Entries Tagged 'What I’m reading' ↓

While at my parents recently I ran out of things to read and found something rather interesting amongst their James Heriot and Dick Francis books … actually a book I gave my mother … Vroom with a View by Peter Moore.

It’s about a guy who for his 40th birthday wants to drive a 40 year old Vespa around Italy – given to my mother to so she could read about wonderful countries on the other side of the world that they’re yet to visit. It’s turning out to be a great read given that I’ve been to half the places he references in the book. I’m not sure whether he speaks Italian or not as he seems to get stuck in the most remote places needing to get the Vespa fixed and the locals are always very helpful.

While not in the car listening to the last CD in the Broker series, I quickly ploughed through Fish – one of those inspirational pep-up-your-team books given out to our Group by our manager at a recent team building session. It’s a short, easy read, the first of four in a series. The basic premise is that if fishmongers working in a market under constant srutiny from the public can love their jobs and are happy at work all day, then anyone can love their job, no matter who they are, where they work, or what their job is. Interesting ‘easy’ story to introduce some basic work place cultures rather than a ‘to do’ list. Haven’t noticed any effects yet …

This time I’m listening to a book, not reading it. After my solo car trips listening to National Radio I thought perhaps a talking book would be a good way to pass the time for 7 hours. And it’s brilliant! The guy just reads on and on for 5 CDs. The time does fly by. The story (by John Grisham) is essentially about a lawyer/broker who the CIA believes has military secrets, and is also in jail on fraud and suspected murder charges, so they have conned an unpopular outgoing president into pardoning the guy and hiding him in Italy. Under the secret watchful eye of the CIA of course. The guy is trying to become Italian, learning the culture, food, language. The narrator doesn’t do a whole lot to put on different voices but he puts on a slight Italian accent and uses a softer voice to represent female characters. His Italian pronunciation seems pretty good too. I’m actually only 4.5 CDs through and it’s terribly tempting to go and sit in the car and listen to it until it’s finished – although I’m sure my family wants to see as much as they can of their honoured guest! I’ve missed a couple of character connections because I’m one of those drivers who’s main focus is on driving despite what’s going on in the car – I’d say that others more easily distracted would overtake with less care, miss turn-offs and speed restrictions etc.

Another great read from Sarah-Late Lynch. A main theme of this book, as with the other one I read (By Bread Alone) was food. This time a very successful food critic had her world turned upside down when she suffered and brain trauma, and woke up after being in a coma for 3 weeks not remembering the past 3 years. And worst of all, not being able to taste anything. Descriptions of restaurants and dishes in both Venice and New York including a directory of the restaurants Sarah-Kate visited during her time writing the book with a small review of each which was interesting.

Yep – but perhaps not as many as Emma in Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret? which I just finished – read it in 5 days – and held down a 40+ hour/week job as well! Great read, very funny and not entirely predictable. I know it’s all fictional but interesting to compare you own secrets (if you’re a girl) to hers – she had things like: she hates the g-string her partner bought her but still wears it, tells everyone she’s a size 12, broke her boss’s coffee mug, photocopied her bum and pinned it (anonymously) on the board at work, has a Barbie bed cover, loves sweet sherry … I know, I know – utter trash but I enjoyed it!

On to New Zealand’s very own Sarah-Kate Lynch again now.

After enjoying the first David Baldacci novel I’d read (Hour Game) I thought I would try another – Saving Faith. It took me ages to get into it, struggling through the three threads that were being brought together – CIA hired hitmen, lobbyists and the FBI – I couldn’t figure out who were the bad guys and who were the good. About two thirds of the way in it became clear and just took off. I really loved the first one I read and it was a shame this one didn’t fly for me.

Now I’m back onto girlie trash – Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep A Secret? – not part of the shopaholic series but just as good.

Thought I’d try out a new stream of rambling about what I’m reading. Although it may prove to be more revealing than a blog!

Right now I’m onto the latest Patricia Cornwell – Trace. It’s the 13th in her Dr. Scarpetta medical examiner series, I’ve read all the others in order and over the last few years Cornwell has been my all time favourite author.

Before starting my current book, I spent time over 3 weeks devouring Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series. I’d never heard of them and was lent the books so I read all four in the series in a row! I was addicted. Absolutely marvellous trash about a woman with a credit card who just can’t stop herself from shopping. Hope there’s a 5th coming soon …

I have just finished Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code after being one of the last people I know to read it. I don’t know that I enjoyed it as much as other people seem to have … oh no, it’s The English Patient experience all over again. A movie that people raved and raved about and I was left wondering what all the fuss was about! For years I was too scared to admit it though – its only recently that I have been brave enough to voice this opinion. The Da Vinci Code was good, don’t get me wrong, but I read to escape and in the case of a book like this I got wound up in the who-dunnit mystery and action rather than the exploration of what the Holy Grail is and means and the whole spin on Catholicism. So for me, this book was only as good as all the other murder mystery-, forensic science-, district attorney-, medical examiner-based novels I read. Does this make me a shallow person?

My God, I’ve been professionally challenged … my boss has just given me a TEXTBOOK to read. One of two she’s ordered – published by the Harvard Business School Press none-the-less on a strategic tracking system she wants me to adopt in my work. The Balanced Scorecard system (… read all about it http://www.balancedscorecard.org/). I’ve been dabbling in it a bit under her guidance with some reports I’ve done for a Steering Committee I support – using a graphical representation known as ‘dashboard’ to track using red, orange and green which tasks are on schedule and which are behind. I’m kind of excited and kind of scared – this text book is REALLY grown up, with diagrams and graphs and tables and massive overuse of words like strategy, platform, measurement, performance, map, alignment, derive, portfolio.

I hope the expectation is that I will read it on work time and not over Christmas! And fingers crossed for being sent on a course somewhere fantastic!!