Merry Wanderer of the Night [Search results for believer] 

I read John D'Agata's essay in The Believer this past Spring where he talks about suicide and environmental factors in Las Vegas. At the time I didn't know that he was coming out with a book on the exact same subject, so when I found out that this essay I loved in The Believer was actually a book length essay I was immediately intrigued. About a Mountain

is about D'Agata's experience in Las Vegas exploring Yucca Mountain, a spot where nuclear waste was going to be stored. He explores what the world would look like in the future for the people who would have to deal with the effects of storing nuclear waste there. He works at a suicide hotline and explores the high suicide rate in Las Vegas and in doing so, explores the culture of Las Vegas and outside of Las Vegas.

I've been to Las Vegas several times (especially considering I'm not yet 21) but haven't read a whole lot about it. It's an interesting to place to know more about, but I was initially upset with D'Agata's original essay in The Believer because I felt it was a little dangerous to characterize a city by its suicide rate and further trying to make an explanation for it. Maybe, probably, this made me uncomfortable because I come from a place where suicide is quite frequent and through high school I was judged for being a part of that place. I was less bothered by that in the book, but I think maybe that is just because I accepted it from the essay. One of the greatest things about this book is that D'Agata is coming to Yucca Mountain with very little knowledge, which makes it very easy for the reader to learn right along with him. This is a technique a lot of my favorite essays and books employ. Rather than being talked at by an expert, we get to learn along with the author. For something as outrageous as Yucca Mountain that learning process can be extremely powerful.

D'Agata is considered in expert on the essay form and the evolution of it-- so you really have to respect him for that alone. However, I felt this book was a little indulgent at times. I really disliked when he strung sentences on and on and described one thing multiple ways for pages and pages. The book is not very long, but with the amount of time he spends saying the same thing 100 ways it could have been much shorter. I enjoyed this book, and I think to really get a grasp on Yucca Mountain you have to read the book, but I felt the essay in The Believer was much more cohesive and better written.

I give this book a B.

Additionally, the last three books I've reviewed have somehow dealt with environmental issues and at this point you can probably surmise this is something I'm passionate about. In fact, I'm so passionate about it I've decided to start a bi-weekly podcast about books that deal with environmental issues. Even if you're not that interested in the environment I can assume you have an interest in books- so please give my podcast a try! We're still in the beginning phases but you can check out our introductory podcast at GreenReads and while you're there leave us a comment, some ideas, or just follow us so you know when our first real episode goes up.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

I have been obsessed with Nick Hornby since I was fifteen years old. High Fidelity was one of my favorite books in high school, and when my English teacher saw me toting other Hornby books around he asked me if I read Hornby's column in the Believer. I had never even heard of The Believer before but luckily he had a few issues on hand for me to read. I gobbled up the columns he did have and was hungry for more. Anyone who reads the Believer knows how expensive it is though, so it wasn't until last year that I got a subscription and at the point I did, Hornby was no longer writing his column (this has recently changed). Along with my Believer subscription I got Hornby's three collections The Polysyllabic Spree, Housekeeping Vs. The Dirt, and Shakespeare Wrote For Money. I've read The Polysyllabic Spree

and I am pleased.

The column is about what books he has purchased and what books he has read- the two lists always completely opposite in length. Like most book lovers, Hornby buys more books than he reads. The first column from September 2003 shows him buying 10 books and reading 6. Been there, done that. Some months it's much worse and some months it's much better. It was really interesting for me to read this book as a blogger, because he talks about some things, like abandoning books, that I see in a much different way since I've become a blogger. In addition to his thoughts on what he has read and what he has bought sometimes there are excerpts from books he really enjoyed thrown in.

I haven't read, or heard, of most of the books Hornby is reading, but that just shows that this book is really great because I enjoyed reading about all of them anyway. I did come away with a few recommendations. For instance, I need to read the remaining Salinger books, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Mystic River. My one complaint about the column is that Hornby isn't allowed to say anything really bad about books. If he really hated a book he can't even mention the title. I think this is a bit unfair, you can dislike a book and give an explanation why you didn't like it. It might work for someone else who doesn't care about your reasons.

I give this an A.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

Housekeeping vs. the Dirt

is the second volume of Nick Hornby's columns for The Believer. I recently reviewed the first volume, The Polysyllabic Spree, but these books can be read in any order you like. The columns list what Hornby has read, what books he has purchased, and what he thought about everything. I mentioned in my last review that Hornby isn't allowed to say negative things about a book because it is Believer policy. This is kind of annoying but I guess one plus side is that you can only come away from this book with at least mediocre recommendations.

One thing that still amazes me about Hornby's column is that the stuff he reads is really nothing like the stuff he writes. It seems like Hornby has a real thing for mysteries and if you've ever read a Hornby book you know there really isn't a whole lot of mystery to them. That being said, I think I liked Housekeeping vs. the Dirt much more than The Polysyllabic Spree as far as book recommendations go. From this book I found Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan, Early Bird by Rodney Rothman, Saturday by Ian McEwan (or really just anything by Ian McEwan, this book reminded me I've yet to read him), In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (which I did read), The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler, and Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris (which I bought). So as you can see, that is quite a few more than the three books I came away from The Polysyllabic Spree wanting to read. He also talks about Persepolis and includes a selection from it, and since I really like that book the recommendation made me like this book even more.

I also really enjoyed the first few columns where Hornby references books that make you walk into a lamppost because they are so gripping. When I read this I had just finished Envy, which was a book that gripped me in such a way. I think in this volume Hornby really gets a good stride with his column, and he carries ideas through columns more. This is something you might not notice as much when you read each column individually as the new issue of The Believer comes out, but when you read them altogether you see how he brings back old ideas.

Loved this book, I give it an A.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

Last year around this time I made a list of Gifts for English Majors. Another year has gone by and there are a lot of new things out there for English majors, so I thought I would make an updated list for the English majors (or book lovers) in your life.

1. McSweeney's and Believer combo subscription. For ninety dollars you can get a whole year's worth of awesome literary goodness. I've been a Believer subscriber for one year now and even though it has a hefty price tag, I haven't regretted it at all. The Believer is an almost monthly publication (nine issues) that has book reviews, comics, columns, and literature. They also have special issues throughout the year. I don't subscribe to McSweeney's (yet), but it's a fantastic literary magazine with great contributing writers. A year's subscription gets you four issues, which is basically like getting four books in the mail. Speaking of which, McSweeney's also has a Book Release Club for $100.

2. Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook

is a book I reviewed last spring. It's super cheap ($6 on Amazon) and will give any English major hours of fun. Ever since I reviewed it I've lent it out to at least four people and everyone loves it. For more info on this book check out my review of it.

3. Moleskine Passions Book Journal

is another item I reviewed earlier this year and I absolutely love it. It's a great way for any reader to keep track of their notes from the books they read. I use this for school to keep track of the main ideas from books so by the end of the semester I can return to those notes and remind myself of the main points of the book. Check out my review of the journal for more info.

4. Penguin Classics Hardcover Collection

. I'm not suggesting you buy the entire $200 set, but a favorite book out of this collection would make a nice gift for an English major. I, of course, have my eye on Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Several stores have these on sale for less than $15 right now, so it's a good time to get them.

5. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

, because English majors have to have fun too. I can just see myself coming home after a long day of school and work, curling up in front of the television to play with my Harry Potter LEGOs. That actually sounds very nice.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

I found today's awesome essay mostly by mistake. I went to the Believer's website to get the link for a different essay I was going to talk about, but in that time I perused other full length articles and that is how I found No Shell, Just a Ghost by David Givens (apparently there is a David Givens who is some kind of football player, it's not that one). The essay is about memory, something nonfiction writers talk about with a somewhat alarming frequency. Probably because a lot of creative nonfiction is about memories. And memories are always changing, that's what is so strange about them. My memory is so different from your memory, but who is right? Is anyone right? Can there just be multiple memories of one situation. Well, I would say there can and that it's okay, but I won't go on about that because I want you to read this essay. I've read a lot about memory, but I think this essay talks about it in a way that I haven't really seen before. He relates it to film, although that isn't exactly what makes it special. It's just the way he describes memory that stands out to me.

I'm one of those people recalls things while I'm falling asleep at night. Or sitting on the couch not thinking. Sometimes when I'm alone a memory catches me, falls into my brain even though I don't want it there. I try to shout at the memory and tell it to go away, please, I'm trying to forget about you. But it comes back no matter what. I think Givens describes this phenomenon and the phenomenon of memory very well. Here is an excerpt:

It is night now and so, finding myself unable to sleep and rummaging idly in my mind, I am given to thinking about moments such as these, taking inventory, as it were, of my life in an attempt to slow it down and hold it close. It sometimes happens that when I am too full of my present, I methodically sift through the pieces of my past. On these nights I usually lie still in bed, eyes open wide, and stare at the ceiling. There I find memories, or images more precisely, and lay them out next to one another, as though they were on a table in my mind, searching them for clues to who I’ve been and who I’ve become. Comparing memories and images in this way one can sometimes arrive at intriguing connections. That blissed-out snow reverie from my childhood, in its hypnotic fascination and brilliant optical play, was not unlike the textured and sparkling surface of the Bell + Howell tripod movie screen onto which we projected home movies throughout those same childhood days. I had the same absorbed fascination when, on those rare movie nights, I stood close to it, watching the play of light, reflections undulating across its pearlescent whiteness with every gentle adjustment of my head. All this before the images would flow.

If you enjoyed that excerpt, and I really hope you did, then I would advise you to go to the Believer's website and read the whole essay online. The first two lines of this excerpt just left me breathless and the essay gets increasingly strange and fuzzy as it goes on, like a memory.

Also, I've heard from a few people that there might be some interest in turning this into a meme? If you are interested in talking about an essay you enjoyed on Saturday please let me know in either the comments section or email me at englishmajorjunkfood AT yahoo DOT com. I'd love to spread more awesome essays around the world!

Price was dressed in a pair of tight jeans and an off-the-shoulder cream knitted jumper which emphasised her extremely dark tan.
Lovebirds: Price and Penna dress down for their night out in Soho. Price's boyfriend appears very protective of her
The mother-of-three had her bleached locks loose around her shoulders and added a flash of colour with bright pink nails.
Penna, 26, was wearing a grey jumper and ripped grey jeans and appeared extremely protective of Price. He held her hand tightly and ushered her into their car as they headed home at the end of the evening.
Toned down: We are more used to seeing Price in full make-up, as at her novel launch last year, left, compared with her natural look last night
It was at this point that Price turned her own camera on the paparazzi.
She picked up a camera, and after working out how to take pictures on it, wound down the window of the car and snapped a few shots of the photographers as they took pictures of her.
Snap happy: Price turns her camera on waiting paparazzi at the end of her night out with Penna
So no upcoming nuptials? Price gets to grips with the camera. She appears ring free, having sported a large sparkler on her engagement finger last week
Price had sparked rumours, albeit with a large helping of scepticism, that she and Penna were engaged when she wore a huge ring on her engagement finger at a book signing last week.
But while she was ring-free last night she kept her new tattoo, which she had completed on her most recent visit to South America, under the sleeve of her jumper.
source: dailymail

VIA Is that really you Katie? Make-up free Miss Price looks fresh faced

For Weekly Geeks 2009-08, we revisited a theme from Dewey's Weekly Geeks: Political and Social Issues, originally presented in May 2008. The instructions were the same as before:

1. Choose a political or social issue that matters to you. If you were a Weekly Geek last May and already did this theme, pick a different theme than the one you did at that time.

2. Educate readers about your topic by telling us a little about it and any involvement you've had in this issue.

3. Find books addressing your issue; they do not necessarily have to be books you’ve read. They can be non fiction, fiction, poetry, etc...Give a little synopsis of the book or a link to the description.

4. Use images which you feel illustrate your topic.

The theme inspired posts on a wide range of issues. Be sure to go back to this week's assignment post to see everyone who participated and signed Mr. Linky! Meanwhile, here are some of the posts and topics that caught my attention:

• Two moms talked about children's issues that affect more than just their own families - Julie of Booking Mama discussed food allergies, while Julie from A Small Accomplishment wrote about living with ADHD.
• Crime-fiction bloggers Kerrie of Mysteries in Paradise and Dorte of DJ's Krimiblog both looked at how social issues are addressed as themes in their preferred genre.
• Encounters between a believer and an atheist prompted Ariel Dalloway to tackle the science vs. religion debate.
• At Worducopia, Ali wrote about the challenges of avoiding things "made in China" (labeled or not).
  
• News and the media interested a few of the WG participants. Kim from Page after Page wrote about media bias, and Nymeth of Things Mean a Lot pondered racism in the media; meanwhile, Maree at Just Add Books wondered why celebrities are "news" in the first place. Maybe it's because they get people to read? On a related note, Frances of Nonsuch Books talked about literacy initiatives.
• And please forgive the self-promotion, but I really do hope you'll read my own WG contribution on the topic of comprehensive sex education for teens at The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness.
  

Do you read book reviews? Do you let them change your mind about reading/not reading a particular book?

I read book reviews a lot, mostly through blogs. I do read Bookmarks Magazine and the Believer as well, sometimes I find books I do or do not want to read through those magazines. I think reviews usually push me further in a direction about a book. Usually coming into a review I can already kind of tell if I'd like the book based on the subject matter and a review will often confirm my feelings. Sometimes I read a really positive review but coming away feeling like I don't want to read the book because things the reviewer liked about it I don't think I would like.

But when I review books, I do hope someone will decide to read books that I give positive reviews and perhaps be more wary of books I give negative reviews. I hope people who read my reviews regularly get a good sense of how my tastes work with theirs so that they can find books they really love. That is honestly why I read reviews anyway, to find more books I think that I will love.

This meme is hosted at Booking Through Thursday.

I moved into my townhouse with three bookshelves and they were completely full right away, so I knew a new bookshelf was in my future eventually. I finally got sick of all the random stacks of books around the house towards the end of last semester and yesterday I bought the bookshelf. It's the biggest bookshelf I've got so far. Apparently I've become more realistic about my growing library. I'm amazed by how many of the books I own I've purchased since I started blogging. Apparently I just didn't know what books to buy before my blog and now I'm constantly bombarded with books I want to read plus I find ones on my own. Book blogging has definitely changed the way I approach shopping in a bookstore-- but that is a post for a different day.

The bottom shelf is games and children's books, two things that didn't really have a home in my house so it makes sense for them to go on a fairly empty bookshelf. Above that is about two shelves of unread books. Just by looking at my bookshelves it seems like I'm finishing one shelf of books for every shelf of new books, which means I'll never get past that one bookshelf worth of books I haven't read. I'm pretty okay with this ratio right now, obviously I would like to read more books than I'm taking in. The worst part is that I have two shelves of books that I've owned for a long time but still haven't read. When I look at the books I think I want to get to them someday, but I don't want to read them as much as the new books I bought in the last year. I should probably get rid of some of the books I haven't read but I honestly think getting rid of books is a humongous pain in the butt.

The second shelf from the top houses literary magazines which were previously under my coffee table. This collection is only going to get bigger in 2011 because I not only have a subscription to The Believer (my second year with it) but I have one to McSweeney's as well. The very top shelf has some beer bottles from Germany on it. Not much to do with books, I just thought they were pretty.

Have any of you gotten a new bookshelf recently? Do you need one? Are the stacks of books taking over your house?

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

I was so excited for Don't Say a Word by Holly Cupala because I absolutely loved Tell Me a Secret. And for the most part it SO delivered. Almost the whole way through Don't Say a Word, I was convinced it was going to be a new favorite, a five star rating, Basically Amazing. Everything about it was like Tell Me a Secret, only more. The cover is better, the emotions more intense, the danger more real etc. But, unfortunately, everything was more, which also means that the complaints I had about the ending of Tell Me were more in Don't Breathe as well, and I was left disappointed by the end.

In Don't Breathe a Word, Joy, so desperate to get away from the problems in her home life, fakes her own kidnapping and runs away, determined to find the homeless boy in Seattle who once offered her help. The pieces to why Joy is so desperate to get away, and why it's necessary that it not seem like a voluntary absence, are slowly revealed as the story unfolds. You know there is something sinister about her boyfriend, Asher, but we don't know the extent of it until much later in the story, but still, my heart just ached for Joy as I thought about all that she must have gone through, all that rested on her shoulders. But, then, she escapes and she finds Creed, who welcomes her into his 'family'.

Joy (now called Triste) knew that being homeless would be hard. But she thought more about the physical hardships — no shelter, little food, no money etc and less about the dangers from other people. Before she finds Creed, she has close encounters with several dangerous persons and in one encounter, loses her backpack with all her money, but more importantly, her asthma inhalers, which she needs to live. She's been hospitalized numerous times because of near fatal asthma attacks, and it's one more reasons Joy felt completely smothered at home. This is something that saddened me, because her parents don't realize what her life is like. She tries so hard to be a help, not a burden to her parents that she doesn't tell them about what's going on with her and they either don't notice, or they choose not to. Everyone is constantly afraid she will have an asthma attack so her freedoms are nonexistent and her boyfriend is controlling, manipulative and creepy. And her parents have no idea, instead pushing her closer to Asher, because he takes care of her and can protect her. Broke my heart. It's something that I'm genuinely afraid of — having a child going through something so horrible and not having a clue about it.

This book, this story was intense. Living on the streets is not a picnic, not something easy, and a decision to leave your home to live on the streets is not something that should be easily reached. Joy thought she was prepared for what was waiting, but she wasn't even close. I was constantly afraid for Joy and I was so happy when she found a group of people who accepted her and helped her. She really connected with the people who made up her new family; Creed, the leader who found her and was the first to welcome her, Santos, who keeps his dark secrets close but finds Triste the asthma medicine she needs, and May, initially wary of Triste and unwilling to welcome her, but they soon reach a friendly understanding and May even gives Triste a better (much better) haircut. But, life on the streets cannot remain happy for very long and the four are faced with regular challenges and dangers, some that they cannot escape from.

And it's told beautifully. I mean it. Guys, I was always so caught up in this story, so moved, so worried for these characters. I felt so much of this story, so strongly. Cupala writes hard and painful emotions perfectly.

But as I mentioned earlier, I didn't feel the novel as a whole maintained that level of emotion. For such a powerfully intense and gritty story, the ending was far too tidy. The story was so realistic, so believable and so hard to read because of it. But then the ending took all that away from me. Real life does not hand you packages wrapped with bows, which is what I got from this book. If I want bows on my endings, I read light-hearted Contemporary, maybe some fantasy, or some middle grade. If I want realistic and honest endings, I read Contemporary YA. And this book delivered all that I desire in an emotional Contemporary read, right up until that ending. And the ending that was delivered here cheapened not only the experiences of every single character, but the people and teens who have to live through something like this in real life too.

I'm a firm believer in the power of endings. Ofttimes for me, they can make or break a book completely. I still loved this book, I really did. The writing is too honest and powerful to ignore but the ending significantly lessened the impact of the story for me.

But even with my disappointment in the ending, this is still a book that I'm going to highly recommend reading. Cupala is a gifted writer and I plan to read her for as long as she writes (although, not gonna lie, I am hoping that her endings get a little more... authentic with future books).

This week's Booking Through Thursday is all of these questions!

1. Favorite childhood book?
Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes was my favorite picture book. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery was my favorite chapter bok.

2. What are you reading right now?
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, The Best American Essays 2008, and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion.

4. Bad book habit?
Putting them down on the table with the spine up.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
The Catcher in the Rye, About a Mountain by John D'Agata, Sleeping Naked is Green by Vanessa Farguharson, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

6. Do you have an e-reader?
Yes, I have a nook.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
Several, although lately I've been focusing more on one at a time.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Oh yeah, I read a lot more and I'm more conscious about what I think while I'm reading.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not very often.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Genres I know I can count on like literary nonfiction, graphic novels, young adult series, and classics.

13. Can you read on the bus?
Yeah I do it all the time.

14. Favorite place to read?
Outside as long as I don't have the sun to my back.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
I'll lend to anyone I'm friends with.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
I used to but now I use bookmarks and sticky notes.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Often.

18. Not even with text books?
Still do it here.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English though I can read some French.

20. What makes you love a book?
Strong female characters, strong characters of any kind, detailed description but not flowery language.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If I come away from a book thinking it either changed the way I look at something or helped me learn a lot about a subject or life.

22. Favorite genre?
Literary nonfiction.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Current literary fiction.

24. Favorite biography?
Wild Child: Life with Jim Morrison by Linda Ashcroft.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
I've read fitness walking books and study books.

26. Favorite cookbook?
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

28. Favorite reading snack?
Popcorn or oranges.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I think I expected too much from it.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Depends on the critic. I usually agree with book reviews from the Believer. Bookmarks is more touch and go.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I feel that I always give reasons for why I don't like a book so I don't mind giving negative reviews. I try to find something good even in books I dont like.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Dutch.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Middlemarch by George Eliot.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

35. Favorite Poet?
Emily Dickinson.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
I didn't have a library card until last week (I know, I know!) but including the university library I would say about 3 or 4.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Frequently when I was younger, which is why I didn't get a library card again until last week.

38. Favorite fictional character?
I have way too many! One I always remember fondly is Marcus in About a Boy by Nick Hornby.

39. Favorite fictional villain?
Lydia Gwilt from Armadale by Wilkie Collins.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Some literary nonfiction and historical fiction.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
Three or four months probably.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Most recently I have been very challenged by Surviving Paradise. Not sure if I'll finish it or not.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Noise, other conversations, my own nagging thoughts.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Jane Eyre! The PBS version.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
I wasn't too fond of The Lightning Thief.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Oh boy, no clue. Definitely upwards $150 dollars.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Not that often, surprisingly.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Boring plot.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I like to keep them on shelves, but in no particular order.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I prefer to keep them.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Gone With the Wind, even though I said I'd read it by the end of the summer.

52. Name a book that made you angry.
I can name an essay that made me angry. Ticket to the Fair by David Foster Wallace.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
I wasn't sure if I'd like Candy Girl by Diablo Cody and really enjoyed it.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere by Jan Morris.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
The Luxe series.

Did any of my answers surprise you?

My mom always asks me why I love essays so much. "I always hated essays when I was in school. I hated writing them and I certainly wasn't searching them out to read for fun." This seems to be the attitude a lot of people take towards essays.

It's unfortunate that creative essays share the word essay with academic essays, because they are completely different. I have to write academic essays for class. I have to read academic essays for class. I don't care much for either practice, even if I am a literary theory person. I mean, I like it as a form of study, but I don't search out academic essays to read on the weekends.

When you say essay to me, these are the things that come to mind. Joan Didion. Travel writing. Montaigne. Ryan Van Meter. Exploration. Narrative. Story. Dialogue. Chuck Klosterman. Michael Chabon. The Believer. Creative.

I'm beginning to realize that when I say essay to most other people this is what crosses their minds: boring.

This is what you make me do when you call essays boring.


I'm sure there are people out there who truly do hate creative essays and do find them boring. My guess, however, is that the majority of people do not. If you open your mind to the idea that a creative essay can be creative, interesting, innovative, you might be surprised by the amount of great writing out there you are missing. And it's all over the stupid name of the genre. This is why a lot of nonfiction enthusiasts have taken to calling it by different names. Creative Nonfiction. Literary nonfiction. Nonfiction writing. But to me these are good names for the practice of writing nonfiction creatively, and not so good for the practice of writing short creative nonfiction pieces. I suppose you could call it just that, short creative nonfiction, just like short stories.

In essence, however, short creative nonfiction pieces are short stories. The generally accepted layout is a little different, but they are essentially the same thing. I think if you explore some essays you will find writers you identify with, writers who thrill you, and writers who make you see things in a different way. At the core, this is what essays are to me: Pieces of writing which make me see things in a new way. And what is there to dislike about that?

If you're interested in reading more essays, please check out my weekly Saturday feature Awesome Essays, or if you looking for something more classical, check out my Montaigne Mondays to explore the father of the essay.

Do you already love essays? Are you thinking about giving them a try? What can I do to make you consider reading an essay?

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In high school I was a huge Nick Hornby fan, but when I tried to read his book Slam

I could not get into it no matter how hard I tried. I was a little put off after that experience and avoided Hornby for awhile. I mean, he was my favorite writer and he totally let me down. It felt like a nasty break-up where I hid around the corner so he wouldn't see me. In the last year I've slowly worked back into loving Hornby by reading his Believer column collections and short stories. Towards the end of this semester I was looking for a funny, reliable, relaxing book and a good story. I finally picked up Juliet, Naked

.

This is true Hornby in my opinion. It's all the things that made me fall in love with his books in the first place. The self-indulgent characters, pop culture references, and perfectly comical depiction of real life. In this story Annie and Duncan have reached the end of their relationship together. They take a vacation from their North England town to America, although it's really more of a pilgrimage than a vacation. Duncan is an obsessive fan of the rock star Tucker Crowe, an elusive musician who disappeared after touring for his album Juliet. Duncan and other obsessed fans talk constantly on the Internet about Tucker Crowe and their theories of his disappearance.

When a new version of Tucker Crowe's album shows up on Duncan and Annie's doorstep all hell breaks loose. Annie is forced to really acknowledge the nowhere place she has ended up with by being with Duncan and attempts to figure out how to get her life back.

I wouldn't say the novel is genius or anything, but it's great. Hornby is wonderful at writing characters no one really likes but still want to read about. I think it's because we can all see our own flaws in these characters and that makes them more likable. This is a great book for a vacation or a rainy afternoon. You'll get some laughs and have a good time with the story. It's a very comfy book.

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