current bookstack!

Top row:

1. The Soul of Rumi, compiled & edited by Coleman Barks- How can you be a poet without reading poetry? Still, Rumi's poems are more closer to devotions. The imagery is haunting, but they scratch a spiritual itch as well. My favorite line I've read so far: This is how I would die/into the love I have for you:/as pieces of cloud/dissolve in sunlight. 
2. The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke- Since I've been trying to keep my own journal lately, I thought it would be good to get some inspiration. Rilke is one of my favorite poets, and the prose in this is not only beautifully written, but introspective and philosophical. It's a fascinating insight into the mind of a genius, but still designed to be interesting enough to draw you in, as if you were reading a friend's diary. But a really smart friend who lived in France 100 years ago.
3. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson- A collection of intimate-feeling short stories, painting an authentic picture of early 1900's prairie America. The author has a gift for characterization and seeing beyond the surface of seemingly ordinary lives. I recommend "Paper Pills" as a strong example. 

Bottom row:

1. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse- One of the quintessential "hippie era" books! (Even though it was written long before that, the English translation only came out in the 50's.) But I'm not reading it just because of that. I, too, am currently on my own "spiritual journey" (ugh it sounds really cheesy when I put it like that but you know what I mean) involving Vedantism and Buddhism. Therefore, this book is a great companion, reminding me that true peace cannot be taught, and that you cannot search for it, but experience it.
2. That's Not A Feeling by Dan Josefson- This one takes place in a therapeutic boarding school in upstate New York. It seems like a cross between The Catcher in the Rye (of course by J.D. Salinger) and It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. David Foster Wallace gave it some high praise before he killed himself, so I have high expectations for it. 
3. 2666 by Roberto Bolano- I don't know much about this book besides the highly complex synopsis on the back and the fact that it's 900 pages long. I'm too intimidated to start it! 

the golden girl

The day I had been waiting for finally arrived. I was fully prepared: I had a gently-used Penguin Classic edition of the book, and armed with highlighters, I wrote my name in the front cover and cracked the spine. I had been saving The Great Gatsby for when it would be inevitably assigned in American Lit.

It's just so canonical, reading it seemed like a rite of passage, a task every American high schooler must conquer at some point, like The Catcher in the Rye or Romeo and Juliet.

The novella itself was beautifully done, though not my favorite-it was more of a social commentary than a story that would keep you up at night, for me. The plot wasn't the focus, I feel, more of a vehicle.  Contrary to the anti-hedonistic message of the book, the glamorous imagery really drew me in, and more specifically, the alluring trope of the Golden Girl.

This is how I wish I was! It didn't seem very female friendly the first time I read it, with the focus on appearance and expectation to become a wife, but parts of it are progressive for the time, like being assertive, independent, free-spirited, and flirty if she wants to be. Especially in this awkward, confused, and sometimes lonely stage of life I find myself in, it seems so ideal. 

In terms of the fashions from that time, I'm no expert, but what I've seen is loose and indulgent on color and accessories, perfectly ready to both impress and party. I am in love with this glamorous yet whimsical editorial by Damian Foxe featuring model Sam Robinson for How To Spend It, February 2012.