The faster I go, the behinder I get...........

Okay, okay. I realize that it's been way too long since I posted. Between work, reading obligations, fun, and housework, this blog always seems to be the last to get any attention. Siggggghhhhhhhh.

I've been kept busy reading for the 2014 Maine Readers' Choice Award. This year we divided into five teams and read about 25 books per team. That's a lot of reading. Our team was great!  Thank you, Sally Leahey, Renee DesRoberts, and Monica Wood.  We worked well together (aided by a glass of wine or two...and chocolate, of course!) and had some fun yet serious discussions. It was a very unique book discussion group.  Of the books that our team (affectionately known as "The T-ettes") read we recommended Colum McCann's TransAtlantic and Visitation Street by Ivy Pochada for the semi-finalist list. They are both excellent reads.  McCann's novel is wonderful history-based story that spans the 1860's to the late 1990's with great historical figures playing prominent roles in the story.  Pochada set her nove in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood and the location is a prominent character in the story.  I'm very proud that we recommended these two.  There were other great literary novels on our list, too; but, we felt that these excellently written books would have broad appeal to all readers.

In the midst of all the "required" (read that as really being "privileged") reading, I did manage to finish a couple of other books, too., including Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts.  As a YA read, three teenagers find themselves dealing with issues of family, friendship, loss, and love as all await the arrival of a possible world-ending asteroid.  While the looming destruction takes a back seat to the immediate concerns of the teens, it's a great backdrop that moves the story along.  This is a well-written book of YA angst. The characters and their issues are not out of the ordinary, but the asteroid threat gives the novel the twist that it needs to make it successful. I'd recommend it to all teens, especially for a book discussion group.  Adults should take notice, too. (An advance readers copy was provided by the publisher.)

I am trying to discipline myself to listen to an audio book on my commute home.  It all depends on the mood and my ability to pay attention late in the day.  I had heard good buzz about The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian. It neither wowed nor disappointed. I was impressed by how up-to-date their time frame was - well into 2013.  I think I expected more analysis, though.  At times it seemed that it was a mere recitation of bad behavior that was dealt with in ways that you might expect when you're talking about big-time college football programs and stars. The focus of the book seemed to be Mike Leach and his journey through the college coaching ranks. Others are examined (Nick Sabin among them) and their stories are very interesting.  A number of football programs are put under the microscope (Notre Dame included) and some of the reporting is eye-opening, especially with regard to how some schools have bought their way into national prominence.  It was worth the time invested.  It kept my attention without distracting from my driving. It actually made me think about my affection for and interest in college sports.

There are a few more that deserve reviews here, but it's time for more MRCA reading and maybe a little housework..........then it's back to the stacks:

After Life........

Here is the promised follow up to my original post about this book. I finished it last week and I still don't know what I think of it.  It continues to get rave reviews but overall it left me somewhat disenchanted.  I greatly admire Atkinson's writing and the concept of the story but it was just so hard to listen to parts of the story over and over again.  At times it was a case of "enough already!"  The stories within the stories were often based on occurrences that you were already entirely familiar with.  There was just a small twist to the section that brought about a different ending. It got more than a bit tedious toward the end.

The author does attempt to tie things together in the final chapter.  She hints at a reason for there being a "life after life" but there's no real resolution.  Can you say "reincarnation?" Can you really rely on that final chapter?  Can you pick your own ending? 

In reading over my reaction to the book, I feel like I tried as hard as I could to love this book, like so many others. I just couldn't.  Am I glad I finished it?  You bet.  Will I read another Atkinson novel?  You bet. Will it be on a lot of "best of 2013" lists?  You bet.

Double DUH!

Okay, it's been a long time since I've written a good old fashioned rant here.  Just within the last couple of days, I've come across some really stupid corporate moves.  Here goes.........

I left my job with the State of Maine at the end of June.  I was eligible for COBRA benefits, which I thought I was going to need.  Much to my delight I was covered by my new library's policy after just a week.  Thank goodness.  Why?  Because I just received a letter from the State, dated August 22nd, about picking up COBRA.  Well, that's a little late, ain't it?  Hello.........almost two months have gone by.  Oh, and the best part???!!!???  I had to respond by JULY 15th to prevent my benefits from being dropped.  (I will be honest and say that if I had really needed the coverage, I would have been on the phone bugging them about it long before the 22nd of August.) No wonder bureaucracies and bureaucrats get such a bad rep. DUH.

Ineptitude is not limited to state agencies.  We got a call a couple of weeks ago from Downeast Energy, who has been our oil/propane company for several years.  They wanted to know if we had gotten our quote for this year's contract.  I called them back on the 22nd (was there something in the water that day???? See above.) and they said they would send something along.  They never said when and they never gave any sense of urgency to the request.  I picked up the mail on the 24th and there wasn't anything from them.  I didn't pick up the mail again until the 29th and there is a letter with our quote telling us that the offer was only good for TWO days.  Um, it took longer than that for the letter to get to us and I had no need to pick up the mail between then and Thursday.  I called the company and they told me that they would probably honor the price (the CSA said that prices are changing every day....) if I mailed them a check right away, which I did.  If an offer is only good for TWO days, don't ya think ya should tell people when you're on the phone with them?!?!  DUH!