The "notes" section in my iPhone holds an impossibly long list of book titles I want to read. Will I ever get around to ALL of them? Probably not. Unless my mom visits me on my 30th birthday and tells me the women in our family have the ability to time travel. In that case I could read every book in the world à la Bill Nighy—twice!
Since I don't have access to wormholes or a magical world at the back of an abandoned closet in an empty room in the attic, I suppose I will have to limit my book reading to five per month. (And even then I will be lucky if I complete two, because I am working on sleeping at least eight hours per night this year.)
So, here is my list for January!
(Also, I am going to start compiling monthly lists of what I'm reading, wearing, listening to—both podcasts and music—and what I am watching, which is already a regular installment because NETFLIX IS LIFE. I feel like I have interests scattered in too many open tabs in my brain, so perhaps compartmentalizing them in a public list will be helpful? I'm a big believer in compartmentalization. It is what gives me sanity. Somewhat.)
WHAT I'M READING | JANUARY
1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. I feel like a pretentious jerk coming in here and listing that one right off the bat. BUT! Here is my reasoning: we went to the play A Christmas Carol over the holiday break, and the small bio in the program about Charles Dickens sucked me in. (Forget "Who is John Galt?" Who is Charles Dickens?! Also, Ayn Rand to come in February. Maybe.) One week later I found myself deep in two biographies about him and a nonfiction book about life in Dickens' Victorian London. Whoa. Naturally, I had to read at least one of his books now that I know all of the intricate details of his life. And why not the one with autobiographical elements? Wish me luck. It's over 700 pages. This might be one I read simultaneously with the others... for the next six months. Ha! (Raise your hand if you read, like, three books at a time. I can't focus on just one. It's a weird habit I should probably break.)
2. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. I must start this book immediately because I never say yes. I am the queen of N-O. It's a horrible truth to admit, but it's accurate. I am deeply afraid of large social functions, and a lot of things in general that would absolutely benefit my life. I have a feeling this is a real-life, doable version of Jim Carrey's Yes Man, so I am all about it. Plus, my word this year is self-love, and that includes believing in myself and not self-criticizing every move I make, which is where social anxiety stems from. YES, YES, YES!
3. First Bite: How We Learn to Eat by Bee Wilson. This book researches and shares how our eating habits are learned and formed, which is impacted by many psychological and physiological factors: memory, family, culture, gender, hunger and love. I love this junk. This will no doubt take me less than 72 hours to read. And hopefully, it will help me gain awareness of how I eat and how to change my habits for the better.
4. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I added this novel to my list because of this review my friend Megan posted on her Instagram: "I laughed out loud, I cried, I laughed some more, then cried some more. Ove is my favorite person." AND she gave it a sparkling emoji five star rating. If that isn't the most convincing book review on this luscious green earth, I don't know what is.
5. The Bassoon King by Rainn Wilson. Memoirs are like intellectual Girl Scout Thin Mints; I devour them in one sitting as soon I get my eager hands on them. Last year I read Yes, Please by Amy Poehler, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham (also known as the reading trifecta for basic bitches), and Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Clearly, I prefer books heavy on the humor, so this one will be like a buffet of Tagalongs, Samoas, and Thin Mints.
Image credit: Kyle Glenn