Books

Well, I am not all about make up and shoes, ya know.
My other great love is books. Books, books, books.

I have the unfortunate habit of reading multiple books at once. I can't help it, I just get really interested in a variety of topics. I used to read novels almost exclusively, but I have been expanding my interests in the area of non-fiction works, especially history.

Here is a short survey of what I am currently reading:
1. Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson. He wrote The Devil in the White City. I loved that book. This one is ok. It contrasts the story of Marconi, who is credited as the inventor of wireless technology (although we all know that technology innovation involves a lot more than 1 person saying "Ah-ha!" and then reaping all the credit. Unless they're Archimedes or something, but I digress) with the story of H.H. Crippen, who was a murdering doctor. So far, I find the Crippen story more interesting. I do like that the book takes place during one of my favorite time periods-late 1800s/Early 1900s US and Europe. I am about half way through.

2. The Star Machine by Jeanine Basinger. I got this from Jim for my birthday. I love all things old Hollywood, and this book is no exception. Full of lots of interesting stories of movie stories, both famous and not-famous. After reading the section on Lana Turner, I am inspired to watch The Postman Always Rings Twice. I got it on Netflix, we'll see when I find the time to watch it.

3. Pretty Monsters, by Kelly Link. A collection of quirky short stories. I heard about it after attending a seminar on modern science fiction. This book falls in the middle-not really sci-fi, but makes use of supernatural elements. A fun read, geared towards YA audiences.

4. The Accordionist's Son, by Bernardo Atxaga. A story about a Basque man during the Spanish Civil War. I haven't really gotten into it....I've had it checked out since June, and I read a bit, and I want to read more, but I keep forgetting about it. Luckily, I have unlimited checkouts at school. :-)

And a few random others that I have started but have abandoned/will return to eventually.....

I did finish one book over break though: The Secret History, by Donna Tartt. Man, that book blew me away. It's about college students, and a murder, and relationships and how everything is hidden.
Fantastic. I am excited, because we will be discussing this book with some high achieving Juniors. This book has so many layers. I am sure I would like to read it again and discover new things.

A book that I am itching to start: U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth, by Joan Waugh. I read a review of this book in the Trib, and it sounded really interesting, especially as I was working with students on the Civil War, and all you seem to hear about is how Grant was a great general, but a bad president. This book seems to dispel those myths. Also, I mentioned it to the teacher I was working with, and as a Christmas present, the kids chipped in and gave it to me! So, I am definitely looking forward to reading this book. It always help to keep up on American history. Sometimes I wish I could take a class...oh wait, I will be doing that in March. Hooray!

Lastly: here are some pics of my book shelves. I don't really buy a lot of books, as I have pretty much unlimited access at work, so when I do buy a book, it usually has a lot of meaning for me.
I don't like to buy books that I haven't read, for one thing. I also kept a lot of books from undergrad and grad school, so I have a lot of historical academic press types of books.



















This is the main shelf. It is roughly organized by topic. The top has a combination of some library school books, my Junior Great Books collections, and some random books from my youth, including The Devil's Arithmetic, Ragtime, and Brave New World.

The second shelf has a lot of books from Undergrad-Freedom From Fear, The Seventies, The Age of Extremes, American Genesis, The Mismeasure of Man, plus my London book and The Devil in the White City.

The third shelf is books from my youth: several books from the Dear America series, my AP English books, and A Little Princess, Little Men, and some other classics.

The fourth shelf is my Agatha Christie collection, comprised of almost all used books. I enjoy searching for them in used book shops.

The last shelf is more random stuff-Little House Books, Simpsons books, and several books from my Europe in the Inter War Years class, like Artificial Silk Girl and Little Man, What Now?













This is my little shelf. It is double stacked, for the most part. It has a lot of random books that my mom gave me-the Angelique series. I have never read them, but they are huge historical epics. Then I have A Light in the Attic, and most of the books from when I was a lot younger-stuff like The Indian in the Cupboard, random Babysitter's Club books. I also have my galleys here-those are Advanced Reader Copies that I got for free from the Center for Children's books. I am particularly proud of my galley copy of Gossip Girl-on the back cover it details the original amount of copies to be printed and the marketing plan. And we all know how that turned out!











Lastly, here is my notebook shelf. I have kept every class notebook going back to 8th grade, although only my favorites are on this shelf. I am especially proud of my AP US notebooks. Those things are golden...I have 4 of them. I essentially outlined the whole book, and I have found them immensely helpful for reviewing key facts. I also have every year book from 6th grade on, plus the 2005 Illio, where I am pictured. And then, one of my favorite books ever, perhaps the one that got me into history: We Americans. Fantastic book, full of wonderful photos and essays.
So...that is my collection. Highly personalized, focused, and very dear to me!