Yellow Ukuleles and Piles of Perfection Await

One of the advantages to not being beautiful is that one usually gets better-looking as one gets older; I am, in fact, at this very moment gaining my looks.

-Nora Ephron

As someone who reads a lot and talks about reading quite a bit as well, I find that it is this amazing natural phenomenon to go through phases in my reading. Not phases--that's the wrong term... more like.. spurts. There are weeks that go by and all I want to do is read. I've got a perfection of books in my queue and the gods of opportunity have shined down upon me to give me time to devour any piece of text in sight. Then there are other times when the gods do not smile and the pile is less than perfect and I just do the normal amount of reading. I think you know where this is going.

Last month handed me less than a pile of perfection.

Not to say that there wasn't an abundance of enjoyable reading, but I have only four books to account for since my last post. I want to talk about the books first and then go into some other orders of business.

Since my last post, here's what's been in my head:

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez: After reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and A Clockwork Orange, I'll admit that I was feeling a little drained. They were some very good, but very intense reads. I had nothing from the library, so I ransacked my roommate's bookshelves and came up with this one. My roommate Kristen had mentioned it to me before and told me I should read it, so it was in the back of my mind when I picked it out. And it was lovely. In case my love for books with varying narrators at differing periods of time hasn't come across through my love for A Visit from the Goon Squad and Let the Great World Spin, then let me fill you in: I love books with varying narrators at differing periods of time. The story is told from the perspective of the Garcia girls who were born in the Dominican Republic and move to the United States as teens. The story is told backwards and from all different sides, so it almost feels like a bunch of short stories, but Alvarez does an amazing job of holding the thread and making you feel for the characters. From themes of growing up to family ties to immigration, this book paints a brilliant picture.

I Remember Nothing and Crazy Salad by Nora Ephron: When Nora Ephron died earlier last month, it had a strange affect on me. I, of course, grew up adoring most things she had her hands in (I mean, You've Got Mail is one of the greatest movies ever... I mean... "Bouquets of sharpened pencils."), but I think what really affected me the most was the outpouring of devotion that followed her death. (If you haven't seen Lena Dunham's ode to Nora Ephron in the New Yorker, please read it here). Nora Ephron seemed like this amazing human being, and although no one is perfect, it seems as though few people had much bad to say about them. She was someone that people will genuinely and noticeably miss. Let's be true here: who doesn't want to be remembered the way that so many seem to remember Nora Ephron? So I thought maybe the secret of her ways would be revealed in her writing, and it completely was. I adored I Remember Nothing. And what I adored about it was it's complete hilarity and bluntness. The last two chapters made me pause. They are "What I Will Miss" and "What I Won't Miss" and they remind me of lists that I often make for myself.  I Remember Nothing is a very quick read and although it often had me choking back tears for reasons even I can't fathom, I really loved it. So of course, I picked up Crazy Salad next, and while I liked it, I wasn't as excited by it as I was the other. Maybe because it was a book of essays that, though related by the fact that they were all about women, weren't as personal as I Remember Nothing. Any Nora Ephron is wonderful, and perfect for summer, so if I were you, I'd pick one up.

In One Person by John Irving: If you're going to read a John Irving book, you have to be prepared to be completely enveloped in the world he creates. I'm serious--don't tell me I didn't warn you. I mean, it's a lovely thing and one that few authors can pull off, I find. But he has this way of letting you truly see and understand his characters and the world in which they live. The story follows a boy who grows up in Vermont and goes to an all-boys school at which his step-father teaches. The boy grows up knowing that he is bi-sexual, but is stunted in his small New England town. I don't want to tell too much of the story because although Irving doesn't try to hide it (he knows we aren't fools, after all) there are some big surprises. The cast of characters is raw and varied (including a cross-dressing grandfather and a librarian who is not quite who she says she is) and it did really keep me hooked through the whole thing. There are some graphic sections of the book, both sexual and not, but it wasn't just for the sake of being graphic--there is purpose. Irving goes deeply into the AIDS crisis in New York in the 1980s as well as the world of wrestling which was fascinating. A good read, but I would say it should be one you commit to, not just keep around for kicks.

And that's it.

I know! It doesn't seem like much at all. But life has gotten a little busy, so there is less time for reading. (I'm 2 weeks behind on my New Yorkers which NEVER happens!).

But there are other fun things happening and one of them is goal related.

I'm moving closer and closer to accomplishing more goals, and there is one I'm really excited about:

Yes. It's a yellow ukulele. Oh. My. God. I'm so excited about it I could die. I know how to play a total of 4 chords on it, but I'm learning! It's beautiful. And her name is Babette. So, if you're really nice to me, maybe I'll play it for you if I ever get past the four chords I currently am master of.

Also, this is not goal related, but it is something cool! I'm sure you all know that my roommate and I have moved out of our roach-infested, disgusting apartment into a brilliantly beautiful HUGE apartment. Well, we have so much space that we literally don't know what to do with ourselves. My room has two things hanging and it looks so sad. However, I love this blog Young House Love, and a while ago, they mentioned a company called A Vintage Poster who they ordered some things for their walls from. I loved it and have wanted to get something from them ever since. I wanted a custom poster, so all I had to do was send in what I wanted, and I got tons of proofs back and she tweaked them just the way I wanted (in my insanity) and out came this:

It's one of my favorite quotes from Leaves of Grass and I'm putting it by my bed so I can see it every morning. :) Gotta love Walt. I'm not 100% sold on the frame yet, but we'll see. Maybe once I hang it (which could be a while.. I'm so very lazy), I'll show it to you on the wall! A Vintage Poster is awesome and beyond helpful and they have really cool things that are pre-made, too!

Those are the big developments in my life (I know.. I'm so exciting, right?!) but in awesome book news, I'm devouring Arcadia by Lauren Groff right now and can't wait to talk about it, and I've got some other really awesome fun things in the queue!

What are YOU reading? I hope that the summer gods have given you a book pile of perfection. :)

Happy reading (and strumming!),
Stephanie

A Summer Day and Catch-Up

Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?

-You've Got Mail

Today was a Summer day. I mean, obviously it was summer, but this morning was the perfect temperature and humidity level to make you remember those mornings when your mom decided it was late enough that you could strike out on your bike and speed down the street and the evening sky was just cloudy and hazy enough to be interesting. Not every summer day feels like that (especially here in DC) and the fact that the oppressive heat has been on a (probably short) hiatus and the day just felt like Summer and frankly, it's just been a long day, made me want to sit and watch the sky change to dusk while drinking a glass of wine and talk about books. So I'm doing the next best thing and blogging about books while drinking a glass of wine in my (mostly) clean apartment while glancing at the sky every once in a while. So don't mind me if I drift a little...

It's been a while since I've kept you truly abreast of what I've been currently reading. What with my post about good summer reads (which deserves 2 more promised installments at some point) and my post about my 25th year goals (which continue to progress), I've been ignoring the fabulous things I've been reading (unless of course you see me in person, then it's generally my topic of choice). Summer is the perfect time to really focus on reading for many reasons, but one reason always sticks out to me: everyone else is doing it too! Most other seasons are so busy and crazy that people don't have time to read, and unless your like me, who has to have a book in the queue at all times, summer often offers the perfect opportunity to delve into something amazing. Therefore, there are so many more people to talk to about books.

Sorry, enough blathering... on to the good stuff.

Here's what I've been reading since the end of May:

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa: My boyfriend Traber was actually the one to suggest this book, and we read it together which was really fun and interesting. It is translated from Japanese so the language is silky and intricate and really on point. The story is told from the perspective of a woman who works as a housekeeper in Japan and is assigned to a man who forgets everything on a daily rotation. So when she comes to clean his house each day, she has to remind him who she is. The man was a math professor and has this love for numbers and the image that you get of him is so interesting because in order to remember things, the housekeeper pins notes to his jacket. The housekeeper has a son who is young and who comes with her to the man's house each day and they form a strange sort of family. If you know me at all, you know that numbers are really not my thing at all, but the way that the professor explains his love for numbers was beautiful. Traber is more of a numbers kind of guy, so it was fun to talk about math and what we each got out of the book. I believe that there is a movie that is based on the book, but I'm not sure that I'd want to see it because the language was so wonderful.

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown:  A friend had told me to read this a while ago and it kind of got pushed back in my mind. But then one day I was desperate for something to read and ended up stranded due to rain at Kramerbooks, so I grabbed it and subsequently devoured it. If you were an English major, I think you'd especially appreciate the book, but if you weren't you'll still enjoy it. The story is about three sisters who were raised by their father who has dedicated his life to studying Shakespeare and their mother who was scatterbrained. The sisters are in their late twenties now and dealing with the problems they face in their lives. One sister is in a relationship that will take her homebody self away from home, one sister is adrift in doubt about herself and what she wants to do with her life, and the other has made poor professional and life decisions. After facing reality, they all end up under their parents roof at the same time though they aren't thrilled about it. I think this book really affected me because I am one of three sisters (with a bro thrown in there too, of course) and the complicated, strange, but wonderful bond of sisters is one that rivets me and helps me survive. The sisters are all named after Shakespearean characters (which is super fun) and can quote Shakespeare out of thin air. A great story of family and how much we rely on it even though we don't always realize it.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein: I will admit that I was super hesitant about this book. Over Memorial Day weekend, Traber and I drove to the Dirty E for the Ox Roast and being the nerds we are, we wanted to listen to a book on tape. I tried to get him to listen to The Great Gatsby, but I didn't want to die in a fiery car wreck, so we turned it off and he turned on The Art of Racing in the Rain.  The story is told from the point of view of a dog (strike number one in this girl's mind--I HATE talking animals--they freak me out. Really.) and honestly, listening to books on tape has never been my thing. I don't listen well enough and I always feel like I'm missing something. Well, I was wrong. It doesn't happen very often, but I was dead wrong. This book is beautiful. Really. Honestly, I'm so happy to have listened to it because I can't imagine a better way to savor the whole thing. The narrator even sounded like a dog would if he spoke! The dog, Enzo, tells the story of his life from when his owner Denny bought him from a farm to his own death. Denny marries, has a baby, and goes through a lot of horrible things when his wife gets sick, but it's this hopeful, promising story about life and death and reincarnation and the love that you can truly have for a person. Please do yourself a favor and pick it up. Warning, you will cry (I literally could not help the tears from rolling down my face) and if you have a car ride or something that needs some sound, I recommend the audiobook. It's lovely and perfect.

Home by Toni Morrison: I've been looking forward to this book since I saw Toni Morrison at the National Book Festival last year. So worth the wait. I know that not everyone likes her style or "gets" her, but I could read her all day. I get her. The story is about a black man who comes home after the Korean War and his sister. They grew up in the South and have to deal with the repercussions of being black in that time period. Honestly, there isn't a whole lot that happens, but the prose is exquisite (as one can expect from her) and what does happen is subtle and brilliant. I have always been interested in African American history and I feel like this is a time period that doesn't get much play in history books, so I really appreciated her take on it. It's a quick read and one that might open  your eyes a little.

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon: This is the secret that no one knows: my mother gives pretty great book recommendations. She's not the biggest reader, but she has a great methodology for knowing what I like: she judges the book by its cover. You can laugh, but some of the greatest books I read in high school and college particularly were inspired by my mother's discerning eye as she labeled and processed books. She sort-of-recently started getting into books on tape (which, as I already said, I'm not a huge fan of), so I like to hear about what she's listening to. And I'm always intersted in seeing how things translate into spoken word. Anyway, she recommended this book because she loved it when she listened to it and as she said, "It's just a beautiful story about a beautiful girl." So I read it and I really enjoyed it. The story takes place in the late 1960s and follows several characters: a woman who has metnal problems who is institutionalized and becomes pregnant, the man she falls in love with who is deaf and confined to the institution because no one knows what to do with him, and the old woman they meet when they escape, who ends up raising the woman's daughter. It's a lovely story about the interconnectivity of human life, how wonderful life can be when we help each other, and how important it is that we do things for the people in our lives that they may not even realize we're doing. Like Marcia says: "It's a beautiful story about a beautiful girl."

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon: I'll be honest with you: I was in a reading rut. Sometimes it just happens that I can't figure out what I want to read, so I end up binging on New Yorker issues I have to catch up on. I was in a rut like this a few weeks ago, when my roommate handed me this book. It took me about 75 pages to get into it, but once I was, I was hooked. This is a Pulitzer-Prize winning novel about two cousins, one born in the US who has a distinct mind for business and comics and the other born in Czechoslovakia who studied magic and escaped the Nazi regime with hopes to bring his family to the States. The boys start their own comic, The Escapist, which they expand upon and grow up with. The book is long (over 600 pages) but Chabon knows where to startle, excite, and prod you into loving these characters. It's a wonderful story that touches on family, ambition, identity, love, trust, and comics. It's so many things woven into one and it works so well.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess: Check another one off my 25 list, folks, cause took the number three spot from my to-read-before-I-die list for this year. I'll be honest--I was kind of disappointed. I know that it's a classic and that many people have it on their "top" lists, and I can dig that, I really can. The book is about the dystopian world that has become ultra-violent and awful. Alex is the anti-hero who does lots of raping, killing, and enjoying general debauchery all the while speaking a crazy slang language (very distracting for me) and thinking he's awesome. I see what Burgess was trying to do with this whole thing, I really do, but it all felt very rushed and unsatisfying to me. If you've read it or seen the Kubrick film, you know about the brainwashing, and I just wasn't feeling all that affected by it. I will say it's a movie I now do not want to see because I don't feel like I could handle the violence. I'm glad I read it (if only so I can just say 'horrorshow' now as my own little joke to myself), but I was less tahn impressed. I expected something grander.

And that's it--I finished A Clockwork Orange yesterday and am on to How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent by Julia Alvarez. Though waiting close behind in the wings is Nora Ephron's  (Mother of us all) I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections which I picked up because hearing about her death really stuck with me (hence the quote at the top). So many people wrote so many lovely things about her and it made me really think about the kind of person I want to be. I also have Crazy Salad in the queue so I'm excited about that. I mean, how could you not love something that comes from the pen of the person who wrote You've Got Mail?!

In other book news, I found this article from The Millions about books that are coming out in the second half of 2012: gotta be honest and say that I almost passed out when I saw that Richard Russo, Zadie Smith, Junot Diaz, Sandra Cisneros, and Emma Donoghue are coming out with new books! Is there anything you're excited to start soon or waiting to come out?!

Well, it's sufficiently dark now and I've enjoyed a glass and a half of wine, so I think it's time for me to sign off. I hope your Summer days have been lovely and relaxing and full of good reading.

Happy Reading,
Stephanie

Twenty-Five and a Half Ain't So Bad...

She refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn't boring.

-Zelda Fitzgerald

This post is not about books. I know. I'm shocked, too. Books are my favorite topic, we all know that. But my second favorite topic of late is my 25 of 25 list that I'm slowly working my way through. Seeing as I am officially 25 1/2 years old as of June 10, I thought it only right (and completely self-indulgent) to post about my progress so far. (I do so love a good excuse to talk about myself.)

One thing you must know about me--I love lists. Lists rule my life (in a positive way, I think). I make a to-do list every. single. day. While I was in school, I made a to-do list every Sunday night and often made additional daily lists depending on the week. I live by planners and schedules and it makes me happy, even though it's a little weird. But who doesn't love that act of the cross-off when you've done something?

I have a list. It's big and wonderful.

This list is comprised of things that I want to accomplish while I'm 25. (I've introduced this list in the blog before here.) In October of last year, I started having this weird quarter-life crisis that was bringin' me down. I don't know why 25 sounded so wrong to me, but it was all I could think about. I was still getting used to not being in school and I generally wasn't thrilled with where I was in life (which sounds so self-help-y, but whatever). So I was a downer in general. But I was sick of being that--no one likes someone who complains all the time. So when I was figuring things out for myself, or trying to, anyway, a list made so much sense. My friends Cassie and Liz had also turned 25 sort of recently and they both made to-do lists for themselves for their 25th years. A list that has goals that you WANT to accomplish?! Bingo! This was right up my alley.

Let's be honest here--I've had a list of things I want to do before I die since I was about 12, and while some of them will never come true (an Olympic athlete I shall never be), I actually have accomplished some of those pre-teen wishes for myself. So, I thought, why not try and get some of these goals complete and add some new, smaller, more realistic, but important goals to the list and set myself a time-line?

So that's what I did.

I created a new Excel spreadsheet that I named "25 Goals of 25" and let it sit empty for a while. Once I created it, I found myself furiously trying to find a pen and paper in bars, on the metro, at work as my brain started firing off random things I wanted to do.

Out of these scraps of paper and text messages to myself, I came up with a list. Originally it was to be a list of 25 things. But as I was entering the wise-old age of 25, I know something about myself--25 things was going to be too many and I knew I'd be disappointed with myself when I couldn't do all of them. So the list stands at 19.

19 things I want to do this year.

It's an exceptional list, if I do say so myself.

I love it. And to be honest, I really think that it's added more fun than stress to my life--it's forced me to be fun and adventurous where I wasn't before. Not only that, but I can honestly say, that even though I'm only halfway through 25, it's been one of the better years ever.

Plus, it's a killer conversation starter. :)

So now that you have a little bit of an explanation, here are the things that I've done, I'm in the middle of doing, and I'm looking forward to doing to get through my list.

Things that I have accomplished so far:
1) Get braces. This was my first goal accomplished, and it may be the one I'm proudest of. My teeth have bothered me since I started college. I often don't notice things about myself, but I noticed in college that my teeth started shifting forward and I was starting to get snaggly. Before my senior year of college, my mom and I went to the orthodontist to get a consult on how much it might cost to get braces, but it was far too expensive and insurance did not cover it. So I waited. In grad school, I was quite broke (as it's only really acceptable to be), so there wasn't much of a choice there. I decided in January that since I now had a real job and had saved enough money and gotten to the point where I wanted to take the plunge I wanted to get the braces. So on January 19, I became Brace Face. At 25. The waiting room at the orthodontist's was swarming with tweens and it made me sad, even though most of them were talking about what color rubber bands they were going to get and I was paying extra for the clear brackets. But ya know... I don't mind them so much anymore. Mostly because I can see such a difference already! I still have a year to go in them, but that's nothing. And it will be so worth it. Plus, I have to be careful what I eat, so I've lost weight while they've been on. Double score! :)

2) Try 25 new beers. This goes without much explanation, really. I mean, who doesn't love trying new beers? It gave me an excuse to mix it up and try new things. I accomplished this goal on March 24 (don't judge me, fools) and I'm actually at number 33 (I want to keep counting!). Got a new beer you think I should try? Tell me!

3) Try 5 new restaurants. This is the goal that has surprised me the most and taken on a life of its own! I live in Washington DC, which, granted is not the most known place on the earth for its restaurants, but there are some fine ones here. While in grad school, I very rarely ate out (I mean, Chipotle was a huge treat for me). So, since I now had a real, paying job, I wanted to try all these places that people always mention. If you want to accomplish this goal, start dating someone. That's the key. Since December 10, I've now tried 25 new restaurants, 18 of them with my boyfriend (who seems to enjoy the game of accomplishing this portion of my list). Before May hit, I was on a roll trying 5 new restaurants A MONTH, which was exciting and awesome (obviously it takes very little to please me, or haven't you caught onto this yet?). My only regret is that I haven't recorded what I got at each place and how I liked it. I guess I'll have to do that next year.

4) Go to a wine festival. We went to the Vintage Virginia Wine Festival last month and it was so fun! We took a keg bus down (of course, you have to get your palette ready with some Bud Light before wine) and had a lovely day. It was a beautiful day out and it's something I've always wanted to do. Goal accomplished!

Things I am in the process of accomplishing:
These are the goals that are both the hardest and the most rewarding. Anyone can happen to try 5 new restaurants or go to wine festivals. Pishaw. I made some goals that I'd have to keep up with throughout the whole year. These are my favorites.

1) Read 5 books from my to-read-before-I-die list. Yes. This list does physically exist. It's existed since I was 21. I've actually done some sweet damage to it since its creation, and I always try to read at least one thing on it a year. But this year, I wanted to feel literary. So I want to read five. Since December, I've read two: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and 1984 by George Orwell. These are books that most people read in high school but somehow, I missed them. I loved them both (for different reasons, obviously.) The other books I'm hoping to cross off the list and add to these two are To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I seem to have a very post-modern, dystopian thing going on here... I'm loving it. This is fun and it makes me feel good to get some real reading done!

2) Update my blog once a month at least. I actually have done this, and I have really loved it for several reasons. One being that it's fun to reflect on what I've read. It helps me to not only remember things, but to make better-shaped recommendations when people ask me. The other reason I love it is because it kind of gets my mind working. I'm not the most eloquent of writers, that I know, but I love the challenge of trying to tie things together and give the quick and dirty on any given book whether I liked it or not. Even if no one reads this but my mom. :)

3) Write one letter a week. This is by FAR my favorite goal. I love mail. I love sending it. I love getting it. I love picking out the perfect card to send to a person (I am a Platinum member at Hallmark. Seriously.). And I feel like people don't send mail enough. I've waxed philosophic about letter-writing before, and I'm hoping to write a whole post about my experience with doing this, but let me tell you that sitting down once a week, thinking of someone to write to and writing to them is one of the more therapeutic things I do during my week. It's a lovely feeling to put that letter in the mailbox and even though I generally don't expect to get anything back (though I do sometimes!), I love the whole process of letting my thoughts and my affection travel across state lines and wind up in someone's mailbox to surprise them when they least expect it. A letter. Just for you. It's lovely. It's getting hard to do, I won't lie. My goal was to write to 52 different people, one different person each week, but I'm beginning to think that I don't know that many people! But I shall soldier on. I'm a little behind (a few weeks, actually... cough cough) but I'm planning to catch up this weekend.

Finally, here are some more things to look forward to me talking about to the point where you're going to want to slap me:

Goals that I'm hoping to accomplish sometime soon:
1) Find the perfect lip color.
2) Find a spoon ring (they are so elusive!!)
3) Write a short story.
4) Buy and learn how to play the ukelele (mainly so I can play this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI8NuFAETMQ and this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sbThURDwz4&feature=related )

I've accomplished a few other goals, but they aren't very exciting, really, and some are a little personal, so I'll spare you.

But these are the goals that have made my 25th year so amazing so far (along with some other wonderful things).

Sorry to take that jaunt away from books for a post here, but I wanted to somehow mark my status as a 25 and a half year old!

However, I've been reading some AMAZING books (Home by Toni Morrison, anyone?! The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown?) and I hope to write about them soon!

Stay tuned.

Keep reading (and accomplishing goals!),
Stephanie

Summer Reading: Installment 1

"Lying on top of the car with my face to the black sky was like lying on a closed trunk on a summer night. For the first time in my life the weather was not something that touched me, that caressed me, froze or sweated me, but became me. The atmosphere and I became the same."

-On the Road

Jack Kerouac

My friends moms have been asking me for book recommendations since I was roughly 15 years old. It wasn't until I got to be about 18 that my friends themselves started asking me. So, over the past 10 years or so, I've learned a little about people and their reading habits. One of the many things I've learned is that come about mid-June, everyone is looking for a recommendation. And it's not the people with whom I talk about books on a regular basis--it's the people who finally have time to sit down and read on vacation. This is a primo opportunity for me to dig into the archives of my reading past and pull out some great things that made my own summers so vivid and lively.
Last weekend was Memorial Day, meaning that the summer reading fever has begun, and thankfully so! So, in anticipation of the summer reading onslaught, I thought I'd get ahead of the game and make some recommendations for great summer reading.
I want to split this post into several installments because I have quite a few and didn't want to be overwhelming.

I figured I'd give you an instance in which you might desire a new book and then go from there. This was a fun exercise for me--worked my brain a little.

So, here are some books for you if you are...

Sitting at the beach for a week:
The beach is the best. Sun, booze, bathing suits, sand in places that probably shouldn't see sand, sun hats, and water. So when you're at the beach, enjoying yourself and escaping from the reality that is your normal life full of bills and work and other people's needs, you just need a book to take you somewhere else. Recently, I was sent an advance copy of The Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri and I finished it in about 2 days. The story is an easy read and well-written. You can tell from the book that the author knows the sea well--it is the most constant and steadfast character in the novel. Barbieri's writing about the sea is lovely and lilting and if you're sitting near the beach while you read it, then I imagine it would come even more to life. The story surrounds a woman whose powerful husband has cheated on her, so she leaves with her two young daughters to visit a long-lost aunt in a very small beach town where she has to learn to find her own way. The novel goes quickly and would be perfect for a sunny, hot day.

Another great beach read is One Day by David Nicholls. Warning--you will cry like a baby behind your sunglasses. Nicholls has a great approach to telling the story of two people who meet in college and become best friends. Each chapter takes place on the same day over the course of twenty years. During those twenty years, Dex and Emma graduate from college, get crappy jobs, get better jobs, fall in love, fall out of love, and find that the other is still there. It's a heartwarming story that goes perfect with a relaxing day at the beach!

Ann Brashares wrote The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants which I un-guiltily love. Right after she finished the last of that series, she wrote a book called The Last Summer of You and Me which I also loved. It's Brashares first book for adults. The story follows two sisters and their childhood friend Paul on a summer that changes all of their lives. It's a well-told and insightful story of the tragedy and beauty of becoming an adult, often sooner than we want to.

Missing school:
Don't lie. You miss it. Just a little bit. Well, if you don't yet, you will if you're anything like me. I loved the freedom of summer as a kid, but in reality, by mid-July, I was ready to go back and have someone to talk to about books! If you're missing school (even if you've been out for a while), here are some books that might take you back to your summer reading days.

The summer before my senior year of high school, I had to read Kate Chopin's The Awakening which was life-altering. Edna is stuck in a life that she is supposed to love but there is something missing for her. While summering in New Orleans, Edna discovers a passion for life that she can't quite fulfill herself because of her duties to her family and to the society that she loves and hates.  I loved this book because it made clear to my 18 year old mind how lucky I was to have been born when I was, post-feminism. The language is lovely and the story may be sad, but if you're looking for a little symbolism and feminism, this is the book for you.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has to be one of the better books ever. For me, this is a perfect summer read--what could make you feel more free than reading about men in a mental institution testing the limits of their humanity against the man?!

Another book I read while I was a senior in high school was Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad which remains one of my favorite books to this day. Kurtz, horrors, the Congo, humanity. Boom--English 101. So awesome and quite short, so a good, quick summer read.

Work is killing your soul:
It happens. We all know it. And what better way to alleviate that soul-strangle than with a completely obsessive, engrossing, all-encompassing book that you basically keep on your person at all times hoping to get a minute to yourself during the day or at least during lunch so you can sneak in some more pages? I know of no better way.
I've already talked about The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, but I loved it so much, I had to tell you to read it again. Sorry. But you will not regret picking this book up. I actually considered skipping New Years Eve so I could finish it. Here's what I wrote in my previous post: "The Night Circus is actually a little hard to put into words. There is a magical element to the story, but I wouldn't call it magical realism and I wouldn't call it fantasy either. But that's kind of what I loved about it--it is uncategorizable. The premise of the book is that two older men agree to hold a competition in which they choose a pupil to whom they will train for a big duel although they are not told what form it will take. It ends up becoming the Night Circus which only opens at dusk and closes at dawn and contains magical tents, amazing characters, and the beautifully woven story of the competitors who make it real. My favorite part is that the book turned out not to be what I thought it was about the whole time (at least in my interpretation) and I love when things surprise you like that." Just go get it.
I loved The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It was one of the first books I read after graduating from college, so maybe that's why I associate it with summer. Or because it takes place in the South, I don't know. But either way, if you are one of the 5 people on the planet who hasn't read it, you should grab it. I loved the story--it was heartbreaking and funny at the same time and was something you could sink your teeth into rather than just brush past.
I used to be in a book club and one of their picks was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon which I fully anticipated hating. I ended up loving it and it earned a spot in my Top 10 list for 2010 post. I'm not a big mystery person, but this one grabbed me and held on tight. The story is beautifully translated and follows a boy whose father owns a bookstore where he finds the book The Shadow of the Wind and begins to realize the mystery behind it and its author. It's lovely, particularly if you're a book lover by nature.
Those are the first three instances in which you might need a good book recommendation, but I have more, so stay tuned for future posts next week!
I hope that your summer reading has begun and that you're able to sit down on your front porch or a pool deck or a beach chair and read while just feeling summer.

Happy Reading,
Stephanie

A Mid-Month Post, Because I Was Too Excited

"The techniques of opening conversation are universal. I knew long ago and rediscovered that the best way to attract attention, help, and conversation is to be lost. A man who seeing his mother starving to death on a path kicks her in the stomach to clear the way, will cheerfully devote several hours of his time giving wrong directions to a total stranger who claims to be

lost.

-Travels with Charley

John Steinbeck

As I was writing my weekly letter as demanded by my "25 Things To Do While I'm 25" list, I realized how low on the lovely personalized stationary that Santa brought me I am, and realized that I've now been 25 for 5 months! This is no real relevance to this post at all, I just thought it was an interesting way for me to measure time. Funny how fast and slow time can go at the same time. I just saw the first lightning bug of the season tonight (because the first lightning bug is determined by when I see it and no one else) and almost cried--it's almost summer. I love spring. I think I love it because it's often elusive--just when you think it's spring, it turns back to winter, and you have one beautiful day when you can smell the hyacinths on a pretty (but not too hot) day and then it's sweltering and you're in a bathing suit that you aren't quite ready for.

This may seem random, but it's certainly got me thinking about summer books. There are two times of year that people ask for books the most--summer time and Christmas time, and summer time is the most fun. Next week (hopefully), I'm going to be posting about the perfect summer reads for all your reading needs! So look out for that one.

In the meantime, I wanted to make a mid-month update on what I've been reading because frankly, I've been killing it in the reading arena.

I think I've written about my young love affair with non-fiction before, though not in great detail, but it is a love affair that I do so enjoy. Every once in a while, I need to clear my head with a good non-fiction read. If you are in that mode too, and frankly even if you aren't, please, for your sake, pick up Joshua Foer's Moonwalking with Einstein. First of all, if you know me and have ever asked me for a book recommendation, you know that one of the first things I ask is "So, you've read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, right?" I do love my Jonathon Safran Foer, so when I saw that his younger brother had written a book, I was all in. Moonwalking with Einstein is a combination of journalism and memoir that from what I've seen has been rivaled recently only by Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Foer takes on an assignment to talk about the US Memory Championships (yes, it's a real thing) where super-nerds congregate in attempts to out-memorize each other. They memories the orders of decks of cards, random words, poems, etc. and are judged on their abilities. Foer was so interested in this, that he decided to take one of the champions up on his offer to train for the next year's competition. Foer writes about not only his own training and such, but the history of memory and the devolution of memory in our society. This might sound like a boring topic, but Foer weaves the history and case studies in so well with his own memoir portions that it becomes a seamless narrative where you don't realize you're learning anything until the end. My favorite part was his explanations of how to develop and use a Memory Palace where, in order to remember a list of things, you envision a house that you are familiar with and place the things in the list around the house as you traverse it in your mind. His visits with people with memory issues (people who can't forget and people who can't remember) are well done and fascinating.

Sincerely, pick up Moonwalking with Einstein... it's a pretty quick read and will make you think about your own memory and how you use and abuse your brain. Fascinating stuff! Like I said, you'll like this one especially if you liked The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks!

The other book I picked up since my last post was John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley. As you know, I just read Of Mice and Men pretty recently, but I kind of fell in love with Steinbeck's prose, and a friend of mine had read Travels with Charley and recommended it so I thought I'd pick it up. Again, if you know me, you know how I adore On the Road (and almost anything Beat Generation besides Burroughs... too creepy) and I think that part of the reason I love it (besides just loving on Jack) is because I love the idea of travelling by car (even though I was constantly carsick as a girl). I love the notion of freedom that it gives and the possibilities that surround it. So when I figured out that Travels with Charley is about Steinbeck's trip across America with his dog in a camper, I was so in. I loved it. It may be one of my favorite travel books ever. Steinbeck makes no pretensions about trying to "find America" because he knows that it's impossible--you might take the same exact trip and meet the same exact people as he did and you'd still come away with a completely different experience. It's what makes us humans. All he wants to do is tell us what he's seen and share his observations. It's lovely and refreshing. He meets and talks to all kinds of people about all kinds of things, he discusses the loneliness of the road and how it's like nothing else. Frankly, it made me want to pack my bags and just head out there. One of the most profound and interesting parts of the book was when he discussed the race riots and desegregation of schools that were happening in the South when he passed through there on his way home and how it affected him. His prose is clean and beautiful and it really got me at the core, which is what reading is all about.

Travels with Charley is short and a quick read as well and would be perfect before the planning of any trip or when you feel like you need to connect with something.

So those are my past two books and I couldn't wait to share them until the end of the month!

Next week, I hope to have a good summer list to you (I got an advance copy of a book from HarperCollins that I'll be sharing!) so that you can get a jump on all the great things out there for the beach, for when you're stuck at home wishing you were at the beach, or for finally catching up on things you've missed out on over the winter!

It's a pretty summer-ish night here, and as I finish my glass of wine I sign off before I venture outside into the lightning bugs again.

Happy reading,
Stephanie

"It was a bright cold day in April..."

"A guy needs somebody--to be near him." He whined, "A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya," he cried, "I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick."

-Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck

In my last post, I mentioned how quickly February went and how I simply couldn't fathom how it was already March. Well, it's going to be May this week and not only does time continue to fly by, but it all went so quickly that there was no time to update the blog (even though my 25 list demands it). But I'm here now, so let's do this.

Since my last post, life in general here has been busy and fun--the DC weather is cooperating nicely and I've been able to do outside things thanks to that. Gotta love baseball season! Besides the big bummer of a good friend and co-worker leaving me, the past two months have been pretty fun and eventful, and it's only going to get crazier (and hopefully more fun!) as summer comes on.

In my book life, I've done some good reading and some not-so-good reading. Spring and fall always make me miss being an English major and having the time to tear through books and poetry, but spring always makes me particularly long for a little Kerouac and Ginsberg, so I took the plunge and read a biography of Allen Ginsberg that has been taunting me from my book shelf since the Ginsberg exhibit at the National Gallery two years ago. Unfortunately, it was a long, dense book that basically gave Ginsberg's every movement throughout his life. It was far too detailed and even though the original plan was to read that then jump into my annual reading of On the Road, I had to pass because I felt so overwhelmed afterwards.

Although that was disappointing and took a long time to get through, I started on another of my 25 goals by reading two books from my "To Read Before I Die" list which is, of course, super long and constantly growing. The list originated out of a book called The Top Ten where authors choose the books that they believe to be the top ten fiction books of all time. As I was reading it, I noted how many I had read but mostly felt under-read, so kept a list of the books that I thought were important to read at some point. In its current state, the list is about 45 books total, and I've gotten through about 1/3 of them since I made the list in late 2008. In an effort to get through the list, I've made it a goal to read 5 of those books this year. The two I got through this month were Of Mice and Men and 1984, both of which I loved and mildly obsessed over. Add in some other random fun books, and the list from the past two months is great! So without further ado:

-The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - Yes, I realize that this is a children's book and although it's quite thick, most of the pages are wonderful charcoal drawings that help tell the story, but after seeing the movie Hugo this past winter, I felt the need to see how the book was. It was lovely and a really amazing example of how art and literature can go hand in hand to enliven a story and to hopefully get kids invested in books. I know that it's won several children's book awards, but I'd love to hear how a kid liked it from the kid's mouth!

-Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - You know how there are holes in your personal literary canon because there was no time in school to read every book ever? The fact that I hadn't read this one has been pestering me for some time now, so I knew it was time. In case you haven't read it, the story follows Lennie (a large man with slower mental abilities) and George (a quick-witted man who looks after Lennie) as they find work on farms and continue to dream the dream of owning their own place at some point. The story is about friendship, hope, isolation, desperation, and humanity. Very quick read (I think it's considered a novella) but engrossing. Warning--don't read the end of this on the train in the morning or your tears will attract the attention of everyone.

-The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides - I was kind of disappointed with Middlesex in the end and wasn't completely taken with The Virgin Suicides, so I was a little worried about reading the newest from Eugenides. It got rave reviews, however, and I found it on the new book shelf, so I snatched it and gave it a go. I loved it, and if you were either an English major or went to a liberal arts school, you're at least bound to chuckle at many parts! The story is about a pseudo-love-triangle among three college kids. Actually, I think what most struck me about this book was it's bold-faced, real, desperate representation of depression and what it does to a person and to the people around them. If you liked The Art of Fielding, you'll like this one!

-Blue Nights by Joan Didion - After reading The Year of Magical Thinking and having a breakdown at BWI airport while reading it, I didn't know if I could handle the newest Didion. And it was rough. But Didion knows how to write a good book and her words and descriptions and agony are so poignant and real and beautifully tragic that I couldn't help myself. Blue Nights picks up where The Year of Magical Thinking left off, but Didion's daughter has died and she is dealing with the loss of both her husband and her child. Very quick read but also very thought-provoking and sad.

-Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling - If you liked Bossypants (which.. who didn't?) you'll like this one. Kaling is hilarious (she writes for and plays Kelly Kapur in The Office) and has great stories of her childhood, her life in television and comedy, and has some great pictures strewn throughout. Kaling is someone you want to be friends with and go for manicures with. I will say that one of her favorite moments in television is the same as mine (30 Rock Dealbreakers episode. Liz Lemon crying from her mouth... I'm dying just thinking about it), so basically we're already friends. This is perfect for the beach!

- I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg by Bill Morgan - Like I said before, this was actually disappointing. I was hoping for some more talk about the poetry and the history of the Beat Generation, but what I got was basically a day-by-day account of Ginsberg's life. While it was interesting at some points, it got a little long and boring and I felt like it was like hearing every meal that Ginsberg ate rather than his real personal life. Morgan knew Ginsberg and compiled his diaries and such which is why it's so intimate, and I appreciated that, but I felt like I still didn't really know Ginsberg by the end. I wouldn't recommend this one...

- The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright - I randomly picked this one off the shelf at the library and ended up not totally regretting it. The story is about a woman who cheats on her husband, then leaves him for the guy she's cheating on him with. It's a very personal look at a love affair, but one that didn't really make me feel bad for any of the involved people. But I guess that was kind of the point. There's a kid involved and by the end you sort of feel for the main character, but like I said, I didn't feel very invested. Another one I would skip in favor of something else.

- 1984 by George Orwell - How have I never read this book?!?! I mean, it's so ingrained into our society (I mean.. Big Brother!) that I feel like I've probably missed some awesome references to it in pop culture! Again, this is one you've probably read (this or Animal Farm), but in case you're like me, this is a book that was written in the late 1940s and takes place in the futuristic year 1984 where society has become a complete oligarchical dictatorship. We follow Winston Smith whose job it is to change the newspaper reports so that they conform to Big Brother's favor and who begins to feel resentment toward the society that is constantly keeping tabs on its people. It's actually a really frightening book that made me think about our own society and the idea of free thought. I recommend it for anyone, particularly if you liked White Noise or Animal Farm.

Well, that's all I got. I'm hoping to post more regularly!

I'm currently reading Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer and I'm loving it to the point of obsession!! I think I might have to write a whole post just about that one book! :)

I hope that spring is bringing you lots of good books to read and hopefully some nice weather wherever you are!

As always, I'm willing to make personal book lists and recommendations! :)

Happy reading,
Stephanie

A Very Quick February...

"Then I've been drunk, too," admitted Francie.

"On beer?"

"No. Last spring, in McCarren's Park. I saw a tulip for the first time in my life."

-A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Some things to say before I get to the books:

1. If you've been around me at all in the past, say week or so, you've heard me say this undoubtedly more than once but, how on EARTH is it MARCH already?! I mean really... where did January and February go?! Maybe because I've had a super good January and February whereas usually they are the worst months (especially February) and I've had this weird luck that I keep expecting to run out, but seriously. March?! But I shouldn't complain because, I'm ready to bring on the spring which will hopefully be full of lots of outside things, pretty dresses, and places to wear them.

2. On that note, March is looking to be a pretty big one too--I mean, how could it not be when you have the season premiere of Mad Men AND the opening of Hunger Games all in one weekend?!

3. I've been reading like a fiend lately and I don't expect that to end any time soon! It's getting to be about that time where my soul craves a little Kerouac and I can feel the "eli eli lamma lamma sabacthani saxophone cry" of Ginsberg race through my veins (yes, spring always makes me think of the Beats). Good weather always makes me hungry to read more and I have some wonderful things on the pile for this month, I think.

But let's get to this month's round-up. And this month was weird and wonderful, that's for sure. A very mixed bag--something for everyone:

-The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta: Several people had told me that this was in their queue to read and I had noticed in on a few of the "best of" lists I saw around New Years, so I thought I'd give it a try. Upon opening it, I had no idea what it was about, and I think that only added to the awesomeness of the experience. But, because this is what this blog is for, here's a my little synopsis and plug: The story takes place after the Rapture, only it's not your typical rapture in that it is seemingly random--the people who are taken or disappear were not necessarily the most religious or even the best people in general. The story centers on a small American town and the people who have to deal with being left behind. There are organizations that pop up because of the rapture and people who both take advantage of the situation as well as people who are taken advantage of. It's a really interesting post-modern story that actually kind of freaked me out. But I highly recommend it! If you liked White Noise by Don DeLillo, you'll like this one!

-The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson--Well, I just went from one weird, engrossing book to another, didn't I? This was definitely on a lot of people's "best of" lists from last year and rightly so. The Fang family consists of Caleb and Camille Fang who are very dedicated performance artists and their children Annie and Buster (often referred to as Child A and Child B) who are forced to become part of their parents' twisted but engrossing artwork. When Annie and Buster grow up, they try to find ways to distance themselves from their parents, but there is a stranglehold that keeps them coming back. A amazing commentary on the power of family (whether we like it or not) and the notion of what art means, this is a well-written and fascinating book! Read this one if you liked Room or The Night Circus although it's very different from both!

-Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean--Most likely, you who are reading this knows how I feel about dogs (if not, here's a hint: I don't take too terribly well to them nor they to me), so I was kind of not sure if I wanted to read this one. But, I love Susan Orlean and she always finds this crazy-awesome story behind things (see The Orchid Theif), so I picked it up (aka I waited 3 months for it to come to me at the library) and it was pretty worth it. Although this might seem to be just a book about how a dog became famous, it's actually more about the ways that entertainment in America has changed from silent movies to talkies to television and how one must adapt or die. The original Rin Tin Tin was raised by Lee Duncan who found him during the war in France and rose to movie and television fame. Rin Tin Tin seems to have this amazing pull over people and severely changed the lives of those who really wanted to see him on the screen for years to come. Orlean does a fabulous job of telling this sort of odd story and almost made me understand peoples' fascination with dogs. Another interesting aspect is her inclusion of the history of dogs in America and how the notion has changed over time--pretty interesting! If you liked The Orchid Thief also by Susan Orlean, you'll be sure to like this one.

-Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan--After reading Maine by Sullivan last month, I was told by a friend that I would like her first book Commencement even better, and I actually think I agree! Now, you have to understand that I am a sucker for books about female friendship (come to think of it, I should just make a list for the best books on female friendship... there's an idea..) so if you're not, then I wouldn't read this book. Commencement follows four girls who become friends while they are living down the hall from one another at Smith. Though these girls are very different from each other, they become a family and go on to remain friends after graduation. This book is filled with surprising twists and some pretty accurate depictions of female friendships. I loved the way Sullivan tells the story and the fact that there were some similarities to some of the best friendships I have! If you liked Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (who didn't?!) or anything by Julia Glass, this is the book for you.

-Then Again by Diane Keaton--I've always liked Diane Keaton because she's quirky and funny and has this amazing staying power. In her memoir, she combines the journals of her mother (who died of Alzheimers a few years ago) and her own insights and past letters and journals to weave together the story of mother and daughter. Keaton talks about her fame and her breakthrough with Annie Hall but moreso about her childhood and her relationship with her quirky, semi-dysfunctional family. Her writing is not perfect by any means, but she writes with emotion and conviction. I will say that for some reason, this book made me miss my mom though my relationship with my mom doesn't mirror that of Keaton and her mother. She does a great job of bringing forth this previously unsung personality of her mother into the open and exposing her for the very real person she was. I liked it, but am not sure if I would recommend it. But, if you liked Me and My Shadows by Lorna Luft (about her mother Judy Garland) or The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok, you may like this one.

And that was it for February. I really adored The Leftovers, The Family Fang, and Commencement and would recommend those highly! Next on my list is The Invention of Hugo Cabret (and obvious nod to my love of the movie) and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (because I need to get going on reading 5 books from my to-read-before-I-die list!).

Sorry that this wasn't the most captivating of posts, but I wanted to make sure that I shared what I've been reading before it got too far into March!

Happy March, everyone! I hope that your luck has been leading you to lovely readings! :)

Stephanie