Being Smart: Books

That is the princess shoe of the day. Gorgous isn't it? It's a Kate Spade shoe, called the graham pump. I love her shoes and purses.

Yesterday I could have bought those shoes, but I spent the money on something else instead, books. I live for books. My perfect day is going to a used bookstore, getting my normal order from Starbucks (a tall peppermint hot chocolate with low fat milk with no whip cream and extra sprinkles), while looking super cute. I can spend hours in a bookstore and not even notice.

People keep suggesting libraries to me so that I can have both shoes and books, but see I have this issue with returning the books. I know they will be loved a lot more on my bookshelf and have difficulty giving them back. So bookstores and amazon have become my best friends.

I know a princess is suppose to be smart. Talking to an idiot is one of the most annoying things in the universe, believe me. I’ve met plenty, and honestly I rather not be one of those. I find that being well-read helps me not only to be smarter, but also gives me common ground with a lot of people that otherwise might have very few similarities with me.  Also, to quote John Bytheway, “I might not be very smart, but I sure can quote.”  Basically, even if you do not really remember most of the book, a few memorized quotes go a long way.

So what books should you read?

Goodreads.com I think is an excellent resource. I use it all the time. It helps me keep track of not only what I  have read, own, and want to read, but also gives me a long list of suggestions.

But here are a few books that are my absolutely favorites of all time to start you off.

 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Everyone should have read this one point during their high school education. It's a wonderful book, and I learn something new each time. It teaches about tolerance, family, and race.

Funny story about it. So when I first heard about it in 7th grade, my mom asked me what we were going to be reading. I replied, "Oh I think How to Murder a Hummingbird, Mom." My mother was very bothered by this and all ready to tell the school that she did not approve of what they were having us read, but then she realized it was me she was talking to. When she found out the real title, she was more than happy that I was reading it, but from then on the book has been referred as in my family as "How to murder a hummingbird."

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This is one of my very favorite books of all time. People ask me what it is about all the time, and the best explanation I have is, it's about life. It is a really short well-written book about a boy that is trying to find his purpose in life. The character growth in this book is incredible, and out of the dozen or so people I have lent it to, everyone has been able to relate to the main character. The book is an international best seller, and I highly recommend it. (While I love this book though, I'm not too big of a fan of the rest of his books)

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

I love this book, and it's a great quote book. The chapters are only a few pages long, but they teach you a lot. Most adults I have found have read this book or at least know a bit about it. It's also about life. As this man, Morrie, is dying, he teaches one of his old students about what is important in life. Along with being really neat, it's also a really good biography, which is sometimes hard to find. I love this author, and even those this is Mitch Albom's most famous book, it's not my favorite. My favorite is Have a Little Faith.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

I think everyone knows why this one is up. Everyone talks about it. The movies are great, but I really think everyone who really wants to sound educated should be able to tell what the differences are between the movie and the book. The first line of the book is actually my favorite part of the whole book. I think it's the funniest and a honest summary of daughters and mothers I have read. Anyway, it's a good book. Guys, you should read it too. Jane Austin writes some really amusing books. My favorite is Emma. That book makes me laugh every time I read it. The movie Clueless is based of the book Emma, and I love that movie also.

There are so many other books that people should read, and if you really hate reading that much you should at least read the cliffnote versions or watch the movies. If you want to be able to talk to boys or men more, then I would get a good list of Science Fiction or Fantasy. They tend to like those better than Jane Austin books. Biographies and best seller list I find are good for general adults, and children books are so much fun to read and short if you ever want to read those. Also, children's books have really easy analogies and stories that can often time be useful for examples in speeches and conversations.

Anyway I'm off.

Love always,

Michele