I’m finishing up Deidre Bair’s Simone de Beauvoir: A Biography at long last. I picked this up used at a college book sale back in the late 90’s and somehow never got around to reading it. My M.O. is to buy a small stack of books and stash them away for future reading, so I guess I stashed this one too well… I usually mix up my reading between biography, classic literature, spirituality, journals/letter collections, and a little contemporary fiction every now and then (generally given to me by someone) so I don’t get too bogged down by any one type of book. I don’t tend to read much self-help or how-to books, though I do have a decent collection of Arts and Crafts movement books for inspiration with my Craftsman bungalow.
I’ve been an avid reader ever since I was a tiny child; I had already read all the Dick and Jane books before starting kindergarten so my teacher had me assist the other children in learning to read, even the Spanish speaking kids! I used to spend whole weekends devouring books, until we got our first computer… But still, I find that nothing can replace the cozy feeling that curling up with a book in the tub gives me. Or reading in bed before going to sleep. Or sitting at the breakfast table with a cup of coffee and good book. Heck, where’s my book? What am I doing at the computer?
Anyway, I always kind of enjoy seeing what other folks are reading, so I figured I’d make that a new part of my blog, for the curious. I’m actually also reading Thoreau’s Walden, which I like to bring with me to the beach because it just seems wrong to read it indoors.
How great is that site? I know you will love Neruda once you read him. Have you seen Il Postino? Neruda is a main character in the movie and it has many of his poems. Get the essential before the 20 poems. You won’t regret it.
hey mike. i haven’t read any neruda yet. i might start with “Veinte Poemas”… i just found a site selling the “essential” book to raise funds for a movie – sounds intriguing!
http://www.redpoppy.net/pablo_neruda_aboutbook.php
hey julie. i haven’t read them all, but i’ve got several wharton books on my shelf; “glimpses of the moon,” “twilight sleep,” and a book of ghost stories. i make it my business to read novels from the 20’s and 30’s, since that’s my favorite time period. feel free to recommend others!
You have stellar taste in books! Ever read Edith Wharton? I was resistant to her at first, but I grew to love her work. The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth are my favorites.
I love Walden. I could read it over and over again. Same with Leaves of Grass. Or William Carlos Williams. The book that I keep going back to (I think I have read it 6 times in 6 months) is the “Essential Pablo Neruda”..it’s in both English and Spanish. The last new book I just read was “Busting Vegas” about those pesky MIT kids.