With a new year and a new decade upon us, I've been thinking a lot about what I want for myself in 2010. Today, my husband (who has a cold) and I went for a walk by the beach and started talking how we want to get back to our roots this year- pseudo intellectual elitism.
When I lived in Toronto, I was an academic. I was in graduate school and was co-owner of an epic library - tales of which are still the subject of urban legend among our Canadian friends. I used to read so much and for a few months, probably after the Giller Prize short-list was announced, fancied myself an expert on contemporary Canadian literature. (I was one pair of skinny jeans away from being a complete douche). What happened to that girl?
As our usual custom, we logged onto Amazon.com this year to buy our families books for Christmas, but unlike other years, I had absolutely no idea what to get people. Sure my siblings made lists which included books they wanted, but I used to be able to recall a book I'd read in the past year that was perfect for one of my loved ones. What happened to that girl?
When my mom was visiting a few months ago, she said that she remembers when I used to read a lot. Remembers? Sure I haven't been reading as much as I used to since Pinch Knits, but she made it sound like I had stopped completely. But she was right. This year, I only read three (3) books. Three.
- Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich, Stephen Leacock
- The Know-It-All, AJ Jacobs
- Literary Lapses, Stephen Leacock
Right now, I am trying to read Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them), by Al Franken, which is extremely out of character because it is non-fiction and about (dated) American politics. This may be why I've been reading this book for 4 months even though it is really funny. Then I realized that I haven't updated my sidebar all year - it still lists the books I read in 2008.
This leads me to my first New Year's resolution. This year, I want to read more. I miss that girl; the one who used to spend hours on her bed reading and dreaming; the one who could scroll through the best sellers list in the paper and check off the ones she's read; the one who could look at you with a twinkle in her eye and say, I just read a book you will love! It's time to breathe life back into that girl.
Any book recommendations?