An Update

So the official count of books to read is...*drum roll*...almost exactly 300!!! It might be a few more or less than that, but it's the most precise count I can get at the moment. Luckily awhile ago I started a computerized library catalog for my books in Microsoft Excel, complete with a color-coding system. I haven't finished it completely, but most of it is done. First, I cataloged my books using the following columns: author's last name, author's first/middle name(s), book title, publication date, category, subcategory 1, subcategory 2, subcategory 3. The final column lists where/when I came into possession of the book, if I remember (what store and in what city, who I was with, what other books I got there, etc. Yes, I'm strange). Then, I color-coded each book:

Green = books I read
Pink = books I haven't read
Purple = books I read part of (for instance, I had to read a few short stories from James Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son for a class this winter, but I didn't read the entire book. So it's classified as purple.)
Yellow = books that "don't count" toward the read/unread lists (these are mostly textbooks and reference books)

This system is really useful to me, because I can see at a glance exactly where each book stands. I can also sort the books into genre and sub-genre with a few clicks of the mouse, so that's helpful too. I just have to remember to keep updating the colors as I finish books.

I probably sound like a crazy person, but books are one of my major hobbies, and I LOVE organizing things, so making my library electronic was honestly really fun for me. Knowing that I have this resource at my disposal quiets my brain, somehow. It's like iTunes. I have to have my iTunes library organized perfectly all the time-- I'm talking title/artist/album all typed correctly and with capital letters (because sometimes when I download them they turn up crazy-looking), and everything has to have album artwork and a genre. Otherwise I feel like it's a big mess.

When did I get so OCD?!

So in other news...last week while I was interning at ABC, I realized that--GASP--I had forgotten to bring a book to read during my lunch break! Yes, I succumbed and purchased a book to read during lunch. Yes, I felt so guilty afterward that I subsequently returned the book in shame and mortification. So I don't know if that counts as breaking my vow not to buy books, but I'm definitely learning to quell my book-purchasing tendencies. It's a lot easier this summer because I'm not actually making any money (not even from babysitting, since I'm living in PA), and it's hard for me to even fill up my gas tank (and that's pathetic because I get freaking 40 mpg and my car only holds 11 gallons), so it's not like I have money for extra stuff right now anyway, haha. Which is good. I've got to save up for next year and independence.

I have, however, acquired a few books for free. I'm currently doing a second internship at a tutoring center at a college in Pennsylvania, and every single classroom building has all these bookshelves full of free books. I can't help but take advantage of this, AND I've put a few of my books on the shelves for others to take, so it's more acceptable. Yesterday I found a brand new hardcover copy of David Sedaris's Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, along with Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint, a book by my darling John Fowles, The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon (also brand new, and the big version, not the mass market paperback), a Shakespeare biography, and a Norton reader. In exchange, I put a few books on the shelf that I'll never ever read but somehow acquired: The Firm by John Grisham, a few things by James Patterson, Prague by Arthur Phillips, etc.

So that's where I am now. I'm currently halfway through Jane Austen's Emma, which is pretty good considering that I only read for an hour per day (my lunch break) Monday-Thursday, and I just started it Monday. I should have more time to read it Friday, since that's my day off. For now, evenings are dedicated to snuggling with Jon and the puppies, watching Everybody Loves Raymond, and knitting a baby blanket for Angela (and I have quite a few more squares to finish!).

2 - Handle With Care

Date Completed: July 20, 2009

Places I read it: Tompkins Hall, BCCC, my room in Fulton, my room in Doylestown

So...Jodi Picoult. I have mixed feelings about Jodi. For some reason, I'm always reluctant to read her books. On the other hand, once I read them, I'm almost always glad I did. The stories are generally pretty enthralling and easy to get into, so once I get done procrastinating, Picoult books only take a day to finish. Jon's mom is really into Jodi, so this always happens when a new one comes out and she gives it to me to borrow.

This one was really intense, maybe more so than anything else I've read by Picoult. One of the main characters, Charlotte, sacrifices absolutely everything for her daughter: her marriage, her other daughter, her dignity, her "reputation" (and by that, I mean her actions cause people nationwide to point fingers at her and criticize her), and at times, her self-respect. I definitely give her credit for that. It made me think a lot about what I'd do in that situation. I'm not a mother, so obviously I can't relate TOO much, but holy crap. I don't know if I could do it.

So besides the stupid Jodi cliches (a child with an incurable disease, the inevitable angsty lawyer, courtroom scenes, and even the abrupt ending shrouded in death), this was an enjoyable read. It reminded me a lot of My Sister's Keeper, but like I said, I didn't really expect this book to be a masterpiece, so it's ok. It was great entertainment for an evening, and the relationships between characters kept me thinking, that's for sure.

1 - Sense and Sensibility

I've had this book for about 3 years...it was assigned reading for one of my freshman classes in college. Back then, I definitely didn't read it as well as I could have, so I decided to really spend some time on it this summer while I have a lot of time.

Date completed: July 14, 2009

Places I read it: Columbia Hall, my house, Panera Breads in Syracuse (NY) and Montgomeryville (PA), a Wegmans parking lot

Jane Austen has really charmed me as of late. I love her narration-- the narrators in her novels, especially Sense and Sensibility, are almost separate characters, full of witticisms and snide observations that show that Austen herself was able to poke fun at the conventions of her society.

Following Elinor and Marianne's stories was especially powerful for me because I can relate to both of them: I have known heartbreak the way Marianne has, but I have also known what it's like to stifle it and act normal, like Elinor.

I thought the ending could have been developed a little more, though. The part when Edward isn't actually married is a great plot twist, but Marianne and Colonel Brandon? Really? I mean, I grew to love Colonel Brandon, but I'm not entirely convinced that Marianne would marry him. Toward the end of the novel, Austen devotes a lot of time to Edward and Elinor, but sums up Marianne and Colonel Brandon's engagement in what seems like just a paragraph or two, when really, their part of the story deserves an equal amount of attention. The reader already knew how much Elinor loved Edward. Why use so much page space talking about them instead of elaborating on how Marianne finally grew to fall for Brandon?

The ending definitely didn't spoil the book for me; it just left me with a lot of questions. Overall, the book was a great read. I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice more, but Sense and Sensibility is just as worthy of attention.

Overture

As an English major and lifelong bibliophile, I have amassed quite the collection of books in my 21 years of life. This has proven to be a bit of a problem...not because of the sheer number of books (about 800), but rather because of the amount of those books I haven't read yet (exact count pending, but probably 150-200).

Whether I've purchased the books myself (and I'll admit, there's no place I like to shop at more than a bookstore) or received them as gifts, eventually I just got overwhelmed and never managed to catch up. Therefore, I've decided that I can't put it off any longer. I need to read these books.

That's right, folks. I'm not going to buy a single book until I've read every last book I already own. It might take years, but I'm willing to go through with this. This blog will be where I record the books I finish/the progress I've made/my woes and sufferings/my book-buying withdrawal/anything else I feel is necessary. Here goes!