Date a Girl Who Reads

"Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes."

My Winter Break Reading List

Yesterday I posted my top picks for my lovely readers- who I assume are in my general age group- to read over Winter Break, a time when many people try to read (and some fail, lured by television).  I promised to post my own reading list, composed of books I've never read (or attempted to read and failed).

1. "Lucrezia Borgia" by Sarah Bradford.

If it isn't apparent by now (and since none of you live with me, and have to put up with my obsession-of-the-moment, it probably isn't), I'm more than a little obsessed with the Borgia family and the Renaissance.  Instead of being historical fiction, like I usually read, this is non-fiction (and surprisingly good, at that!).  I'm a quarter of the way through and I started tonight.  It's very good, although it focuses more on the family as a whole than on the specific person (Lucrezia) that I expected when I started to read.  Nevertheless, it's pretty good.

2. "Rain and Other South Sea Stories" by W. Somerset Maugham

I'm a HUGE fan of "Rain" and was so thrilled to find a copy of it and more short stories, so I added it to my Amazon Wishlist for Christmas.  Unfortunately, I opened a box that I wasn't supposed to open et voila....saw that this is one of my presents.  This is one that I won't get to read until 25 December or later, but I'm still looking forward to it.

3. Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of England"

Another non-fiction book?  How dull!  Surprisingly not.  I received this last year for Christmas and never got around to reading it (although my depressingly sedentary summer allowed for a lot of reading, very little of which I actually did), so I made it a resolution to definitely read it before I go back to school.

4. "Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll

Since two of the other three books are such serious, non-fiction books, I thought I would include something more fun.  I never read this when I was little, even though it's supposed to be a children's book.

5. BONUS "Ada or Ardor" by Vladimir Nabokov

I've tried four times to read this book, and I just don't know if it's ever going to really happen.  It doesn't make much sense, and too many people have the same name (more than one person named Demon is just way too much for me).  Ugh.  I usually love Nabokov's work, but this is just a definite miss for me.  I'll give it another try-if I feel like it and if I have time- and if I can't get through it again, I'll dust it off and set it on the book shelf.

And maybe try again in another year.

Until Next Time,

Ashley

Top 6 Books to Read over Christmas Break!

With Winter Break looming, a lot of people are swearing (for what feels like the millionth time) to pick up one or more good books and be a total bookworm over the break.  Too often though, we get caught up with friends, food (this one especially!), and all the television that seems to have accumulated on the DVR/Netflix queue.

1. "Katherine" by Anya Seton

For those looking for an excellent historical fiction novel that incorporates a little bit of everything, "Katherine" by Anya Seton is perfect.  It really does have everything, I'm not lying: forbidden love, romance, exotic destinations, battles, heartbreak, bloodshed- the list goes on.

For those that are huge history nerds (like myself), it's really fascinating to get a good look at the life of a secretly influential woman- from her line came royals like Henry VIII.  Her children by John of Gaunt were labelled the Beaufort's- a descendent of this line eventually placed her son Henry VII on the throne of England.  Pretty distinguished for the descendent's of a sheltered convent girl!

2. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

"Lolita.  Light of my life, fire of my loins.  My sin, my soul.  Lolita."

Penning those immortal words, Nabokov could have hardly known he was in the process of writing a modern classic (and my favorite, all time book).  Although controversial, it's lyrical beauty is astounding, and enchants those brave enough to read it.

I'm already on my second copy (although I could say that about many books, including "Katherine"), and this book goes everywhere with me.  Whenever I'm asked what I would bring if I was stranded on a desert island, this book is always my number one answer (although it's tied with a cellphone that has reception & the number of the Coast Guard!).

(I also heartily recommend the 1997 movie version starring Jeremy Irons.  In my non-professional opinion, it's far more true to the book, and spirit of the story than the original Kubrick version)


3. Pillars of the Earth/World Without End/Fall of Giants

Basically, any of Ken Follet's historical novels.  Depending on your reading speed and the length of your break, this may take you longer than expected.  Believe me, it's well worth it.

World Without End is sort of a sequel to Pillars of the Earth, so if you only have time to read one, pick "Pillars".  Both take place in the Middle Ages, and are absolutely fantastic.

Fall of Giants is about WWI, so it's much more modern- something that isn't usually a plus for me, but works for this book.

(Pillars of the Earth has a miniseries, which as a fan of the book, I didn't particularly care for.  It also deviated from historical fact more than I would like.  If you're not totally fanatical about one or both of those, then I recommend it as well.)


4. Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

Less of a lighthearted book, but something that everyone should read at some point, even meat eaters.  I believe wholeheartedly that one should be informed about the choices they make, and the food that you put into your body is something that impacts every part of you.


5. The Crimson Petal and the White

I love the Victorian era, but I rarely find modern novels about the time period that I actually enjoy.  I really like classics, but there's already two on the list, and I didn't want to overload it with Dickens, Collins, and Gaskell (although, Oh my God, yes.  Those three ROCK).

The Crimson Petal and the White is the story about a prostitute named Sugar and her journey through London Society.  It can be a little difficult to explain because there's so much going on, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable-although dark- novel.

I've also heard that somebody is making/has made a miniseries of this starring Romola Garai (my favorite modern actress) as Sugar.  If anyone has seen it, let me know how it is!

6. The Golden Tulip by Rosalind Laker

Less well known than the other books, this one is no less good (at least in my opinion).  It centers around a young woman painter named Francesca, who is apprenticed by the painter Johannes Vermeer(!!!).  Unfortunately for her though, her father's gambling addiction leads their family into serious debt that could threaten her future happiness.

I basically love anything with Vermeer in it, like "Girl With a Pearl Earring" or many of the other novels that involve him, but this is definitely one of my favorites.


I really think one of my favorite things about Winter Break is the opportunity to do so much uninterrupted reading.

 How about you? Do you have a winter reading list (I'll post mine later, these are just suggestions for anyone interested)?