TOW #16 I am a Stranger Here Myself

I really, really liked this book. First off, it was hilarious. Although, I’m pretty sure most things Bill Bryson writes are indeed hilarious. He is just a funny guy. I’ll have to read more of his stuff in the future, I like the style of his writing. Although, that may have just been because it was not exactly a book. It was more a compilation of newspaper articles. I thought that was super cool (I have a big interest in journalism, and therefore this especially appealed to me).

The biggest appeal to the book, besides the intriguing style with which it was put together, was definitely the anecdotes that came along with Mr. Bill Bryson’s journey. Not only is Mr. Bryson hilarious himself, his life, or maybe it’s simply the way he describes it, is also laugh worthy. And I’m not talking about a simple chuckle or “lol”. I mean actual laugh out loud, laugh till it hurts laughing. I don’t usually laugh at books, but here with this book I (apparently) made an exception. I’d love to meet Bryson some day. He turns even the simplest of events into a chaotic disaster, or a hilarious turn of events. 

In addition, Bryson keeps it light, as it should be. The light writing, shown by Bryson’s short sentence structure and to the point word choice. This may have been due to the newspaper style structure, but it kept the book very fun to read. It never dragged on or became boring. IN addition, it was easy to put down and come back to after a long break. This was also in part due to the singularity that comes with the newspaper structure; the chapters were written singularly, so they can be read as such. This doesn’t exempt readers from binge-reading though. Bill Bryson really can hook you in, without you even noticing.

Tow #15 (ish?) When A Food Writer Can't Taste by Marlena Spieler

Everyone loves food. Or at least, I do. I love to cook and bake, and I have many kitchen accident stories to prove it. In fact, my skin is now partially blue because of my cooking skills, but that's a different story. The one that I've just read is much more horrifying. A woman who devoted her life and career to food (which sounds AMAZING, I think I need to re-evaluate my career and life plans) suddenly found herself in a horrific accident. This accident was not just traumatic, it was life altering. Luckily, Ms. Spieler survived the accident. However, her taste buds, and her memory of what food tastes like, were gone. I’m sure for ANY person, this would be a terrible accident. However, for this woman, a food blogger, it was one of the worst things that could happen.  Through this article, she wishes to express her pain, but also how she accomplishes her life. Little by little she works on her self. She has good days, and she has bad days. It’s an important lesson (what can’t you learn from food?) and her use of imagery helps express that. She states, “Tamales were as bland as porridge. Bananas tasted like parsnips and smelled like nail polish remover. It got no better as days went by. Gently sautéed mushrooms seemed like scorched bits of sponge. Red wine was just flat and sweet or unremittingly bitter.” Because of the imagery and raw description of what the author goes through all the time, readers can put themselves in her shoes, immerse themselves in the story. When she explains her story, we can relate. We remember the taste of chocolate, it’s rich velvety feel, and we taste the hot acrid mush that our author describes. The stark difference lets us feel sympathy and relate, and that is exactly what our author needs.

TOW #14 Revisiting Resolutions, 10 Years Later by Abby Rabinowitz

Originally, I had planned on doing a very dry, very boring story for my TOW. However, while procrastinating said assignment, I came across this article on Buzzfeed. It relates to the new year, and it was fun. So without further ado....

At the age of 24, feeling down on herself for not doing as many great things as she hoped, Abby Rabinowitz made a list. The list represented the things that she hoped to be and do within six months. The list, if looking at it from the six month standpoint, is INSANE, but the author provides a more realistic view by offering a ten year reflection. 

The list, with it’s demanding requests (19. Learn French; become fluent in. 20. Learn Spanish; become fluent in.) is the most important aspect of the article. It shows not only how a woman imagined her life being so much different than it is, but also the ability to dream outlandishly that we often lose later in life. I believe that there is a saying, “shoot for the moon, because if you fall you will still be among the stars.” (or something like that, maybe I made it up?) Anyway, this quote, real or not, is exactly what the author is trying to explain. Though she may not have kept in touch with everyone she met at 24, she does now have a fulfilling writing career and published article. Most of all, she is ahppy. Throughout the story, Rabinowitz shows that despite not keeping up with these outlandish requests of a young 24 year old, she is perfectly happy, and probably better off. There is an important lesson to be taken from this article, and it is not to take yourself so seriously. If you set incredibly difficult goals for yourself and focus only on them, when you inevitably fail at something, you will feel worthless. Instead, take life for what it is, and great things will come to you. Also remember that great things take time, what you want to accomplish in 6 months may take 10 years, but hey, you still accomplished it.

In case you want to read the article (WHICH I RECOMMEND) here it is: http://www.buzzfeed.com/abbyrab/revisiting-resolutions-10-years-later