Well Read...Mostly

At last! The semester has ended. No more getting up at 5, skipping my workout, tutoring students and reading essays until the wee hours. It's been non-stop grading and preparing students for tests for the last week and a half, and I'm exhausted...still waking up at 5 but on a more leisurely schedule for the next five weeks. The result was mixed: some did well; some did not.

One thing that I will not miss over the next five weeks is constant reading of textbooks and academic writing. I've read at least 15 books this semester: none of them page-turners, I assure you. My wealth of information has grown incrementally, but it hasn't been great fun. So, today, on my first day of vacay, I went to the library, checked out three books, and await the snowstorm rapidly approaching. (Yes, I made sure the snowblower was working properly...though I think shoveling is great exercise, the machinery helps me get the raw material in place for this year's snow sculpture extraordinaire--photos eventually).

However, during the last part of the semester, the university library polled everyone on campus to find out what his or her favorite all-time book was. No explanation was required...just the name and author of one's favorite book. The top ten are listed below, and I am pleased to say that my all-time favorite book notched the top spot!

It was obvious that college students were involved in the poll by the inclusion of #5, # 10 and, possibly, #9. I know "Fifty Shades" was required reading for the Women in Literature class this fall so it may have gotten a boost there. I have read none of those and probably won't. I won't see the movies that have been or will be made about them. I was not a big fan of "Pride and Prejudice" when I read it...maybe it's time for a revisit to the book.

The others on the list? Classics...and I've read them all though the only film adaptation I've seen (or will see) is the Gregory Peck version of "To Kill A Mockingbird."

Having had my reading tastes reinforced, I'm off to read for fun again.

 1)   The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger, 1951

   2)   To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee, 1960

   3)   Harry Potter series, Rowling, 1997-2007

   4)   Animal Farm, Orwell, 1945

   5)  The Hunger Games series, Collins, 2008-10

   6)  Nineteen Eighty Four, Orwell, 1949

   7)  Pride and Prejudice, Austen, 1813

   8)  The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien, 1954

   9)  Fifty Shades of Grey, James, 2011

   10) Twilight series, Meyer, 2005-08