I have always been a reader.  The written word has always been and always will be my favorite form of entertainment, information, and self-expression.  And in my honest opinion, I happen to read some pretty cool stuff.  Here is just a glimpse of what I’ve been reading lately.

Book Title:  The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Why I’m Reading It:  I read Eugenides’ Middlesex when I was in Costa Rica, and his writing style is absolutely incredible.  It’s definitely more literary than many of the novels I read, but the story flows better than almost any of the other books I tend to pick up.  The characters are incredibly complex and flawed, but also easy to relate to and like.  The settings he creates are more realistic than most movies.  Plus, I got it in the bargain priced section at Books-A-Million.  Does it get any better than that??

Blog Title:  Rants You Didn’t Ask For

Why I’m Reading It:  Apart from the fact that the author of this blog is a great friend of mine, the posts are a great mix of fun lists and actual rants (hence the title!) that are really well thought out and awesome to read over coffee (although what isn’t, really?).

Book Title:  Don Quijote by Cervantes

Why I’m Reading It:  It’s for a class.  But I am still reading it, thus it belongs on Ye Olde List!  In all honesty, this is not my favorite book.  It’s in antique Spanish, which can be difficult to read, and even if it were in English the story is kind of boring.  It details the misadventures of Don Quijote and his servant, Sancho, as they seek the honor worthy of a knight — but most of the time their opinions are the exact opposite.  Although the book is not up my alley, it’s a lot of fun to discuss in class.

Blog Title:  The Casual Philosopher

Why I’m Reading It:  Because this really is one of my favorite blogs, and it would still be even if it wasn’t my sister’s.  For the past few months, in addition to her usual essay-type posts, she’s been chronicling her journey towards going on a crazy-long trip to Wyoming and then Mongolia to do missions with horses and people, two things she’s really good at working with, and it’s incredible to see how it’s all coming together!