This post is a little different from the usual advice I give on a Sunday. However, as I'm an English graduate the one thing I've learnt the hard way is how to come down from the pressured reading of having to read a certain few books every week I can now relax and get through some of the one's I've been wanting to read (or re-read) since I'm graduating. So I thought I'd put this to the test, to find a couple of books with inspiration on how I want to lead my life come September. I found five, some I've read, some I'm reading and some are on the waiting list but all of them give advice and I find can apply to what's going to happen in the future. Also as a side note, I was an English student, expect this to get a little bit analytical.
The Bildungsroman
I wrote on this novel for my dissertation. I focused on sexuality and relationships in the American bildungsroman with a particular focus on novels from the Generation X era. Exciting! However, I loved this book because the protagonist Art grows substantially throughout the entirety of the novel and in the end lives for himself and makes his own decisions as to what will make him happy, not his father. I can't say much without giving the plot away but I can conclude that for a book about bisexuality, gangsters, petulance and figuring yourself out Chabon teaches the lesson of individual autonomy and that's important in taking the next step now I'm graduating.
The Funny Lady
This may have a place on this list because I've been marathoning Parks and Recreation since summer started but they is no denying it, Amy Poehler is hilarious and her book is the same. Giving incredible advice while making me cry tears of laughter she had to be on the list. It isn't coherent, it's considered a 'non-book' by publishers but it is so relatable. From her early career, to anecdotes on working with Tina Fey and Nick Offerman (please adopt me) this book does sway into the territory of self help. With quotes such as “It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for. It takes years to find your voice and seize your real estate," it offers some great advice and deserves to be on this list.
The Classic
Ever since visiting the Bronte museum last summer in Haworth I've read more of my fair share of Bronte's work. Though I'm more a fan of Emily because of her underdog status (their poor brother didn't get a look in) and Wuthering Heights, there's no doubt that Charlotte's work Jane Eyre is deserving of this list. Again its another novel of girls doing it for themselves so give it read, even if it's just for bragging rights.
The Career Inspo
I know this was in a recent EBay wishlist but i couldn't help put in on once again because it is such an inspirational story. The quote “There are secret opportunities hidden inside every failure.” hits quite close to home and is one I'll carry through the interview process. I didn't get into my university of choice and ended up on the North Coast as a result. I cried so hard the day of my results but I wouldn't change it for the world. That failure led to the three greatest years of my life. I studied something I love in a way that suited me, met my boyfriend, met amazing friends and learned how to live on my own. If the advice is as solid as this throughout the novel then its worth a spot here.
The Short Story Collection
I first found Annie Proulx in the October of my first year of university. I had no idea who she was, didn't know of her fame and tentatively read The Shipping News and found my first love. I delved into her collections, wrote on her every year in some way (2nd year on Brokeback Mountain, 3rd on Close Range) and have held her in my reading repertoire ever since. It is why I want to revisit Close Range because it has so many lessons for somebody, especially of my age. In particular, the story of The Half-Skinned Steer through her retelling of the Icelandic folk tale Porgeir's Bull, not only does she evoke the overpowering landscape of her regional Wyoming but importantly, she teaches dedication to in her case the rough wilderness of ranching but it is a lesson that can be carried when someone approaches the read world as I have done. To dedicate yourself fully to whatever you want to do and that's why it made this list.
The Funny Lady
This may have a place on this list because I've been marathoning Parks and Recreation since summer started but they is no denying it, Amy Poehler is hilarious and her book is the same. Giving incredible advice while making me cry tears of laughter she had to be on the list. It isn't coherent, it's considered a 'non-book' by publishers but it is so relatable. From her early career, to anecdotes on working with Tina Fey and Nick Offerman (please adopt me) this book does sway into the territory of self help. With quotes such as “It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for. It takes years to find your voice and seize your real estate," it offers some great advice and deserves to be on this list.
The Classic
Ever since visiting the Bronte museum last summer in Haworth I've read more of my fair share of Bronte's work. Though I'm more a fan of Emily because of her underdog status (their poor brother didn't get a look in) and Wuthering Heights, there's no doubt that Charlotte's work Jane Eyre is deserving of this list. Again its another novel of girls doing it for themselves so give it read, even if it's just for bragging rights.
The Career Inspo
I know this was in a recent EBay wishlist but i couldn't help put in on once again because it is such an inspirational story. The quote “There are secret opportunities hidden inside every failure.” hits quite close to home and is one I'll carry through the interview process. I didn't get into my university of choice and ended up on the North Coast as a result. I cried so hard the day of my results but I wouldn't change it for the world. That failure led to the three greatest years of my life. I studied something I love in a way that suited me, met my boyfriend, met amazing friends and learned how to live on my own. If the advice is as solid as this throughout the novel then its worth a spot here.
The Short Story Collection
I first found Annie Proulx in the October of my first year of university. I had no idea who she was, didn't know of her fame and tentatively read The Shipping News and found my first love. I delved into her collections, wrote on her every year in some way (2nd year on Brokeback Mountain, 3rd on Close Range) and have held her in my reading repertoire ever since. It is why I want to revisit Close Range because it has so many lessons for somebody, especially of my age. In particular, the story of The Half-Skinned Steer through her retelling of the Icelandic folk tale Porgeir's Bull, not only does she evoke the overpowering landscape of her regional Wyoming but importantly, she teaches dedication to in her case the rough wilderness of ranching but it is a lesson that can be carried when someone approaches the read world as I have done. To dedicate yourself fully to whatever you want to do and that's why it made this list.
