The College Book List

Seeing as I've accumulated a library of over 300 books (the number's somewhere between 320-380 right now), deciding which would be accompanying me up to Stanford was an arduous and heartbreaking feat.

I've settled on just around 30 (less than 10% of my total) and thought I'd post them here. Some are old favorites, some are books I haven't read and am planning on reading imminently. I'll indicate those not yet read with an "(NR)". All of those that have been read are highly recommended.

Fiction and Poetry:

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Answered Prayers by Truman Capote

Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor (NR)

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (NR)

Kensington Gardens by Rodrigo Fresan

The Mentor Book of Major American Poets edited by Oscar Williams and Edwin Honig

Les Fleur du Mal par Charles Baudelaire

L'Etranger par Albert Camus

Nonfiction:

Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote by Truman Capote (almost done reading)

The Kings and Queens of Britain by John Cannon and Anne Hargreaves

The Making of a Poem by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland

The Novel Volume 1: History, Geography, and Culture by Franco Moretti (NR)

The Novel Volume 2: Forms and Themes by Franco Moretti (NR)

A Handbook to Literature by C. Hugh Holman and William Harmon

Littérature Francophone par Nathan (publisher) (NR)

The Art of the Surrealists by Edmund Swinglehurst

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt by Eleanor Roosevelt (NR)

The Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath (foreward by Ted Hughes) (NR)

Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir

Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose

The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker (NR)

Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan Culler

Linguistics: A Very Short Introduction by P.H. Matthews

Stream of Consciousness in the Modern Novel by Robert Humphrey (NR)

I suppose I loaded up pretty heavily on the nonfiction. It makes sense, as I think the majority of my library is nonfiction (although I've read more fiction). And the nonfiction books are much more useful for reference, just in case I need them.

Kaitlin

Recent Reads

Although I haven't gotten through much of my summer reading list (unfortunately), I have been reading since I last updated (obviously).

In reverse chronological order:

My Own Country by Abraham Verghese- This was part of my assigned Stanford summer reading, which has been fun largely. A work of nonfiction, it explores Verghese's early years as a doctor treating AIDS in a small town in Tennessee where residents were largely ignorant of its existence within their community and the stigma Verghese encountered simply for treating the disease. It's not riveting if one's not interested in infectious disease, but I do enjoy reading about the subject so I found it fascinating. The story is told through personal anecdotes and individual patient stories. It is a long and heavy read though.

Also by Abraham Verghese: Cutting for Stone (fiction)

The City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt- I read this on the recommendation of my dad and loved it. Technically a work of nonfiction, I like to call it "nonfiction with some creative liberty". In fact, it has sat on my fiction shelf for several months (oops). It did read like a work of fiction and was absolutely fascinating. He made me want to travel to Venice and encounter all these characters (real people) myself. I have now added "Venetian Palazzo" to my list of dream homes.

Also by John Berendt: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (highly recommended)

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino- I read this on the enthusiastic recommendation of Jane who always has great taste in literature. Calvino both enthralled and frustrated me (in a good way) and truly made me think about the connection between writer and audience since the point of the novel is to draw one's attention to that relationship. It's an absolute must-read for any lover of books. Highly literary and ultimately satisfactory. His craftsmanship of plot, chapter, paragraph, sentence etc. is extraordinary.

Also by Italo Calvino: Invisible Cities, many more, all translated from Italian.

I'm positive I've forgotten a few, but I will try to post those reviews soon, along with more (and varied blog posts). Hopefully, I can make updating a little more regular.

Stay classy,

Kaitlin