The First Book

Part of the problem is that I'm a serial re-reader. If I find a book a like I will re-read it countless times, finding something new every time. Dave Barry, Jen Lancaster, Elaine Viets, Janet Evanovich, Sara Shepard and J.K. Rowling are all authors whose books I've read hundreds of times, often to the detriment of other books on my shelves. It delights me to wait a year or so and then reread my favorite books, it seems like every time I open the book I find something new and something that speaks to me in a different way. It helps that I'm in my early twenties and each year I change dramatically. Who you are at 23 is very different than who you are at 24 and the amazing thing is that books change with you. The people in your life may not (I think we all have those friends who we loved in high school, but by the end of college you want to stab them in ear), but books always will. Relationships are something that must constantly evolve in order to be successful (and according to my fiance I also hold the belief that your house should change every four months so you still like it) and my relationships with my favorite books is constantly changing. Take for example Dave Barry, I started reading him when I was in middle school and while he was funny I couldn't really relate to a lot of the things he talked about as I wasn't an adult with a house and family. Fast forward to last year when we were desperately shopping for a house (and failing miserably because apparently you can't have a brand new house on many acres of land for less than $500,000) I re-read his book "Homes and Other Black Holes" and I finally realized exactly what he was talking about. He was spot about absolutely everything and I couldn't stop laughing (and reading passages aloud like some sort of awkward parrot-Trust me it wasn't appreciated no matter how funny the book was). Just like dating I struggle with meeting new books, just like I would totally be with one person for my whole life (because that's socially acceptable and because change is scary-except when houses are involved) I would love to read one book for the rest of my life. However, I can't stop checking out the selection (it's totally natural) so I find myself with thousands of books. Because I'm a complete pansy I decided to give myself an easy book for the first book, don't want to overtax my brain on the first go round.

I'm starting with "I Love Everybody (and other atrocious lies)" by Laurie Notaro. I picked it mostly because the title makes me laugh every single time I even look at the book on the shelf and it comes highly recommended by an author I admire. It's also reasonably short at 226 pages and the last thing I want to read during summer vacation is a lengthy academic tome. I already have to read enough of those for graduate school, when I'm done with my homework I want fluffy and funny and Notaro fits the bill. Plus, I'm cheating in a way because I've read several of her other books and I know I like her (I know, I know...But Rome wasn't built in a day).

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