Reading list for 2013 (Jan-July)

• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - I love the musical and the movie, so I wanted to read the real thing. While it took a while, a few pages at a time, I loved having the Kindle and toting Les Miz with me all over India. I read it in Lodi Gardens and outside the Taj Mahal. I read it on long solo train rides and curled up in my sleep sack with homemade hot water bottles during the two weeks that it was cold. I think it's going to be one of those things where I like the book better for already knowing the plot from the movie, and now I'll enjoy the movie more because I know more details from the book.
• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - exactly what you expect from Hemingway, and a style I really enjoy reading. Besides the overall depressing effect that Hemingway brings.
• Emma by Jane Austen - one of my best friends is a huge Austen fan, and over the years I've gotten sucked into watching Pride & Prejudice enough times that I can no longer blame it on anyone else. This was a lighthearted read about matchmaking in post-Victorian England.
• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and
• The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells - I was more entertained by War of the Worlds, but wasn't particularly into either of these books. They've popped up a few times on classic lists, and they were free on the Kindle, so I read them. Perhaps sci-fi and suspending reality for alien invasions isn't my thing.
• Let Me Tell You A Story by Red Auerbach and John Feinstein - this was a great reading experience. I wasn't feeling well, and had schoolwork to do, but one day this spring I curled up and spent half the day reading. I don't do that often and it reminded me of being a kid and I loved it. The book is an autobiography about the late great Celtics (and GW) player/coach/manager, and a history of the development of professional basketball, particularly in DC and Boston.
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I went to see Gatsby with friends, and realized I had no impression of the book after speed-reading it a few years ago. So I re-read it after and found it enjoyable, but not mind-blowing.
• Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - I borrowed this from my roommate in DC, which means it's been on my bookshelf for approximately 3-3.5 years. I started it twice and couldn't get into it, and then tackled it as a bar exam break in June. I enjoyed it but wouldn't describe it as a "must-read."
• Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. - has been at the top of my reading list for a few years, and I finally got to it. Despite the warning that it ends "poo tee weet" it still caught me off guard and wanting more. I will definitely be looking for more Vonnegut books to read.
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - a very popular play that was a quick read on the Kindle. I can't think of any plays besides Shakespeare that I really enjoy reading.  Similar to A Raisin in the Sun, it just felt too...short? I want more details and descriptions.

 Read in 2012 and never posted:

• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay - I caved and bought these over Christmas 2011, and then promptly resold them on Craigslist. Fun, fast reads, but the character development is pretty much abandoned by the third book and it's just an action-packed page turner.
• The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison - a great provocative read that had been on a number of recommended reading lists. Unfortunately I borrowed it from Boston Public Library as a 1L and it's still on my shelf, which means I probably owe a hefty fine, as far as library fees go.
• The Stranger by Albert Camus - I had started it in 2011 and lost the book, but I tracked down another copy and finished the slim novel about being detached from any reasonable emotional responses.

Upcoming:

• Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare - I'm going to see it at a free performance in two days, and while I don't have time to read it before then, I will tackle it in August.

In case you’re wondering where I’ve been

For the last two months, I've mostly been studying, along with working and going to weddings/bachelorettes. But, in the last 7 days I have:

• Poured Trillium’s beer at a festival
• Went to a fun NH wedding with a Muppets theme
• Hosted a rugby friend who stayed for 3 days
• Signed a lease; we're moving Aug 4
• Got in a bike accident and bent my handlebars, but no injuries beyond bruises, which I’m used to from rugby
• Had a job interview!
• Prepped for a jury trial on my clinic case that was still going from the spring
• Secured a dismissal in the case
• Finally booked a post-bar vacation! We're headed to Seattle in late August to visit our former roommates Peter and Anita, who are doctors out there. Plus my high school 10 year reunion in MD.
• Worked two shifts at City Sports (but no more shifts until after the bar)
• Ran 1.5 miles twice
• Gone to J.P.Licks three times as a study break

With all this, I’ve been studying as much as I can. The biggest issue was actually the heat wave all week and the apartment has been hitting 92 during the day and only cooling to 85 at night. Our five fans aren’t cutting it and the humidity is at least equal to, and possibly worse than, what I’m used to in D.C.

I had my first true 12 hour study day today, and I’ve got a solid week of them coming up. For fun, I’m going to free Shakespeare on the Common - Two Gentlemen of Verona - on Tuesday and spending 24 hours in MD for a wedding next Saturday. The bar exam is Wed July 31 and Thurs Aug 1.

Wish me luck!

Missing posts?

I think I drafted a post about working retail, but I can't find it, and my bar-addled mind isn't working on non-legal problems.

Plus, I owe a post on graduation festivities.

And I've got another book update from the last 6 months or so. Look for all these updates in August.