The Reading Corner is a place where books of all genres are examined and reviewed. Comments, questions and disagreement are welcomed. Grab some coffee and a comfy chair and make yourself at home.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Shut up about Susan Boyle already.

Here's something I don't care about: Susan Boyle. Or Susan Boyle's makeover. I really cannot stress how little I care about that, whatever reality TV show she was on (was it American Idol? Is she American? Has it become International Idol and I missed the memo because I don't care?) or what she looked like before -or after -her makeover.

So for the love of the Internet, Internet, stop spamming me with ads about it. It's either Susan Boyle or TV shows I don't watch (like Mad Men. Can someone explain the appeal/storyline of this show to me? It looks spectacularly uninteresting, but I'm hearing more and more about it) or how to lose x number of inches off my waist in 4 weeks or less. I have a 25 inch waist. If I lost any of that, I'd probably die, because I'd have to have some sort of eating disorder or exercise freak-out in order to do so. My 25 inches of waistline are fine, stop telling me I need to lose weight. I don't. Jeez.

In other news, writing is fun. I'm working on a piece about symbolism in The Scarlet Letter. I like the book now as much as I did when I first read it (that is, not much). Although I have to admit, I'm appreciating it more. Maybe it's that I didn't read it with as much clear-headed ability to analyze it way back in the day when I first read it, or maybe it's that I just didn't have a very good teacher, but I'm seeing a lot more merit in the book than I once did. The piece should be done today or tomorrow (probably tomorrow since it's my brother's 8th birthday -yay him! -and we're going out to eat), so keep an eye out for a link to that.

As for what I'm reading...well. I'm slightly ashamed, although I seem to have worked something out regarding my own reading psychology. I'm a binge reader. I'll read 4-8 books/week for several weeks in a row and then suddenly it's like I hit a wall. My brain goes, "Whoa there, Nelly (who's Nelly?), chill out. Too much information. Too many new characters. I can't keep track of all of this." So I'll find one or two books to go through at a slower pace until my brain has time to digest everything I've been reading. Hence it's taking me forever to get through The Library at Night (which is amazing, a fact that I cannot stress enough), and I am totally okay with this.

I'm working more on writing what I already know instead of diving headfirst into new book territory and reviewing it then; it's making it easier for me to do research that refreshes my memory instead of trying to teach myself new information constantly. Thus we end up with articles on Examiner about buying cheap textbooks, the benefits of dual enrollment and lists of books I think everyone should read in order to be a fully functioning human (this applies to me too. I have over 9,000 lists of books I need to read. Not over 9,000 books, mind you, over 9,000 lists. I like lists. A lot.).

So that's me for right now. I have 2 1/2 weeks (give or take a day-ish) before I go back to school. I'm trying to use that time wisely. By which I mean I'm spending a lot of time reading, writing and hanging out with Jonah and my family. I think that's wise, don't you?

2 comments:

  1. I'm with you about Susan Boyle, but Mad Men rules! Not only is it beautifully produced and deliciously dark, the writing is some of the best of television. Plus, it's something completely different from anything else on television, which, let's face it, is a big bonus point. :)

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  2. Well that's good then. I just haven't seen anything in the commercials to recommend it to me...they just make it look like a lot of sex. That sort of show's not really my thing, but you make MM sound pretty appealing. Maybe I'll check it out!

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