The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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10.8- What A Way To Make A Living
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General autobiographies are not appropriate for this task- the focus must be on the author's career
Books like
Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs do work as long as there are reports from individuals included in a collection. General career books like What Color Is Your Parachute? 2010 do not work
Would Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs work, even though it has multiple authors, talking about multiple careers?
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yes
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yes
Here's another one which would work here: Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day at Work
My Life in FranceKitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education
Summer at Tiffany
Would Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 work?
What do you think of What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question? It's about people who have changed careers in midlife and why they chose to do so. Would that work?
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yes
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This works because of "The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question".
General career advice/search books would not work.
I'm interested in either reading Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales about his career working as a forensic scientistorFair Game: My Life As a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House about her career as a spy.
Would either (or both) be acceptable?
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or[book:..."
Both work
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WORK MEMOIRS"
Thanks, Beth- a nice place to start!
But be careful with lists- anyone can add a book and not everything may work for a SRC task
There are some novels on this list and some general biographies
What about Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon?
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yes
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Yes
Would No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels worh for this task?
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yes- his experience as a federal agent undercover
I'm assuming How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else would work?
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Yes
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Powell works at a soul-sucking secretarial job
Sorry, no
I'm reading Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist right now (new/blue), and while the entire thing isn't dedicated to his work, the first chunk of it is, and I'm assuming there will be other stories from his acting career sprinkled through the rest. Would that work for people? (It's really good so far!)As for me, I was thinking of reading Lucky Man: A Memoir or A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Life Lessons from a High School Dropout... Would either of those work?
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All three seem to be more autobiographies than work memoirs- for celebrities especially, be careful that the books focus on the career
Could I use Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated? According to what I looked up about it, it's almost entirely about her stint on the show, but with other bits about her later acting career in it.
This is one of my very favorite genres. Here's a few unforgettable reads:Population: 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry
The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth. I read it for the favorite genre task summer season.
Jungle Jack: My Wild Life by Jack Hanna
I'm going to read Making the Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat by David Dosa. I'm finally second in my library queue after waiting three months. The author is a doctor who works with the elderly.
What about :Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsbeg
Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl by Belle de Jour (Brooke Magnanti)
Does it have to be a long-term career or would books such as One Pair of Hands, One Pair of Feet and My Turn to Make the Tea do?
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It's hard to tell from the description whether this works- maybe 80/20? It seems to push it with the last bit:
also bravely recounts her life's challenges: her struggle to survive a history of traumatic abuse, depression, and paralyzing shyness; the "secret" her father kept from her for twenty years; and the devastating loss of her "Little House husband" and best friend, Steve Tracy, to AIDS, which inspired her second career in social and political activism.
If this is tops on your list and you think if fits, I'll take it since it does seem to provide a behind-the-scene look at TV
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Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsbeg
Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl by Belle de Jour (Brooke Magnanti)"
Yes
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I'll take them since my library has them shelved as Bios- some on GR have One Pair of Feet shelved as novels.
I think The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries may work. It was a very interesting book.
I'm maybe rethinking my earlier choices...are these acceptable? 31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park
A Raven in My Heart: Reflections of a Bookseller
Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women
This would be a reread for me, which is why it's not on my list, but I loved it when I read it the first time:Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan. It's all about the author's year teaching in Japan, his interactions with the staff, and the cultural differences he found between himself and the people around him.
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The description makes it sound like a micro-history, but Amazon says the author is a journalist who's written obituaries of Princess Di and Johnny Cash. Johnson is writing about her industry, so it works.
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31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park
A Raven in My Heart: Reflections of a Bookseller
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yes
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Would one of the books by James Herriot as his days as a vet count?"
Yes, one is listed as an example in the task description
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This is my other alternative"
I might do that one myself! Thanks for the suggestion
oops missed that in the description- blame the headache today!
Ms Anderson wrote: "This would be a reread for me, which is why it's not on my list, but I loved it when I read it the first time:Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan. It's all about the author's ..."
You might also like Frank McCourt's Teacher Man. I have not read it, but it sounds as if the subject would appeal to you.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
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If you need suggestions OR have suggestions for books to read for this task, please post them here.