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In August, all we want to do is to lie in the shade with a tall glass of iced tea and a good book. In today's Show and Tell Me, each of us is going to make a completely subjective recommendation for your summer reading.
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Alex: I just finished Anne Lamott's Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. I have read most of Ms. Lamott's books, and I have enjoyed absolutely every one. The voice she writes in is funny, engaging and very personal. I am also deep into Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. I have been listening to this as an audiobook with my son on our epic summer road trip. In case you missed our previous recommendation, check out Audible.com for downloadable audio books. Back to Bill Bryson - he's very fun to read (of course, I have read almost everything he's written), | and A Short History of Nearly Everything covers science from the Singularity to - well, we're not done yet - in more depth than an overview, but less than a textbook. Plus he points out interesting and amusing foibles of great scientists. Lastly, I feel as if I want to write a newsletter on beach reading only, as so many good choices are crowding into my mind. Check out Joanna Trollope, an author who writes light but intelligent fiction. She's great for us anglophiles, as her protagonists are always interesting English women living in charming English towns. For an American beach read, Anita Shreve books are good candidates. The house I'm renting for the summer has The Last Time They Met, and it was one to wallow in.
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Terri: I really like You Just Don't Understand by Deborah Tannen. I first stumbled upon this book in the early 90's when it was recommended to me by a female mentor. At the time, I was new to "middle management" and looking for ways to differentiate myself from the rest of my peers. The author, Deborah Tannen, takes a novel approach to the differences between the sexes by studying their linguistic differences. As I began my ascent up the corporate ladder, I had begun to doubt my youthful convictions that men and women were the same and |
 | came to realize that I was downright naive. Embracing this realization led me to investigate these differences.
You Just Don't Understand breaks down the way men and women communicate by categorizing speech into "report" talk and "rapport" talk. It doesn't take a PhD to realize which form of speech refers to which sex. Men prefer reporting to each other, vying to one-up each other with more news or facts and figures. Women prefer to develop a rapport with each other, making everyone comfortable and part of the sisterhood. With such dichotomy in their approaches to communication, it's no wonder that there is so little understanding between the sexes. While Deborah Tannen's book doesn't give a silver bullet solution to make these differences go away, it does give us something to think about whether we're in the boardroom or making conversation at a cocktail party. I still pull this book out every couple of years and recommend it to my friends. Who knows, someday we may actually bridge the gap!
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Suzanne: While it is always a good idea (and fun) to read with your kids, I find I have more time to do this in the summer than I do during the school year. Perhaps it is because in the summertime there is no required reading and it always seems more fun to do anything when you don't have to. The Red Pony by John Steinbeck was a favorite of mine as a child and I'm hopeful it will become a favorite of my children.
For those of you who haven't read The Red Pony (and those of you who have) it is a sweet, sad, tragic coming of age | story about a ten year old boy named Jody. The book is divided into four main stories about Jody and his family. One of the big reasons I like this book so much is because it doesn't sugar-coat life. It isn't an "and they lived happily-ever-after" story. Don't get me wrong, I like stories with happy endings but I also like the purity, reality, and raw emotions Steinbeck brings to his characters.
There you go, Girlfriends. We hope we have given you some ideas for spending some lazy time well.
Your well-read Girlfriends,
Suzanne, Terri and Alex
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