"My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter." Thomas Helm
"Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book." Unknown
"Good as it is to inherit a library, it is better to collect one." Augustine Birrel
"No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting." Mary Wortley Montagu
"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: This is the ideal life." Mark Twain
I finally finished my summer book list tonight.
Rather than feeling more intelligent from having read thousands of pages over the past few months, I feel a sense of relief.
My goal was to read at least fifteen books, and I finished my seventeen one tonight. Thus, I surpassed my goal.
Probably the first time I have done that in a long long time.
Going in, I thought I would feel more intelligent from having read thousands of pages over the past few months. But now, having finished, accomplished is the only word I feel. And maybe a little bored because I don't have another book picked out.
The reason I read, join book clubs, spend hours in barnes and noble, ride my bike to the public library, and blog about my readings, is because I am infatuated with the idea of books. I always highlight pages in my books that I like and write down the phrases and quotes that I want to remember. I recommend this. As cliche as it sounds, every book I read, takes me to a new place, and more importantly teaches me a lesson about life through my imagination.
This summer . . .
- I hunted people in an arena with a bow, fighting for my life and the future of my country with Katniss. (hunger games trilogy)
- I traveled to Europe and hid my brother in a cupboard, while learning about the Holocaust from a French perspective. (sarah's key)
- I became a veterinarian and traveled with a circus before spending my last days in a nursing home. (water for elephants)
- I taught a series of courses on how to live, while dying from cancer. (the last lecture)
- I doubted my immigrant worth because of harassment, but later learned to call America home. (netherland)
- I suffered a nasty divorce, the loss of my job, and the passing of my father all in the same weekend. (this is where i leave you)
- I solved a dysfunctional family murder with the help of an anorexic gothic girl with lots of tattoos. (girl with the dragon tattoo)
- I stuttered my way through school, eventually learning to cover up my speech impediment. (me talk pretty one day)
- I witnessed murders that were looked upon as revelations in the eyes of a polygamist family. (under the banner of heaven)
- I treated wounded soldiers in Afghanistan and ensured that proper health regulations were put into places in all hospitals. (better)
- I walked thousands of miles with my son, searching for any signs of life on the whole continent. (the road)
- I battled a giant marlin while fishing in the great sea and lived to tell the tale. (the old man and the sea)
- I removed a device from my neck and no longer allowed government to control my every thought. (ender's game)
- I chose to follow the greater of the two plans in the premortal existence. (the brothers)
- I awoke to life's inner purpose and focused on the present moments in my life. (a new earth)
If that's not enough adventure for one summer, then I must be reading the wrong books.
Someday I wish to write my own. Be nice to me or I may just write a murder mystery about you :)
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