Currently Reading

Is anyone else guilty of reading multiple books and sometimes.... forgetting one or two of them?

(Because this is the internet, and we're only human, I'm going to assume "yes.")

I'm technically reading like six books now — although, if I'm being totally honest, I haven't picked some of them up in almost a year. I keep them on my list, though, because it A) makes me feel a little less guilty about abandoning them and B) reminds me that I'm meaning to read it/like it enough to keep reading it. I figured that I'd write about my "currently reading" books here because it might compel someone else to read them while I continue ignoring them.

(so, in no particular order....)

1. Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? — Michael J. Sandel
This book was assigned reading for my legal studies class last year, and I'm probably... halfway through it? Maybe a little less. I can't bring myself to abandon it because I don't see any reason why I should — it isn't hard, I didn't hate it, I just... wasn't required to finish it for class. This book is more philosophical than any of the other books on this list, but manages to apply theories (pertaining to equality, justice, etc.) by putting them in real-world context.

2. A Tale for the Time Being — Ruth Ozeki
A Tale for the Time Being was a "new addition" at my college's library last spring, and because I had seen it popping up a lot on the internet, I decided to pick it up for fun. I got about halfway through with it before the school year ended and I had to return it, but I liked it a lot and I definitely intend on finishing it the first chance I get. (Also, the cover art is, imo, gorgeous.)

3. Imperial Life in the Emerald City — Rajiv Chandrasekaran
I picked this book up last semester from the library because I was bored with my classes and wanted to read something that I could relate to my coursework while still...not being my coursework.

Since then, I've probably recommended Imperial Life to three people since I started reading it. I probably would have finished this book, but I let a friend borrow it because he had to write a paper about Iraq and — ugh. It got away from me. I'm going to pick up a paperback copy of this when I get home as opposed to reading it on my Kindle. Imperial Life is a book I like being able to flip back and forth through in order to refer to the index or earlier chapters. (I started making a reference sheet of characters for my personal use, but I lost that. :/) I'd definitely recommend this book if you're interested in American foreign policy — specifically in the Middle East, Iraq, or in the George W. Bush era. Chandrasekaran is a journalist, and also a really clear and concise writer. I think he does a really good job at explaining things in this book so that you don't need to have an intimate knowledge of Iraq to understand what's going on.

4. A People's History of the United States — Howard Zinn
OK, so I'm ACTIVELY READING this book. While it's been neglected a little bit since I've arrived in Jordan, I wouldn't say that it's been abandoned. The only problem that I have with this book is that it's so long and so dense that I can tell it's going to take me forever to finish it. I'm really enjoying it so far though, and I'd recommend picking it up for a more comprehensive understanding of American history. I can understand why so many people enjoyed it/recommend it. I've also gotten compliments on it, which hasn't happened to my reading list, like... ever. (This is the one book I brought to Jordan with me (besides my Kindle), and I think it was a good move on my part.)

5. The Secret History — Donna Tartt.
I started reading this book on the recommendation of one of my good friends, G., who, when telling me about it, got so excited that she started yelling. It was then that I figured I should read it for myself and see why so many people seemed to be nuts for this book. I'll admit that it took me a while to get into it (some of the characters really annoyed me in the beginning, and it took me a while to get used to the writing style), but by the time I left for Jordan I was totally hooked. I decided not to bring it with me because I figured, since I only had maybe 100 pages left, I couldn't really justify bringing it along with me on the plane because, if I finished it, I didn't want it to be a dead weight. I'm hoping that it won't be too hard for me to pick back up when I get home.

6. Abarat #1 — Clive Barker
I got the second Abarat book a little over ten years ago for Christmas. It's been with me for maybe three moves, and I finally decided that if I was ever going to read it, I should maybe start with the first book in the series. I had to drop Abarat for the usual reasons (going to school, leaving home & not wanting extra baggage, etc.), but think that if I had maybe gotten it a week earlier than I had, I would be finished with it. It's a fast, easy read, and I think that it's a really interesting concept. Asides from my forays into Discworld and Percy Jackson, it's the first fantasy I've read in a long while.



Is there anything you've been reading but putting off? Any books you've accidentally abandoned?