Stuff I've been Reading.

Over the past few years I've hardly read anything worth mentioning. (Well to be perfectly honest, I haven't read much at all.)  I'm not sure why that happened. But it did.

And now that I've got a checklist of things to do and accomplish before I can teach and another checklist of things to do before I am married, I've decided to tell those things to fuck off because I want to read. Here is a somewhat short list of the various types of literature that I've (whether I wanted to or not) read. I've also included a food and beverage pairing for your enjoyment.

1. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Michael Charbon.
Beverage: Dales Pale Ale
Food: pizza.
The read is quick and excellent. I'd suggest reading, The Great Gatsby beforehand.

2. WTF?!

3. The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides.
Beverage: Thai Iced Tea and/or a Manhattan. (Weird combination, I know, but it will make sense once you've read it.)
Food: cheesecake.
Read this with someone else. You'll want to talk about it.

4. 70 Persuasive Papers, 8th Graders.
Beverage: beer (any kind)
Food: beer (any kind)
direct quote: "Homelessness began in the 1640s."
Oh, the things you learn.

5. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
Beverage: an IPA
Food: fish and chips
A funny read after the Marriage Plot. I'd suggest you brush up on 80s pop music to prepare. (Specifically the Clash, Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye) I'm sure many of the jokes and comments would be more meaningful had I known more about that type of music. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I ended up enjoying the experience.

6. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum
Beverage: fizzy water.
Food: cotton candy and/or popcorn.

It's really quite wonderful. To my surprise, there are several violent scenes in the story, but Baum does a fascinating job of simplifying the violence and gore.