Tuesday, December 19, 2006 1:56 PM
Calling All Bookworms
By Jeanine
In an effort to cut down on the amount of television I watch and not kill off all my brain cells within six months of graduating from college, I have been trying to read more. Okay, not more, but just read, period. Growing up, despite the fact that I was a really good student, I hated reading. I only read as much as I needed to to get by in school and I never, ever did it for leisure. Having gone to boarding school and college, though, I have had to buy all my books for the past 8 years and as you can imagine I have accumulated an unbelievable collection. I literally have boxes and boxes filled with nothing but books -- books on different subjects, from different eras, in different languages, you name it. So I decided, since I have these books, most which I never completed (or in some cases never opened), why not read them. It would be an easy way for me to pass time that I would otherwise be spending watching bad TV, plus everyone knows reading is fundamental.
I was doing pretty well, enjoying the impressed glances I got from people on the train who caught a glimpse of my Crime and Punishment and Don Quixote, but a few weeks ago, I hit a wall. I just couldn’t read anymore and I reverted to my old book-hating ways refusing to read anything. Except for Vogue, of course. And as I was looking through an old issue, I came across a little review they did of Zadie Smith, a British author, who aside from being very stylish, is also very smart. Because I like to think of myself as stylish and smart as well, I decided to give her book, On Beauty, a try. Let me just say, I LOVED it! I found myself reading it before I went to sleep and even reading while walking down the street. I just couldn’t put the book down, so now, I am totally into reading again -- except that I need a new book. What are you reading? If you’re in between books like me, what are some of your favorites? One that comes to mind for me is Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. I read it in high school and remember it was one of the first books that actually made me cry. Anyways, please share your faves so I don’t resort to watching Grey’s Anatomy reruns…