at least eight hours of sleep every night.

So all that to say that reading about overachieving high school juniors and seniors made me stressed out! This book follows a handful of high school students at a competitive high school back east. Stress mania! It's quite crazy what kids do these days to get into college. The students come to life throughout the book and I enjoyed getting to know them and wanted the best for them. There are, however, random essays interspersed (like on competition to get into pre-school) that interrupted the flow of the book.

I was very aware that this high school seemed quite affluent, where students have the opportunities to participate in every kind of extracurricular activity available and have additional resources to help them out (like tutors, college application coaches, private lessons, etc.). Most of them also had the financial means to attend any university, private or public, that they were accepted to. Not all of us have that chance.

So, an interesting and pretty fast read. However, I do recommend, based on my experience, to not read it during Finals week. It kinda stressed me out more than I already am. =D

The Whole World Over by Julia Glass

This is the story of Greenie who lives with her therapist husband, Alan, and young son, George, in New York City. She owns a bakery and is recruited by the governor of New Mexico to become his personal chef. Dissatisfied with the stagnant state of her marriage, Greenie moves out to New Mexico with her son. The book goes back and forth between Alan and Greenie, plus a handful of other quirky characters, who all end up being kind of connected.

I was quite captured by this book. Mostly for the writing. I did enjoy some of the characters too. However, I can tell how much I like a book by whether or not I want to keep it or pass it on for someone else to read. This is not a book that I need to have in my personal library. So there you have it. It's a nice read, but not a book that I foresee myself re-reading again.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

By the way, thanks for all of your condolences about Mimi. I miss her and am adjusting to life without her. It's amazing how empty the house feels without that little cat walking around.

Not much to say about Northanger Abbey. I read it because I have not yet read all of Jane Austen's books. Northanger Abbey was pleasant enough, but without the complexity and richness of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. There are those lines though that make me appreciate how accurately Austen describes emotions.

Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert A. Emmons

A book written about how gratitude can positively affect our health and attitude. This falls under the umbrella of "positive psychology" which focuses on how we can promote health (as opposed to focusing on treating disorders). The author, a professor at UC Davis, goes through scientific research on gratitude along with various philosophical, literary, and religious views on the topic as well. An inspiring book to read for the new year. The last chapter includes ten suggestions on how to move towards cultivating a more grateful attitude.

Answering God: The Psalms As Tools For Prayer by Eugene Peterson

"Whoever has begun to pray the Psalter seriously and regularly will soon give a vacation to other little devotional prayers and say: 'Ah, there is not the juice, the strength, the passion, the fire, which I find in the Psalter.'"
-Martin Luther


Several years ago, a friend of mine encouraged me to consider memorizing chapters of Psalms and using them during prayer. This discipline has probably been one of the most influential in my prayer life since then.

Memorizing Psalms connects me with generations of Christians who have prayed the same prayers and with the psalmists who originally wrote down their pleas and praises to God. Repeating these prayers directs me to the truth of who God is and who He has been and who He will be forever. Sure, I still list my complaints and anxieties, but once I start praying the Psalms, I am reminded of who I am praying to and who is listening to me. I am then free to respond and rest in God.

This book is a guide for using the Psalms in prayer. It is rich and deep and very helpful. Some quotes:

"But the Psalms were not prayed by people trying to understand themselves. They are not the record of people searching for the meaning of life. They were prayed by people who understood that God had everything to do with them. God, not their feelings, was the center. God, not their souls, was the issue. God, not the meaning of life, was critical. Feelings, souls, and meaning were not excluded - they are very much in evidence - but they are not the reason for the prayers. Human experiences might provoke the prayers, but they do not condition them as prayers" (Peterson, 14).

"All prayer, pursued far enough, becomes praise. Any prayer, no matter how desperate its origin, no matter how angry and fearful the experiences it traverses, ends up in praise. It does not always get there quickly or easily - the trip can take a lifetime - but the end is always praise" (Peterson, 122).