I'm all Done!

Exams graded, final grades tallied and posted. Nothing feels sweeter than the end of a semester. Now I've got time for blogging and reading and decorating and organizing. Oh, yes, and sleeping. And I can't forget (although I try to) exercising.

Here's a long overdue meme on Books:

Book that Changed Your Life: This question is tough because so many books along the way have made an impact on me. My choice is The Babysitter's Club, a formulaic series for young girls akin to Nancy Drew. I loved this series in the same way as other girls loved their Sweet Valley High. I literally devoured these books as soon as they were available in the library or my parents gave in to my begging and bought them. They got me hooked on reading, a sort of gateway drug. Eventually, I got bored with the crappy plots and moved on to the classics, like Pride and Prejudice (one of my all-time favorites). The Babysitter's Club books changed my life because they made me the type of reader who will put everything down to finish a book, but also in staying the same, I moved on to bigger and better books.

Book You've Read More than Once: There are lots that I go to for "comfort" reading, but one of my favorites is Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin. I forget how the mystery turns out in between sittings, so it remains an exciting read.

Book to Have on a Deserted Island: Cervantes, Don Quixote. Why? I haven't read it yet; The unabridged version is pretty thick so it should last me awhile; G. loves Quixote (is writing his thesis on it, actually), so reading it will be like having him with me.

Book that Made You Cry: Yikes, lot's of options here since I cry easily (seriously, sad commercials can get me going). The most recent that reduced me to a sobbing mess was Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated. Interestingly enough, I also laughed throughout.

Book You Wish You'd Written: To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. Beautiful, lyrical, amazing.

Book You're Currently Reading: I just finished Ian McEwan's Atonement. Kind of a complicated plot, but still engrossing and ultimately very sad. Unrequited love, World War II, misunderstanding--need I say more? Last week, I read The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud. It is part of the post 9-11/New York City/what does it all mean? wave of books (The Good Life is another example that I enjoyed). Although I was unhappy with the ending, the characters were compelling

Book You've Been Meaning to Read: I have a list of books and articles dealing with Latinos and museum representation. Does that topic seem like it came out of nowhere? I'll blog an explanation soon...There are a few interesting autobiographies and nonfiction histories in the library's "just released" section that caught my eye. I also want to find oral histories related to rock, punk, and pop music (will explain later). And I have plenty of fun reading planned, too.

Any suggestions?