Friday Firsts- Becoming a Bookworm

I can't believe it's already June, and already time for the second installment of my Friday Firsts series. My question for today is: What's the first book that turned you into an avid reader?

(image via here)

My answer to the question isn't at all obvious. Even before I could read myself, I was always read to by my parents. I could devote an entire post to going on and on about some of my favorite children's classics (Blueberries for Sal, the Frances books, and Amelia Bedelia, just to name a few). That's why it may come as a surprise to know that as much as I loved all of those, my answer to this question is actually a book called Gertie's Green Thumb.

I was probably in first or second grade when I read this, just when I was really starting to tackle chapter books on my own. I distinctly remember it being part of a big stack of books I checked out from our town's tiny library one summer. I also remember racing through it while sitting out on our front porch. What I can't remember is exactly what the book was about or why I liked it so much (the cover's certainly a little strange looking!). All I know is that once I finished it, I wanted to start reading the next book in my stack right away. Whether it's entirely accurate or just a mis-rememberance on my part, this is the book that I consider as the beginning of my habit of never being without a book.

So which book turned you into a bookworm? Was is a beloved classic, or an unusual pick like mine?

The Marriage Plot

This might be stating the obvious for some, but Jeffrey Eugenides can tell one heck of a story. His third and most recent novel, The Marriage Plot, though not without a few flaws, was every bit as compelling as his first two. This time around, Eugenides centers his story around Madeline, an English major at Brown in the early 1980's whose interest in traditional writers of marriage plot novels, like Austen and Gaskell, is at odds with the campus trend toward postmodern theorists like Derrida and Barthes. During her time at Brown and beyond, Madeline ends up in her own marriage plot of sorts, caught between the enigmatic and unstable biology major Leonard and the nerdy, spiritual theology major Mitchell.

The reviews I've seen of this novel have been quite mixed, with one of the main points of contention being the literary and academic references that are packed onto just about every page of the book. Naysayers seem to think that Eugenides overdoes it with these, making the book too obtuse and pedantic. I actually enjoyed all of this literary name dropping, even when they were names I wasn't all that familiar with. My initial problem had more to do with the way that academic theory was used as a means of kicking the characters into motion. Madeline meets Leonard when she takes a class on semiotics after discovering that it's what the "cool" kids on campus are into. A small part of me was impressed by the use of such an unconventional catalyst for action, but a larger part just had trouble buying it. Admittedly, I'm no expert in postmodern criticism, but having studied a few of these writers in college (with, for some reason, a very vivid memory of a class discussion about this guy), I have to roll my eyes a little at the idea that semiotics would be such a hot issue that it would be a deciding factor of popularity for college kids--even in the 1980's, even at an Ivy League school.

Despite this complaint, Eugenides's storytelling ability kept it from being the stumbling block it might have been in less skilled hands. I was so interested in seeing what happened next that soon enough I overcame my skepticism and found myself speeding through chapter after chapter, all the way to an ending that was both satisfying and not at all what I was expecting.

Specs

I'm in danger of becoming ever so slightly vain about my glasses. I currently have two pairs that I alternate between depending on my mood and both have garnered more compliments than I would have ever imagined, especially when I was in DC last week. (Delicious cupcakes and compliments from strangers? Washington, you really know how to win a girl over.)

I'd like to add to my collection, but now I'm feeling the pressure to continue the streak and pick a pair that will live up to the other two. I'd really like a pair of chunky, clear frames (1), but then I'm also drawn to frames that are still bold, but a little thinner and more rounded in shape (2). I could also go for another vintage pair- maybe a blush colored cat eye frame (3)? There's even a part of me that's tempted by a fancier, sparklier take on a cat eye shape (4).

Which do you like the best?

Just for Fun

I had initially planned to devote today's post to The Marriage Plot, but found myself suffering from a bit of a fried brain due to the unseasonably early heat we've been having. When I saw this meme--a garden themed story where, in Mad Libs fashion, you fill in the blanks with titles of the books you've read this year--I knew it was just about all I was cut out for today. Take a look below for the result.

(image via here)

Early this morning as I was Loving/ Living/ Party Going, I stepped out of The Night Circus into the garden and bent down to touch The Moonflower Vine.

As dawn broke and I took in my surroundings, I noticed several things: Peter Pan was struggling due to Rules of Civility and The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt had been dug up in The Winter Sea under Glaciers, but with help from Maisie Dobbs and knowledge gleaned from The Marriage Plot, I was able to bury it with The Sense of an Ending.

Later, The Pioneer Woman popped in to take a cutting or two; she told me You Deserve Nothing, but pointed out that it was Midnight in Austenland.

Taking a well-earned rest from weeding and chatting over the wall with The Girls of Slender Means from next door, I mentioned The Murder at the Vicarage and remarked on Sydney Chambers and the Shadow of Death, but then after 1Q84, we said And Then There Were None and I went back to do a little light pruning.

My garden was once Wildwood but tending it is a joy and part of Housekeeping.

Friday Fancies

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Hope you're unofficially starting summer in grand style! As for me, I'm hoping that at least part of my weekend involves sitting outside, listening to some of my classic Dave Matthews Band CDs while sipping some Dreaming Tree wine.

Here are some highlights from the past week:

I just discovered Aubin & Wills. They had me at "modern British design inspired by the past, living in the present".

Recreating scenes from You've Got Mail? Pretty much the best photo op idea ever.

When I was in DC, I was so surprised by the calm, low key, low traffic atmosphere that I kept saying "this feels more like a town like Princeton than a major city!" Next time I actually do visit Princeton, I'll have to take this city guide with me.

Would you ever try magnetic wallpaper?

And what do you think of the new trailer for The Great Gatsby? I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, but I'm not loving what I've seen so far.