Re: What did you think of these?

I got all these at my local library- I rarely buy books unless they're at a thrift store.

Bio of Dr. Seuss: I'm not sure if what you are reading and what I read is the same- there were at least a couple on the shelf. I think mine was "Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel." I enjoyed learning more about him, how his drawings came to be, surprised at some of the things I learned (about his wife committing suicide, that he did editorial cartoons, etc.). I liked it well enough, but nothing to write home about.

The Birth House: I had high hopes for this one- I like to read biographical and fiction work about midwives, but I'm not really sure it was worth the time. Several "flies," as I see you call them.

Brainiac: Enjoyable, lots of interesting trivia (with the answers at the ends of chapters!!). The story of Ken's time on Jeopardy along with exploration into the world of trivia, including Quiz Bowl tournaments and radio/TV trivia shows. Fluffy yes, but I'd read it again. I had a desire at one point to be on our high school trivia team, but they were national champions and I knew I wouldn't cut it.

Born on a Blue Day: I picked it b/c I had read a YA fic book (A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass) on synesthesia that I had enjoyed. This was a good read- amazing what the human mind can do, especially in spite of/because of (in this case both) a "problem." I think experiencing synesthesia would be mind-bending and way cool. I wonder if it could be induced, based on some experiments I've heard about helping people who have lost their vision"see" with their tongue, etc..

Not Buying It: Diary format record of a year in which a New England woman and her male partner voluntarily forgo non-essential purchases (including dining out, movies, gifts) and the problems/realizations that come with it. Very liberal views, but some good questions to ask yourself.

Stealing Buddha's Dinner: Reflections of a Vietnamese girl (came to America with her family as a toddler) on her formative years, with food being the central theme. The book tells the story of family and growing up and cultural clashing being inextricably bound up with food. Well done and interesting, but not as pleasurable as.........................

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: My favorite of this whole list you asked about- one of my favorites for the year. One that provokes me to think about my current life style and to want to change. Well though out, well written, makes me want to move to Appalachia.

A Perfect Mess: Some parts I just felt like I was slogging through, others were breezy. The whole idea is that mess (disorder, not dirtiness) is not an inherently bad thing- in fact, some things work better in more disorder than we think we should allow. The case is made in everything from Bach's music to penicillin to bookstores and more. Some ideas should have been explored more, some things seemed like maybe the authors just thought up themselves and put it b/c it sounded good and they needed filler, but some parts were quite intriguing.

Hope this helps! Lynness