1. Mainly on Directing - Arthur Laurents. This is Matt's book that I borrowed, and to be fair, I started it before it was officially summer, but there you go. I love reading the stories behind the shows I love, and that's definitely what I got from this book. I saw West Side Story this spring, and I felt like I understood the choices made for the revival production better after I read this. It was also a rather poignant read -- Mr. Laurents passed away when I was halfway through the book. The book left me with a feeling of how prolific an artist he really was.
2. O Pioneers! - Willa Cather. I have a habit of collecting classics when I find them in garage sales and the like, and this is one that's been sitting on my shelf for ages. I really enjoyed this one for its description of land in the Midwest and how it relates to those who dwell there. Flew through this one and really enjoyed it.
3. Just Kids - Patti Smith. This might be my favorite book I've read in the last year. Memoirs are my genre of choice lately, and this one goes beyond simple storytelling into a more poetic realm. At the same time, it gave me a glimpse into that world of New York in one of my favorite eras and talked about the lives of artists whose work I've long enjoyed.
4. Fear and Trembling - Soren Kirkegaard. Well, I was in Copenhagen, and I needed a book to read, and I saw this at the National Library of Denmark... Why WOULDN'T philosophy be a good trip read? Ok, this was a challenge for me, even if I was interested. I think I could read this another 20 times before I actually grasped it. That being said, I took some ideas away from it, so I guess it was a good time investment.
5. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris. My life is full of people who love True Blood, and after Kirkegaard, I needed something quick and fun. This is how I filled the day we spent travelling on the boat, and it was a perfect read for sitting on our balcony with music and watching the landscape go by. I do think I'll wait to library the rest of these rather than spending money on them. This one was also borrowed from Matt.
6. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles - Jennifer 8. Lee. Wow, I know a lot more about Chinese food now than I did a month ago. Picked this book up after reading all I'd brought on the trip. Good airport read, though it made me hungry as I went.
7. It Gets Better - ed. Dan Savage and Terry Miller. Borrowed from Breezi. This book was interesting in so many ways. Of course, it's emotionally moving, being the stories of so many people who experienced discrimination based on sexual and gender orientation, but it also shows the broad diversity of experience in this area. As someone who enjoys looking at things through the lens of queer theory, I certainly found myself pondering identity politics and communities as I read through this. Also made me aware of issues I want to keep in mind as I study school psychology and when I work in a school in the future.
8. Obee & Mungedeech - Trude Martin. This young adult book has been sitting on my shelf for years, but I can't bring myself to get rid of things until I've read them, so I grabbed this and read it in an evening. Quick, interesting, but not my favorite.
And currently, I'm working on Dreams From My Father - Barack Obama. I started reading this my freshman year of college, before I understood what textbook reading would be like. Clearly, I didn't make it through at that point, so I'm giving it another shot!
