Every week I update a list of books that I like. Each one has inspired me and my work in some way. I recommend reading them. Feel free to write to me and let me know if you checked them out. -Jewel
Week of September 4, 2011 1. Anaïs Nin's A Spy in the House of Love
I read this back in 2010. At that time I felt I identified with the world of Sabina. But I think most artists would.
Read more about A Spy in the House of Love here. Happy reading and let me know what you think.
info@somethinglikememoirs.com
2. White Oleander by Janet Fitch
This book will transform you. And take you places you've never once on your own imagined. It's truly a magical read.
Learn more about it here.
info@somethinglikememoirs.com
3. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
I read this book my senior year in high school. Since then it's left a heavy impression on me. The following express my thoughts exactly:
"You’ve got to love Chuck Klosterman. Any man who can start an essay by relating the story of how he burned that exact same CD for two different women, then segue into a serious discussion of the lamentable sitcom Saved By Bell deserves respect. It's this gift that makes his Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs something of a treasure." -Amanda Cuda for Curlup.com
Read it. You'll love it. If you have read it, let me know what you think in the comments or send an email to-
info@somethinglikememoirs.com
Week of September 25, 20114. While I was Gone by Sue Miller
Sometimes you don't find books to read, they find you. That was the case with this favorite book of mine-While I Was Gone. The first time I started reading it, I was in a library proctoring ACT. I found it on a "Staff Picks" shelf between tests. When I picked it up, I only read the first page. But that was enough to make me interested. A few weeks went by and I forgot about the book, until I was at a Good Will shopping for wicker baskets. Out the corner of my eye, on a thrifty cluttered shelf, I noticed the book again. I hadn't realize I had seen it before, until I read the first page. That's when I knew I had to buy the book. Cause it was seeking me and it only cost seventy one cents.
Sue Miller is amazing.
Week of October 2, 20115. Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
At SAIC there was a class I took called Ridiculousness. We read experimental literature like "Notable American Women" and watched "avant-garde" rock musicals like American Astronaut and O Luck Man!. That class was awesome.
I learned a lot from Ridiculousness, and fell in love with every assignment, movie, and book I was exposed to. Especially this weeks Favorite Book: Cosmicomics.
What I learned about Cosmicomics change the way I looked at writing and creativity over all. I've become very inspired by its dreamy landscapes and Calvino's "Workshop of Potential Literature". Learn more about that here.
This book is composed of short stories. The first one is about a trip to the moon. It's told with such wondrous imagination and is the kind of story parents read to their kids every night. An definite treasure.
Week of November 6, 20116. STUFF Every Women Should Know by Alanna Kalb
So I'm running out of favorite books. But this pocket sized book of advice for women is a timeless treasure and great conversation piece. I pull it out every now and again to read it aloud to myself or guests for fun. It makes an awesome gift (I found out) and even taught me how to parallel park. So for this week, it's my favorite.
Other books I'm reading right now include: "Burning Elvis" by John Burnside and "Wait for Me!: Memoirs" by Duchess of Devonshire. Next Sunday, I shall choose a favorite of the 2 and report back!
AND THE WINNER IS.... 7. Burning Elvis by John Burnside
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Judge a book by it's cover. Then run towards the subway.
I was rushing to the train when I bought this gem from a $2 second hand book stand (one of my favorite luxuries of Manhattan). I bought it based on it's appearance alone. Once I started reading it, luckily I was amazed. Shocked even at some of the twists, turns, and wisdom of the writer. Burnside had a way of seducing me, showing me that the grotesque and even crime can be romantic. And for a person who's as squeamish as me, that's not easy to do.
Read more about Burning Elvis here. Click the widget below to purchase.
8. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
I love that it's Thanksgiving week, and I loooove The Sirens of Titan. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. Till this day, I even love just being able to hold the book in my hand. It's simply that good.
Vonnegut is amazing in general. My heart even stops when I see Vonnegut books at a friends house on a shelf, or in the hands of a stranger at a coffee shot. When that happens, I feel nothing but crazy happy for them. Because I know whatever page they're on in what ever Vonnegut book they're reading, their minds are filled with extraordinarily imaginative and inspiring tales of man and the struggle we as human's face, especially Sirens...
If you haven't read Sirens of Titan yet, do yourself a favor this Thanksgiving break and read it. You won't be disappointed.
9. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Is it obvious that someone like me would LOVE this book? I mean, it involves art, libraries, sexing, and time-travel. I cried at the end when Clare and Henry...
Never-mind. You'll just have to read it. And don't cheat and what the movie.
2 comments:
i think you inspired me to read again. nice.
i LOVE Chuck Klosterman!! He's such a good writer. really funny too. Good Pick ;)
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