books books books

I told myself at the beginning of the year that I was going to try a new method of book reading: I was going to only read one book at a time. That lasted for, say, one book. I'm in the middle of three right now (and eyeing a fourth):

• Words of the Grey Wind, by Chris Arthur, is a fantastic book of personal essays. I read part of it last year for a Creative Nonfiction class, and am returning to read all the essays and reread all the rest. I find myself underlining massive passages, and finally stopped altogether, because I pretty much love everything. If you are at all into personal essays, you should definitely put this one on your list. And if you're not into personal essays, then you should be.


• The fact that I am reading Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, by Mignon Fogarty, shows that I am a grammar nerd. Yes, I like to read about grammar--it's very interesting to me. I left this book at work once, and when I called to see if it was there, they had assumed it was mine because I would be the only one to actually enjoy reading about grammar. Eats, Shoots, and Leaves wins hands down though. Love that book.


• North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell. I am in love with Victorian novels just as much as I'm in love with essays, and I'm really enjoying this love affair. I watched the BBC version of North and South last summer, and absolutely adored it. I almost wish I had read the book first, because I don't like having preconceived interpretations of the characters; I like to imagine for myself what they are like first, and then appreciate the film's different ideas. However, everytime I read about Mr. Thornton, I can't complain about having Richard Armitage's face flash through my mind. Mmmm.

I am definitely taking advantage of not being in school right now by reading like the crazy bookworm I am. I'm going to tear through my reading list for the next few months. Hoorah for literature!