reading

I have always loved reading but I don't get to read for pleasure as much as I would like--either school work or laziness seem to get in the way. Still, I have a pretty ambitious reading list that seems to only get longer and longer. Books are my absolute favorite thing to collect. When I was 13, my grandmother gave me her antique copy of The Princess and the Goblin, her favorite book as a child. It is torn and tattered, literally falling apart, but it is one of my favorites in my collection. Since then, I have collected books both old and new, hardcover and paperback, and I have had some of my most peaceful moments drinking coffee and browsing the shelves of bookstores. Not surprisingly, the number of books I own yet remain unread is probably approaching 100. Here are some books that are at the top of my miles and miles long reading list:

I started A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius this summer, and I loved it. But I still had 100 pages left when I returned to school and have yet to finish it. Dave Eggers is so hilarious and this book is both funny and beautifully meaningful, not an easy combination.

I received this set of Olive Edition Contemporary Classics for Christmas. Not only are they aesthetically appealing, they are each highly-regarded works of new American fiction that are destined to become classics. I'm half-way through The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which is a really lovely and thought-provoking book, and I hope to finish it and move onto the others in the near future. In the meantime, they look quite pretty sitting on the bookshelf.

I love William Faulkner's short stories and novels but I haven't read Absalom! Absalom! which some believe to be his masterpiece. I already know I'm going to love it and I feel that Faulkner's work is so importantly, especially as a Southerner.

I can't wait to Disquiet, Please! a book of humor writings from The New Yorker. I read a few short pieces and stories in Borders one day and was laughing out loud. With contributers like Woody Allen, David Sedaris, Dave Eggers, etc. it is guarateed to be completely hysterical AND have literary merit (not that it always matters).

Reading On the Road in the 10th grade definitely played a major role in sparking my love for literature and appreciation of American writers. Since then, my love for Jack Kerouac has only grown and I would love to add this beautiful, 50th Anniversary edition to my collection.

...it has been raining here since Wednesday and is currently pouring outside. Maybe I should curl up in bed and begin to tackle this list?