Books Worth Saving (and Reading)

Each summer I decide that I'm going to read a bunch of books.  Usually I find a few that I absolute love and some that I struggle to finish by August.  Yet the majority of the books that I stumble across over the summer grow into a huge pile sitting on my desk, shelf and tables.  I have every intention of reading but I get distracted or find another book that seems interesting, thus adding to the pile.  As an English major it makes me sad that the four months of the year that I'm not swamped by lists of reading, that I loose the advantage of getting some personal reading in.  So this year I have decided to create a summer reading list.  With the help of goodreads (best app for any book nut), the local library, perusing the shelves of Barnes and Noble, and various media sites (15 Summer Reads, Huffington Post) I have compiled a Summer Reading List of my own.  With two and a half months left of my summer vacation and a couple of long road trips I should have plenty of time to at least make a dent in the list, before I am again drowning in books and papers.

So what started out as a list of about 15 has reached 24.  You find one book and it leads to more, typical move for a History major.  So to start off the list, I'll start with books I've read or will read in the next few weeks

(all quoted synopsis' are from Goodreads.com)

The Beautiful Creatures Series:

by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

At the beginning of the summer I watched the new movie Beautiful Creatures based on the series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  This series instantly caught my attention, it was like a big kid version of Harry Potter (but darker).  The books far outshine the movie with detail and capture the magical and shocking world of a small South Carolina town.  It's everything I want in a book: crazy cute hero (with an accent), set in a southern town and about magic. So I suggest you check it out! Goodreads

The Summer We Read Gatsby 

by Danielle Ganek

"Half-sisters Cassie and Peck could not be more different. Cassie is a newly divorced journalist with her feet firmly planted on the ground; Peck is a vintage-obsessed actress with her head in the clouds. In fact, the only thing they seem to have in common is their inheritance of Fool's House, a rundown cottage left to them by their beloved Aunt Lydia."

-Goodreads

Ladies Night 

by Mary Kay Andrews

"Grace Stanton’s life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool.  Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style..."

-Goodreads

A Hundred Summers 

by Beatriz Williams 

"Memorial Day, 1938: New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak. 
That is, until Greenwalds decide to take up residence in Seaview." 

-Goodreads

Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World 

by Lisa Bloom

"According to Lisa Bloom, the women and girls of today represent a stark paradox. While American women excel in education at every level, they likewise obsessively focus on celebrity media. While women outperform their male counterparts in employment in urban areas for the first time in history, they simultaneously spend countless hours staring in the mirror contemplating plastic surgery. Lisa Bloom fears that women are in danger of spiraling into a nation of dumbed down, tabloid media obsessed, reality TV addicts. Too often, they outsource matters to "experts" and in doing so neglect to truly think for themselves.The solution:
Lisa Bloom has the solution and it involves one simple word: Think." 

-Goodreads

Girls in White Dresses 

by Jennifer Close

"Wickedly hilarious and utterly recognizable, Girls in White Dresses tells the story of three women grappling with heartbreak and career change, family pressure and new love—all while suffering through an endless round of weddings and bridal showers." 

-Goodreads

Suite Française 

by Irène Némirovsky, Sandra Smith (translation) 

"Beginning in Paris on the eve of the Nazi occupation in 1940. Suite Française tells the remarkable story of men and women thrown together in circumstances beyond their control. As Parisians flee the city, human folly surfaces in every imaginable way: a wealthy mother searches for sweets in a town without food; a couple is terrified at the thought of losing their jobs, even as their world begins to fall apart."  

-Goodreads

Maine 

by J. Courtney Sullivan 

"In her best-selling debut, Commencement, J. Courtney Sullivan explored the complicated and contradictory landscape of female friendship. Now, in her highly anticipated second novel, Sullivan takes us into even richer territory, introducing four unforgettable women who have nothing in common but the fact that, like it or not, they’re family." 

-Goodreads

Mom & Me & Mom 

by Maya Angelou

Because who doesn't want to read something by Maya Angelou?! 

"The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple bestselling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother." 

-Goodreads

and you have to fit a classic in there somewhere...

The Great Gatsby 

by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

If you have not read this book or do not know anything about it, please read it.  This book should read by everyone at some point in their lives.  I've read it a few times since the summer before my senior year in high school and I find something new every time.  This great american novel is a fast year and completely worth it.  If you want to know more about it, look HERE. 

Here is the rest of my list (with links to a Goodreads synopsis): 

The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Amanda Knox: Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

The Girl Who Loved Camellias: The Life and Legend of Marie Duplessis by Julie Kavanaugh

The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken

The First Husband by Laura Dave

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Sleeping in Eden by Nicole Baart

How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Betweenthe Lines by Thomas C. Foster

The Favored Queen : a novel of Henry VIII's third wife by Carolly Erickson

The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway

Seven Locks by Christine Wade

Endings.

Whenever something comes to an end you begin to remember the events that made up your time spent there.  As I approach my senior year of college I am reminded of the amazing memories I have experienced.  The time we walked 2.6 miles from one end of Maryville to the other (like I said, small town) or the time our parents let 4 nineteen year old's drive to Mississippi and stay in a hotel for a week.  I'll probably look back, perhaps not fondly, at the semester I spent trying to perfect a 15 page paper on Richard III.  In twenty years I will probably not remember every detail of my years in college.  I'll forget the name of the professor I hated and maybe even the names of the ones I learned so much from.  Yet all of this will matter, not because of what I did but who I became because of it.  It will do us well to remember this when we remember the past.  Not to sound cliche (but they are cliches for a reason): everything happens for a reason.  Regret will leave us no where but stuck in the past.

The Family- Summer 2011 

Alex, Me, Kara, Barrett

New England Trip- Summer 2012

Me, Barrett, Kara

'

Initiation- Fall 2011

Stephanie, Jen, Shelby, Me, Megan, Sam

The Color Run- Summer 2012

Megan, Me, Kara, Emily 

Spring 2013

Jessica, Me, Dan

As I write this post I'm also faced with the sad reality that these moments can change and be ripped away faster than we can blink.  Today a member of our high school graduating class passed away.  He was someone we've known since Kindergarten.  It is truly a sad thing when someone you know passes away and when they leave before their time.  So please remember to cherish the memories and make everyday count.  Rest in Peace, Spencer. 

Gingervitis

If you know anything about me, you might know that I have a thing for Gingers: particularly British ones.  There’s something about their red hair and freckles that just makes me swoon.  This is why when I stumbled upon this particular swoony video, I couldn't help but share it. 

This video just justifies why I am going to move to England and marry Ed Sheeran. Can I add that the little kids in this video are way adorable.  I know what you’re thinking: “wow that’s a tad bit stalker-ish.” But if this video didn't help to sway you, then this one will.

Because what is better than one British ginger? Two!  Rupert Grint played the adorable, often underdog, Ron Weasley and my childhood crush.  Not only are these two adorable and funny, they prove that gingers are just as successful as the next guy.  

Gingers are pretty awesome: and in the words (through a perfect picture post) of my friend Cassie, I've been diagnosed.

Defining Our Experience..

Growing up and going to school in the Midwest has given me: if not an unique experience then definitely an interesting one.

My name is Emily Powers and I'm studying History and English at Northwest Missouri State University.  For those who don't know, this small state university is located in Maryville, MO.  Home of the Bearcats and the ever popular 19+ bar age.  Our tiny college town, located about an hour and a half north of Kansas City, creates a need for adventure and creativity.  Many of these adventures taking place at the four bars off the square (we're not called the BEERcats for nothing.)  Aside from the somewhat disagreeable extracurricular's, we are apart of a loving and supportive family.  Once a Bearcat, Always a Bearcat! We have a multi-title winning Football team, an amazing Greek Life community, we are home to wonderful christian organizations and church communities, and are accredited with fantastic academics.  Attending Northwest has been a life-changing experience, as any college experience should be.  We all go to college to find something.  Whether it be our dream career, our future spouse, a home away from home, our future bridesmaids/best men, or our-self.  Often what you go in search for you find in ways you would never imagine.  So in the spirit of self discovery, I hope to impart some wisdom of what I have found and the many things I can't yet imagine for the future. All My Life...