Reading List

I'm definitely in a reading phase, I have 4 books going right now and I actually think I'll finish all of them. First, I must explain that I am always reading. It's just not usually what I want to read because so much is required for class. Of the 4 I am working on, only 1 is required. Here is my list for 2009 thus far:

1. Collected Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - This was a fairly interesting collection of short stories. This was my first exposure to Marquez and I wouldn't be adverse to reading my copy of Love in the Time of Cholera one of these days. One of my favorite genres is the grotesque and the magical realism/carnivale themes reminded me of the grotesque. I think a comparison of the grandmothers in "The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erindera and Her Heartless Grandmother" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'connor would be an interesting paper topic.

2. Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black: And Other Stories by Nadine Gordimer - I really didn't want to like Gordimer and I still can't say I'm a total fan but she grew on me. By far the most interesting story was "Tape Measure" which is told through the perspective of a tape worm. In most cases, I either loved her story or completely hated it. The last three stories that relate to the senses are by far the most thought provoking and have definitely influenced my thought process -- which is something that I can't say many books have done.

3. Selected Poems by Derek Walcott - I'm rather picky when it comes to poetry and Walcott didn't make the grade in my opinion. I kept asking myself, "why did this guy win a Nobel Prize?" I think some of his political poems make a strong point, but overall I found many to be treacly at best.

4. Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness by Kenzaburo Oe - Ok, I'm going to be brutally honest. Don't read this book. It's terrible. The stories are confusing and the main character is highly unlikeable. I thought the title was kind of cool so I expected to like this book... now I can't wait to get rid of it.

5. Haroun & the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie - I just started this and I already like it. Rushdie seems pretty cool and has been known to piss people off, so he's got my attention. Haroun is a book that Rushdie wrote for his son but has an underlying theme that disputes censorship... something Rushdie has battled with for years.

6. Escape from Corporate America by Pamela Skillings - I'm about half-way through and have been inspired by the stories of those who have left C.A. to pursue dream careers. While I'm not sure I'll be escaping C.A. myself, it's nice to know what my options are ;)

7. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - This is actually a non-fiction book but it reads like fiction. I'm about 60 pages in and it's a bit slow to start. I am sticking with it though as I've heard that the murders are quite graphic so I'm anxious to see it pick up. So far, this book reminds me of the movie Gangs of New York --different subject matter but similiar style.

8. Be Happy Without Being Perfect by Alice Domar, PhD - Good read thus far, see my previous post for more detail.

9. Miscellaneous readings - Anna Letitia Barbauld, Charlotte Smith, William Blake (who deserves a blog post of his very own), Robert Burns, Mary Wollstonecraft, William Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats.

Holy crap! I've done a lot of reading... I just didn't realize it till now. I will be adding The Picture of Dorian Gray to my list in the next couple of weeks. Josh is going to read along with me as we both have wanted to read it for quite some time and it should make for interesting conversation.

Perfection

I wasn't joking when I said this book was for me! Section 6 of the self-test is over decision making which probably where perfection interrupts my life the most. Questions that struck me were:

Do I find it very hard to make small, everyday decisions? YEP
Do I have trouble making decisions because I am afraid of making the wrong decision? YES, THAT'S ME
Do I often second guess myself after making a decision? OH YES
Do I regret some of the major decisions I've made in my life? HELL YES
Does it take me a long time to make decisions because I do excessive amounts of research and fact gathering beforehand? YOU HAVE NO IDEA
Do I rely heavily on the opininions of others such as a spouse or parents when making a decision? YOU MEAN I CAN MAKE DECISIONS WITHOUT ASKING THE WORLD WHAT THEY THINK?

The last two questions struck me the most because I have a really hard time making decisions when I haven't researched all my options and I ALWAYS have to get mom and dad's stamp approval. I know, I know... why? I am an adult. I'm certainly capable of making a decision, even a bad one and recovering all on my very own. It's kind of like I want everyone to treat me like an adult, but I don't trust myself as one. I think my failed marriage really screwed me up on this-- making me feel like I am incapable of making a good decision and not wanting to disappoint everyone. But really, who cares? I'm the one that has to deal with the results of a bad decision, right? Ah! See, this book is going to be good for me.

Where the cool kids are

DouglasandMain is a site that lists Wichita blogs and bloggers. I'll admit that I already read a few of these blogs but what I find fascinating is that so many of these bloggers are friends -- they twitter back and forth, they connect via tumblr, they even do outings and meet ups. I haven't been able to go public with a blog for a very long time due to the intrusion of my ex-husband, but now that I am public again, I'd like to connect with others who share my interests. I've been thinking a lot lately about joining or starting a bookclub. I was in a bookclub a couple of years ago and as a English major, I took the leadership seat. Now, I'd just like to join a simple bookclub where I can listen and speak if I wanted to. I don't want the added pressure of keeping the discussion going or thinkingof /researching challenging ideas. I'll be done with my "reading" classes this May and after that, I'll actually have time to read what I want to read again woo-hoo! The other thing I've been considering is a crafty-group. It doesn't have to be the same craft, but just a monthly meet-up to hang out, talk, eat, and do crafty stuff. I've been working on two pillow cases for my bed for the last month or so. I'm trying to find/make time for these indulgences and I know that they key for me is to take my focus off work when I'm not at work-- easier said than done. Josh and I ventured out for a couple of hours this afternoon. We had On the Border for lunch and then went to Borders for a little while. Lunch was ok... Borders was ok...in retrospect, we should have gone to Watermark for lunch, books, and dessert! I bought the latest issue of BUST and a book called Be Happy Without Being Perfect. Does that sound like a self-help book written for me or what? Afterwards, Josh went to B&N to get some Cheesecake Factory cheesecake for dessert (yeah, did you know we CAN get CF cheesecake in Wichita???) but I opted for the buttercream vanilla cupcake. I feel like a pig but it was sooooo good.

Snowy & Cozy

There is a blizzard going on outside and Josh and I have been hiding inside since Friday afternoon. We were supposed to get as much as 15 inches but so far it looks like most of what has come down is ice. There are big fluffy flakes falling now, so I’m still hopeful! So what have we been doing while stuck inside? Napping, watching Supernatural Season 1, eating, sleeping, reading, and playing on the internet. I made cinnamon coffee cake this mornining and then topped it off with cinnamon roll icing. It was really easy and quite good. I’m planing on making spicy corn chowder and meatball subs later today. I started reading Devil in the White City last night. I haven’t had any time to read lately and that’s been bothering me quite a bit. Well to be truthful, I’m reading a lot of blogs. I am a blog addict– I admit it. Some of my favorites are:
1. Posie Gets Cozy - she just published a crafty book that I got for Christmas
2. Inside A Black Apple - I wish I could get one of her originals from Etsy, I love her stuff!
3. Angry Chicken
4. Creative Endeavors in a Busy Life
5. Questions for Dessert - This is a new find but I sure have a lot in common with this lady!
I’m getting excited for Spring weather– there is so much I’ve been wanting to do lately. I’m finding my interests are peaking again — as I don’t want to think/stress about work for the rest of my life.