summer(2014): book report #1

Every summer in high school, I had reading and writing assignments to complete. Sometimes I'd have a list of books I needed to have read by the first day of school, other times I'd have to write a history paper and send it in to the teacher by a certain date in July; summer before senior year, I was faced with both types of assignments. Though it was a bit tricky to comprehend a detailed account of the Civil War while surrounded by blaring whistles, screaming kids, and the reverberation of the nearest diving board and corresponding ker-splash of an unfortunate belly flop (what, you weren't a lifeguard too?), I didn't really mind having to work my way through a tower of books all summer long. With graduation, though, came end of my summer reading. I spent that summer before college (and a few summers after that) bathing in the glow of the newest Cosmo magazine and not much else. However, I eventually grew to miss what had previously been a huge part of my life - reading for pleasure. It took me until I moved to New York to really get back into the habit of regular reading (long subway rides proved to be the perfect vehicle to rekindle my love of literature...pun intended), and now with my iPad I can't even use the excuse that a particular book is too heavy to fit into my purse (don't roll your eyes. it's a harsh reality of life in the big city.)

I am always looking for book recommendations. It's probably a result of all those high school summers, but I can't resist a good reading list - so in case you're looking for a little reading inspiration yourself, below are some of my most recent favorite reads. Almost all are novels (though I desperately want to be, I'm just not a non-fiction kind of gal), and you've probably heard of or even read most of them. But just in case you haven't, why not give 'em a try this summer?

I Was Told There'd Be Cake and, How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley - I'm not normally a fan of essays or short stories, but each tale hits so close to home that these books could have easily been my own (more well-written) diary. Starting out as a struggling artist in New York. Traveling solo in Europe. Awkward presents from ex-boyfriends. If you want a beautifully funny patchwork of what it's like to be in your 20's in the 2000's, grab one or both of these books.

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison - I got this book after picking up one of those free iTunes downloads at Starbucks one afternoon. I hadn't really even intended to read it (I don't usually put too much stock in free downloads) but after having nothing else to do on the train one day, I started it - and then couldn't put it down. I found myself absorbed in an anti-hero's odyssey and desperately wanting to be included in such an unlikely group of people's northwest road trip.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson - this is a bizarre book about an even more bizarre childhood, but Lawson imbues so much humor and love into her story that you can't help get on board.

The Telling Room by Michael Paterniti - truth be told, this book gets a bit long and lost in the narrative at times, and there are way too many footnotes for my liking. But it's evocative descriptions of rural Castile and dozens of passages devoted to the taste and smell of cheese may have you booking your next vacation to a tiny village in northern Spain.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple - part mystery, part travelogue, part diary, and part satire, this book is that rare combination of comedy and page-turner that I thought about for weeks after finishing it.

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead - this is a beautiful and unassuming story about a wedding weekend fraught with lust, envy, regret, and an exploding cetacean. You may grow to really dislike the family's patriarch, but you'll certainly want to stick around to see what happens.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed - the movie version is coming out this winter, so do yourself a favor and read the book first. If you're like me and think "hiking" is when you walk up a few stone stairs in Central Park, then let yourself get lost in the beautiful desolation of Strayed's solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - as the most recent winner of the Pulitzer prize for fiction, nearly as much has been said about this book as it is long. Clocking in at almost 800 pages, this tome takes you on an near-fantastical journey from New York to Las Vegas to Amsterdam as the protagonist tries to protect a stolen work of art and meets a dizzying cast of insolent and self-absorbed characters along the way. I could NOT put this book down.

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman - set within Brooklyn's nouveau-lit community, reading this book was like reliving every date and dinner party I've been to in the past five years - not necessarily a pleasant experience, but since the novel is told from the point of view of the guy, an educational one.

  

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer - while at times this novel had a Forrest Gump-like quality as it chronicled the lives of a group friends over the course of almost 40 years, it was a fascinating look at the development of the "me" generation as the narcissistic and self-absorbed teenagers struggled to find fulfilling careers and relationships.

Please note: the above are affiliate links, which may earn me a small commission if you click on them (but at no extra cost to you!) Regardless if I get paid or not, I still stand by my recommendations and hope you enjoy them too ;)

My Met

Guys, I have a confession to make: I love the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wait, you knew that already? What gave it away - my tendency to visit the museum every time I get a day off? My instance that I know the perfect route to the best artwork? My knowledge of the most hidden and line-free bathrooms? The fact that I know some of the security guards by name?

I had a day off this week, and true to form, I spent it at the Met. I didn't really have an agenda or schedule to my afternoon so I simply let myself wander the halls, focusing on not only the artwork but also the architecture of the building itself and the patrons and employees who inhabit the museum.

So without further ado, I give to you a little photo essay I call "Seen at The Met Museum, 6/18/14"
(note to self: be more creative with photo essay titles in the future)   ;)

If you go: The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located at 5th Avenue and 82nd St., open seven days a week from 10am-530pm (later on Fridays/Saturdays), and asks a $25 admission. Do remember, though, that the full entrance fee is just a suggestion and you are not required to give the full amount! Because I visit the museum about five or six times a year, I usually give about $3 each time and feel completely good about doing so.

NYC's High Line Park

I wrote this piece last year for a now-defunct website, but since my love for the High Line remains steadfast, it's reprinted (with updated details) below. Enjoy!

Now in it’s fifth year of operation, New York’s High Line Park might be old news to you by now. However, it’s worth revisiting the west-side elevated walkway for your daily dose of delicious food, interesting art, gorgeous views and some pretty cool flowers that you probably can’t grow in your fire-escape-window-herb-garden. 

Top 10 Reasons to (re)Visit The High Line

10.) It doesn’t cost anything to walk the High Line. And in a city where $12 cocktails are de rigeur, you can’t beat free.

9.) If sweeping views of the Hudson River and the New Jersey that lies beyond it are too much for your senses to handle, focus a little closer on the innovative public art that decorates the High Line. Right now visitors can get a look at Marianne Vitalie’s Common Crossings, a collection of sculptures made with decommissioned steel railroad track components (and remember that the High Line itself is itself a repurposed railway!), and Skittles, by Josh Kline, a large scale installation involving smoothies created with unconventional and poetic combinations of ingredients. 

8.) Viewing areas are set up along the path so that people can watch people watch other people who are watching traffic down below. So meta.

7.) Sick of getting to know your OkCupid date over expensive cocktails at a noisy bar? Even when it’s crowded (steer clear on weekends and holidays), the High Line is such a well-designed walking path that you and your amour can learn each other’s names at normal speaking voices. Walking at a leisurely pace, it’ll take you about 40 minutes to get from one end to the other - so if you learn that you will never play second fiddle to her beloved tabby named Mr. Tiddlywinks, you can make your escape quickly and quietly. If the date’s going well? Turn around and walk the route in reverse. 

6.) Much of the park incorporates the original rail tracks into it’s design, allowing you to walk along tracks built during the Depression...which is just kinda cool.

5.) 210 different plant species make their home on the High Line, 161 of those are native to New York. Right now, flora and fauna with names like Common Quaking Grass, Threadleaf Bluestar, Siberian Catmint, and Fumewort are in bloom, so you may just find the inspiration for the name of your next indie band or craft beer.

4.) Can’t figure out what to do with the family on their 8^th visit this year? Take ‘em for a walk. Ample seating is available all along the High Line for when dad needs a rest, water fountains are found at all access points for when mom wants to refill her water bottle, and the entire park is wheelchair accessible, so even granny can go for a stroll.

3.) A delicious variety of food is available to those looking to refuel between Little West 12^th and West 18^th Streets. In typical New York food truck fashion, a walk on the High Line will offer your pretzels, ice-cream sandwiches, a wine bar, a cup of coffee, tacos, gelato, and even some bar-b-que. My personal favorites are the handmade popsicles from People's Pops, who use locally-grown fruits in an ever-changing seasonal menu. You haven’t really lived until you’ve tried a nectarine chai popsicle. 

2.) Walked the whole thing twice and still want more? Not to worry, the third and final leg of the park is slated to sometime this year, extending the Highline northwest from 30^th Street, cutting towards the Hudson River, and then ending around the Hudson Yards at 34^th Street. Proposed plans included more lounge chairs, a kid’s play area, an open gathering space, and a makeout lookout point.

1.) Is your left brain being under stimulated? Free weekly guided walking tours are available on Tuesdays, and a variety of other walks, talks and lectures are scheduled throughout the summer - take a nature walk with a gardener, learn about the old meatpacking industry with a historian, wake up early to watch the birds with park naturalists, or go to bed late after stargazing with astronomers.

If you go: The High Line Park has nine different access points along Manhattan's west side, and is open daily from 7am to 11pm. Visit http://www.thehighline.org/ for more information and to plan your visit.