Month: February 2017

Which Book, Mr. Buffett?

John Guillen2 Comments

You can disagree with Warren Buffett’s politics all you want, but it’s nearly impossible to deny the success he’s achieved during his lifetime.

Which makes him a good person to ask, “What was your favorite book of 2016?” So I did. And he ignored me like the nobody I am. But he did tell others. His pick? Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. A book I haven’t read. But a book Bill Gates also mentioned as one of his favorites of the year.

I can’t say I’m extremely interested in what billionaires are reading, but I think it is a cool thing to know. Because people decide to read books for their own reasons. And because these guys have experienced such great success.it would be like asking an athlete which sport they most enjoy watching on TV. Doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but still something that might make you think a bit.

The best book I read in 2016 was Unstoppable by Bill Nye. What was yours?

This is Rough

John Guillen11 Comments

Every human alive has experienced loss and hardship. No loss is worse than any other because no two individuals are the same. It’s easy to say, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now.” That saying is an actual fact. No one can understand the tragedy and loss another person experiences. That doesn’t mean we can’t be empathetic.

I wrote yesterday about my dogs. For anyone thinking I might be taking this too seriously, know I’ve lost 3 of my 4 grandparents and have no living great-grandparents. That isn’t to say I’m better or worse than the next person, but I know loss.

The emergency surgery on one of my dogs was a success. But as a result of the incident he lost an eye. I’m overwhelmed with sadness. But we could not keep the dogs under the same roof any longer. This morning I surrendered the other dog to the county. They informed me that he will most certainly be euthanized. I cried right there as he was taken from me. Then for an hour driving home.

RIP Charlie. We had 2 great years. I only wish we could have had 10 more.

Saturday Selects: The Consequences of Inaction

John GuillenLeave a comment

Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday on topics that fall outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Yes, today is Sunday.

I have a story to tell. It doesn’t have a happy ending. I have three dogs. One large dog and two small ones. Over the last few months the large dog has been aggressive toward both of my other dogs. In December I said it was time to get rid of the large dog. But my recommendation was not acted on. My other family members seemed to be more concerned with how much they claim to love the large dog rather than the fact that the two other dogs were in danger.

Two days ago there was another incident. And again nothing was done. They continued to just act as if everything was normal. There was another incident early this morning. The time for action has long passed. Emergency surgery and thousands of dollars forces one’s hand.

This is what happens when you take for granted your ability to take action in a timely manner. Your animals shouldn’t be forced to live in fear. They’re members of your family just like your siblings, parents, and children are. If you have an aggressive animal, take immediate action. Just like you would if your family member was in immediate danger.

My family didn’t. And our dog will be a constant reminder of what happens when you don’t do something when you still have the chance.

Saturday Selects: The Media

John GuillenLeave a comment

Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday to discuss topics outside the general bookish theme of the blog.

It’s 2017 and it seems like the only institution anyone wants to talk about is the media. Let me first acknowledge what I believe to be a simple fact. No President of The United States really likes the media. Why? Because the media holds the president accountable. No one enjoys being called out when things don’t go according to plan. But it’s part of the job and the freedom of the press is written into the Constitution.

YouTube is full of videos of former presidents acknowledging the importance of the press in American society. Presidents and lawmakers have acknowledged this since the dawn of this country.

But the current administration doesn’t buy into any of that. Its official stance is that every media outlet that criticizes the administration is fake news. I don’t have to tell you what happens when the press is constantly belittled by a person in power. We’ve seen it in our history books.

You know how every time a politician talks about new gun restrictions you get people all over the country saying, “2ND AMENDMENT! 2ND AMENDMENT!”? For some reason those same people are unwilling to stand up for the Amendment that comes right before it. So many people in this country don’t care about the freedom to practice any religion unless it’s Christianity. So many people in this country don’t care about the freedom of speech unless it’s in agreement with their beliefs. So many people in this country don’t care about the freedom to protest unless the protest is in line with their views. So many people in this country don’t care about the freedom of the press, especially when it’s criticizing their views.

But way too many people in this country believe the 2nd Amendment is holy. People will always pick and choose what to care about and defend, that’s not new. I find it frustrating that more people aren’t standing up for the media like they do for their guns or their religion.

Donald Trump and his administration can say whatever they want to say, but the media is not the enemy of the American people. The media has several responsibilities, but right at or near the top of that list is to hold the President of the United States accountable for his or her actions. And members of the media will continue to do so long after Donald Trump is out of office.

What’s a Good Reason to Have Books Removed From School Reading List?

John GuillenLeave a comment

It doesn’t matter which state you live in or even which country, there are books that are taught in school that parents speak out against. I can name more than a handful of books that are constantly challenged.

I have no kids. My parents never had an issue with any book I was assigned in school. I don’t think I can come up with any reason I’d have a problem with any book assigned in school. If books deal with sex, mental illness, death, history, or any other “difficult” topic; then I can’t think of a better environment than a classroom to learn about those things. I see no reason why a parent wouldn’t be actively involved in those discussions if they’re being discussed in school.

What do you think is a good reason to speak out against an assigned reading book?

NO!

John Guillen2 Comments

Evidently Tulsa, OK is divided into districts. In one of these districts is a string of shops unofficially known as “Nerd Row”.

This makes me angry. There’s a gaming store, a comic book store, AND NOW A BOOKSTORE. 😡

In my video yesterday I said that it’s always readers who claim to be nerds, right? Guess who came up with this informal nickname? One of the store owners!

WHY, WHY, WHY?

Why does everyone have to try to make themselves out to be different or special? Just be you. Forget the stupid labels.

Is Reading Dorky?

John Guillen5 Comments

I haven’t read a single page of any book since I started my new job less than two weeks ago. It goes without saying that I’ve finally shown you all of the videos I’ve made so far this year. But I bet you’re tired of those damn reviews, right? Heck, I’m a bit tired of them myself. So I took this opportunity to talk about something I’ve been wanting to address for YEARS. Seriously. One of the things I see everywhere on BookTube, Bookstagram, and book blogs is people telling me how nerdy or dorky reading is. I just had to set the record straight in my latest video. It’s less than four minutes! A quick watch!

Now tell me what YOU think! Do you think reading is dorky?!

They Pulled it!

John Guillen7 Comments

Who pulled what? Let me tell ya. Simon & Schuster has decided NOT to publish Milo’s forthcoming book Dangerous. I can’t believe it.

Over the weekend a recording surfaced of Milo speaking about homosexuality and pedophilia, among other things. He later tried to backtrack his own statements but it wasn’t sufficient in the eyes of the publisher.

I’ve heard part of the recording and it sounds as bad as you’d imagine. He can blame poor word choice but we shouldn’t accept anything that even remotely appears to be in favor of sexual abuse.

He was also uninvited to speak at CPAC.

I’ve only heard of a book being pulled from publication or from store shelves once. This is big.

On President’s Day

John Guillen5 Comments

I think few people recall that President’s Day was originally meant to celebrate the birthday of George Washington. Now everyone just says President’s Day like we’re supposed to remember and honor all of our presidents. Nah. What I’m especially not going to do is honor the current president in any way.

But let’s make this about books. I’m still trying to figure out which book written by a president I’m going to read for my 2017 Reading Challenge. The one that still really sticks out for me is Decision Points. Of course written written by George W. Bush. Most definitely not because I agree with anything he stood for it enacted, but because his presidency was the first I experienced and understood just a tiny bit of what was going on. Also because his presidency was not a good one by any measure, I think it’d be interesting to learn about the decisions he made and those he didn’t.

But I’m likely going to amend the requirement to include books written about presidents. A few that come to mind who I think would be the subject of great books are FDR, Truman, LBJ, Lincoln, Washington, Jackson, and Nixon.

I’ve asked this before but I’ll ask again, tell me a book you enjoyed that was written by or about a president. Also, no one says it has to be an American president!

Also, the media can’t even agree on the proper way of writing out the holiday. Presidents Day. President’s Day. Or Presidents’ Day. Damn fake news. 😂

I Want to Attend a Festival

John Guillen3 Comments

I’ve never attended a book festival/expo of any kind. But not every one is made equally. I’m not sure how much I’d enjoy a local festival that only lasts a day or two. But I can’t definitely say I wouldn’t enjoy it, right?

I think it would be a pleasant experience to be surrounded by people who love books. Wouldn’t really matter what they love reading or who, just that they do. The simple fact is that books give so many people something in common. Literature may seem small in the eyes of some, but common ground is common ground. There’s not much of that going around today.

Have you attended any book festival/expo? How was it?