I always feel like Labor Day weekend is the death toll for summer, but it’s not the Autumnal Equinox yet! So, even though I posted this at the beginning of summer, it's not too late!
For the first time in a long time, I made a reading list. A summer reading list. Normally, I don’t do such things because I feel like reading lists ate confining: they keep you from actually reading what you want to read and I get stressed out if I’m not reading all the books fast enough, and then, when I start reading books that aren't on my reading list (I'm looking at you, all the John Green novels and Mercy Thompson books), I feel like I'm cheating. However, I decided to put my personal issues aside and give reading lists another shot.
I was inspired by a former teacher of mine, Todd Petersen, who posted his summer reading list. I followed his “assignment” and looked up the actual class rubric (I'm either a total nerd or a creeper!) to try to gain insight into the list parameters. There were three categories and I picked five for each: books I WANT, SHOULD and HAVE to read. I solicited advice from Facebook, and decided that “want” books were solely for pleasure, “should” books were those I felt would benefit me in some way (either socially or for personal writing) and “have” books were books I own that I haven’t read yet (my ten-year-old self would be ashamed that such a category could exist).
Ginny's bookshelf: summer-2014
This has turned into a series I want to own! My inner feminist loves how well ALL the characters are developed. (But I especially love how many women characters there are and how they all have different dreams, fears, talents, personalit...
I love Riggs descriptive language! (Especially when he talks about love. Man, some of those analogies . . . .) And the pictures are still so fun, even though at times they seemed a little forced in this installment. I need to read it aga...
Ugh. How to feel?
Scary book, which was kind of fun -- I had this sense of dread the whole time. I mean, I'm not sure I enjoyed it, but I kind of did. I like how Wells takes unconventional protagonists and runs with it. I also like the...
The last 200 pages were exhilarating! So why didn't I rate this higher? Because it took 1,000 pages to get there! I understand this is a part of Sanderson's fantasy epic so a lot of it was setting up the rest of series, but the jury's st...
A fresh take on already-sung theme -- kind of a Groundhog Day meets reincarnation, but all within a historical fiction novel. Sometimes I get fixated on the land of "what-ifs," so the idea that so much can hang on one moment resonated wi...
Magically melancholy, Dandelion Wine paints a nostalgic picture that is the embodiment of summers of yore. (And the second book one read in a row where children are constantly philosophical. Which is a little bit unbelievable.) Lovely pr...
You’ll notice I haven’t read them all (the ones with reviews are ones I've read), but here’s what I’ve learned so far:
1. I finished all the books in the “want” category first. So maybe I need to change how I look at books I “have” to read so I can actually finish them.
2. Asking for suggestions was fun and something I need to do more often! It can be a lot of fun to read a genre that isn't my go-to.
3. Having a reading list made me think about what I was reading and why I was reading it. Was what I had expected to get from the book what I actually took away? Was I making the most of the book I was cheating on my reading list with? (I actually ditched a book because it wasn't exciting enough and didn't justify the guilt I was feeling for not reading from my list.)
4. I read borrowed or library books faster than ones I actually own.
5. Some books are better than others for certain situations. Lord of the Flies may not be the best book for your flight. And don't be surprised if people look at you strangely for tearing up while reading Dandelion Wine at the beach.
6. I still have a hard time with reading lists. (I would say "hate," but that's such a strong word.) I still feel like they make reading an assignment when it should be a joy. But I noticed how having a reading list expanded my reading horizons. So, maybe I'll keep doing a reading list. I'll just keep it a little more informal and account for my random library picks and obsessive author-binges.
Okay! I've got a month left! Better run off and actually finish To the Lighthouse! And let me know what I should read next as I procrastinate my reading list :D
