This is Your Brain in a Bookstore

Updated 2009 Reading List: already read or reading, on my shelf, still at bookstore (or Miranda's)

cunt - Inga Muscio
Spin Sisters - Myrna Blyth
Spook - Mary Roach
The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Red Azalea - Anchee Min
The Small Rain - Madeleine L'Engle
Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
He's a Stud, She's a Slut - Jessica Valentini
Purity Myth - Jessica Valentini
Self-Made Man - Norah Vincent
Opening Up - Tristan Taormino
Open - Jenny Block
Look at Me - Jennifer Egan

New Books and why I spent $17 on them collectively:

Age of Innocence - One of those classics I've never read. I've scanned the back a dozen times at the bookstore, it was never the right time. Plus after my last two heavy reads, some good old-fashioned parlor intrigue sounded nice.

To Kill a Mockingbird - It's one of the best books ever written, I haven't read it in maybe ten years. Girlyear seems as good a time as any to revisit old faves.

Red Azalea - Anchee Min wrote Becoming Madame Mao which I read a while back and really enjoyed. I always want to read stories out of China (and I am always wanting to go back there). Red Azaleo got more praise that Becoming Madame Mao, its Min's personal account of China under Mao. I'm interested to see how her style differs telling her own story than a semi-fictional accounting of Madame Mao's life.

Mrs. Dalloway - Believe it or not, I've never read anything by Virginia Woolf. I know! I was surprised too!

The Small Rain - L'Engle was my favorite writer in my pre-teen years (well, at least top 3). I've read a dozen of her books for young adults and A Wrinkle in Time is still one of my favorite books. Yet, I've never tackled her work as an adult. Saw this one and grabbed it hoping the magic between L'Engle and I is still there.

Afterthought, is this really a post for UBC? I almost put it there and then thought better of it. This is an accounting of my mental state during a shopping trip, its not really about literature. These books could easily be shoes or nail polish or groceries. But since they are in fact books, I thought Miranda might find my mental state interesting.

p.s. I need a new sign-off. "Vote Obama 2012" seems a bit premature.

Feminism

As I posted yesterday at UBC, I'm undertaking an experiment in Feminism. For one year (or possibly just for the remainder of 2009), I'll be reading only books by female authors. I'm toying with the idea of limiting all my reading material, but I will have a serious news-intake issue. My favorite website is 538 written by three dudes. All regular news outlets on the web are dominated by male authors.

Anyway, to hype myself up for this experiment I'm going to make a little reading list. I want to put in at least 25 books (my yearly reading goal of which I'm about 4 books behind already this year). Then I need a "post-poned" list of books to read when the experiment ends. I have several already purchased books that will be waiting.

2009 - Girl Year
cunt - Inga Muscio
Spin Sisters - Myrna Blyth
Spook - Mary Roach
Opening Up - Tristan Taormino
Open - Jenny Block
Look at Me - Jennifer Egan

2010
Omerta - Mario Puzo
The Sicilian - Mario Puzo
A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen and Seth

Okay, I'll add as I find all the other unread books in my apartment. Open to suggestions, and especially lends.

The Full Charge

Things I love:

Stand-up comedy, Matt Fulchiron
Beer By the Bottle
Gossip
Richard Belzer
Pirates
Miami Vice
Zombie Books
Popsicles
Family Force 5
Clemson
Clemson Football
Clemson Homecoming
Boys

It all makes me happy.

Quick notes: Oktoberfest in Georgia is as country as one could hope it was. I peed in the bushes on the side of the road. It brings you down to its level. Good times.

Family Force 5 in Columbia this week, woooo! Dia's mommy is visiting this weekend. Its homecoming. Dana's coming up. Then a get another visitor next week. Busy busy! When will I have time to relax? Maybe never. Its hard to be popular.

Pamela Ribon, a woman close to my heart, has successfully spun her blog into two books and now a tv show. I'm so excited.

That's all for now.
Abby