Soundtracked

Lists, Day 6: Books I've Read This Year.

Well, I missed yesterday...I wasn't feeling all that great, then I got sidetracked, then I got lazy. Excuses, excuses! Good thing this is an easy activity to catch up on...and today it's even simpler 'cuz I can sorta cheat off my Goodreads bookshelves (seriously, if you don't have that app already, get it). Since I've only used it for about a year, and (I think) my shelves are sorted chronologically, just some simple copy/pasting will do and I'll be off wasting time in other places! (Sure, that's what I always say......)

1) The Dead Emcee Scrolls   by Saul Williams: Just finished this up today actually...I read it a few years ago and it's a pretty creative poetic concept. Williams is one of my favorites and even though this isn't my absolute favorite of his other books, it's still an interesting read (especially if you have even the slightest knowledge of "Golden Era" hip hop).

2) Vintage Hughes   by Langston Hughes: I meant to read this for "Pursue the Horizon - Open for Signups"  but I never really followed up on it because I just sorta took a break from stuff again in March. I like to go back every now and then and grab something off the library shelves from old poets just to see how far we've come yet how close we've stayed...Hughes kinda sits in that territory (for me, at least).

3) Unincorporated Persons In The Late Honda Dynasty   by Tony Hoagland: A Cinn recommendation, and probably the current "hot" title making its way around WDC because of her and Charlie ~ ...I know they've got me and Choconuts Roasting and who knows who else hooked on Hoagland. Everyday randomness and life's situations have never sounded so...amazing.

4) Lost Journal Vol. 1: Confessions Of A Failed Paperboy   by Tim Mollen: A collection of short humor essays. Good if you like short; not good if you like humor. Which isn't to say it's not funny, because it has its moments...it's just not...hilarious.

5) Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things   by Jenny Lawson: I forget how this caught my eye...I think it showed up in a "If you like this, then you'll like this..." kinda thing somewhere. I know it took awhile for my library to get it in, but I really liked it. Lawson also writes The Bloggess  , and it's all just funny takes on mental illness and depression and anxiety and all that. And I like reading things like that because it normalizes it for me. Because, well, ya know...

6) Hyperbole And A Half   by Allie Brosh: See #5 on this list...but with fun pictures! I highly recommend this book, even if you've never suffered lived with depression or anxiety a day in your awesome life.

7) Brave New World   by Aldous Huxley: One of those "classics" I never had to read growing up, but other kids did (why did I get stuck reading garbage in my AP English classes?? Fuhrealdoe. ). I kinda like the whole "dystopian future as a metaphor for society today" thing in general. I thought this was interesting, but not mind-blowing. Also, I have no emotions.

8) Ariel   by Sylvia Plath: Another one plucked off the shelf just because. I had recently finished The Bell Jar and it sounded like a nice follow-up. It really was.

9) The Elephant Man   by Bernard Pomerance: Not something I'd normally read...I find plays hard to follow for some reason (though in theory they should be easier, right?). And I'm sure I've seen the movie in my youth...I can sorta remember it, actually. But it was a super-quick read. Sad, but entertaining.

10) Tarantula   by Bob Dylan: Here's where I'll expect to get flamed...I wasn't crazy about this at all. I barely remember reading it. And I like Dylan as a musician, but am I in awe of his legend, his presence? Or do I truly believe he is one of the greatest artists of the last sixty years? I don't know, to be honest. Maybe this book isn't a testament to his legacy...maybe the albums he's put out in the last twenty years don't hold up as well as the albums of his first decade. Funny how that works.

Huh...so I just looked, and I started using Goodreads on July 5th of 2015. That mean that in less than a year, I've read 25 books. Maybe not a lot for some of you, but even when I worked in a bookstore I don't think I read that many over the course of any other 12-month span in my life (not my adult life, at least). Hey, my purpose when I downloaded it was to shame myself into reading more. Looks like it worked!