As an English major it is expected that I love books. And I do love books. But what I love more than reading them is purchasing them on Amazon, placing them in a neat stack next to my bed, telling myself I will read them, and then staring at them until the stack gets so tall it eventually falls on top of me. I have had nightmares about the stack attacking me in my sleep, seeking vengeance on my soul for neglecting their delicate pages and supple spines. There's actually a word for what I do, buying books with the intention of reading them. To prevent my nightmare from ever coming true I have vowed to delve into my stack of forgotten Amazon purchases and actually read some of them. While reviewing my wonderful monument of paperbacks and hardcovers I thought I would share with you a few suggestions for your own purchasing pleasure. Or maybe you'll actually read them like any upstanding citizen would.
"Bad Feminist: Essays" by Roxanne Gay
Currently thumbing through this before I go to bed each night. Her essays are intriguing and relatable. She talks about how rap songs degrade women and use the B word like "punctuation" but we find ourselves singing to them in the car. *guilty*
"The Girl with the Lower Back Tatoo" by Amy Schumer
Who doesn't love Amy? She constantly reminds us that we're all human and sometimes we just want to eat some buttered noodles. Check out the Amy Schumer Diet on Man Repeller .
"Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I purchased this gem at the beginning of the summer with every intention to read it before the fall equinox, but to no avail, because this book is still among my stack. I fell in love with Chimamanda when I listened to her TEDx Talk. I'm waiting to cozy up with her lyrical prose so I can devour it in one sitting. She's too talented to be taken in doses.
"American Pastoral" by Phillip Roth
After seeing "Indignation" at a small, indie theater in my hometown with only six of us in the audience, I fell in love with Roth and proceeded to purchase three of is works on Amazon. This is up next for me and should be up next for you too. Also, go see his movie. Do it.
