Book Review - "The Dinner" by Herman Koch

When is a dinner not a dinner? When it's the scene for a serious conversation between two couples concerning a horrible act of violence two of their teenage sons have committed.

Herman Koch lays out all the courses of fancy meal in his book The Dinner, and with each course the atmosphere gets more tense until tempers finally explode with dessert and coffee. Early on we find out the connection these two couples have, and the ties are closer than just what their sons have done. We see a father trying to understand why his son did what he did, and we also see that same man attempt to come to terms with his own violent tendencies. How much of those tendencies are genetic, and what has he passed on--however unwittingly--to his son? What does his wife think about what the boys did?

I don't want to give away too many details from this tightly plotted, slim book. I will say that some patience is required in the reading. Koch explains his narrator's own history with violence, taking us away from the conversation during dinner about to handle the fall-out, and it may take a few chapters to see how the past connects to the present gruesome act committed by the two boys.

If you enjoy psychology, pick up The Dinner. It's not a thriller and while it does have elements of suspense, it's not really a suspenseful read either. It is a journey into the mind of a man and father as he tries to understand his son and ultimately himself.

Search Trends in 2012

Google and Twitter have released their top searches and topics. (If Yahoo and Bing released theirs, I missed them.) What did you search for and discuss this year?

Twitter: Topics included AT&T, Family Guy, the NFL, IHOP, President Obama's victory tweet, and Whitney Houston.

Google: 

1. Whitney Houston
2. Gangnam Style
3. Hurricane Sandy
4. iPad 3
5. Diablo 3
6. Kate Middleton
7. Olympics 2012
8. Amanda Todd
9. Michael Clarke Duncan
10. BBB12

What Should Children Read?

I came across this opinion article from the New York Times: What Should Children Read? It has to do with the standards for English and literature being written that individual states may adopt. The author raises the question of nonfiction and whether it should have a place in school curricula. She thinks nonfiction has a place in education, especially quality nonfiction, which is sometimes harder to find than quality fiction.

What do you think? Should public schools teach more nonfiction? What titles would you recommend? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

I saw this post recently on Stephen's Lighthouse and liked it so much I'm including it here in its entirety. It's actually a repost from the link shown below. September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, and there are a few days left in which you can visit your local library and see what they have to offer. School has started, projects are underway, and the card and library resources are free. Why not take advantage?

Sixty Ways to Use Your Library Card

http://atyourlibrary.org/sixty-ways-use-your-library-card
Library Card Sign-up Month is a celebration held at the beginning of  the new school year during which librarians across the country remind  parents and caregivers that a library card is the most important school supply of all.

Visit your local library with your children and teens today and sign up for a library card!


A library card is a key resource in achieving academic success, and  the library is the perfect place to spend quality family time together.

Check out these great ways to use your library card and library.
1. Download an e-book.  (Over three-quarters of libraries offer access to e-books. E-book readers are available for check-out at nearly 40 percent of libraries.)
2. Not sure how to download an e-book on your new device? A librarian can show you how. Take a workshop on how to use your e-reader or other gadgets.
3. Use a computer to finish a school project. (Over 62 percent of library outlets report they are the only provider of free public computer and Internet access in their communities.)
4. Use free Wi-Fi. (Almost 91 percent of public library outlets offer wireless Internet access.)
5. Learn the secrets of editing digital photos in a Photoshop class. (More than 90 percent of public libraries now offer formal or informal  technology training.)
6. Learn how to edit your family vacation video.
7. Find love at the library: meet like-minded mates at a library speed dating event (or check out a romance novel).
8. Learn check mate: attend a library game night.
9. Take the kids to a free movie during spring break, or pick up a DVD to watch together at home… or get a movie for free from your library’s website.
10. Attend a family crafts workshop.
11. Attend preschool story hour with your child.
12. Start a parents & teens book club.
13. Ask for a recommended reading list for your kids.
14. Enroll your child in a summer reading program.
15. Save money while spending quality time: plan a family afternoon at place that’s free – the library!
16. Build your young reader’s self esteem by letting her read to a dog at the library.
17. Check out a pass to a city museum.
18. Launch your future: Get free assistance with job searches, resume writing and interviewing tips.
19. Use a library computer to apply for a job online or check out materials to help study for a certification exam. (92.2 percent of libraries offer access to job databases and other online job resources.)
20. Research your term paper.
21. Get help with homework.
22. Get ready for the SAT with online test-prep services.
23. Explore new opportunities and research technical schools, community colleges and universities.
24. Figure out how to pay for college at a free library seminar.
25. Learn about local candidates for office and pick up information on voter registration.
26. Book a meeting room for your club or community organization.
27. Learn about the history of your city or town.
28. Spend an hour with a “living book”; see if your library has a list of local experts who can share their knowledge on different subjects – like knitting, taxes, or training for a triathalon – or simply share a bit about themselves.
29. Get involved – join your library’s Friends group or teen advisory board.
30. Check out your favorite graphic novel.
31.Trek to another planet in a Sci-Fi novel.
32. Research before you buy. Access an online consumer guide on the library’s website.
33. Learn how to manage your money at a free financial planning seminar.
34. Search out tips for building your retirement nest egg.
35. Learn how to write a business plan.
36. Get new ideas for redecorating your house.
37. Hear a local author reading his/her latest novel.
38. …then research WWII espionage…
39. …then find a quiet spot to plug in your laptop and begin your own novel.
40. Use style guides to write a bibliography for your new book.
41. Learn how to self-publish – and market – your new book.
42. Take a cooking class.
43. Learn a new language with books or online language-learning software.
44. Broaden your world by checking out cookbooks of foods from other cultures.
45. Borrow or download an audio book for your next road trip or commute.
46. See a new art exhibit.
47. Volunteer as a literacy tutor.
48. Find a new hobby.
49. Enjoy a concert.
50. …then borrow some sheet music.
51. Use free online tools to research your family tree.
52. Empower yourself through home improvement: check out a book on learning how to fix that leaky faucet.
53. Find a quiet spot, curl up with a good book and enjoy.
54. Take a fitness class.
55. Talk mysteries with people who like mysteries, too, at a library book club.
56. Find the best resources on how to preserve that photo of your great grandmother.
57. Get growing! Check out seeds to plant in your backyard or community garden.
58. Go back in time: use databases or microfiche to access early newspapers or rent a “classic” movie, like “Back to the Future.”
59. Check out books in the bookmobile.
60. Learn new knitting techniques and get new patterns.

Book Review - "What Comes Next" by John Katzenbach

What Comes Next is a disturbing yet fascinating imagining of what goes on online on websites most of us prefer to pretend don't exist. It's hard to read, yet like a traffic accident, it's also hard to look away.

Jennifer Riggins is a sixteen-year-old student who hates her life. At least she thinks she does. She plans to run away, though exactly how and where to are a little fuzzy. As she's on her way to the bus stop, she's snatched by a couple in a white van.

Adrian Thomas is a retired psychology professor who's just received the news that he has a disease worse than Alzheimer's because the decline in mental ability is so much faster. He's pulled into his driveway and is still in his car when he sees Jennifer and the white van. He doesn't actually see her get grabbed, but when she's not there after the van leaves he fears the worst.

Terri Collins is a police officer who's dealt with Jennifer and her family before on the teen's previous attempts to run away, so she gets the call when the girl disappears again. Collins has very few clues to work with, but she does her best.

Jennifer's fate has been appearing online in a series of live webcasts. Viewers from around the world, with varying degrees of perverseness, log on to see what she is doing, what's being done to her, and what will ultimately happen. Can Adrian and Terri find her before it's too late?

This is definitely a novel of suspense, and from a master of the genre according to the review blurbs on the back cover. The premise sounded interesting to me so I picked up the book, but I'm not sure I want to read John Katzenbach's other books if they are as dark as this one. It's a page-turner, yes, but it delves into areas of the mind that I prefer not to explore too often. I recommend it for those who like their suspense on the seedy side. It's not overly graphic or violent, but it does mess with your mind in ways that might keep you up at night.

Article on the Internet and Memory

This isn't exactly a new topic, but I came across this article in the Daily Mail: Google Boggling Our Brains? Study Says Humans Use Internet as Their Main "Memory".

The graphic included provides a good summary.  Do the pros outweigh the cons or vice versa?

I'm curious how many of you have experienced this. How many of you prefer to do a quick Google search instead of remembering some fact? (This gives new meaning to Google's cloud storage GDrive.) Do you prefer to be connected all the time, or do you like some offline time? What would you do if your Internet connection(s) was down indefinitely? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Free Ebooks Online

Project Gutenberg is an oldie but goodie when it comes to finding free ebooks. These books are in the public domain, at least in the US, and can be read online or downloaded. Some may even be compatible with the Kindle. This is a relatively small collection so far at 38,000 titles, but it does offer a wide range of books in languages other than English.

Open Library is another great resource. It's kind of like Wikipedia, where anyone can add a title or fix records already online. So far it has over 1 million books going back to the year 1000 or so. Clicking on a title gets you the publishing history, and you can choose which edition to read online. Again, you might be able to send a copy to your Kindle. This site is part of the Internet Archive project, which is like a massive Library of Congress, trying to preserve everything from websites to video and audio files, music, and texts. The interesting thing is, not everything in the text section of the Internet Archive is fully available in Open Library. The Archive still gives you the option to download books or read them online, so if what you are looking for isn't in Open Library, try the Archive (which has 3.3 million titles).

The Digital Public Library of America says it will "provide a Google-Books-like experience but without the hassles of lawsuits" when it goes live in April 2013. It will try to bring together all those listings of ebooks available online, to be the go-to catalog or national digital library for anyone wanting to download or read online.

Even with Google Books, which scanned and digitized hundreds of thousands of pages without bothering about coypright, you aren't going to be able to read a current, popular ebook for free, though you may find a way to purchase one should an ebook version exist. But with the sources listed here, you can find some good research material without needing to visit a physical library building or paying to download a file.