Gosh darn you, gray sky!
But the point is that I am finally able to walk barefoot through the park (except in the morning when there's dew everywhere... ewww) and I can lie in the grass and sing to the birds, who fly away embittered.
In two days, I will be done with finals and- provided I don't procrastinate- my room will be all packed up, ready for me to return home for a blissful three months. And with summer comes... oh my gosh, I've been waiting for this for weeks:
FREEDOM!
That is, freedom to sleep in without missing detailed lectures or a useful chunk of study time. And of course, the freedom to read whatever the hell I want, whenever I want. You know what's coming, and I hate Predictability (it is the arch-nemesis I find myself battling most often on my frequent late-night crime-fighting sprees). So instead of talking about some random girl sleuth- who by the way has absolutely nothing to do with this blog- here's my [projected] list of summer reading:
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
- I think re-reading this book will become a summer ritual of mine. I could go on and on about the symbolism in it, especially in the final chapters (during which I always cry- and believe me when I say it takes a lot for a book to make me cry. Movies, of course, are another matter). Thankfully, I've already gotten through about half of it over the course of this past quarter (when all the studying gets you down, nothing will heal your pain like Harry Potter will). Problem is, I'm worried I might finish it and then desperately want to read all the other books again. I'm already craving the audacity of students creating Dumbledore's Army under the snobby nose of one Dolores Umbridge. But anyhow...
2. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
- For someone who loves fashion as much as I do, I am just as shocked as everyone else by the fact that I've never read this book. And really, I can't wait to read it just because I know I'll understand even the most obscure references. Hooray me! Hopefully, I'll also find it engaging and well-written, more so than Fashion Babylon (by Imogen Edwards-Jones), which does an excellent job explaining the inner workings of the fashion industry... but my goodness, she could at least learn to write some plausible dialogue and more developed characters. And I could at least keep myself from going off on tangents whilst writing this blog.
3. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
- This is one of the many books that I started reading last summer and never finished, even though I was thoroughly enjoying it. I imagine the problem was that at the time, I was still tired out from an exhausting school year and wasn't in much of a mood for the constant switches in narrative. This time around, I'll still be tired after yet another year of studies, but I also have an insatiable thirst for good literature. Bring it on.
4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- Perhaps it sounds a bit morbid that I have a thing for war novels and plays (Slaughterhouse-Five, The Handmaid's Tale, Mother Courage and her Children, etc.). I can only hope that my fascination with literature critical of war will offer me insight in whatever I end up doing in life- preferably, some sort of writing, teaching, or peace work.
5. 1984 by George Orwell
- According to my high school Economics/Civil War teacher, there is one book that every young student must read at some point: 1984. Having read the first couple chapters, I already understand why. But as with The Blind Assassin, I just didn't have the drive to read such a dense book when I had just gotten out of school. Here's to giving it another try!
6. If On a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
- One of my many inspiring English teachers from high school- who taught an entire class on Calvino's work and contributed to the soft spot I have for this author- told me that I would have to try reading this book at least 6 or 7 times before I was able to finish it. That's why this book isn't on my list as something I wish to finish reading this summer- but I want to get through the first try. And anyhow, I'm really missing that Calvino-esque 'meta' style in his works. Perhaps I'll end up reading some of his short story collections as well.
7. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
- If there is one writer who can craft an impeccable murder mystery, it's Agatha Christie (that sort of almost rhymed, but didn't really). I first read The Clocks in 7th grade and loved it- which is remarkable considering it's one of her lesser-known works. And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Mirror Crack'd are some of my favourites from her- and who could deny any love for Miss Jane Marple after this profound, simple statement: 'Murder is stupid.' None could. And so I'm setting off to read what is perhaps her most classic piece.
8. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
- The story of how I came across this book is a good illustration of the nerd in me. It goes like this: I took a trip to my university's bookstore to get a book I needed for class. It doesn't take that long to walk in, find the book, buy it, and get out- but just long enough that I miss my bus and have another half an hour to wait (and walking through the monsoon-caliber weather is not a highly desirable option). On this particular occasion, I figured it couldn't hurt to peek around the bookshelves to see what people were reading for other classes. Note: people generally don't care what other classes are reading. They get their books and get out. But being the nerd that I am, I wandered dreamily along the aisles of books, inspecting any works whose spines stood out to me. And one of them was Reading Lolita in Tehran. I think the combination of 'Tehran' and 'Lolita' is what was so striking, and after reading all about it on Amazon and skimming the first chapter, I'm rather excited for this new read. As with Catch-22 and 1984, I can only hope it will lend me a significant deal of perspective as I make my way in the world.
9. Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene (as many as I can get my hands on)
- And at last, the time comes for the inevitable mention. I have a few lined up already: The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (which I started a while back and had to put on hold, in favor of a book on Progressivism in the 1912 U.S. Presidential election); The Clue on the Silver Screen; The Bungalow Mystery; The Mystery of the Tolling Bell. Just to name a few.
And as always, stay tuned :)
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