my life after school: the reading.

As an English major the first thing I was looking forward to after graduation was reading. This may come as a bit of a shock because I was reading all the time for my classes, but I was excited to finally pick out my own reading list for a change. Now, more than ever, I have felt the pressure many other readers (especially English majors) like me have felt... so many books... so little time. I have a huge list of books I want to read and have the hardest time deciding what to read first! The library has helped out,  because some of the books I want to read have super long wait lists...

Here is what I have read (so far)!

I started with a book I have read a lot about, but never actually read:

The Picture of Doian Gray is one of those books you  compare other stories too, can be analyzed from many angles and is a fascinating look at modern life. I loved it. I love the way Wilde's descriptions and style seems to dance from one word to the next. If you haven't read this book. DO IT.
Next up was...

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorites, I soaked every word of it up,  so I decided to try another Fitzgerald piece and read The Other Side of Paradise. While I enjoyed it, I did find myself comparing it to Gatsby the whole time, and lets face it,  Gatsby is better.

After a few classic writers I was ready to jump back into the world of young adult literature, a place where you can escape to another world. I saw these books in Barnes and Noble, and totally judged them by their covers. I loved the cover designs and just needed to open the pages to see if they lived up to their covers. Maggie Stiefvater took the ever so trendy werewolf  and totally made it her own. The books were easy to get through and I enjoyed how the perspective jumps back and forth to different characters. All in all a fun read.

For  a few years now I have wanted to travel down memory lane and re-read the HP books. I started at the beginning, where the magic began, and couldn't be happier. JK you're amazing. It has been years since I have read the Sorcerer's Stone, and had forgotten so many of the little details. It was love all over again.

My most recent read (I am a few chapters away from finishing) is Matched. I love the concept behind the book, futuristic society, girl questioning  said society, sound familiar... but I don't know if I am in love with the book yet. I do however need to know what happens so it hasn't failed me completely. I know there is at least one more book, so depending on how this one ends we will see if I need to continue the series...

All in all, I love picking my reading list again. Who knows what will come next!

Lost In Austen.

I go through phases where I am drawn to certain things. Lately it has been Jane Austen. IT all started with my Brit Lit History class where we were assigned to read this.Which of course led me to think about this...

and that just made me think about this....

I considered reading this...

And then I couldn't help but to watch this....

And after that this is when I stumbled upon this...

This made for British TV movie/miniseries is amazing. I had never heard of it but decided to watch it because it is about a girl who is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice (I could really relate to her right now) and ends up in the novel. Everything gets screwed up and she tries to fix it but that of course only makes things worse. It was fantastic. LOVED it. I am just binging on all things Austen. I love her and I secretly wish (or maybe not so secretly wish) I could be in one of her novels. This movie was my dream.