Saturday, February 26, 2011

reading!

I've not always been such a bookworm (i blame school for this), but lately it's not been uncommon to find me with my nose in a book!  I have quite the collection of books in my room (if i do say so myself :O), but have never felt the urge to read all of them.  But with a bit of inspiration from fellow bloggers (particularly Kelly & Zoe) and a little order from Barnes and Noble, lo & behold, i became a proud nerd.

If you are ever interesting in what i've been/what i'm currently reading, feel free to click on my "Books to Read" page.  I'll try and update it whenever i add another book to the list and whenever i finish one!

I don't know about you, but to me there's nothing really like holding a book in your hands and reading it - flicking through the pages, seeing how far you are from the end, etc.  I don't think i'd ever buy an eBook sort of thing, i think it's really because i'm an old soul and a traditionalist at heart.  I never want to see the day when the stop printing newspapers, magazines, and books :(.  "I pledge to read the printed word!"

 1. Classy by Derek Blasberg - This was one of the books i asked for on my Christmas list.  I love the Tiffany blue color, it's such a coffee table book!  It's a modern twist on those etiquette books you may or may not have read when you were younger.  Has a lot of humor and photos, & offers a man's perspective, but also gives a lot of really great information on how to be a classy, modern lady and not a skank!  (To put it like it is :)

2. Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith - This is more of an creative, art project type of book than it is an actual read.  I got this in an Amazon order at the beginning of summer 2010, but haven't really gotten around to completing a lot of the pages.  You can see some of the pages i did here on my Flickr & other people's (which are FAR better than mine!) here & here.

3. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - I read this book during the week i was waiting for my books from Barnes & Noble to arrive.  I've had it for years, but again, didn't really feel motivated to complete it.  It's quite an easy read, but i think it's a bit overrated.  Maybe that's just me!  It's about this woman in her (i think it's) early-mid 20's who slowly goes insane.  It sounded like a very 'me' book (yes, i'm crazy haha), but i couldn't really get into it.  Did quite enjoy the writing style & the fact that the chapters were short though.

4. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov - This is one of the books i ordered from B&N.  This is the book i'm currently reading and i think i should start by saying this book is definitely not for everyone.  It's quite the - shall i say... unconventional? 'love' story.  There's a twelve year old girl who this older man is absolutely fascinated and almost obsessed with... when i read this, for some reason i can't imagine a twelve year old girl and a handsome man, but about an eight year old & a more unattractive older man & it just feels upright creepy.  Really wish my mind's eye would work a bit better, i would be less creeped out when reading this!

5. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - The other book i ordered from B&N and the book i plan to read next.  I got this before i knew it was being made into a movie (starring Rob Pattinson & Reese Witherspoon nonetheless!) - i genuinely thought it sounded interesting!  I didn't know it was coming out so soon, but i went to see True Grit yesterday & the trailer for the movie came on.. i was like WHAT.  Actually looks quite good.  Really want to finish this before i see the movie!  From what i've heard/read, this book is fictional story about a man's life in a traveling circus during the Great Depression.  I'm simultaneously freaked out & intrigued by circus during the turn of the century/early twentieth century, so i think this should be right up my alley :)

6. Tweak by Nic Sheff - This is one of my favorite books - i've had it for a while & read it about twice.  It's a memoir (i know what you're thinking, memoirs = blah, but after this book i absolutely love memoirs) about a young man and his battle with addiction to methamphetamines.  It honestly really opened my mind & offered a different perspective on people simply considered 'druggies' & 'wastes of space'.  The writing style is brilliant and relatable, and it's just one of those books you can't put down.  Really recommend this one!

-

Would love love love recommendations of books to read!
Feel free to leave any recs. for me to check out in the comments :)
xoxo

12 comments:

  1. I'm pretty sure my world would come to a catastrophic end if books became useless and everything was done online. I love turning the pages by hand, just the smell of the books makes me happy! Am I weird? So be it. These all look fab. I'll definitely take this list into consideration when I'm finished with my current read!

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  2. Lolita and classy sound really good, i'm definitely going to look in to getting them (:!xx

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  3. I've now added some books to my to-read list :)

    I've always been a bookworm haha I'm currently reading shopaholic & baby by sophie kinsella. I've also just bought a kindle and surprisingly I don't miss having an actual book in front of me. There are books that I'm still going to buy in but most of them I'll be buying for my kindle :) xxx

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  4. These sounds amazing, although Lolita sounds a little creepy haha! :)
    Im a total book nerd myself, and at the moment im reading the House of Night series, which is actually really good, but then i am a bit of a vampire obsessive! Of course i would also recommend Vampire Diaries and the Lousie Rennison books; Angus Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging. I dont know whether you have the aungus thongs ones in america but they are amazing and hilarius and so popular in england, i would definately recommend them if you want something a bit more light heated! :) xx

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  5. I didnt enjoy Lolita that much either. It was interesting but thought it was a bit overated too

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  7. Crap! Accidentally deleted my previous comment. Anywho..

    Just started following you on both here and bloglovin. I adore your blog and can't wait to be a regular reader!

    xx Chels

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  8. I've been wanting to read The Bell Jar! But I'm so absorbed in school work that I don't even have time to read anything not school-related :(

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  9. I've read 'Lolita' and it's such a great book!

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  10. Oooh I like the sound of Tweak! I'm in my local library but they don't have it here :(
    It sounds similar to my favourite book - A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Have you read it? It's my absolute favourite, I love the writing style and it's completely engaging - fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Completely unique writing style too :) it's also a "memoir" about a man overcoming drug and alcohol addiction, I highly recommend it. I will be checking out Tweak as it sounds similar, thanks for the recommendation!
    Emma
    xxx

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  11. Your wreck this journal is waay more destroyed than mine!! I've also been inspired to start reading recently and my to read list is now huge!

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  12. I haven't read any of them, but I'll definitely check some of them out! Classy sounds really good, so that'll be the first one!
    I'm currently reading The devil wears Prada. Sooo much better than the movie! I bought it last summer and I didn't feel motivated to read either, but now that I've started I can't put it down. I think you'd enjoy it, since you're interested in fashion and these kind of things! x

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