Summertime is the Right Time...For Reading

I don't know what it is about summer that makes me believe I will have more time for reading. Perhaps it's the remnant feeling from when I was in school, and looked forward to the summertime for my reading for pleasure instead of for schoolwork. Or maybe it's because the idea of sitting out at the park and reading while a nice breeze passes by seems romantic and relaxing. Either way, the warmer weather and the greening of the parks has me thinking about the list of books I'd like to read through this summer.

So I made a list of the books, and please - feel free to leave suggestions for good books! (This list is not in any particular order - unless you count the way in which they popped into my head as order!)

1. Disquiet Please: More Humor Writing from the New Yorker, David Remnick and Harry Finder (Random House) This is a book I started about a month or two ago, and have been working through slowly - I'm hoping to finish it soon. I became interested in it when I read another book that was a collection of stories from the New Yorker edited by David Remnick called Secret Ingredients. Very funny stories!

2. The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky This is one I've always wanted to read, but never got to. I enjoyed immensely Crime and Punishment and find Dostoyevsky's work to be compelling.

3. Toward a Psychology of Being, Abraham Maslow I've mentioned this book in a previous post. I very much enjoy Maslow's psychological theories and have been looking forward to reading more of his written works.

4. Wicked, Gregory Maguire I recently saw the musical with my friend Sammi and the perspective that the book was written from was interesting to me. I like the idea that a previous literary work was expanded to include an entirely different perspective.

5. Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman This was a book that my dad enjoyed, along with many other people. I would like to finally read it to understand what the draw is.

6. The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton I saw this book about a year ago and thought it could be a fascinating read. I have always generally enjoyed travel writing - reading about the adventures and dreaming about what I would like to do myself. One of my other Travel faves is The Conde Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys by various authors. Look into it...it's a good read.

7. Fierce Pajamas: An Anthology of Humor Writing from the New Yorker, David Remnick and Harry Finder This book makes the list because I've enjoyed the other New Yorker Anthologies so much. This leads to the next book...

8. Wonderful Town: New York Stories from the New Yorker, David Remnick I suppose it's that I really enjoy reading anthology collections - stories by a variety of authors keep things interesting and offer a great array of perspectives.

Ah yes, and we can't forget...
9. Any of the Manolito Gafotas books I have from Spain. I need to continue improving my Spanish!

Don't forget to add your suggestions...I'll be looking forward to some. And ask how the reading is going, I need to be kept to task!

"The Element"

Felipe and I went tonight to see Sir Ken Robinson speak at the Barnes & Noble in Lincoln Center. He spoke about his new book called "The element". We haven't had the opportunity to read the book yet, but he has many interesting ideas about creativity and fulfillment. I could explain it more, but he does a much better job of it! Go here to his TED Talk:


He gave a super funny, well thought out presentation, and is a thoroughly enjoyable person.

A Friday Night Find...

Tonight Felipe and I went down to the Union Square area tonight just to get out and about. We stopped at the Stand for a couple of burgers, then we walked down the street to the Strand Bookstore (my favorite place for books in this city).



My two favorite sections of the bookstore at the etiquette books and the psychology books. The etiquette section because I really love those books that were printed back in the 40's and 50's. The etiquette tips in those are classic. Today I was looking for any books by Abraham Maslow, and was lucky enough to find his "The Farther Reaches of Human Nature". As I leafed through the book I saw a piece of paper sticking out from in between the pages. When I pulled it out I found this Patti Smith Concert Ticket:



The ticket was for a show at the Meadowbrook Ballroom in Cedar Grove, New Jersey on Tuesday January 13, 1976. This would have been her first major concert tour for her debut album. The ticket cost $5.25! It's so cool to find such a little treasure in the book...I really wonder who was the person that went and what was the show like?