5 - The church of Facebook; Jesse Rice

With hundreds of millions of users, social networks are changing how we form relationships, perceive others, and shape our identity. Yet at its core, this movement reflects our need for community. Our longing for intimacy, connection, and a place to belong has never been a secret, but social networking offers us a new perspective on the way we engage our community. How do these networks impact our relationships? In what ways are they shaping the way we think of ourselves? And how might this phenomenon subtly reflect a God who longs to connect with each one of us?

My opinion: It was a really good book in highlighting the positives and negatives of a social network like that of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc. It also explains why the site, Facebook, was intially created and how it evolved from there. It also gives tips as to how to manage using the site and to really think about why they are on there in the first place. While I understand the point of the book was to a Christian one, there is a lot in the book that could apply to non-Christians as well. Rating 4/5 stars

4 - Of Mice and Men; John Steinbeck

Description: An intimate portrait of two men facing a world marked by petty tyranny, misunderstanding, jealousy, and callousness. But though the scope is narrow, the theme is universal; a friendship and a shared dream that makes an individual's existence meaningful.

My opinion: This was my first time reading the book and so some of the nuances of the book were lost on me, but other than that, I really liked the storyline of two men who are brought together through difficult circumstances and learn to lean on each other. It also is a tender story between two men who care about each other.

Rating 3/5 stars

Really feeling it now

I am really feeling the effect of reading until 3:30 am. I will do the read-a-thon next time it is around, but right now I really don't want to be going to a party. Oh well. Life sucks sometimes.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 12, Wrap up post

Well, I finally did something that didn't involve being on the computer for insane amounts of time, unless you count the amount of time I spent on Twitter.

I managed to read for 10 1/2 hours, which was interrupted for my book club meeting at around 3 pm. I probably will do it again, but I know that once 3:30 am hits, I am usually a goner. In anycase, I will probably be much better prepared for the next one and hopefully realize what works and what doesn't.

Final stats:
# of books read: 3
# of books completed: 2 (Of Mice and Men and The church of Facebook)
Pages read: Probably around 290 (don't know the exact amount)
Hours reading: about 10 and a half (I quit at 3:40 am) hours
# of Twitters: too many to count.

Can't wait for October!

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 11

Currently reading: The Lovely Bones
Number of books read since you started: 3
Pages read since last update: 23
Running total of pages read since you started: 262
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 10

This book is going a lot faster than the previous two that I had read for the read-a-thon, Of Mice and Men and The church of Facebook. My guess is that I am still fairly familiar with the story enough that I can quickly grasp it, although I am noticing things that I didn't notice the first time that I had read the book. I really like the flow of the book and I can still see why a lot of people like this book.

Two hours to go; I believe I can make it, even though 30 min. ago I felt like packing it in and going to bed to get some much needed sleep. Oh well. Onwards and upwards.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 10

Currently reading: The Lovely Bones
Number of books read since you started: 3
Pages read since last update: 41
Running total of pages read since you started: 239
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 9

Finished "The church of Facebook" during the last hour and started my book club's next selection, "The Lovely Bones". I read this book a few years back and really enjoyed it. I hope that it will be equally as good the second time around.

Closing in on three hours to go in the read-a-thon. Even though I didn't participate for most of it (I think I will end up with about 12 hours of reading in the end), I have really enjoyed it and can see myself do it the next time that this offered and probably will do it for a longer period of time and hopefully gradually get myself up to the 24 hour point.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 9

Currently reading: The church of Facebook
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 41
Running total of pages read since you started: 198
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 8

Largest amount of pages I have read in an hour; can't believe I did that (I am feeling a tad fatigued as a result). Anyways, the book is getting very interesting. Didn't realize how much of a debate that there has been raging about the fact as to whether Facebook creates community or not. While it does have a Christian emphasis (the writer is a pastor at a church in Silicon Valley), it does have many application towards the secular world as well.

Only 4 hours to go. Onwards and upwards.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 8

Currently reading: The church of Facebook
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 37
Running total of pages read since you started: 157
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 8

I am now over half-way through the book and am starting to understand the point of the book, which is that while Facebook does allow for people to be connected to each other, it is something that should be done in moderation and that it should not supplant face-to-face relationships. It is also a vehicle that can be abused, if not monitored properly. Very thought provoking.

Onwards and upwards

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 7

Currently reading: The church of Facebook
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 13
Running total of pages read since you started: 120
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 7

Came back from my book club meeting about an hour ago, with a Starbucks coffee in hand for the final push (we were at a friends place and were discussing Sense & Sensibility before we had dinner and watched the Emma Thompson version of the film).

Read quite a bit of the book considering I hadn't been reading it since about 3 pm (Pacific), which was about 7 hours of delay.

Onwards and upwards

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 6

Currently reading: The church of Facebook
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 14
Running total of pages read since you started: 107
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 6

This will be my last update for a while; I have a book club meeting in about an hour and I need to clean up before I go. I will probably stop at a Starbucks to get some much needed caffeine so that I can stay up most of the night reading.

Book is getting good, but it is a good time to put it down and to set it aside for awhile; non-fiction books can be a little cumbersome at times and need time to reflect on them before continuing on.

Hope you guys keep on reading and I will post an update at around 10 pm Pacific.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 5

Currently reading: The church of Facebook
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 23
Running total of pages read since you started: 93
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 5

An hour to go till I need to get ready for my book club. Book is getting more and more interesting and I wonder how it relates to the church. Am currently watching a TV show based on the series by Kathy Reichs. I hope to read more of her books this coming summer (Ms. Reichs is a forensic anthropologist in North Carolina and Montreal and lends her expertise in the field to the show. The main character in the show, Temprence Brennan, is herself an "author", who uses the name Kathy Reichs as her main character).

On-ward and up-ward.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 4

Currently reading: The church of Facebook
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 20
Running total of pages read since you started: 70
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 4

Just finished the first chapter of the book I am currently reading. I hope that I can get a few more chapters done before I have to leave for my book club in a couple of hours. Occasionally feeling a little sluggish; should have gone to bed earlier than 3 am.

On wards and up wards

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 3

Currently reading: The church of Facebook
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 32
Running total of pages read since you started: 50
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 3


Still continuing with updating every hour; 3 hours till I need to get ready for my bookclub at 3:30. Not looking forward to it; wished I had said I wasn't available today. Oh well.

The book is getting interesting. It now is talking about how people have the need to connect. I hope it will be interesting enough to post a good review ;)

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 2

Title of book(s) read since last update: Of Mice and Men
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 19
Running total of pages read since you started: 19
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 2


Starting my second book, the church of Facebook

Dewey's Read-a-Thon : Update 1

Just about finished Of Mice and Men; had about 2/3 of it finished before I had started the read-a-thon.

Will probably read something that I haven't started.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon

Starting my first read-a-thon. Wish me luck.

3 - Sense and Sensibility; Jane Austen

Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love-and its threatened loss-the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

My opinion: While I wouldn't consider it to be one of my favourites, it does seem to delve more deeply into the nature of human relationships and how people react to romantic relationships, whether through concealment or through experiencing them so that everybody knows them. While it had been 14 years since I had last read the book, I did find the book more enjoyable in light of seeing the BBC version that came out within the last few years. I did find that book did drag at times and that I found myself re-reading portions of the book due to the fact that I stopped and started the book too many times to count, but when I did get into a chapter that was interesting and had some flow to it, I did manage to read the book at a good clip. Overall, it was not as good as P&P or Emma, but was still pretty good.

Rating 4/5 stars

2 - Not My Daughter ; Barbara Delinsky

Three high school seniors make a pregnancy pact. Heightening the stakes, these aren’t just any seniors--these are three popular, college-bound girls from good families. Set in an insular, tightly knit community in Maine, Not My Daughter explores the consequences of pact behavior on a small town, as well as the strain placed on mothers and daughters who find themselves in unfamiliar terrain. One of the pregnant teens is the daughter of the high school principal--a former teen mother herself--and the local school board is quick to assign blame. When the national media gets wind of the story, the principal’s job is put in jeopardy, as is her standing in the community.

My opinion: It was a great break from reading another book, which was bogging me down at the time. It was interesting to see how a community deals with such an issue and what the implications can be among a group of friends that are closely tied to the pregnancy pact and what it does to those relationships. I had read an earlier book of Ms. Delinsky's and while I wasn't impressed as I was when I had read the earlier book, I still enjoyed the book and would probably read another book of hers.

Rating 3.5/5 stars.