books, bookcase, beer - my break!

I've finished the first 5 books out of my 50 books to read in 2008, which is a vast improvement over last year. Although, last year I was back at Hamline for J-Term by this time taking my Disability studies course with Reynolds - good class, got an A. I really enjoyed that class and studying disability. I wrote my final paper proposal on the way (dis)ability is constructed in the X-Men movies, a paper I still kind of want to write at some point. Anyway, that's a bit off my original thought process. Here are the five books I've read up to this point:

1. Democracy Matters, Cornel West
2. I am America, Steven Colbert
3. Candy Girl, Diablo Cody
4. Atonement, Ian McEwan
5. Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert

Democracy Matters - Pretty interesting, a book I've wanted to read since I accidentally bought it for my Political Economy of Misery class. It was ok, but I might have gotten more out of it if I was reading closely for a class, as opposed to pleasure reading.

I Am America - I like Steven Colbert and the character he plays on tv, which comes through brilliantly in his book. Quick read.

Candy Girl - As it was set in the Twin Cities, I know most of the places she references (which is nice), and the writing style is easy to read. I thought she could have included more about why she got out of stripping, but that's the feminist in me wanting to highlight the mere paragraph where she talks about how sleezy strip clubs influence the way women are viewed by the patrons and by themselves.

Atonement - I'm excited to see the movie and see how Hollywood butchers the story. I liked it overall, although the writing style isn't too much my thing.

Eat Pray Love - Interesting travel book. Her section on India was fascinating, just because I'm not familiar with meditation.

Now I'm going to go stain my bookcase. My grandpa built me a bookcase for Christmas last year, and I finally have the time to sand and stain it this break. I picked a nice antique walnut stain, so it's nice and dark. I'll take a picture when I'm done with it, but it looks nice. It's relaxing to be completing something that's done with my hands, not just my head.

Thursday I'm going to Milwaukee to see Uncle Matt. I'm excited. There will be beer drinking.

Bacher, out!