Saturday, December 11, 2010

Lori On Christmas Reading

Goodness!  It's December already!  Normally, I would have a book review for you all, but I've been plugging away at grad school stuff and I haven't been able to read much lately.  And, for some reason, I just don't think you all want to hear about the Jefferson Davis biography I have to review for class tomorrow or the book on Depression-era baseball that I skimmed for my methods paper.

But while I've been working and skimming books, I've been thinking about reading.  A lot.  Mostly, I've been thinking about my Christmas break reading plan and all of the books I want to read over the four glorious weeks when I won't have any homework, when all of my friends will be gone, when I'll be stuck at home with my parents.  Whatever.

The problem is that there are so many books I want to read that I'm going to wind up bringing home 84,000 books.  Inevitably, the one book I didn't bring home will be the one book that my little soul is just burning to read.  I'm trying to figure out what to put all of these books in when I cart them home.  Looking around my apartment, I don't see anything that could hold 84,000 books.  I might actually have to buy something to carry my books home in.

You would think that owning a Nook would help cut down on the books I bring home.  Not so much.  Naturally, most of the books I want to, need to, read over this break aren't on my Nook.  Why would I make it easy on myself or my back?

I've still got a plan because I'm an only child and we only children like to have plans.  I haven't quite gotten to the point of making a list, but I'm getting there.

The first books I will read over break are the ones that I started this year, read most of, but for whatever reason didn't finish.  There are seven in this category: Wuthering Heights, Out of Africa, The Thorn Birds, Hawaii, Gonzo (that Hunter S. Thompson book I reviewed), The Reader and Nine Stories.  I want to start 2011 with a clean slate and no lingering books from years past.

The next category are books that have been calling me lately.  The problem with this is the books in this category change fairly frequently.  And, as I pointed out earlier, the one book I don't bring home will be the one that calls me after I've left.  Currently, some of the books in this category are: Revolutionary RoadThe Golden Notebook, Naked Lunch, Phantom of the Opera, Swann's Way, and Point Counter Point.  Plus, I feel like I should bring my collection of Robert Frost poetry in case it snows and my collection of Sylvia Plath poetry also in case it snows.

Life would be pretty great if I could just stick to these works of fiction that call me.  You see, in grad school, we don't get much time for reading fiction.  So, even though I would love to stock up on fiction to read for the break, there are those non-fiction books calling.  Some of these are:  John Adams (I've been meaning to read this book for ages; plus, I feel I need to read it to see if there's any mention of him being an Avatar [one of my professors is really strange and I have to blame credit him for this quest]), Acid Dreams, Fragments (which just came out and looks totally amazing because I love Marilyn Monroe so, so much), Chronicles Volume One, Secrets of the Flesh, and a couple of the flapper books I bought recently because who doesn't love the flappers?

There you have it.  Some (I emphasize: SOME) of the books that I will probably be bringing home.  A grand total of two of them are on my Nook.  Just so you know, I didn't really get up and look through my shelves to make this list, which means there will be others that get packed up in a couple of weeks.  Not to mention all of the books I have at home.

So, what are your plans for reading over the break? How do you decide what books to bring home if you are still a college student?

7 comments:

  1. I plan to read the books that are still left unread on my Mock Printz list of books, Black Hole Sun and Finnikin of the Rock. My Mock Printz Workshop is January 6th, so no putting it off! (But to my credit, I have read 10 of the 12 of the list already); I also have to read or at least start the book Cutting for Stone for my book club which meet mid January. I want to at least try to complete the Jane Austen challenge by squeezing in two of her books, but that may just be impossible. If I try to do all this I may actually wreck my holiday.
    -Anne

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  2. I think the Jefferson Davis one sounds interesting.

    I teach college, so I have the long break but not the travel. I can't wait for my extra reading time over the next few weeks.

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  3. Trust me, it isn't just a college student thing to feel this way. As a seasoned high school English teacher, I've been planning (and, waffling a bit) my must-reads over the short week & 4 days I have for my Christmas break.

    I have some Richard Yates on my list as well as Westerfeld and some other classics. I will probably only actually make it through 2 pieces during that week. But, oh, how good it will feel to finally read for ME and not for assignments in class!

    Happy reading over the Happy holidays!

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  4. great post hope you get to read every thing you plan on have a great break, stay well

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  5. Oh, isn't this always the dilemma? When I'm packing for home, books tend to come up first. I don't think I'll be able to start fresh with new books for 2011, it just isn't possible with the pile I've accumulated over the past two years! From the list of yours, Revolutionary Road is one of my favourites. I have been reading plenty from the library, but the break is a chance for me to work through the books I own. Books are first priority when I try to pack, I still don't have an e-reader but I expect I'd still have the same problem with my to-read list.;)

    Happy reading for the holidays!

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  6. Oooh I just started Naked Lunch!
    Hopefully I can get through it while I have some time off this christmas

    Christa at Hooked on Books
    christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com

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  7. I'm not a student anymore, but I spend Christmas with my mother so I still pack some books. I've been thinking about which books to bring for weeks now, and I'm *this* close to actually making a list - which is completely ridiculous, because I'm a slow reader and cannot possibly read all the books I want to take. It's only a week, after all. I have enough books on my Kindle to last me a couple of years, but will I bring real books as well? Oh yes. And will I regret not taking that one special book once I'm there? You betcha.

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