On the last day of 2009, here’s a recap of what’s been happening in the April 1st Project over the past few weeks:
I’ve come across a lot of book lists and recommendations.
The Bolter by Frances Osborne
Dreaming in Hindi by Katherine Russell Rich
On November 30th, the WSJ headline indicated “Obama Sets Plan for Afghanistan.”
On December 10th, Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.
Oprah’s list of 10 books to watch for 2010:
Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America
Unfinished Desires
The Happiness Project
Day Out of Days
Talking About Detective Fiction
Nanny Returns
U is for Undertow
Stones Into Schools
Footnotes in Gaza
Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession
Oprah and I don’t always share the same taste for books, but she’s got some good ones here. I have added The Happiness Project to my library list and also believe that I’ll venture into the last three on the list.
The Guardian in the UK created a list of ‘the decade’s best unread novels,’ which I found interesting and repeat here:
The Spare Room by Helen Garner
The Secrets of the Chess Machine
Don Quixote – Translated by John Rutherford
Mutiny by Lindsey Collen
Barefoot Soldier
War Reporting for Cowards
Born Yesterday by Gordon Burn
Black Juice by Margo Lanagan
Journal by Helene Berr
Boy A by Jonathan Trigell
The Three of Us
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
“The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than its value.” – Charles Dudley Warner
Had a delicious feast with friends on Christmas. Our menu was:
Porcini Mushroom Soup
Beet Salad with Dijon-Honey Dressing
Baked Snapper with Potatoes, Oregano, and White Wine
Roasted Carrots
Brussels Sprouts Sauteed in Butter
Braised Fennel with Lemon
Berry Clafouti
“In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it. They must not do too much of it. And they must have a sense of success in it.” – John Ruskin
Discovered www.vook.com and www.myebook.com. And some great stationery sites: Kate’s Paperie, Jenni Bick Bookbinding, and Vickerey.
I was disturbed this morning by an article in the WSJ about Iran titled “Regime Wages a Quiet War on ‘Star Students’ of Iran” – An excerpt: “In most places, being a star means ranking top of the class, but in Iran it means your name appears on a list of students considered a threat by the intelligence ministry. It also means a partial or complete ban from education.”
I find all the news out of Iran disturbing, but the continued clashes, arrests and violence against people seeking truth, freedom, and democracy is outrageous. They are brave in a way that most of us will never have to be.
On a lighter note, Dan Pink – of whom I’m a fan – has a new book titled “Drive.” In it, he sets out to outline what it is that motivates us. According to Pink (from an interview in the WSJ), he says there are three things that motivate us:
autonomy, the desire to direct our own lives
mastery, the desire to continually improve at something that matters
purpose, the desire to do things in service of something larger than ourselves
autonomy, the desire to direct our own lives
mastery, the desire to continually improve at something that matters
purpose, the desire to do things in service of something larger than ourselves
Whatever motivates you, I hope you find an abundance of it in 2010. I hope that your dreams come true, your goals are realized, and that you remain in good health. Happy New Year.
