Thoughts About Books

There are just certain books I will never want to read. When it comes to reading books some people gush about, I usually only read a volume if the topic is of interest to me, but I decided to share a few books people are talking about at the moment.

This is just my take, but I was never a big fan of the Da Vinci Code. Actually, I have no interest in reading that volume, but if you are a Dan Brown fan you might want to check out his new book The Lost Symbol. Personally, I would rather read something slightly different, but Dan Brown's books continue to be popular.

Many people seemed to have a lot of animosity towards Ted Kennedy, especially with the offensive Bury Obama with Ted Kennedy signs people carried at many rallies. Kennedy will be the first one to admit he made mistakes in his personal life, but that does not negate from all the great achievements he made as a US senator.

Kennedy was a liberal Democrat that believed in bi-partisanship and he helped to pass the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, which was a landmark piece of legislation that ensured a disabled person could take public transportation with safety and ease. This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but if you ride the bus on a daily basis you will understand it really is. Many disabled people who take the bus happen to be veterans, so Kennedy actually did a great thing in helping to pass this legislation. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 also helped to bring in the end to school and workplace discrimination against people with disabilities. Just because a student is physically handicapped does not mean they should have to be bussed to a special classroom far away from their city. Now many schools have classrooms locally that are .

Kennedy was a proponent of adequate and universal health care. His family had been touched by many tragedies, so he always spoke of at length of how he would like to see everyone have access to the great health care he had the luxury of having. If Kennedy had survived brain cancer some say the tone of the health care debate may have been quite different considering he had a way of smoothing out differences between the two sides.

I definitely look forward to reading Kennedy's autobiography True Compass: A Memoir, and I would also recommend the HBO documentary Teddy Kennedy: In His Own Words. I had the chance to watch it on HBO video on demand shortly before he passed away. All I can say is whether you admired or could not stand the man he did make some great contributions to American legislation, and you have to admire him for that at least.

I heard people who read Shanghai Girls also enjoyed The Help, so I now I want to read this novel. The Help is a fictional story about a young writer that interviews African-American maids that are entrusted with raising the children of wealthy Caucasian women. This is an expose type of novel of an era in the not so distant past when maids were not always treated well, which is ties in well with other issues going on during the Civil Rights Movement when this novel is set. There is also a movie based on the book, so you can watch that after reading this novel. The movies is pretty entertaining, especially the pie episode. I hear that is also in the book.

So many famous people have passed away such as Ted Kennedy, Farah Faucet, Michael Jackson, and one of my favorite actors, Patrick Swayze. Before he passed away he wrote a memoir called The Time of My Life, and I want to read it since I came to enjoy his movies after their heyday. Those around Swayze also spoke of what a truly kind man he really was, and I will always remember him from Dirty Dancing! I never watched this movie until 1998, but I have been enamored with it since. His dance moves were fun, he was cute, and who could forego the charm of Swayze. Swayze is one of those Hollywood types that actually had a lasting relationship and marriage, so you have to admire the man for that. I did not know he had written a memoir, but now I want to check it out.

Do you have kids? If so, you might want to check out the Jeff Kinney series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This volume is wildly popular with elementary aged kids, and parents always seem to scrambling to buy Kinney books. I have never read any of these books, but apparently the main character Greg Heffley likes to play video games, and he is someone kids can identify with. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a must have for those with young kids that enjoy this series. The good part about buying your kids a book they enjoy is how they will not be interrupting you as you read yours. Also, ordering books for both of you to read at the same time is a great way to model literacy.