So, I was just getting ready to write about this amazing book that I just finished, when I got distracted by the fact that the BYU Bookstore isn't waiting until the week before classes start to publish the booklists on-line. Not all the professors have submitted their book lists yet, so I wouldn't take this as the final word quite yet (for all you BYU students out there), but as I was looking at my book list I got really happy for a couple of reasons.
1) In one of my classes we're reading 14 books over the semester. It's my children's lit class and I couldn't be happier... sure I have some sports books that I'm not super excited about, but there are some really excellent novels that I am excited about and that were already on my to-read list. I've actually heard that we'll end up reading 30 books for this class, so I'm excited to get to read all those good kids books I've been wanting to read.
2) I already own some of the books. One of the best things about being an English major is the fact that you can read the same novel in more than one class. I've read several books more than once and I've learned that if there's a book that's particularly defining of a generation, I should hold on to it, because I'll probably read it again. This is great because it cuts down on my homework time and the cost of my books. Plus I usually have already written a paper on the book which I can just revisit and use as the basis for another paper.
3) My number one favorite thing though is the cost per book. While most of my friends spend over $100 for a single text book, I get to buy 25-30 books for about $10-15 per book (and cheaper if I can get it off Amazon or used). When I walk out of the bookstore it's with a full backpack (or 2 if I can enlist someone to go with me) and a happy heart. Sure sometimes I get a little overwhelmed looking at the sheer number of pages I have to read in the next four months (and even more overwhelmed when I think about the number of pages I have to read besides thos books--research for papers, online supplementary material, etc), but mostly I'm happy. I'd rather be reading any day.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
This book is one of those that people will always recommend to you. Since I tend to avoid reading reviews before I read a book (so that I can read it with an open mind and not looking for the flaws other people have seen) all I knew was that this was a "must read." From the title I assumed that it would be the desperate love story of two people who discover their love during a huge cholera epidemic (spoiler warning: It isn't). Instead, it's a beautiful tale of two people's lives as they live their lives after an adolescent love affair.
The thing I loved the most about the book is the maturity of all of it. Marquez approaches their lives with a realistic look at what happens. I don't want to say too much about what actually happens in the book because I don't want to ruin it for anyone because there are some things that happen that will surprise you. All I have to say is that as the novel came to a close I was rooting against the "happy ending." Not that I wanted the characters to lead loney, miserable lives, but because I wanted the man in the novel to accept the woman's initial decision. I didn't want him to win.
(As a side note you should probably know that I don't generally approve of people wasting away their lives in pursuit of someone who has rejected them... move on already and find a life of your own! It will make you much more attractive to that person and you'll be happier yourself.)
The thing I loved the most about the book is the maturity of all of it. Marquez approaches their lives with a realistic look at what happens. I don't want to say too much about what actually happens in the book because I don't want to ruin it for anyone because there are some things that happen that will surprise you. All I have to say is that as the novel came to a close I was rooting against the "happy ending." Not that I wanted the characters to lead loney, miserable lives, but because I wanted the man in the novel to accept the woman's initial decision. I didn't want him to win.
(As a side note you should probably know that I don't generally approve of people wasting away their lives in pursuit of someone who has rejected them... move on already and find a life of your own! It will make you much more attractive to that person and you'll be happier yourself.)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Best. Book. Ever.
Okay, so maybe that's taking it a little far, but it's definitely the best book I've read this summer. By the time I finished it I felt like I was saying good-bye to a dear friend; and really, isn't that the point of a good book? Even more impressive than the fact that she drew me in so well is the fact that it's her memoirs. It's not a fictional story (although I'm sure some parts are fabricated and for sure all the names are changed), so she doesn't have the ability to make up different things and incorporate lots of foreshadowing and symbols.
I loved how this book made me laugh out loud at times, and made me think deeply about my life at other times. I loved her descriptions of the food she ate, the people she met, and the life she lived.
This book is a very spiritual book, but not in a religious sort of way. Regardless of what your religious beliefs are, you can identify with her search for peace and balance. It definitely made me think about my own beliefs and if I was really living in line with what I believed. There are so many great passages in there that really make you stop and think about how beautiful it is that we live in a country where someone can go on a journey like she went on and still be accepted by her friends and family.
Okay, so maybe that's taking it a little far, but it's definitely the best book I've read this summer. By the time I finished it I felt like I was saying good-bye to a dear friend; and really, isn't that the point of a good book? Even more impressive than the fact that she drew me in so well is the fact that it's her memoirs. It's not a fictional story (although I'm sure some parts are fabricated and for sure all the names are changed), so she doesn't have the ability to make up different things and incorporate lots of foreshadowing and symbols.
I loved how this book made me laugh out loud at times, and made me think deeply about my life at other times. I loved her descriptions of the food she ate, the people she met, and the life she lived.
This book is a very spiritual book, but not in a religious sort of way. Regardless of what your religious beliefs are, you can identify with her search for peace and balance. It definitely made me think about my own beliefs and if I was really living in line with what I believed. There are so many great passages in there that really make you stop and think about how beautiful it is that we live in a country where someone can go on a journey like she went on and still be accepted by her friends and family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)