I have so much time to read this summer and I am loving it! Here is a list of what I am currently reading and for what I am currently listening to here is my
Spotify Summer Playlist
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
I’ve wanted to read this book for a couple years now. I finally picked up a copy and have been slowly reading it for the last couple weeks. The writing is refreshing and strange since it’s Stein who is writing the “autobiography” of her life partner Alice. There is something rhythmic in the writing and I suspect there is more than meets the eye with this book.
Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson
I just finished reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas only a couple weeks ago. I devoured it pretty quickly and found myself disturbed and entranced by Thompson’s style. I started reading Hell’s Angels right after and have not been let down. I am about half way finished with it already.
In the American Grain by William Carlos Williams
Starting slow, I read a little bit here and there of WCWilliams. I spent my time and slowly devoured his Imaginations over the span of two years. I love every word of Williams writing and his style is all his own. I plan on reading In the American Grain at the same snail pace so that I can fully digest his work.
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
After watching the movie almost six years ago, I am still slightly disturbed by the images that have been seared into my brain which is weird and not to be taken lightly since I have a deep love for all things strange and disturbing. I have gotten the guts finally to trek the dangerous waters of reading the actual text. It is disorienting and complex but there is something in Burroughs writing that resonates with me and I am slowly becoming climatized to this curious novel.
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol by Andy Warhol
I’ve been interested in Andy for a while now. There is something about him that has left a remarkable trace of most of the writers, poets, and musicians that I love and I want to know why. I figured I would start with this book and work my way into Andy’s world slowly. So far (I’m about a third in) it has been an intriguing journey and I think there is something spectacular about Andy’s little thoughts and vivid observations.
The Portable Beat Reader Edited by Ann Charters
I am very picky when it comes to anthologies, collections, or selected works that attempt to have “all” the works that are “important” for a particular movement, style, or form of writing but I think I struck gold with this one. I love introductions and this one was amazing and pulled me in instantly. So far I’m working my way through the Jack Kerouac section and I am realizing how much I can learn from his writing.
On Writing Well (fourth edition) by William Zinsser
My copy is a little outdated and makes funny references to “archaic” forms of technology, this edition was printed in 1991. I like Zinsser’s comments and attention that he gives towards changes in writing and his respect towards the variety of writers out there and readers alike (such as women writers and use of pronouns). Zinsser has a recognizable voice and comfortable yet concise writing style that I love to read. I would highly recommend this book (maybe a more recent edition too) to any writers out there. Also this book is on writing NONFICTION, I am trying to dabble in nonfiction but it is extremely painful for me.
The Letters of Ezra Pound to James Joyce with Pound’s Essay on Joyce Edited by Forrest Read (published by Faber & Faber)
I love Joyce, he is a writer with talents beyond so many many writers. I am also an admirer of Pound and his work. I have been slowly reading bit by bit, a letter here and there which makes for a good break while I’m reading all my others books. I also love to read the day to day casual letters between writers and artists.
The Diary of Virginia Woolf (vol.2) Edited by Anne Olivier Bell
I’ve read the complete diary of Virginia Woolf before but wanted to start collecting the volumes for myself. Woolf is a huge influence on my writing and her criticisms of writers and their works are extremely insightful and entertaining (even when it is brutal). She has a knack for making me laugh and also making me sympathize with her hardships. She is honest to the bone in her diary entries and leaves little out.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
I cannot count how many times I have read Fight Club. I always find myself coming back to it as well as the works by Bret Easton Ellis when I need some stylistic guidance. I like to tear apart the chapters, over analyze them and admire Palahniuk’s unique writing style. There is plenty to dissect and learn from when it comes to writing fiction (and blending nonfiction into fiction I think).
Blood, Bread, and Poetry by Adrienne Rich
I ate up the first half of this book the day I got it and fell into a whirlwind of decades-old feminist criticism and women’s rights which disturbingly sounds exactly the same as today’s. I love and admire Rich’s work and this selection of writing does not let down.
A lot to read and get through but I’ve been finishing a book every one-two weeks (which is pretty slow for me). I would love any reading suggestions! Please feel free to leave any book titles in the comments below.
-Alina
