03/ 11/ 2014
Unlike other teenagers coming of age in America, Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar was not required reading at my high school. Until very recently, I knew very little about Plath. I’d heard her legendary book mentioned from time to time on my beloved Gilmore Girls (knowing that Rory Gilmore approved meant that it must be good), and so I added it to my reading list long ago. But I only just got around to reading The Bell Jar, and I have to say that I thought it was brilliant.
This gripping novel follows the life of a college student named Esther Greenwood. When we meet Esther, she seems like your standard high achieving, scholarship receiving, perfectionist who has an all too bright future ahead of her. After learning more about the inner workings of our heroine, we begin to understand that this is not the case. We listen as she grapples with the realization that the world — and the people in it — are much different than she thought they would be. We play witness to Esther’s struggles, watching as she teeters the blurred line between sanity and madness.
02/ 18/ 2014
Brooklyn is a snow globe
Meeting my brother’s kitty Stanley for the first time!
Stanley was ready for Santa
01/ 12/ 2014
Since the brilliance of Harry Potter, I’ve been a sucker for book series. I first read the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in college. The books are about 4 best friends (Carmen, Lena, Tibby and Bridget) who find this pair of jeans that miraculously fit all 4 of them. Since their first summer apart, they’ve mailed the pants back and forth to each other—a wearable symbol of the bond they share. It’s a coming of age story of sorts, and we get to watch this foursome grow up.
From the description, it may sound like the series is a world of fluffy bunnies and unicorns, where the sun always shines after the rain and it’s happy all the time. That’s not always the case with the sisterhood. One of the things I’ve admired most about the author — Ann Brashares — is that the characters face many hardships. Each one makes decisions that aren’t always the best ones, and you get to see them deal in a really realistic way.
01/ 05/ 2014
A good friend gave me a new book called 642 Things to Write About for Christmas. I’d say it’s more of a journal, comprised of 642 clever writing prompts, created by the staff at San Francisco Writer’s Grotto.
“You are a pirate. Describe your perfect day. Fix the plot of the worst movie you’ve ever seen. Write a love letter to a person you dislike. Pen an ode to an onion.”
Needless to say I was completely intrigued.
