The Fete Blog

“What was the use of doing great things if I could have a better time telling her what I was going to do?”

“‘Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly.”

“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.”

To say I am excited for Baz Luhrmann’s remake of The Great Gatsby is a gross understatement. I am BEYOND excited (and yes, all caps are necessary). The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite pieces of literature– and that means something, because I’m obviously an expert with my masters in English. {To be quite honest, American literature, until the contemporary period, never really caught my attention. I love British modernism (happening at the same time F. Scott Fitzgerald was writing and led by the great Virginia Woolf) but the American writers of the time just don’t do it for me (the obvious exceptions: Faulkner and Hemingway).}

I loved Gatsby from the first time I read it in high school. Something about that glitzy, luscious, crazy world grabbed me. This was my third re-reading of it, and I have to say, Gatsby is like a fine wine: it just gets better with age.

By now, you probably know the plot. Nick, a guy from the Midwest, comes to the East. Shacks up next door to this Gatsby fellow, who throws the best parties. Hangs out with his cousin Daisy, her husband (crazy, racist, sexist Tom), and the mysterious Jordan Baker. He meets Gatsby, gets to know some of his self-made history, and learns about his old love affair with Daisy. Gets wrangled into putting Daisy and Gatsby back together; there’s a fight with Tom; a car crash; then a tragic, tragic ending.

What stood out to me this time, as a 25-year-old, were three things: first, this was an incredible period where people SAID who they were and it was believed. There is this theme of spoken untruths, that I would definitely write a paper about if I were still in school. Gatsby depicts a magical time period where if you wanted to be someone, you said it, and voila– you were it.

The second stand-out was just how beautiful Fitzgerald’s words were. The words! The man put sentences together out of nowhere that made me stop, read again, repeat five times, double back again later… Gatsby is truly a book of special significance to literature. Fitzgerald said he wanted to “write something new– something extraordinary and beautiful and simple & intricately patterned.” He did. Read it and really pay attention to the form, not just the story.

And, finally, this reading made me really dislike everyone. I’m sure that’s the point, deep down– that we’re all frauds– but it really stood out to me this time. I didn’t like Nick. Sure, he’s the last one standing by Gatsby’s side at the end, but he’s a jerk to him so often. Dismissive, rude, judgmental– who is Nick to be judgmental? Daisy’s a mess, Jordan’s kind of a bitch, Tom is gross, and Gatsby… well, I just kept picturing Leo as Gatsby this time and I couldn’t help but adore him. At the end, it reads as if Nick is blaming the East for creating the disastrous summer he had– that he believes the Midwest is purer, calmer, better. I disagreed. It didn’t stop me from loving the book, but it did make me skeptical of Nick as the narrator (I would make the argument that you’re supposed to question his reliability as the storyteller).

The movie is sure to pale in comparison to the book– but it is sure to be a masterpiece in its own way. Even if you’ve already seen it, go out and get a copy of the book. It’s a fast read, gripping and entertaining– truly a book to be treasured.

fun illustrations by Fred Meyer via my Collector’s Edition Great Gatsby

I have to admit– I’ve been guilty over the past few weeks of staring, bleary eyed and sleepy, at my laptop instead of turning to my pile of books-to-be-read. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t get through more of my Flagstaff reading list while we were in Arizona… but that’s how it goes. There will never be enough time to get to all the books on my dream bookshelf! But so help me, I’m going to try.

My short list of books to enjoy this month is a hodgepodge of interests– training, blogging, and nerdy. I am usually a one-book-at-a-time kind of reader, but lately, I’ve been enjoying reading some non-fiction alongside an engrossing fiction book.

-For runners: I don’t know Kara Goucher personally, but I want to be her best friend. I was inspired by a Runner’s World cover story on training partners Kara and Shalane (the best American marathoners) and then by Kara’s race at the Boston Marathon; I’d seen this book on the shelves for a few months and was finally moved to pick it up. I’m sure most of it will be common knowledge for me (it seems to be a book geared towards beginners), but Kara trained through her pregnancy and runs much longer distances than me, so I think I’ll pick up some tips and inspiration… and then when I do get the chance to meet her, I can be that nerdy girl who’s read her book.

-For bloggers: I’m always up for more learning AND I’m a massive fan of Joy Cho’s blog. I’m about 1/3 of the way through this book (it’s not the book, it’s just my reading energy levels as of late)– I love that she includes interviews with bloggers (from a range of genres and niches) and I enjoy her friendly, informative tone. There are some parts of the book (the very basic stuff) that I’ve breezed through; but it’s been refreshing to get a primer on the ins and outs of the blog world!

-For dreamers: Yes– I am hooked on Game of Thrones! After my dear friend Lyndsay introduced me to the HBO series, I was determined to try out the books. They’re surprisingly so easy to read– the dialogue and easiness of the television series began in George Martin’s books. You’d think they’d be nerdy, fantasy fairy tales– but they’re interesting, enthralling, and comfortable to read. I’m on the second book and loving it.

What’s on your must-read list this month? What books are you carrying around right now?

all covers via Goodreads

What’s on your to-read list this month? I stocked up on classic, intriguing, and light reads for my trip to our Arizona training haven (or exile, however you want to look at it); I’m sure I won’t get through these all (there are also about 12 magazines in my luggage which always seem easier to flip through than committing to an entire novel), but I’m excited about these options. My reading list for the month:

-The “Research”: Blog, Inc by Joy Cho–> I’m so eager to jump into this; I’m a huge fan of Joy’s blog Oh Joy! and her overall design aesthetic. I know she knows her stuff, so I’m expecting this book to be chock full of juicy tips, unexpected advice, and a bit of guidance I’ve been craving.

-The Easy Read: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling–> I’ve heard this is a quick, hilarious read, a la Tina Fay’s Bossypants, so I’m planning on using this as a breather between Gatsby and Cloud Atlas. I’ll definitely be in need of some girl talk, so I hope this reads like Mindy and I are chatting away like old friends.

-The Classic: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald–> I’m waiting on pins and needles for the Baz Luhrmann version of this novel; it’s long been one of my favorites and probably the closest thing to a “great American novel,” in my mind. I tried to get John to read this a few months ago, and he stopped out of boredom– so I’m excited to give this yet another re-read and fall in love with Fitzgerald’s world all over again.

-The Thought Provoker: Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell–> I’ve heard a bit about this book and I think I have an understanding of how it’s structured and set up, but I know when I dive in, I’ll be completely overwhelmed. I need a good mind mashup and hopefully this will be it…

What’s on your bookshelf this month? Is there anything I should throw into this mix? Have you read any of these books? 

Daring Greatly, by Brené Brown (part of the #readsplendid book club)

“Vulnerability is not knowing victory or defeat, it’s understanding the necessity of both; it’s engaging. It’s being all in.”

“Give me the courage to show up and let myself be seen.”

“As Carl Jung said, ‘I am not what has happened to me. I am what I choose to become.’”

I haven’t quite finished Brené Brown’s book on vulnerability, but I wanted to share some midway thoughts. If you haven’t heard of Brené, all you need to do is watch this incredible TED talk she did in Houston to be hooked. Her work focuses on vulnerability, shame, and authenticity, and she’s combined her research and her own life experience in this book to encourage us to dare greatly, allow ourselves to be seen, and combat the “Never Enough” culture prevalent today.

If that sounds too “rah rah” for you, let me put it this way: we’re all afraid of being our true selves. We all hoard shame at some level. We all could do with a little ass kicking when it comes to opening up and giving more of ourselves to our family, friends, work, and world. In Daring Greatly, Brené delves in to the deepest, darkest pit of fear and shame and explains our weird human nature to us: why we’re so afraid of being vulnerable, how shame really works, and how we can live a more wholehearted, authentic life.

Brené’s voice is warm and funny and this book reads like your best friend or older sister explaining her work to you in a really understandable way. Whether you scoff at the idea of “being vulnerable” or you’re afraid of digging too deep or you feel like the most confident, open person in the world, this is a book you should add to your queue– it’s light, yet captivating, comprehensive, yet intimate. It’s already changed my outlook on a few issues I’ve hoarded within myself and I’m eager to continue to the second half of the book!

image via the Austin Statesman

Honorable Mentions:

Over the holiday break, I read Damn Good Advice (For People With Talent), by George Lois. A short, quick, inspirational read by one of the self-proclaimed best of the traditional advertising world. The format is fun– a numbered list of tips from Lois that vary in applicability to my creative world. It gave me little jolts of motivational sparks, which was greatly needed during a time when I was needing a refresher and looking to organize my plans for 2013.

The last fiction I read was Little Children, by Tom Perrotta. I picked up a copy of the book when a few friends suggested we read something together; I mentioned it was a book I’ve been wanting to read, so we all dove in. Well… a few chapters in, I realized I was recognizing far too many of the lines and quips to be reading it with virgin eyes. Yes. I had read Little Children before– and somehow erased it from my memory. That’s how unforgettable a read it was. It’s not a bad book; Perrotta has a nice take on the traditional suburban existence. But it’s a story that’s been told time and time again– and better.

What’s on your shelf this month? I’m in the market for a few great reads for March– any suggestions?

“If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams.”

I approached Life of Pi with a healthy dose of skepticism. I had known about this novel back in high school– it was one of our options in AP Language and, to be honest, I judged the book by both its cover and by the students (generally the slacker students) who chose the book for their projects. They flocked to the book because it involved animals and it seemed “easier” than other options we had to choose from. I just rolled my eyes and vowed to never read it.

Fast forward a few years and here I am, book in hand, well-worn and with a few underlined sentences. I picked this book up after John, who had read it a few years ago, urged me to give it a try and with the reward of the fancy Ang Lee movie at the end of it. I still don’t know why I was so resistant to Yann Martel’s novel; I just didn’t have faith that it would be interesting. I was wrong.

This was a good read– those kids in high school were on to something. Most reader reviews were bored with the first third of the novel, before the epic lifeboat journey. This is where we learn about Pi’s life in India and his exploration of the three major religions (Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam). This part actually fascinated me; I have a deep love for India and Southeast Asian culture and religion, so these chapters were lovely in my eyes. The ship sinking, the lifeboat full of zoo animals, the long slog across the ocean– some chapters were interesting, some were heartfelt, some were easy to skim through.

It wasn’t until the end, with Martel’s surprise twist ending, that I took a step back from the prettiness and straightforward nature of the novel and took a second look. Many people loved this twist ending– it was an “aha!” moment– but I didn’t enjoy it. I understood what Martel was doing– the religious context, the allegories, the metaphors, the overall theme that “if the outcome is the same, who cares how the story is told?” (aka, who cares what religion you are if the message is the same)– but I didn’t like it. It forced me to review the story through a different lens and it painted a picture of the entire journey that I didn’t really like. I’ll be very curious to see how Lee translates this twist ending into the movie version.

Should you take the time to read this? Yes. It’s a buzz book right now, it won the Booker Prize, it’s light and fairly enjoyable reading. I can appreciate the ending, but I didn’t really like it; I know that many other well-read and intelligent people will think otherwise. Overall, the novel is nice, inventive, a story of courage and faith and willpower. Look at it like that, take the ending with a grain of salt, and you’ll likely enjoy it too.

One thing that’s really hit home over the past few months (since The Blogcademy) is how much community plays a part in individual success. Nothing happens in a vacuum and having a solid team of supporters, friends, collaborators makes ALL the difference. We read tales of the lone success stories and never hear about the people behind-the-scenes. But lately, I’ve been convinced more than ever that no man is an island.

Marthe Hagen, a future Blogcademy graduate (she was supposed to attend the New York premiere workshop, but circumstances conspired against it), releases her first e-book, Feeling Good When Life is Hard, Thursday, December 6– but she was wonderful enough to let her Blogcademy community get an early edition sneak peek. Marthe is the voice behind The Freedom Experiment, a blog that inspires self-development, encourages creativity, and wants to be a cheerleader as you make your dreams come true.

All that being said, Marthe has experienced her own ups and downs, times when she didn’t want to make it another day and times when she had to have loved ones step in and help her get help– and the entire experience is what inspired this e-book.

Feeling Good When Life is Hard is a mix of personal stories, tips and guidance for recognizing your own low moments and how to cope with them, and gentle coaching and worksheets you can (and should!) do to help cultivate self-awareness. So often we’re stuck in that in-between of really knowing ourselves, where a bad day could just be a fluke or the result of a few too many late nights– or if it’s the result of something deeper and more pressing. Through sharing her stories and experiences and giving you pages of practices and advice on how to know yourself and your situation better, Marthe has created a work that is crucial for any modern-day, busy-at-all-times, creative, emotional, and driven girl to have in her arsenal.

my favorite inspirational quote from the book!

The book is split into 3 sections (The Past, The Present, and The Future) and 6 chapters. Marthe really takes her time to explain out different levels of unhappiness or trouble, different ways to get help and different depths your emotions can go to. Chapter by chapter, Marthe breaks it down to issues of maximizing happiness, creating creative coping strategies, tips for self-care, vulnerability, self-coaching, and dreams. In each chapter, she shares more of her story and then goes into steps you can take to increase awareness and take your happiness to the next level. That personal aspect really takes an already beautiful text to a deeper place– it feels like you’re reading a note from a long-lost friend. Marthe’s voice is gentle, funny, and serene; the book is more conversational than pep-talk.

The book ends with a few playlists, some delightful book, blog post, and TED Talk suggestions, and all the worksheets Marthe refers you to throughout the book. Next time I go through it, I plan on printing all the worksheets out so I can participate more fully in the text; aside from being well-designed and pretty, the worksheets make it easy to articulate your hopes, dreams, fears, loves– these are perfect for hanging in your office or bedroom and on your bathroom mirror or inspiration board to refer back to again and again for motivation.

I’m so proud of Marthe– both for sharing her story and for turning the experience into something that will (and has) help many people in similar situations. Life can get hard in an instant– and having the tools and the community to help you get through it can truly be a lifesaver. Even if you’re not unhappy or life is grand, this is a book you should peruse– everyone can use a little pick-me-up once in awhile and these worksheets and advice are the perfect fall-backs for those occasional rainy days.

For more about Marthe, bookmark The Freedom Experiment– batches of feel-good inspiration and motivation every week! To be in the loop when Feeling Good When Life is Hard releases later this week, subscribe here!

The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen (image via the L.A. Times)

She felt more skilled and ambitious and hungry than her white-haired husband. She felt as if, while working and sleeping and working and sleeping, she’d aged so rapidly that she’d passed Emile and caught up with her parents. She had old-person aches in her young hips and knees and feet. She had scarred old-person hands, she had a dry old-person vagina, she had old-person prejudices and old-person politics, she had an old-person dislike of young people and their consumer electronics and their diction. She said to herself, “I’m too young to be so old.”

His entire life was set up as a correction of his father’s life.

The first time I read The Corrections, it was 2008 and I was an enthusiastic college second-year, eager to eat up any contemporary literature that really got to the heart of what I felt. Jonathan Franzen’s novel, which had been out for years at that point, really touched me– and the lifestyles Franzen portrayed seemed to be so in sync with how America was running at that point. Fast forward four years later to 2012 and, upon re-reading it, I was so thrilled to find it hadn’t lost any of its spark, sting, or thrill.

In a nutshell: The Corrections follows one family of five, the Lamberts. Alfred and Enid are growing old in the Midwest, stuck in that stereotypically Midwestern lifestyle– small town, nosey neighbors, obsessed with family. And failure. Their children: Gary, who escaped to Philly and has a family o’five of his own, who must deal with the “depression” his wife insists he has; Chip, for some reason his father’s favorite, a former professor who was fired for sleeping with and then obsessing over a student, whose life in NYC is a complete disaster, professionally and financially, until he sees the light (at home in the Midwest, of course) and settles his life down a bit; and Denise, the overachieving, hardworking star chef who disappears into her own dark corner of modern American social psychology, becomes a lesbian, nearly ruins her career, and yet– and yet!– still comes out successful by her own definition.

I think that’s the key here– each character and their toil and turmoil and success is all on their own terms. Such a uniquely modern concept and, arguably, uniquely American.

Anyway. There is too much to say about the emotional and personal impact of this book, so suffice it to say this: read it. If you’re involved at all in modern American society, or if you’ve had your own embarrassing, sticky, uncomfortable life phase, read it. Franzen wrote something in here for you. You’ll become attached to one character, you’ll despise another, you’ll be rooting for so and so to come out on top– but at the end, you’ll find yourself nodding, closing the book, reflecting on your own life experience.

Hooray! Time for a reading update. Sometimes it’s so hard to balance computer reading (blogs, GoogleReader, news stories, Facebook– darn you!) with real reading… and other times, I curl up with a book for half the day and don’t even miss working on my laptop (well, don’t miss it much). What’s been on your reading list this month? Kim and I share our recent favorites…

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

“My heart was thumping so wildly I thought it would burst in my chest like a red balloon.”

“We were always too ambitious at the outset – the menu elaborate, the chosen spot distant and obscure – and they invariably ended with all of us hot and sleepy and slightly drunk, reluctant to start the long trudge home with the picnic things. Usually we lay around in the grass all afternoon, drinking martinis from a thermos bottle and watching the ants crawl in a glittering black thread on the messy cake plate, until finally the martinis ran out, and the sun went down, and we had to straggle home for dinner in the dark.”

I finished reading– or more accurately, devouring– Tartt’s novel, The Secret History, during the first fickle weathered weekend of the month. The scene out my window changed overnight from crisp blue skies and a warm sun that lit up the colored bits of leaves just beginning to appear in the swaths of green to a damp, cold, bleary gray dome weighing heavily over the sodden woods and roads. All of it made for the perfect back drop to this dark, suspenseful story that takes place at a small liberal arts school in Vermont. As the friend who recommended it to me said, it is a very “atmospheric” novel. I rushed to the end, eagerly soaking up the story, and yet at the same time, I felt a bit down when there was no more left to read– always my dilemma with a good book– it feels like saying goodbye when it’s over.

The short version of my review: This is an incredibly apropos choice for October and, more importantly, it IS a FANTASTIC read no matter what the time of year.

Tartt’s writing skills are exceptional. (I have little patience for poor writing no matter how good the plot.) The sentences flow, the words whirl about you . . . you aren’t sitting on your sofa following a story, you are there. You are looking through the mask of the narrator, Richard Papen, the west coast raised outsider who nervously, somewhat deceptively works his way into a tight knit, secretive, eclectic and exclusive group of wealthy east coast college students. As he slowly sinks deeper past the initial intrigue and pretty patina of these new friends, so you go, knowing trouble lurks ahead but unable to turn away. The characters are interesting, well sketched but not completely drawn in with no room for imagination or curiosity. The plot is creative and gripping, pushing you to the edge and holding you there, never letting you get too comfortable. And, as I said before, the writing is talented – smooth and intelligent – an important and yet quiet character that helps the story along.

[Side note: While I don’t generally care to see the movie version of books-- I must say, I can’t believe this hasn’t been made into a film. The set, the characters (oh! I love playing the game of casting), the plot. There is so much potential for a huge hit. I could easily see the screen version-- done well, of course-- becoming a modern classic.]

–kim speer

Wedding Cake for Breakfast: Essays on the Unforgettable First Year of Marriage, ed by Kim Perel & Wendy Sherman

“Stop being so goddamn calm and rational,” I said. “Look at us! We’re just SITTING HERE READING THE NEWSPAPER. We’re married now. Shouldn’t we be working at our relationship? Shouldn’t we be having sex all the time? Shouldn’t we at least be baring our souls to each other? I mean, is this what we’re going to do? JUST SPEND THE REST OF OUR LIVES TOGETHER ON THE GODDAMN COUCH?” –”Do You Want Fries With That?” by Susan Jane Gilman

“Dear Mom and Dad, I began.
I wrote them that even though my name was changing, nothing else would. I would always be their BG (baby girl). I wept for twenty minutes straight until I signed dotter (tradition), and then something happened. I stopped crying. I folded the paper into thirds, stuck it in the envelope, and as I sealed it, I also closed the flap on my worries. I was Mrs. Harry Kargman now. And I was so glad.” — “The First Year” by Jill Kargman

A note to start with: there were so many hilarious, heartfelt, and meaningful lines I could have pulled from this collection– but that would basically be me just re-writing two or three of my favorite essays and you might as well stop reading this and go buy the collection if I were to do that. Anyway…

I read this book while on my honeymoon, immediately after our wedding cake was cut, we had an incredible party with all our friends, and I said “I do” to the man of my dreams. I was definitely in an emotional place when I started this collection and I felt like I really connected with many of the stories and emotions conveyed by these fabulous women writers. The book is split into four sections with six essays per section– but surprisingly, the book as a whole flew by pretty quick. These are all short, but sweet, reads written by witty and thoughtful women writers.

In case you didn’t get the title, the essays are all supposed to be reflections on the first year of marriage. Obviously all of these writers are quite a ways out from their first newlywed days, and while they had some great clarity and perspective because of that distance, I wish there had been some pieces written by more recently hitched ladies (and let’s be honest, this demographic was all mostly middle-to-upper class American women in creative fields. It would be nice to have different life perspectives). The top three essays I related to: “Do You Want Fries with That?” by Susan Jane Gilman (she gets married then freaks out going into “wife” mode– I’m pretty much at that exact same spot emotionally); “525,600 Minutes” by Jenna McCarthy (so, so, so funny); and “The First Year” by Jill Kargman (note: there is another essay called “The First Year,” and, yes, they’re both about unexpected pregnancies in the first year of marriage).

Some of these essays were a little boring, to be honest– there were situations that I just didn’t relate to. A lot were emotional– essays about military wives or a couple who wed on 9/11 or those pregnancy pieces. Most were funny. Overall, it was a light, fun collection of stories that were easy to read and sweet for the soul. A must-read for married gals– even if it’s been a few years.

–stephanie marie

My two most recently read tomes couldn’t be more different in topic or tone, but here we go…

I Feel Bad About My Neck

“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.”

I saw this book of essays by Nora Ephron in a little used bookstore in Portland after the Olympic Trials; it was right after her death and I had seen so many inspiring quotes and read so many articles honoring her life and legend– BUT I had never actually read any of her writing. This was a great little introduction to her voice. Short, quick and easy read, and endlessly hilarious. It was mostly a collection of essays on aging or reflecting on the past– marriages, apartments, New York City. Sure, a few of these were just “okay” and I passed over them quickly; but for the most part, I got a lot out of reading this.

I was enchanted by “The Story of My Life in 3,500 Words or Less”– I’m going to have to mimic this form for my own memoirs– and “Considering the Alternative”– this one was completely beautiful and the best note to end on. Nora was definitely an inspiring woman and obviously she lived a very full life. I’m glad she chose to reflect upon it with humor– it made it that much more enjoyable to participate in (voyeuristically, of course).

American Psycho

“There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.”

Okay, call me crazy, but this book rocked. I’m into Bret Easton Ellis– some people really don’t like him, but I think he does some very important things for the culture of contemporary literature. When it comes to recently written novels, I tend to find most fall within this satirical, dramatic, dry genre that now dominates modern fiction. BEE was doing this unapologetically and while he’s certainly a controversial figure, I think he’s a very smart writer– his works are shocking and vulgar and “out there,” but they do important things for fiction.

Anyway, this book was great. If you’ve seen the movie, take the vulgar, inappropriate, and disturbing factor up 10 levels, and you’ve got this book. It was not an “easy” read– there are violent, graphic sex scenes; murders, drug use, violence. And at the end, Ellis leaves it up to the reader to determine whether or not it was all real (I don’t think it was). Ultimately, this book takes this Wall Street yuppie, ’80s luxury, strung out, sad, and out-of-touch culture and throws it in your face. It’s shocking how alien this world feels, and yet I’m sure it actually did exist, culturally, not that long ago in America. This one is not for everyone, but if you’re okay with the graphic-ness of it and can cut through to the sad, satirical, social-cultural analysis Ellis is doing, then take it for a spin.

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What have you read recently? Any last summer reads I should try to get in before autumn hits us full force?

Confession: I am a HUGE book nerd. Huge. I have shelves and shelves full of books that are “to be read”– because when I see something I want at a bookstore, I snatch it up and shelve it away until I have a chance to get to it (don’t even ask about my magazine collection. Too many subscriptions, not enough hours in the day dedicated to pursuing said subscriptions). As an English student (both BA and MA), I always had a lot on my plate to read, some fun, some not– and while it’s only been a few months since I’ve been out of the classroom, I really miss those group discussions about recently read books (for class or for pleasure). At the risk of being too nerdy, I’d love to share some “recent reads” here (just once a month, I promise!) and maybe get some great recommendations for non-online reading… If anything, doing this will keep reminding me to push the computer away and curl up with one of those “to be read” books, before they take over my entire house!

Without further ado, a few recent reads…

“To be silent; to be alone. All the being and the doing, expansive, glittering, vocal, evaporated; and one shrunk, with a sense of solemnity, to being oneself, a wedge-shaped core of darkness, something invisible to others.”

Such a classic novel. If you’re a Woolf fan, this one is obviously on your to-do list and if you’ve never read her in your life, this is a good place to start. Scholars say this is her most “biographical” novel and it’s true that she uses it to exorcise her pent-up feelings about and towards her parents (Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay here). The other main female in the novel, Lily, is read as a stand-in for Woolf. It’s broken up into three parts– the middle, “Time Passing,” a stark, beautiful rushing forward of time, glossing over important deaths, wars, changes, before settling back into present-tense narration. It’s the story of a journey, of a family, of an artist trying to complete her life’s work. If you like modernism, try this one on for size.

“To be flung into the sea, to be washed hither and thither, and driven about the roots of the world– the idea was incoherently delightful.”

This is Woolf’s first published novel and the editorial history behind it is just as interesting as the novel itself. It doesn’t get much love for a Woolf book, probably because it’s one of her more traditionally-written novels (although she does start experimenting with interiority, which is beautifully done) and it’s not as emotionally revealing as some of her later works (Woolf loved to insert her own life and her world into her novels). Anyway, it’s about this young girl, Rachel, who travels across the ocean to South America with her father, aunt and uncle. In South America, she finds love and is engaged to marry… and then suddenly mysteriously dies. What are you trying to tell us Woolf?? Some parts of this novel can be a slog– a beautiful slog, but a tiny bit slow nonetheless– but it will definitely make up for it with its ending.

What have you read recently? Any summer reading list suggestions? {I promise, next month’s reads will be a little less academic– I’m finishing up a few awesome, contemporary novels right now!}