Reading for fun...what a concept!

The semester is over and I can spend a little time reading for amusement rather than homework (sigh of relief). I am not sure how much reading I will need to do over the summer for my classes but it will not be even close to what I had this past year.

Before I started my latest book I re-read a few essays from Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell. This is another book that I "borrowed" from the woman I was subletting from when I first moved to NYC. This was one of the books that Abby & Ming, the couple who let my best friend and I rent their apartment while they went on tour with their dance company, had on the shelves. Animal Dreams and The Bean Trees were a few others. I always think of Abby & Ming fondly because their books and cd's gave me alot of comfort my first few turbulent weeks in this crazy city. Their possessions were cooler than I would ever have chosen for myself...I wanted to be them. In retrospect so many aspects of my life were modeled in that apartment. I am no dancer and I do not live in the East Village (close but not quite) but I still strive to create a cool life like they had!

But back to the book...the essays are charming and a fascinating look into old New York. Even after only a few weeks in New York City I already recognized names and neighborhoods mentioned on these pages. This connection made me feel like a real New Yorker. Plus it satisfied my desire for historical grounding in my new home. Re-reading these stories is like re-connecting to my home city all aver again.

I have picked up a few more books which I will post about as I begin reading them. The first is another non-fiction book which totally speaks to my art-loving self! Color : A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay is a wonderful look into the science and history of pigment and paint. So far what I have read is intriguing and thoroughly appeals to my geeky side! I am reading it with an eye on any possible applications in my teaching because inspiration comes from many places. Hey ya never know...there could be an awesome lesson idea for high school students.

As I mentioned the other two books I have on my nightstand will be mentioned later. I want to save my thoughts for after I have started reading them. In the mean time I shall finish these fine works of non-fiction.