Anyways, as much as I love reading, for some reason lately I haven't been able to get through ANY books. I'm just going to go ahead and blame the J-school; I already blame it for all bad things in life anyways. :)
Some of my most recent half-reads are Franny and Zooey, The Time Traveler's Wife (I plan on finishing this soon so I can see the movie...mmm Eric Bana), Three Cups of Tea, Water for Elephants and Love in the Time of Cholera. If you've read any of these books and LOVE them, let me know so I can give them another try. In an attempt to get back to my former bookworm self, I decided to re-read one my favorite quick (but not light) reads — Smashed: The Story of a Drunken Childhood by Koren Zailckas.
Smashed chronicles Koren's drinking career, a frighteningly accurate representation of my (and most girls, I'm sure) high school and college experience, from her first taboo sip at 15 to the still comedic bleary-eyed hangover at 16 to the terrifying near hospital visit at 17 to her social dependency on alcohol at 22. As a recent college grad, I find this subject both engaging as well as eerily relatable. While there is plenty mention of blackouts, frat parties, jell-o shots, party foul push ups, seas of red cups overflowing with natty, unidentifiable morning-after bruises and the insatiable want, no wait THE NEED, for 2 eggs over easy with wheat toast at 3am (okay, maybe not that last one), Smashed is an important look at the root of these kinds of risky actions and the curious culture of alcohol, college and, most importantly, alcohol + college.
An easy read on a not-so-easy subject. (A)
Love in the Time of Cholera is great because the writing is a very different inventive style. I would definitely agree that it is hard to get through though. I recommend taking a few chapters at a time and digesting. Marquez includes all the gory details of life....
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