No Great Mischief

by Alistair MacLeod

{ 2000 | W.W. Norton & Company | 288 pgs }

I must have read this late at night, because my memory of it seems very surreal and dreamlike. MacLeod’s novel is about a the generations of a Scottish clan living in Canada, though it centers on the family of its narrator, Alexander MacDonald. The writing is well-done, seamlessly combining references to the clan’s past in Scotland and Canada with the narrator’s own memories and experiences. However, the book was a little bit hard for me to get into, and in parts it seemed like I had missed some important element of the plot from earlier. When I finished reading, I felt detached, both from the story and from my own life.

I’d be interested to hear what you thought – so if you haven’t read it yet, get to it!

Torts Stories

Yes, I read one of the Romgi’s law school texts. Before he did. Because I wanted to.

Am I really that weird?

Wow…

But it was an interesting book!

Ok, I am pretty weird.

Torts Stories discusses 10 different landmark torts cases, as well as why they’re considered landmark. (If you’re wondering, torts are cases where [this is me paraphrasing the Romgi] “one person is to blame for what happened to another person” – although the people can be companies. Torts are always civil cases. Everything on Judge Judy is a tort.)

How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World

by Jordan Christy

{ 2009 | Center Street | 208 pgs }

I won a copy of this book from a giveaway on someone’s blog. It sounded interesting: being classy instead of trashy, and examining why people like Paris Hilton capture the media’s attention.

Christy definitely makes some valid points. Better to be somewhat in the background as a well-dressed woman than splashed on the front page for not wearing underwear. Being poised and articulate will help you appear classy. Don’t let your guard down on social networking sites; potential employers won’t be impressed by your spring break pictures. Modesty = great.

Aside from the fact that, at least for me, these are no-brainers, Christy spends an inordinate amount of time giving fashion tips. She offers several quizzes to help you determine your fashion style, then fills pages with suggestions on what stores to shop at depending on your style. Ditto for makeup. Frankly, even though I got the book for free, I didn’t spend time reading it just to hear that Nordstrom’s has good clothes. The idea of emulating Audrey Hepburn for her grace quickly devolved into an issue of Elle or Vogue.

Pass on this one.