summer + reading = summer reading lists popping up everywhere.
growing up i read way more books than i read now. and i am okay with not being as well-read as others. love the piece on realdelia called why summer reading lists burn me out.
my attention span is apparently shorter than i care to admit to, and i feel like i can’t afford the time to sit and read for hours on end. while i don’t read a lot of books (novels in particular), i am reader nonetheless. the newspaper, magazines, blog posts, labels, short non-fiction books, and random environmental print are more my speed. i won’t link to my goodreads account because it is so pitiful looking. i would love to read all the popular books on the new york times bestsellers list, but i just don’t have it in me.
and i won’t speak authoritatively on books i’ve never read. have i read outliers? have a sample chapter on my kindle, but no – i haven’t read it. battle hymn of the tiger mother? nope. and the list goes on.
i am good at required reading. in college i had no problem doing all the required reading. i did really well in american lit. i am a really good reader, just don’t have it in me to sit and read for long periods of time…unless i am going to be graded! ;)
my friend from new york sends me books to read. currently i have one outstanding unfinished book with him. he sent me the kindle version of the know-it-all and this was quite some time ago. the other day i turned on my kindle to read the book and it was all the way at the end of the book, and this is so not the case. will have to find my real spot and eventually finish the book.
the unfinished book is typical for me. i have a handful of those on my bookshelf. oh how i wish to finish twyla tharp’s the creative habit. lovely book so far.
so due to my attention deficit disorder when it comes to books i’ve made my summer reading list manageable. it includes one book. the bell jar by sylvia plath.
while visiting my friend jamie last month she gave the book to me. she said it was her favorite book, so much so that she has spare copies laying around. i was hesitant about taking the book, save it for someone who will actually read it. but i’ve decided to go for it, finish what i start, and so if i don’t completely read any other book this summer i am determined to read the bell jar by sylvia plath.
(next up is an attempt to read the complete works of jane austen.)
this books is well worth reading. i am fascinated by other people in other countries. worlds away from my own. the order of things in far away lands. this book is well done with glimpses into the lives of others. some of the stories are life changing. the portraits are lovely. the book is humanity wrapped in a little book. 
