One of the things I find enjoyable after graduating from college is reading. To be honest, I was never an avid reader growing up. I found more enjoyment in watching movies and television. I did however like some of the required reading we had to do for school, but other than that I was never really someone who would read a book for fun.
After college, I began to reflect on my educational years from elementary school to high school to college, thinking about all the books I had to read. There were the usual requirements, such as Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, and To Kill a Mockingbird, and of course the many works of Shakespeare (I have read Macbeth three times and A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet twice). Then one day, while I was looking at my bookshelf I began to wonder about all the books I did not get to read during school. By this I mean the books that we were never required to read. After all my years at school, I never got to read Hamlet. Hamlet - a Shakespeare play that is often assigned to students! Some of the other books I never got to read for school were Lolita, 1984, The Age of Innocence, Of Mice and Men, and Shakespeare's King Lear and The Merchant of Venice. Instead of just leaving it as a passing thought, I realized that with all the time I have now since graduating I should start reading some of those books as well as more books in general. Since May of last year, I am happy to report that I have become an avid reader.
The first book I read since beginning this hobby was Sarah Bruni's debut novel The Night Gwen Stacy Died. I saw the book appearing in several magazines and listings of newly released books you must read and thought about checking it out. The title was not unfamiliar to me; it is the name of the infamous Spider-Man comic book issue when Peter Parker's first love Gwen Stacy dies presumably (which is still up for debate) by his own web after trying to save her. Sarah Bruni's novel is not about that however. Instead it is about a girl named Sheila living in a small town who runs away with a taxi driver calling himself Peter Parker. Already the plot got me thinking of Bonnie and Clyde. The book may not have gone all Bonnie and Clyde as I imagined, but it was still a good read, except for that ending. Ugh, talk about unresolved! The whole book was interesting until about Part III when the story got a little weird and the ending became too rushed. The ending... was not an ending. Bruni never explained what happened to Sheila and Peter after everything that happens. There were things left unanswered and open-ended that I did not know what to make of it after such as strong start. Apart from this though, I still liked it. It hooked me in and was a ride, up to a certain point.
Following The Night Gwen Stacy Died, I read two of Vladimir Nabokov's works: Laughter in the Dark and Lolita. I liked both books, especially Lolita even though I thought Humbert Humbert was still a creep using his beautiful language to assuage or deflect the fact that he is taking advantage of a young girl. For those who do not know, Laughter in the Dark is about a man who leaves his wife and family to be with a woman much younger than him, who is aspiring to become a movie star. As I mentioned earlier, I love movies. So, when I read that part in the synopsis I was curious. I found Laughter in the Dark to be, well quite fittingly, dark. Interestingly, I just realized how the roles are reversed when compared to Lolita. In Lolita the male figure is taking advantage of the young girl. In Laughter in the Dark, the young woman is taking advantage of the older man.
After reading Nabokov, I moved on to Julien Green's Moira. Back in my Freshman year of college, I had to read a book for my religion class, which I unfortunately cannot recall the title of, but in that book there were multiple references to Julien Green's Moira. I was lucky enough to find a copy of it for only $3! And in good condition. Based on the synopsis, it seemed that this book was going to be intense. However, about halfway through reading it, I thought the book's title was starting to be misleading because the story had yet to officially introduce Moira. She is mentioned several times but Joseph never meets her until - can you believe it - the very end. By that point, just as she is introduced she immediately dies. Moira took me about several months to finish despite being an average size book because of how long it was taking for the story to develop. It was fine overall, but not for me. I think I was too distracted with when Moira would appear that I missed the story's themes and exploration of Joseph.
After Moira, I thought about what book to start next. I was leaning towards Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's but I was not too excited about it just yet. Then, come April came the return of the hit television series Mad Men. I have been a fan of Mad Men after binge watching the series three summers ago. Since then, I constantly tune in and enjoy reading Vulture's reviews and recaps on the episodes, where they analyze episodes, character developments, and hidden themes within the episode and probably in the season. In the season 7 premiere of Mad Men, one of the curious themes running throughout episode that also evolved into speculative fan theories after a few episodes back in season 6 was the Manson murders, especially how the character of Megan Draper could be a reflection of Sharon Tate. This all soon lead me to the next book I would read, which was Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls.
Again, I managed to find the book in good condition for a low price of $7 compared to the original price of $14.99. On the same shelf I saw Susann's other works Once is Not Enough and The Love Machine, but I decided to hold off on buying them just in case I did not like Valley of the Dolls. Two days later, I finished Valley of the Dolls in "one greedy gulp," to quote one critic. It was so good! I could go on for hours on why it is so good, so I will just say go and read the book to find out. It follows the story of three women, Anne Welles, Neely O'Hara, and Jennifer North as they go through the hurdles of the entertainment industry and climb their way up with only their pretty pills they call "dolls" helping them cope and survive it. I do not think there has been a book I have been emotionally invested in since maybe Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, but even how I felt about that book does not compare to how I feel about Valley of the Dolls. The characters were so captivating as we watch them each rise and fall and the story is fascinating especially coming from this movie/television fan.
Immediately following Valley of the Dolls, I bought Jacqueline Susann's other two books Once is Not Enough and The Love Machine. Both were as great as Valley of the Dolls, and each time I finished one I spent about a day or two absorbing and thinking about what I had just read before starting the next book. After I finishing all three books, you can I say I went through a kind of "book hangover." I mean you connect so much to these books and their characters and the story, and even the author, that once it is over it is like "What do I do now?" Fortunately though after this weekend, I think I have recovered.
Recently, I was talking to my two cousins about how I have been reading a lot since graduating and I found out I was not alone. Although she is still in college, my one cousin has been reading a lot too. While I was reading Jacqueline Susann, she was, and still is, reading Stephen King. She has been reading a few of his novels lately and was even telling me how The Shining is much different from the movie (I have yet to seen The Shining so I wouldn't know). Meanwhile however, my other cousin, who is still in high school, was telling us how she could not find an interest in reading. My Stephen King-fan cousin and I were explaining that similar to our experience, it could be because in high school you are too busy with homework and exams to find time to sit down and read for fun. It makes sense, because when I was high school, and even in college, I felt the same. You become so distracted with assignments and studying that when vacation comes around, you just want to be lazy and browse the Internet or watch TV. While of course there are some out there who find reading enjoyable from the get-go, there are some like myself who will find that enjoyment sometime later in life if not soon. So hopefully for cousin in high school, maybe she will discover the joy of reading one day.
Right now I'm finally starting Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. Later I hope to read Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, since I love superheroes and comic books. Often the books that grab me are the ones I find either relatable or appeal to my interests, whether it is movies or superheroes, to name a few. As long as it tells a great story, I'll read it.
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