library love

I lost my library card. I'm so depressed. I've had that thing since I was two (OK, I exaggerate. But it was really old and it still had that funny signature on the back because I got it before I could really sign my own name and it was so cute). So now I have to pay a whole DOLLAR to get a new one. Oh, and I owe $4.50 in fines, which is dumb. It was probably from when I was in middle school and would check out Babysitter Club or Sweet Valley High books or something, and then would always forget to return them. Now I have to pay for my adolescent irresponsibility (which I have so obviously rid myself of, just ask the UVa library.....sarcasm sarcasm) from ages ago. Lame. I'm left wondering if I will every out-grow my bad habit of returning books far past their due dates. (also, I notoriously destroy library books....like drop them in the bathtub, or dog-ear all the pages, or write in them forgetting that I don't own them). Whoops.

Anyway, I walked over to our public library today to reacquaint myself with it, and also just because I'm getting SO excited for my (massive) list of books to read this summer. Here are the first ten I'm planning on diving into. Feel free to get at me with other suggestions, because even though I have about 1084093 million things to read, I always encourage new recommendations :)

Happy reading!

1) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (about a Greek family with a crazy secret. I'm actually more than 1/2 way in and it's a fascinating read. Also, it's a Pulitzer Prize winner, so I guess other people agree with me :) )

2) Another Republic: 17 European and South American Writers (This anthology of several poets was recommended to me by one of my poetry teachers and I'm excited to dive into it! One of the editors, Mark Strand, put together The Making of a Poem, which is a Norton anthology that I LOVE, so I'm excited for this one!)

3) The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (No clue how I haven't read this yet, but tons of people have said it's fantastic)

4) The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (This is the favorite book of one of my Manna friends, and seems like a really interesting topic. I believe it's set in Nazi Germany and the narrator is Death)

5) Same Kind of Different as Me by lots of randos I don't know (Again, suggested by a Manna friend. It's about a homeless drifter following slavery, and about the people who interact with him. Apparently I'll cry a million time during this book, and I can't wait)

6) The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (Basically, I'm going to try to get through as much as I can of this series. I've always wanted to re-read this now that I'm no longer a child and can appreciate the religious symbolism. Plus, these books just stinkin' rule)

7) The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (This is Picker's favorite book and I've been meaning to get to it for awhile. It's about a book a man wrote in a Polish village and the story of how it survived and affected a new set of characters years later)

8) Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (I had coffee with my friend Annie this morning and she ran into another friend and I creepily overheard her suggesting this book as a good read. I looked it up and it seems awesome. It's about turning oppression into opportunity for women, and about the role of sex-trafficking and forced prostitution in areas of poverty. This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, so this book seems right up my alley)

9) The Return of the Prodigal Son: A story of homecoming by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Sounds great, and from what I hear, it's a bit of a memoir from Nouwen about his own spiritual journey that encompasses art, travel, huge realizations about God's love, etc.)

10) Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen (Really, all you have to do is look at this book cover to know that this is simply an indulgent, breezy, tweeny summer read...and gosh, do I LOVE it. I think Zoe and I still read every Sarah Dessen book as soon as it comes out, and since she hasn't come out with any recently, I'm forced to re-read this one, because it just wouldn't be summer without a little Dessen romance)