Dewey's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon!

See here the inspiration for this blog: Dewey's 24 hour Read-A-Thon! This Saturday, I'll devote an entire day to reading books and drinking green tea. I'm already reminiscing over the days in middle school when I'd stay up late on a school night to finish a book that would change my life. This happened constantly, always with the sandy eyes, the fuzzy edges of exhaustion, and the pins and needles in the arms. At the end of the novel, even at five am with the birds chirruping outside my window, I'd be wide awake, alive with the story and the characters. Losing those moments was one of the hardest parts of growing up, I think.

I finally had another one of these nights last night, reading The Hunger Games, which is YA fiction and glorious. A friend laughed when she found how I had spent my night, saying that her sixth grade sister loves the books, but Collin's series is wonderful, and I wouldn't lose that exhilarated five-am feeling for anything.

What I've tentatively set aside for Saturday:

 

My Ántonia by Willa Cather.

Ever since I read O' Pioneers in my freshman year of college, I've been in love with Cather's writing. She writes about nature as if it the most precious thing in her life (an ideal with which I agree wholeheartedly), and her first novel's heroine, Alexandra Bergson, is one of the most pure and beautiful characters I've ever encountered. I bought this copy of My Ántonia almost a year ago; I can't believe I've left it alone for so long!

Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon.

The artwork on the cover is what drew me in, but the introduction was a stunning follow-up and a good look at the meaning of literature. Is literature defined as entertainment of any worth? Chabon says yes. I have yet to dive into the novel's collection of short stories, but I'm hoping to finally finish it this Saturday!

 The Awakening by Kate Chopin.

Dover thrift editions are my loves. I bought my edition of The Awakening in a tiny New England book store last month, although I've been aching to read the novella for years. I only learned of the plot last week, though. So much for being a dedicated English major!

 Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin .

I heard Mr. Mortenson speak this past Monday, and he is perhaps one of the most unassuming and wonderful men I've had the pleasure to shake hands with. I've read half of this non-fiction work, which concerns his progression from a mountain climber to a reformer of education in Pakistan (and now Afghanistan). Mortenson is both a wonderful and inspiring man, and his book is an equally  inspiring read.

Into the Wild by John Krakauer.

This has been sitting in the common room of my dorm suite for ages, and I can't wait to steal it for a few hours and devour it. And once I've finished, I can finally allow myself to see the film!