Feelin' like a kid again.
My childhood summers were filled with two things: summer recreational activities (softball games, swimming lessons, junior zookeeping, and the like) and books. Piles and piles of books. I'd ride my bike to the city library every few days and upon arriving back home, I'd spread out the books I'd chose and try to decide which needed to be read first. It was a great feeling to know that as soon as I'd finished one, I'd have another, equally exciting book waiting in my room. Often, my patience wore out and I'd manage to start all of the books before finishing any one of them. I loved being in the middle of five stories at once.
During the past few years, my reading's been much more deliberate. I often buy my books now. Buying offers the advantage of being able to underline and take notes in the margins, but it also generally means that I'm less experimental with what I read. If I'm going to spend money on a book, I want at least slight confidence that I'll enjoy it.
Anyway, I went to the Berkeley Public Library yesterday and checked out five books, all very different but each equally promising. Upon returning home, I spread them out on my bed and was rewarded with that childhood feeling of anticipation and excitement. The pile has changed a lot since gradeschool (fewer mysteries, more non-fiction), but it's nice to know that reading can still be just as fun as it was then. I was warned last year that law school would kill my bookish habits. Not true!
I've now started four of the books. Two are excellent. The first is Fraud by David Rakoff. It's a collection of autobiographical essays and it's laugh-out-loud funny. The writing is smart and self-effacing in a way that makes me want to be Rakoff's friend. The second is A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean. The movie's been one of my favorites for years, but for some unknown reason, I've never read the book. It's fantastic, better than the movie (natch). The writing is so good, I sometimes have to read it out loud. On top of all that, the release of the new Harry Potter is only days away. My cup runneth over and all that jazz.
During the past few years, my reading's been much more deliberate. I often buy my books now. Buying offers the advantage of being able to underline and take notes in the margins, but it also generally means that I'm less experimental with what I read. If I'm going to spend money on a book, I want at least slight confidence that I'll enjoy it.
Anyway, I went to the Berkeley Public Library yesterday and checked out five books, all very different but each equally promising. Upon returning home, I spread them out on my bed and was rewarded with that childhood feeling of anticipation and excitement. The pile has changed a lot since gradeschool (fewer mysteries, more non-fiction), but it's nice to know that reading can still be just as fun as it was then. I was warned last year that law school would kill my bookish habits. Not true!
I've now started four of the books. Two are excellent. The first is Fraud by David Rakoff. It's a collection of autobiographical essays and it's laugh-out-loud funny. The writing is smart and self-effacing in a way that makes me want to be Rakoff's friend. The second is A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean. The movie's been one of my favorites for years, but for some unknown reason, I've never read the book. It's fantastic, better than the movie (natch). The writing is so good, I sometimes have to read it out loud. On top of all that, the release of the new Harry Potter is only days away. My cup runneth over and all that jazz.
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