Back to Books!

Hello from Spring Break '18! It's basically a non stop party over here if I'm being honest. 

So the great thing about getting a Masters in literature is all the great books you get to read. The bad thing is that "read" is the wrong word. Even to say that you "closely read" misses the mark somehow. All of the books I've read for this degree I've more "studied" than anything else. And, as you know, there's a big difference between reading something and reading something for a grade, for a presentation, in order to respond to a series of questions (in front of your peers, in front of your favorite professors), in order to write a paper, etc. There's reading and there's reading, amiright?

These days I'm managing to read for fun again! On the reg! And, since it's spring break and I have no plans, and I'm forced into grading, and I'm avoiding finishing my thesis, well, I go through almost a book a day.

I love that I've been lucky enough to study literature in depth for four years. If we lived in a perfect world, I would consider getting yet another graduate degree in it. But, this is it for bunny mama. And that's OK, because I've missed my usual relationship with reading. I'm ready to get back to it.

Here are some great books I've read lately. Oh, and I purposefully took these pics in front of my beautiful succulents. I'm very proud that I've kept them alive inside the house for like 8 months now.

Theft by Finding by David Sedaris

OK, you know the drill. The usual caveat applies here, which is that Sedaris is not for everyone. But dangit if I can't get enough of his kooky, humorous self-deprecation. It doesn't hurt that he's one of the best writers I've ever read. This book is a select cut of his actual journal entries from 1977-2002. It will have you laughing out loud just like all of his work. If you're a journal writer, or you tend to be a reflective person, give this a try! It can be refreshing to read someone else's (real, personal) thoughts over the course of many years. This is a read you can pick up and put down whenever you want.

Housekeeping by Marilynn Robinson

Did I mention, ahem, that our Literature Society started up again? Well, it did. And we read Housekeeping in February. Put on your literature hat for this one (would that be a beret?) and slow down your pace to enjoy the prose. This is a story of two sisters who were raised by various family members after the death of their mom. It is also about the small town in which they come into their own. And it will take you back to those tenuous pubescent years, when you're just on the verge of becoming who you really are. What types of things affect that development? This is a read to be savored, not to be interrupted.

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

I know what you're thinking. I was thinking it, too. You're thinking that this is the fluff book I flew through like Roo with a bowl of popcorn.* Overwhelmed couple gets a nanny and - gasp! - somebody has an affair and it all falls apart. No. This is a pseudo-psychological-thriller, definitely a page turner. What happens when the perfect nanny...isn't? What happens when something is off, but you can't quite place it, and you think maybe something is wrong with you? Dun Dun DUNNNNNNNN. Read it. Grab a glass of wine, curl up, and basically devour it. The writing is too good to simply run through it, but run through it anyway. YOLO.

What have you read? What would you recommend? I'd love to get your thoughts!

P.S. One of my goals for this week is to join the local library.

* Don't feed rabbits popcorn.