2003-04-03 - 9:40 p.m.
I was supposed to go out tonight, but I'm feeling rather blah. It should make tomorrow morning easier, though, as I have to be at the law office at 8:30. I wanted to show off my new haircut while it's still salon-styled, but I will just have to trust my skills with a hairdryer and brush tomorrow.
I promised myself that I would finish my short list of influential books, so I guess I'll do that now.
12th Grade - The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
This is a strange case. At the time, this book had a profound effect on me. Somehow, that effect has been lost to the years. I could barely tell you today what it's about. I put it on the list because I remember feeling its influence strongly, even if it was fleeting.
(College classes and social life left me little time for reading, so several years are lacking a memorable book.)
College senior - Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen.
My father lent this to me while we were vacationing on the Texas coast. He was a little afraid I wouldn't appreciate Hiaasen's dark humor, but I loved it. It opened up how weird Florida can be. Hiaasen is now one of my favorite authors to read when I'm feeling blah.
The following years have melded together into one big lump of not-in-school time. Here's what I remember reading during this period:
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
This one was daunting. I started it sometime during the summer of 2001, and I couldn't read it to its end. Finally after Christmas of that year, I picked it back up and read it for about two weeks straight. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I feel it was a worthwhile read? Not sure. I keep thinking I need to reread it, but it's too much of a time commitment. I may be 60 before I get back to it, but by then, life might be too precious to spend it reading Infinite Jest.
The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil
I read this one after hearing an interview with the author on NPR. I was captivated by his descriptions of the pop-up books created by one of the characters. The fact that it takes place largely in the New York Public Library drew me to it. There are various librarian jokes which I like. I often list it as a favorite book, but I haven't read it in a while. I should see what a current reading provides for me.
Food Books
This was started by Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It was shortly followed by Jeffrey Steingarten's book and The Tummy Trilogy by Calvin Trillin. I've stayed pretty obsessed by this genre. I love to read about obscure ingredients or the perfect oyster or the perfect hotdog. If it's about food and remotely humorous, I'll devour it.
That's all for now. There are more, and I might revisit this at some point.
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