fifth grade yeeeah

my latest amazon haul included only books that are approximately fifth grade level (ok ok--and one issue of lula). heck yes.

of course no spontaneous purchase of fifth grade books that shaped your perception of the world would be complete without sharon creech. and my favorite (growing up) was always walk two moons. mmmhm.

walk two moons is named for the adage, "don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins." it follows the main character salamanca on the search for her mother, supplemented along the way with the story (as told by salamanca to her grandparents) of her friend phoebe. through this story, sal figures out her own, etc, etc, i'm making it sound cheesy and it's totally not just buy it 'cause it's definitely worth the the two dollars i paid for a used copy on amazon.

also purchased was the boxes, a novel i remember reading, but not necessarily liking. it just stuck with me. [basic plot: annie--your average girl--inherits two boxes from her exotic uncle--you know that one uncle that never got married. for a long looong time she does not open the boxes. but they call to her (or something???) and she does and the little crazy metal alien stinkbugs that live inside build a city and have class issues (!!!).]

i don't really know why something in my head told me to read the boxes, but i started having dreams about it last week. so i bought it. i believe in dreams. but i haven't reread it yet BECAUSE

during a conversation with a friend about buying fifth grade books, he brought up sharon creech. and when my amazon package arrived (bundled shipping!), i couldn't resist starting with walk two moons.

other purchases:
- from the mixed up files of mrs. basil e. frankweiler by e.l. konigsburg and
-maniac magee by jerry spinelli and
-absolutely normal chaos by sharon creech

but i think my actual favorite book from childhood is the westing game by ellen raskin. i've owned it since sixth grade and read it about once a year every year since then. incomparable.

it's amazing to look back at these things that i loved then and see what that says about me now. sort of like salamanca--telling one story told another. that's how i feel about the books i loved growing up.

moral of this story: read them.

media binging aka the overload

lee friedlander (from MoCP), rushmore cover art, david jackson & james merrill (found on this blog)

lily collins (from teen vogue), audrey horne and dale cooper (found here), i am curious--blue


i am overloaded with fascinating/entertaining/worthwhile media right now.

to name a few (and by a few, i mean all):

1. i just now (literally three minutes ago) finished the unutterably awesome familiar spirits: a memoir of james merrill and david jackson by alison lurie. i can safely say i almost never like memoirs, and this is my new favorite book. highest compliments.

2. on that note, finished the changing light at sandover by james merrill but feel i must go over it again after the above read.

3. also reading the shape of a city by julien gracq. class reading. it's not boring. but it's also not about or by james merrill, so i'm a little reluctant to dive in.

4. at last received the (amazing) zine by the author of hipster musings [isabel slone], plant magazine. the slogan on the cover is "fashion-feminism-nature" WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?

5. on the opposite end of the spectrum, a mysterious benefactor subscribed me to teen vogue two years ago, and i am still receiving them. thank you, mysterious benefactor! i do love clothes. and more than clothes, collages made from teen vogues. october issue in today [hellooo eyebrows. i like em.]

6. another class assigned book. [well sort of--the assignment was to pick any book of photography from the library.] i chose self portrait by lee friedlander. i think it is less serious than most photography books and also an inspiration for a photography project i would like to do.

7. also borrowed from the library the two wes anderson movies i have never seen: bottle rocket and rushmore (his first and second, respectively). so far rushmore is good, very wes anderson, and the only reason i haven't finished it yet is an inconvenient fire drill that put me off it for a whole day. bottle rocket still to come.

8. yet another film, this one swedish. vilgot sjoman's i am curious--blue (i might've chosen i am curious--yellow. but blue is my favorite color. obviously an academic decision.) as the back cover blurb states, "confronts issues of religion, sexuality, and the prison system" etc etc. the director cites influences like godard and fellini (particularly 8 1/2). it came out in 1966.

9. oh and! i'm watching twin peaks, just started season 2 and i WANT TO BE AUDREY HORNE plz. or dale cooper 'cause he's such a weirdo-genius. and i want dr. jacoby's glasses.

it's nice to live in a place with so many brilliant works and such easy access. (did i mention that i love my library? I LOVE MY LIBRARY.)