26 (Dear shadow alive and well, How can the body die, you tell me everything, anything true)

Again, the consistent inconsistency. I am now back in New York, and it is beginning to turn towards Autumn. Fall is my favorite everywhere, and in New York, you just can't beat the beauty. However, I am really sick of living in the most drab of places, residing in the underbelly. 

I have begun college. It is fine, nothing special. I have felt kind of sick though for the past couple weeks, my sleep has been off... headaches, stomachaches.. whatever. Though there are not very many redeeming qualities about this city for me right now (save my wonderful family), I have been able to do a lot of reading. And so, I am posting a list of books I have recently completed/reread. Next to them I will mention how highly I recommend each, based on its topic. 

Books/Rating (No particular order)

1. The Hidden Face of Eve - Nawal El Saadawi/Highly recommend this, though its hard to read because of the issues is deals with; women and oppression in the Arab world. 

2. Dead Aid- Dambisa Moyo/ Highly recommend this one as well, very dense business analysis, slow read, but captivating and truly groundbreaking.

3. Slam- Nick Hornby/ Recommended. It is a pretty good novel, similar in style to Horby's other work, but the topic of teen pregnancy didn't captivate me the way his other writing has. 

4. Plane Insanity - Elliot Hester/ So funny! If you want something light without being pointless, this a great book. It makes you feel very human and connected, and happens to also be hilarious

5. Black Mass- Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill/ Depending... It was interesting surely, but redundant. About the FBI and a scandal of criminal doings with the Irish mob. Worth reading, but could have used quite a bit more editing. 

6. Nickel and Dimed (On not getting by in America)- Barbara Ehrnreich/ Again, worth reading although I'm still not sure about my opinions on her methodology. Lots of interesting first hand experience.

7. Under the Banner of Heaven- John Krakauer/ HIGHLY recommend this! Crazy, well written, well researched, captivating read about Mormons and religious fanatics in the US. 

8. Jewish Wisdom- Rabbi Joseph Telushkin/ Highly recommend. Even if you don't have the stomach for biblical texts, this is a great supplement, or basic reading for anyone interested in Judaism. The range of topics the book covers is mind blowing, and the speed at which one could read this is indicative of how great it is. I finished it in 3 days!

And Now.... Books  I am reading currently:

1. The Naked Brain- Richard Restak, MD./ So far, so good. He surely is an expert and the book is pretty wild.. Deals with concepts of neurosociety.

2. How We Die- Offhand cant remember/ Great.. seems a little gloomy but it isn't. Really interesting, on the things that cause people to perish, and the process. 

I want to go back to New Orleans.