I started building my own little library after receiving my first paycheck. It's one of my guilty pleasures, alongside stuffing my stomach with food. The buying turned into hoarding, though, and now half of my stash are unread. Since keeping away from bookstores is a sin, setting up a reading goal seemed to be the yin to my yang.
Early this year, I dared myself to read 30 books. I've never done it before. I lived to read as I pleased. It was a challenge, and I'm never good at keeping up. I started off good in January, but February to most of March were null -- I almost thought I'd lose it. I found redemption in e-books.
I had an aversion toward e-books, generally because of its format. For a cheapskate who only ever visits Amazon to read book previews, and relies on torrent clients for free titles, I shouldn't be choosy. But I was. Most of the available free e-books were re-typed prose. I shunned them. There were probably just three that I read because the format was legit (although I still ended up buying a hard copy). It was only after a friend coerced me into reading something back in April that I got to see its convenience. Never mind if there were typographical errors (the 'L's in Slammed were agonizing), I got hooked.
Now, I'm halfway through my goal, and I couldn't be happier.
January
1. Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain
2. Seriously, I'm Kidding, by Ellen DeGeneres
February
Let's just say I was busy.
March
3. Divergent, by Veronica Roth
April
4. Insurgent, by Veronica Roth
5. Beautiful Disaster, by Jamie McGuire
6. Walking Disaster, by Jamie McGuire
7. Such A Rush, by Jennifer Echols
May
8. Just One Day, by Gayle Forman
9. Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins
10. Slammed, by Colleen Hoover
11. Point of Retreat, by Colleen Hoover
12. This Girl, by Colleen Hoover
13. Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me?, by Mindy Kaling
14. Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell
15. Humble Pie, by Gordon Ramsay
I'm a YA girl, as is evident from the above list. I find it the best form of indirect escape, a collection of warms and fuzzies on your off days. Everything I've read in May stirred a world of wonderful emotions in me, they deserve a spot in my holy grail (whispers: I'll buy your paperbacks soon, babies), and I highly recommend them.
After burning my eyes reading 10 consecutive digital books in two months, I went back to my old roots. I started reading Humble Pie last night and, weirdly, began tapping my finger on new words (antimacassar, absconded) twice, expecting the pop-up bar with 'define' to appear. It was brown paper, not a touch screen, for crying out loud. That's what technology does to mankind.
The memoirs in the list were entirely engaging and a real joy to read. Anthony Bourdain's wit is something I wish I had. He's a really good writer. I wasn't impressed with Ellen, I'd rather watch her on TV. I love Mindy, and I loved her even more after reading her book, which was totally relatable. I just took a break from reading Gordon's autobiography to write this post and I'm itching to get back to it, stat. One thing's for sure, my respect (and love) for him heightened. Here's an excerpt:
"People sometimes point out how, in shows like Kitchen Nightmares, I'll always encourage the youngest chap in the kitchen, the porter or the pot washer, the little snot that no one else notices or cares about. If you want to know why -- Paris is why. I know how it feels to be in a corner, unnoticed and unloved."Aww, Daddy Gordon. <3
In a span of 5 months, I've entered several territories outside my reading comfort zone:
1) reading a paperback
- inside a moving vehicle
- in a queue, waiting for a ride home
2) effectively shutting off a rowdy atmosphere to enjoy a good book
3) appreciating e-books
This has been a great stretch so far, and I'm looking forward to actually completing my goal. Plus, I know what you're thinking and, yes, I'll skip on the e-books in my next few reads. :)
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