The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

30.2 Sassafrass's task: “What I want to be” meets “What did I become”...

My five year old daughter and the rest of her Pre-K class had to draw pictures or write about what they wanted to be when they grew up. It was very cute looking at all of their hard work and seeing the different careers these imaginative kids envisioned themselves pursuing when they grow up.

The project got me thinking about when I was a kid. There were times when I wanted to be a ballerina, an astronaut, an inventor, and even a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. But after having a pretty scary eye injury in the sixth grade, I decided that I wanted to be a doctor.

Fast forward 25 years, and I think about how differently life turned out but there are also some similarities there. What about you?

For this task, you will read two books:

Book 1: Read a book (it can be either fiction or non-fiction) that that has as a central character a character/person who has the job--or one of the jobs--that you thought you wanted to have when you were growing up.
REQUIRED: state what you wanted to be when you grew up and if not clear from the book description, please explain how your book fits the task.

Book 2: Read a book (it can be either fiction or non-fiction) that that has as a central character a character/person who has the job/career that you have now or that you were trained to do.
***Special exceptions***
1. If you are a Stay-at-home-Mom or Dad--you can have your occupation to be a SAHM or SAHD and read about someone who does/did that or you can use the occupation you had prior to becoming a parent.
2. If you are a retiree--you can read about someone who is retired or use your occupation prior to retirement.
3. If you are a young person who hasn’t had a job or career yet, use the occupation that you are most seriously considering at this stage in your life.

REQUIRED: state what you have “become” and if not clear from the book description, please explain how your book fits the task.

Note: If your childhood dream and your adult occupation is the same, you may read two different books with characters/people doing the same type of occupation, just make sure you note that when you post.

Optional: Tell us if your life is different or similar to how your “kid” self envisioned it.

Professions: I don't want this to be too restrictive, so if your professions are in the same realm as the character's profession, I'll take it. This also should be a pretty central character to the story/book. Here are some examples of what would work. I'll take any of the these professions if your dream profession or current profession are in that category.


medicine: nurse, doctor, orderly, hospital social worker, physical therapist, etc
law: judge, lawyer, court reporter, paralegal, law enforcement
finance: accountant, bookkeeper, venture capitalist
politician: mayor, POTUS, prime minister, king, queen, secretary of state, any person who works in a president's or monarch's administration
military: any branch but NOT mercenary
education: teacher, professor, dean, principal, teacher's assistant, student teacher, school counselor, even a tutor--if the person is PAID to do it and that's their source of income
communications: newspaper, television, radio, web reporter/blogger--if that's how they make their living
dancer: ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, exotic, dance instructor
musician: singer, any type of instrument player, member of a band, music instructor/teacher
construction/builder: construction worker, architect, civil engineering, draftsman, welder

Books that work:
education: Good-Bye, Mr. Chips
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Purgatory
Double Dipping
His Son's Teacher
Mom Meets Dad
Impetuous
communications: Murder at The Washington Tribune
dancer: Bunheads
food industry: Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
law: The Brass Verdict
librarian: The Borrower
medicine: Memoirs of a Woman Doctor
The Cradle Will Fall

anyone know any books that feature a veternarian as a character?

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "anyone know any books that feature a veternarian as a character?"

James Herriot - wonderful reads.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "anyone know any books that feature a veternarian as a character?"

Maybe The Story of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts

I am not really sure what kind of book I will read for what I am now. I do accounts payable for a reverse mortgage company. any ideas?

I also have a degree for paralegal. Can I read a fiction about a lawyer?

Cynthia Baxter has a vet series of mysteries as well

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "anyone know any books that feature a veternarian as a character?"

JennRenee wrote: "I am not really sure what kind of book I will read for what I am now. I do accounts payable for a reverse mortgage company. any ideas?

I also have a degree for paralegal. Can I read a fiction abou..."

I won't be specific for your jobs. You can pick a main category. So, if you work in accounts payable, you could read about finance or read about an accountant.

If you were trained as a paralegal, anything dealing with the Law--lawyer, judge, paralegal...it all works.

Sassafrass wrote: "JennRenee wrote: "I am not really sure what kind of book I will read for what I am now. I do accounts payable for a reverse mortgage company. any ideas?

I also have a degree for paralegal. Can I r..."

thanks

would law include law enforcement?

I'll take it.

Sassafrass wrote: "I'll take it."

thanks

thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Does anyone know of any books about someone who writes knitting patterns? I would prefer not chick-lit but I suspect that's asking too much.

i'm assuming if you write knitting patterns you knit...I know there is a knitting mystery series out there...

Hi, I am a Retiree :)
But I had 2 Careers. I worked in Broadcasting before I went to work for the federal government...there are no books written in which the main character works for Social Security Administration :(
Could I read a book about any Agency like a CIA operative or a reporter for book 2, please?

for the SSA: I'll take any government agency, but it should be administration, not operative--I think that's a totally different realm.

Broadcasting--I'll take any kind of mass communications--newspaper, television, radio. I'd even take a blogger or a web reporter as long as it was that person's job not their hobby.

Hope these work---
I wanted to be an interpreter and took Spanish and French. (Don't use the French so don't remember much!)

Now I'm a elementary teacher and use my Spanish all the time.

The Interpreter
Good-Bye, Mr. Chips

both work!

Thanks!

Sassafrass wrote: "for the SSA: I'll take any government agency, but it should be administration, not operative--I think that's a totally different realm.

Broadcasting--I'll take any kind of mass communications--new..."

Thanks! For the SSA I'll take any government agency, but it should be administration, could I read
or
for the reporter? thanks

Murder at The Washington Tribune works, but I think of a a "Senior Communications Advisor" to the president to be a politician first, communications is secondary, so I don't think It's Classified works.

Mmmmm....When I was young I wanted to be a teacher or a singer, anybody have any good ideas?

Also for now I work in food manufacturing as a supervisor and I have a degree in Chemical & Biological Engineering. Anybody have any good ones for this?

Meghan-- Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal might work--- food manufacturing perhaps???

Sassafrass wrote: "Murder at The Washington Tribune works, but I think of a a "Senior Communications Advisor" to the president to be a politician first, communications is secondary, so I don't think [book..."

Ok, then it is [book:Murder at The Washington Tribune|1500592] for book 2. Book 1 is easy - I wanted to be a lawyer...mmmm I am kicking myself now lol. Thanks! See you on Amazon as well as GR!

★Meghan★ wrote: "Mmmmm....When I was young I wanted to be a teacher or a singer, anybody have any good ideas?

Also for now I work in food manufacturing as a supervisor and I have a degree in Chemical & Biological ..."

Teacher: Good-Bye, Mr. Chips

Kathy G. wrote: "Meghan-- Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal might work--- food manufacturing perhaps???"

That works.

★Meghan★ wrote: "Mmmmm....When I was young I wanted to be a teacher or a singer, anybody have any good ideas?

Also for now I work in food manufacturing as a supervisor and I have a degree in Chemical & Biological ..."

for the Chemical and Biological Engineering--I'd take any scientist or engineer because your field is a combo of both.

perhaps something in the sci-fi realm would be good because it combines both the science and the engineering of stuff like with clones. I'll look and see if I find something good.

Oh yeah, I forgot that I also wanted to be a dancer and I saw a book that came out not too long ago that would fit well into that one. I think anyway Bunheads?

★Meghan★ wrote: "Oh yeah, I forgot that I also wanted to be a dancer and I saw a book that came out not too long ago that would fit well into that one. I think anyway Bunheads?"

That works, it sounds cute.

I sincerely hope that no one can think of a book featuring a retirement plan administrator, because I think I would probably die of boredom reading it. Assuming, of course, the author didn't do so writing it!

I'm hoping that I can use one of the following options - would these work?

* I have, but have never used professionally, a master's in library science.
* Stretching my field to include finance/economics

If someone needs a book featuring an actuary, Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me is a delightfully non-dry choice.

Meghan I found this list of "Mad Scientists". Do any of these strike your fancy?

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/14...

I have a couple of those classics on my Nook to read...maybe I will get around to one of those. I will also keep looking.

Book 1: Planning on In the Woods since one of my many "I wanna be when I grow up" jobs was detective. :)

Book 2: I was looking through that listopia list featuring teachers (I'm a pre-service teacher currently working towards my Master's), and found Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on there...I've been wanting to read it, so it caught my eye, but it sounds like the "teacher" featured is a magician who takes a "pupil"/apprentice. Does this count for teaching? If not, I can definitely find something else! :)

I really like this task, by the way! Fun stuff!

If it were me, I say it counted but I am not the task master.

For those who are teachers/ ever thought of being teachers, here's a useful list.

mstan wrote: "For those who are teachers/ ever thought of being teachers, here's a useful list."

Thanks, mstan!

Randi wrote: "Book 1: Planning on In the Woods since one of my many "I wanna be when I grow up" jobs was detective. :)

Book 2: I was looking through that listopia list featuring teachers (I'm a p..."


thanks, Randi!

I would say that for book 2, since the description states the younger magician is the "student" of the older one, I'll take it.

Sassafrass wrote: "Randi wrote: "Book 1: Planning on In the Woods since one of my many "I wanna be when I grow up" jobs was detective. :)

Book 2: I was looking through that listopia list featuring tea..."

Thanks! :)

when I was a small I wanted be a teacher but it didint happend :(
I studied administration but my thesis was from criminal law about traficking in women and children so can I read a Trafficked My story

mstan wrote: "For those who are teachers/ ever thought of being teachers, here's a useful list."

Bookmarked that! Thanks mstan!

Aleksandra wrote: "when I was a small I wanted be a teacher but it didint happend :(
I studied administration but my thesis was from criminal law about traficking in women and children so can I read a [book:Trafficke..."

No, you can't read that unless you wanted or were a sex slave or trafficked. You have to read a book where the central character is what you trained for.

You said you studied administration...I'm not sure exactly what that means but you could read about someone who is a personal assistant, office manager, adminstrator of a hospital or nursing home...

If you give me more detail about your field, I could help more.

Influenced by reading John Grisham & Richard North Patterson in my teens I wanted to by a lawyer & I now work in a library so I'm assuming these 2 books will work.
Book 1:The Brass Verdict
Book 2:The Borrower

Sam wrote: "Influenced by reading John Grisham & Richard North Patterson in my teens I wanted to by a lawyer & I now work in a library so I'm assuming these 2 books will work.
Book 1:[book:The Brass Verdict|27..."


yep, you're good

This is a bit of a tough task for me. :) It was a LONG time ago that I was small. My best memory is that I wanted to be a horse, own horses, live with horses, etc. When we played "cowboys and indians" in my neighborhood, I was always the wild horse. Would The Horse Whisperer work for book 1?

Since I am an RN, would a medical mystery work or would I need to find a story about a nurse?

Sassafrass wrote: "Aleksandra wrote: "when I was a small I wanted be a teacher but it didint happend :(
I studied administration but my thesis was from criminal law about traficking in women and children so can I rea..."

would then any office romance (shelf http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/o...) work for this task?

anybody got any good ballerina/gymnest stories for growing up

Aleksandra wrote: "Sassafrass wrote: "Aleksandra wrote: "when I was a small I wanted be a teacher but it didint happend :(
I studied administration but my thesis was from criminal law about traficking in women and ch..."

That list would work as long as one of the main characters is an administrative assistant or office manager.

Bea wrote: "This is a bit of a tough task for me. :) It was a LONG time ago that I was small. My best memory is that I wanted to be a horse, own horses, live with horses, etc. When we played "cowboys and indi..."

That sounds like it works for rancher/horseman/farmer type of occupation

As far as being an RN a medical mystery should work as long as one of the main characters is in the medical field: doctor, nurse, orderly,etc.