You know that feeling of extreme relief? You feel 20 pounds lighter. Your feet are guiding along the floor. The world looks a little crisper.
That feeling? Well....I HAVE IT.
Year one is DONE.
Sometimes when I finish something I've spent an extraordinary amount of time on, I feel empty and useless. I had this feeling after I turned in my master's thesis.
Not. This. Time.
Instead, I have wedding things to do. Honeymoon clothing to purchase. Books to read!
I've already finished two* and they come highly recommended from me to you.
The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer
Completely lovely book. Charming storyteller and a few aspects that I was immediately drawn to. The narrator is obsessed with learning new words, reading the New York Times and Yale. I nestled into the academic snobbery that never once sounded presumptuous, pompous or arrogant. Instead he sounded heartfelt, adventurous and lonely. There are moments that the book drags but for the most part the story is a great portrayal of self-discovery. It is a quick read and just fluffy enough that you can read it on the beach or during a commute. Anyone who has looked for and lost both yourself and love will find this story moving.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
As much as I am charmed by academic (un)snobbery, I am charmed by writers even more. I was skeptical of this book. It has received a lot of acclaim and often those books don't resonate with me. However, I tried it given my extreme pleasure in last year's "it" book-- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. This book is heartbreaking. It is also honest and uplifting. Yeah, I don't know how it can be all those things either. BUT, I do know that I could not put. it. down. If I wrote letters*, I would write to Ms. Didion and tell her thanks. I loved her portrayal of marriage.
*Sorry QuakerDave, I couldn't start with Kite Runner because it was checked out. But I keep checking for its return!
** If I wrote letters, I would have a lot of letters to write
That feeling? Well....I HAVE IT.
Year one is DONE.
Sometimes when I finish something I've spent an extraordinary amount of time on, I feel empty and useless. I had this feeling after I turned in my master's thesis.
If I wasn't working on my thesis, I wasn't sure what to be working on.
Not. This. Time.
Instead, I have wedding things to do. Honeymoon clothing to purchase. Books to read!
I've already finished two* and they come highly recommended from me to you.
The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer
Completely lovely book. Charming storyteller and a few aspects that I was immediately drawn to. The narrator is obsessed with learning new words, reading the New York Times and Yale. I nestled into the academic snobbery that never once sounded presumptuous, pompous or arrogant. Instead he sounded heartfelt, adventurous and lonely. There are moments that the book drags but for the most part the story is a great portrayal of self-discovery. It is a quick read and just fluffy enough that you can read it on the beach or during a commute. Anyone who has looked for and lost both yourself and love will find this story moving.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
As much as I am charmed by academic (un)snobbery, I am charmed by writers even more. I was skeptical of this book. It has received a lot of acclaim and often those books don't resonate with me. However, I tried it given my extreme pleasure in last year's "it" book-- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. This book is heartbreaking. It is also honest and uplifting. Yeah, I don't know how it can be all those things either. BUT, I do know that I could not put. it. down. If I wrote letters*, I would write to Ms. Didion and tell her thanks. I loved her portrayal of marriage.
Marriage is memory, marriage is time....
I admire her relationship with her husband.
Did he know I had written it?
He had edited it....
Can you tell I like memoirs? I'm a nosey person. But I also like good writing. I grow bored with most fiction. But I experience memoirs. I grieve. I laugh. I learn.
These books are great. They both kept me up reading and thinking.
This insomnia is so much better than being wide awake worrying about the morning after pill and any other various projects.
*Sorry QuakerDave, I couldn't start with Kite Runner because it was checked out. But I keep checking for its return!
** If I wrote letters, I would have a lot of letters to write
7 Comments:
I know how you feel. Seriously. Except the wedding stuff. But I am indeed glad to be done and already reading a memoir - Lauren Winner's Girl Meets God.
Im soo proud of you:) Way to kick this first years butt. I am curious that you are staying awake worrying about the morning after pill, you shouldnt, just take a tylenol pm and go to PP in the morning:) haha ...Sarah
You can read my copy of Kite Runner if I still have it.
I wish Missouri was as cool as your lovely state of Georgia:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/05/16/georgia.gay.marriage.ap/index.html
Try this link instead:
http://tinyurl.com/jsxvo
OK time to update....
Come out, come out, wherever you are...
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