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Disturbing Trends, Books Other People Said to Read, and So Forth

I haven't updated this in too long. Too long! So you're getting a pondering post instead of a riotous, well-thought-out post. At least it's something to distract you from that thing you don't want to do.

There seems to be an odd trend to what I'm reading right now. As is usually the case, I've picked up way too many books at one time. These're the titles:

Waiting for the Barbarians
Devil in the White City
The Monk
The Da Vinci Code
The Face That Stopped a Thousand Bullets

Some might remember the latter referenced in a post where I was searching for the name of a bad urban lit book and then found that one. The title's so amazing I got it from the library. And it is living up to expectations, my friends.

Back in whenever, maybe 2004, I swore never to read The Da Vinci Code. But now I'm older and slightly less dumb/obstinate, and yeah, okay, it's horribly written, and kind of inaccurate with its Church history, but it's compelling, damnit.

Anyway. I don't really get why all the books I'm reading are depressing. Although The Monk is more supernatural/fun-filled/demonic nunnish than depressing, so maybe I mean 'dark.' My favorite type of book, hands-down, is the comedic essay collection. These are the opposite of that. Maybe this is my response to warmth and sunshine. Chicago's pretty much a bummer most of the year, so now that it's finally nice out (it was 55 last week. Yeah. We suck.), maybe this is my inner self saying "You must have balaaaaance! Read unhappy thiiiiiiings!"

In a final, unrelated comment, these're books I added to my goodreads 'To Read' list because of people's blog posts:

The Revisionists - books i done read
My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me - Libereading
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating - As the Crowe Flies

I enjoy and respect all of those blogs. Although I suppose I should be irritated with them for adding to my neverending pile of unread books. In 7th grade, I think I prayed something like "I wish I had things to read," because at the time I was, for some reason, out. And ever since that time, I've had way too much. Which is obviously preferable to way too little.

Comments

  1. I love your, or rather your inner self's, reasoning for reading sad things. All I can picture now is people in Seattle must read the happiest stuff most of the year to counter constant clouds.

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Red Oh yeah, wait a sec...grunge rock came out of Seattle...hmmmmmm...I guess those people just aren't as mentally healthy as I am. TAKE THAT, PACIFIC NORTHWEST SUCKAHS!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Haha oh man I forgot about grunge. Those aren't the people who understand the happiness balance you've figured out. Separate note, can you get seasonal depression in Seattle? Cos isn't it like all the time so it would really just be "depression".

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tell me if you like Devil in the White City...it has been sitting on my shelf for way too long, but I just can't seem to pick it up.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @chambanachik I'm like a quarter through it. As of now, it's not spectacularly written, but it's at least kind of interesting. What makes it better is that it's set in Chicago, so it's like "Hey, I know that area! Nowadays you get shot there!"

    That'd be Englewood. Do not go theeeere.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ooh, ooh, you like essay collections too? Have you read Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman? It's really short but it's clever and makes me feel less like a weirdo for my obsession with my books...

    Enjoy My Boyfriend Wrote A Book About Me!

    ReplyDelete

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