I’ve spent a good deal of the last several weeks waiting…  waiting in the car for my daughter to get through with her driving school,… waiting at the DMV for my daughter to get her license,… waiting at home for my daughter to text me that she’s gotten wherever it is that she absolutely HAD to drive…  The upside of all this waiting is that I’ve been able to finish a few good books!

How We Decide by Jonas Lehrer

I try not to buy books on impulse (unless I’m on vacation).  I first heard about this book on NPR and thought it sounded really interesting but talked myself out of it.  (We really can’t read EVERYTHING, now can we?)  But then I picked the book up when my daughter had to read another Jonas Lehrer book, Proust Was a Neuroscientist.  I can resist one book purchase impulse but not two.

Mr. Lehrer manages to make the inner workings of the human brain as it analyzes data and makes decisions quite relevant and humorous.  He uses examples from sports, television production, world series poker, and more mundane daily tasks to show how we use rational analyses and emotional instincts to make decisions.  When should you gather and study data to make a decision and when should you “trust your gut”?  The results of Mr. Lehrer’s research may surprise you!

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

As you might guess, I read this book because the movie is coming out in a couple of weeks.  I might have skipped it but a good friend mentioned that she wanted to name her son “Henry” after the main character.  She didn’t, but it’s awfully hard to pass up a book that would inspire that level of affection.

I did enjoy the book.  Here’s the problem, though… I’m fairly certain that I will be disappointed in the movie because I liked the book so much.  This raises a question that has plagued those of us who love both books AND movies.  Is it better to read a book before seeing the corresponding movie or see the movie first, then read the book?  Please comment and let me know your thoughts.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

This was a vacation impulse book purchase.  It was recommended by the book store staff and has won a number of awards in France.  I guess I should mention that I didn’t read it in its original French but an English translation.  (Ha!  I’m not sure why I felt I needed to mention that.)  I also should probably mention that I didn’t understand half of it… even in English.  It’s full of philosophical references that went right over my head.  I tried to use context clues so I wouldn’t have to stop reading to look things up and, for the most part, that worked.  It was worth the effort.  The story is written, alternately, by a fifty-something concierge and a twelve-year-old troubled genius who lives in her building.  Both feel isolated and nearly invisible to others in the building but each tells her story with wit and a keen sense of the beauty and irony around her.  I just finished it tonight and I feel smarter…

Keep reading and keep learning!