new reads.

i went to Barnes & Noble yesterday, against my better judgment.

and...i ended up spending a little over 30 dollars. not bad, since i usually spend much more than that.

i purchased two books:

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, by Tucker Max
&
The Know-It-All (One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World), by A.J. Jacobs

the first i've known about for a while. i'd actually read a few of Tucker Max's infamous stories on his website. the quote on the cover of the book is a pretty accurate description of everything inside:

"Highly entertaining and thoroughly reprehensible."
-The New York Times.

all of his stories make me sad that there are people like him in the world, but they're all so incredibly outrageous that i can't stop reading them. i've already read three stories, and i'm both offended and incredulous at all of it. it's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, i guess. although i have a lot of those these days.

the other is part memoir, part encyclopedia. it's the tale of one man's attempt to read the entire set of the Encyclopedia Brittanica. i'm pretty excited about it.

i've stopped on Wicked for the time being. i think i need a little bit of a rest, even though it's been two days since i've picked it up.

also, today at work i'll be delving into the sixth Harry Potter book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which i've read several times before, but am reading again in honor of the movie, which i'll be seeing tonight at 12:01.

travels to Oz.

well, the fourth season of Alias is not treating me well. i've tried to figure out what it is that's missing from this particular season, and i think i've got it pinned down.

the first two seasons (which have been the best, so far) were very unified--each episode was working toward some greater story. even the third season had this aspect, up to a point. however, the episodes of the fourth season just seem very detached from one another. in a way, they remind me of the sort of spec scripts aspiring screenwriters send in to shows--they play by the rules, but you can tell it's not a part of a stronger story.


anyway, enough of that. i finally finished The Time Traveler's Wife, and cried a lot in the process.

much of my reading was done at work, so i had to keep my emotions under some kind of control. but as soon as i got home, all pretenses were gone. i cried through the last fourth of the book, and when i was finished, i set it aside, curled into the fetal position under my covers, and cried for a very long time.

the thing is, the book (although incredibly tragic and heart wrenching) is really quite uplifting. it makes me want to believe in some kind of greater love--the kind that lives through many setbacks, but still manages to keep itself together.

i recommend the book for anyone with a heart--and i'm hoping that's everyone.

now i'm patiently waiting for the movie, which comes out next month. exciting! the movie seems to focus even more on the wife's loneliness than the book did (at least, that's what i'm getting from the trailer.) in the end, i think the book ended up being less about the wife being continually left behind, and more about the strength of their love--that it was able to sustain despite everything. even to the bitter end. not exactly what i thought i was getting myself into at the beginning, but i think it exceeded my expectations.

i started on Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, soon after recovering from my emotional breakdown.

i've tried reading this book twice before and have never managed to get more than halfway through it. right now, i am ALMOST at the halfway mark, and i'm finding it difficult to find the strength to go on.

i'm a huge fan of the musical, and since i know the basic gist of the story, the book is just moving very slow for me. this was the same problem i had reading Atonement (by Ian McEwan) after having seen the film version. this is also why i almost always try to read the book first, if at all possible.

however, i have promised myself that i am going to climb this particular Everest this time. i WILL finish Wicked!

the book's actually really great, and i hate myself for not being that into it. it's full of great descriptions, and some really wonderful theological philosophy rooted in the world of Oz. Maguire really knows how to create a universe, and he's done a beautiful job here. i'm just lazy, is all.

anyway, i'll let you know how my adventures in Oz go. i'm hoping it won't take me more than a week to finish, but i've got some company coming in the next couple of days or so, so i may not get to read as much as i'd like.

time traveling.

sometimes i hate my job.

i work in a library, which is cool, because i like books. but i'm a cashier, which sucks, because people suck sometimes.

luckily for me, it's summer and it's been awfully quiet around the stacks lately. not many customers down here in the dungeon/basement where i work, either.

unfortunately, the crappy customers manage to find me no matter what.

i spent 15 minutes today trying to explain to a very hard-headed woman that 8 1/2" by 11" paper is called "8 1/2 by 11 paper" because those are the dimensions. i think some people refuse to understand simply because they like seeing me get frustrated explaining something ridiculous like paper. do other people have to put up with this kind of nonsense at their jobs?

new developments:

started reading The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.



i actually caught wind of this book when i saw the preview for the movie. so of course i immediately went to the bookstore to find and buy it. at the time, i was also looking for a copy of My Sister's Keeper.

setting off into the fiction section at Barnes and Nobles, i realized that i had no idea who'd written either book, so i circled back toward information.

as i waited for a willing customer service associate to assist me, i pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen to jot the information down on. finally, a very worn out looking man made it back to the desk.

"can i help you?"

"i hope so. i'm looking for two books, but i don't know the name of either author."

"what are the two books?"

"My Sister's Keeper and The Time Traveler's Wife." my pen was poised, ready to take notes.

"let's see. Picoult wrote My Sister's Keeper, and the other was by Niffenegger. just give me a sec."

he dodged off, leaving me alone at the information desk. i watched his head bob off into the distance, circling around some displays at the front of the store, and then diving into the fiction area. two shakes of a lamb's tail later, he was back, handing me both books and saying, "that's two for two. best i've done all day, i think." and then he was on to the next customer.

i gaped after him. it may have been that both of my requests were just very popular books at the time--or maybe this guy really knew his stuff. either way, i was impressed.

and i've been pretty impressed by the book so far. it's Niffenegger's first novel, which leaves me even more impressed by her work. the book's lovely, and it kind of hits on those familiar themes we see a lot in literature--love, and unrequited love. however, it's got a bit of a spin, because in this case, Henry and Clare have each other. but Henry's a time traveler, and he has no control over when and where he goes. so while the two of them have each other, they often don't. i think what i especially enjoy about the novel is the idea that it is less focused on Henry, even though he is the obvious star of the story, and instead focuses more on Clare, who is continually being left behind.

the story is told from both of their points of view, which gives the reader a good idea of what Henry goes through each time he time travelers, and what Clare feels each time he reappears into and disappears from her life.

it's taking me a while to get through it--mostly because i keep stopping to contemplate some of the things that take place in the story. it's a lot to take in.

i've also started the fourth season of Alias, which i have to admit is not living up to my expectations. i think the only reason i keep coming back is because i just want to see the two main protagonists get it on. is that shallow?

i also purchased the newest Emery album. they're playing in Austin on the 31st--haven't decided if i'm going yet. the new stuff is a little heavy for my taste, but it's Emery, so i love it.

i'm also now officially broke. i need to stop buying books. maybe i should dust off that old library card?

my sister's keeper.

"why are terms of endearment always foods? honey, cookie, sugar, pumpkin. it's not like caring about someone is enough to actually sustain you."

-my sister's keeper

i started this book last week, at my parents' house. it was one of the books my mom bought my sister, Allison, for her birthday. Al had already finished it and was nagging my mom to read it so that they could talk about the story. it was lying on the table, calling out to me. so i picked it up and started reading.

the book is about a family of five with exceptional circumstances. the oldest daughter is continually in and out of the hospital--she suffered through leukemia and is now facing liver failure. the youngest sister has been genetically engineered to help her older sibling. the two are a perfect match, and the youngest has given blood, platelets, and bone marrow to keep her sister alive. however, in the wake of losing one of her kidneys to her older sister, she goes to a lawyer, whom she asks to help her sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

it is a rare occasion when i am hooked on a book after only a couple of pages. but this was one of those occasions. the story is quick and touching, and is told from various points of view, so it never really gets tiring.

i like that in this novel, there is no set protagonist. we hear from everyone--except for Kate, the sister who is sick and in need of a liver transplant. i don't think this is by accident. i think that if we were given access to Kate's side of the story, the views of everyone else would matter significantly less. as it is, we know nothing of her, and must rely on everyone else to guide us through the story.

i'm on page 216 right now--almost half way through the book. i'm hoping the second half is just as good as the first.

view the trailer for the movie version here.

the beginning of something wonderful?

i bought this book a while back:

in it, Nick Hornby keeps a pretty detailed account of the books he buys and reads over 28 months.

i'd like to do the same.

the thing is, i buy a lot of books. i read a lot, too, but not nearly enough to keep up with my buying habits.

i'm one of those people who is continually telling themselves that they should be reading this, or reading that. and yet, i never do.

i've torn numerous lists out of magazines: "100 books to read before you die." "21 books you should read before 21." things like that.

so i've decided to put myself to work. i have no delusions about my reading habits, so i'm not aiming to complete a mountain full of books. besides, i usually start about 10 books at a time, rarely finishing any of the books i dive into.

i'm going to keep a record of the things i read each day. i'll let you know how i come by each novel i crack open, and i'm sure i'll find myself relating the things i read to myself. this is an experiment. i'd like to find out if i can actually read all of the books on my shelf. after that, we'll see where the literary winds take me.

the challenge starts tomorrow.

some direction.

i love to write.

sometimes i ramble, sometimes i make a lot of sense.

i've wanted to write since about the 3rd grade.

i quickly quashed that desire.

my parents had made themselves very clear from the beginning: find a job that will provide for you and a future family.

writing wasn't going to do that for me.

i'm at college, right now. trying to find that profession. you know, the one that will pay the bills, but will still be enjoyable 40 years down the road.

does such a job exist?

i'd like to think so. that's what they tell people my age these days, anyway. follow your dreams. do what you love. dance like nobody's watching. something to that effect.

i'm caught. because both paths i tried in college are leading me nowhere.

i'm a film and english major. education concentration on the english half.

but if i were going to be realistic, i never really wanted to be a film major. i had to bubble in a major when i filled out my college application, and film sounded good at the time. i like movies, why not?

and teaching's not really doing it for me either. i like kids. i like education. i like english. but i really don't like teaching.

you know what i really want to do with my life? i want a bakery. i want to own my own bakery, and serve breakfast and lunch there--diner style. i want big, colorful coffee mugs and formica tables for the dining area. i want a corner for live music and some nice comfy chairs for people who just want to hang out. i want those awesome little white boxes you put baked goods in.

that's what i want.

i told my mom about my little pastry-filled dream, and she told my dad, who in turn said, "well, what the hell did we send her to college for, then?"

oh, dad. what a sense of humor you have.

i've got one year left of college. one year until i really have to decide where it is i'm going. and right now, i've got this summer. an actual summer vacation. the first one in a while, since i've been taking summer classes since sophomore year of high school. i plan to make full use of it. hopefully, somewhere along the way, i'll figure out how to get from where i am to where i want to be.

i'll keep you posted.