Books.

Summer always seemed like the perfect time to read books I truly wanted to read. During the school year I was so bogged down by lengthy textbooks and deep, thought-provoking narratives filled with metaphors for life and love that I very rarely had time to read something just for me. And while I have enjoyed some of the books I've been more or less forced to read by the CA school system, many of them I never actually finished partly because they were boring and partly because I had to read them. Having to read something can really take the joy out of reading. Though I must point out that some of the literature forced on us in school wasn't so bad. Some of them I actually enjoyed. Reservation Blues, Speak, The Chocolate Wars, Cyrano de Bergerac, Of Mice and Men, Maus I & Maus II.. the list probably goes on for quite a bit.

Now that I've been out of school I have more time to read what I want to read. Before, summers were the time I could get lost in a book and now one of the gifts graduation has given me is the ability to not put my book list on hold as the summer ends and the school year approaches.

There is something really nice about reading in the winter months, especially during the brief time I lived in Reno. When it's seriously too cold to spend any time outside and almost all houses come with a fireplace, it's seriously a great time to read. Over the past year, since I've graduated, I have read some really good books. Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Commencement, Chelsea, Chelsea Bang, Bang, Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me, The Choice, Shopaholic and Baby. All pretty light reads, nothing too intense.

Since I've graduated I've gone back and forth on whether, or not, I want to go back to school and this is just one of the pluses of not being in school that I've found. Sometimes when I'm missing school and the constant learning it's nice to focus on the positives of not being a slave to my degree.

Another thing I appreciate is not being a slave to one, single genre. A person who only reads sci-fi is missing out on so much, like a person who only watches horror movies. I like being able to read a variety of books. Classics, memoirs, biographies, chick lit, mysteries, fantasy, fiction, non fiction, etc.

Below are 10 books that stretch across different genres that I recommend.

1) A Million Little Pieces, because regardless how true the story actually is there is no denying the guy can write. Also, if you like it, look into My Friend Leonard, the sequel. A sequel that actually may rival the first.
2) Dear John, because it's better than the movie, seriously. Some people completely discount Nicholas Sparks because he's commercialized. But his books are almost always better than the movies made out of them. If you like it, check out The Choice (which has not yet been made into a movie). The Last Song is also pretty damn good.
3) The Way the Crow Flies, because it's just plain good. It's this awesome mystery that surrounds a young girls classroom and a murder that takes place on the air force base.
4) Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, because if you like comedy, you'll like this and if you like Chelsea Handler, you'll love this. I think this Chelsea Handler book has been my favorite so far and I've read them all. Like it? Check out My Horizontal Life, Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang, Bang and Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me.
5) Something Borrowed. For some reason I really like books that turn into movies. I like reading the book before the movie comes out so that I can see it and compare. Ya, this is chick lit, but it's chick lit at its finest. Like it? Read the sequel, Something Blue.. not (yet) a movie.
6) He's Just Not That Into You. I recommend this book to any single girl. I read it in high school, before there were even talks of a movie, and I seriously think it helped change the way I looked at relationships. The book is harsh, harsher than the movie, but it's oh, so true.
7) The Giver, because it's a classic. A "Young Adult" book done right. I read it forever ago, I think in 8th grade, but it's such a good book and it's definitely worth a read. Plus it's a quick read, less than 200 pages.
8) Speak, a novel I read in high school (also was turned into a movie, featuring Kristin Stewart in her pre-Twilight days) but the book is, of course, better. It's another "Young Adult" read, but once again, a good one.
9) Of Mice and Men, because sometimes the classics are classics for a reason. I also (attempted) to read The Grapes of Wrath. In my opinion, Of Mice and Men is a million times better.
10) Bone Fire, it's different, I'll give you that. But I wanted to include something on this list that felt a little more artistic. Bone Fire is that. I'd compare it to the Indie Music version of a book. It's worth a read. It's a book that can really make you think about your life and question your dreams and purpose(s).

As an afternote, anyone who likes reading and hasn't read Harry Potter should just get on that. I didn't even include it in the list because it should be a given. The best series of books I have ever, ever read. And once again, though the movies are amazing, the books are better.

My current reading list includes:

1) One Day (David Nicholls)
2) The Help (Kathryn Stockett)
3) The Lucky One (Nicholas Sparks, of course)
4) Don't Sweat the Small Stuff And it's All Small Stuff (Richard Carlson)
5) Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography (Rob Lowe)

Recommendations are always appreciated!

And now I'll leave you with this, a quote from the book One Day.. because it really struck a chord with me and I think it is beautifully written.

"She didn't feel like an adult. She was in no way prepared. It was as if a fire alarm had gone off in the middle of the night and she was standing on the street with her clothes bundled up in her arms. If she wasn't learning, what was she doing? How would she gill the days? She had no idea."

I love books so much maybe I should work for a publishing company.

Until Next Time,

Nora

Edit: Did I seriously forget To Kill A Mockingbird?! This book is a must read for EVERYONE.