What did I do this summer to prepare for my time in Kosovo? Well, I taught a pre-college class at the University of Michigan so I had some money to get me through the summer. I spent a couple weeks in Washington D.C.—the pre-depatrue orientation took up five days, then I visited my best friend, who lives in the city. I tried to pick up a few Albanian phrases (Flisni Anglisht? will be my favorite). And I moved out of my apartment in Detroit. Then, I read. Well, I did a lot of other things in between, but without summer classes and studying and working full-time I was able to read this summer (May - August) in a way that I haven't been able to since high school. I’m so excited to have crossed some books off my list, and I feel like sharing them (with some, but minimal, commentary).
2.) Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut—This is my first Vonnegut novel. (I can hear the gasps and see the furrowed brows.) I knew that Vonnegut is a hugely popular cult author, but I also knew that I never really enjoyed cult classics. I own like four of his books though—I’m a book hoarder—so I thought I’d give him a try. I love this novel. I love it, and I pretty much reread the whole thing when I was done. There’s post-it notes sticking out of it for my favorite lines and quotes. |
3.) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess—No, I had never read this before either. Sorry. This book is real horrorshow, though. The language is something else, and I found myself going back to reread and highlight lots of sections. 5.) The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt—This novel reminded me why I don’t usually read books just because they’re on the NY Times Best Sellers list. I convinced myself that I should pick up this one because it won the Pulitzer, but it wasn’t as worthwhile as I was hoping. |
6.) Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk—this was somewhat of a reread. I started it a couple years ago and never finished. “Guts" is what got me hooked, but the second half’s stories are not as interesting or disgusting as the first half. (We read Palahniuk to be disgusted, right?) Anyway, I felt like I was in high school again reading so much Palahniuk.
|
8.) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien—The only thing that makes me sad to leave the U.S. is that I’ll be missing the last Hobbit movie. So I reread the book instead. In further nerdom: after reading this, I really wanted to learn Khuzdûl. |
10.) Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway—Manly men doing manly things. There were some stories that I really loved, and others that I didn’t love so much. The nice thing was that all the stories were short. Hemingway, I love you, but I can only take you for so long without needing a break. Or a female character. |
11.) Socrates: A Man for Our Times by Paul Johnson—This man loves Socrates a lot. Like, a lot a lot. He should probably marry him. He's critical of Plato in way that screams jealous. |
14.) Ten Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly—I, of course, knew who Nellie Bly was and have had this book on my radar for a while, but what really got me to finally just read it (it’s super short) was Comedy Central’s Drunk History. The episode where they discussed her was extremely funny and engaging. A day or two later, I was still thinking about it, so I picked up her book and read it in an hour. An amazing woman that should be still be celebrated and discussed. |
15.) The Tenth Circle of Hell by Rezak Hukanovic—a memoir of Bosnia’s death camps. Some parts were really hard to read, and I will never be able to fathom how things like this have occurred during my lifetime and are still happening today. |
Currently Reading (who reads just one book at a time?):
· The Circle by Dave Eggers—I’m a glutton for punishment, apparently. It's okay so far. A lot different from AHWOSG, which I haven't yet been able to discern if that's a good thing or not.
· Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & his Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami—Great so far. I always enjoy Murakami.
· One More Thing by B.J. Novak—I figured I’d read Mindy, why not B.J.? I've only read two stories, not it's bad as I thought. I get freaked out when actors try fiction. Like, did you guys learn nothing from Ethan Hawke? From James Franco. God, he’s the worst.
· The Circle by Dave Eggers—I’m a glutton for punishment, apparently. It's okay so far. A lot different from AHWOSG, which I haven't yet been able to discern if that's a good thing or not.
· Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & his Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami—Great so far. I always enjoy Murakami.
· One More Thing by B.J. Novak—I figured I’d read Mindy, why not B.J.? I've only read two stories, not it's bad as I thought. I get freaked out when actors try fiction. Like, did you guys learn nothing from Ethan Hawke? From James Franco. God, he’s the worst.