Thursday, July 11

if you don't read then we can't be friends.

interesting tidbit you may not know about me: i love books. 
and loving them may be the understatement of the century.  because i am constantly buying them.  which is constantly annoying shitler.  like one month he got extra annoyed because i easily dropped over $100 on various books.  but i feel like he can't even get mad because HELLO I'M EXERCISING MY BRAIN.  at any given point in time i typically have two books in my purse, books scattered on my desk at work, and books strewn about all over the house.  i can't help it.

when i was little my parents used to buy me a book each and every time we were at the store and at one point it got so bad that i would throw fits if whoever i was at the store with didn't buy me a book.  
and if you ever need to find the kid that wasn't angry when their parents grounded them and banished them to their room then look no further because i used to be all "ha, joke is on you mom there's books in that room.  good punishment.  not."  until she eventually figured it out and i just got grounded from books.  which, whatever that's rude, because i'm just trying to expand my mind so thanks a lot MOM.
one of the only grudges i'm actually still holding onto stems from book reading.  one time in the first grade my elementary school decided to hold a week-long contest in which if you were reading between the hours of 5PM and 8PM and the principal called you it meant you won and you got a giant gift certificate to the scholastic book club flyers and you could basically pick out whatever you wanted.  enter tiny me and i was in heaven.  i would force dinner to be had early in order to get it out of the way so that my parents would sit down with me and read.
if my tiny brother nickolas needed anything i was all "you better get your requests in before 5PM because after that you're SOL bro."  so religiously, monday through thursday, i read and to no avail because nothing happened and the principal NEVER called and while i was obviously not happy about it i wasn't technically that unhinged.
until friday morning rolled around and i was hanging out with my then-best friend sarah and she told me a tale full of lies and deception.

guess who hadn't read at all that week?  SARAH.
guess who the principal called on thursday night?  SARAH.
guess who wasn't reading at the time the principal called?  SARAH.
guess who's parents lied and said she was reading so she could win the contest?  SARAH'S.

it's been like twenty-two years and i still haven't forgiven that bitch.
and honestly my blood pressure for sure spiked just writing about that story.

but for all intents and purposes the reason i mention my love of books is that while i typically read and enjoy (for the most part) everything i read there are certain points where you come across certain books and you're convinced they've changed your entire existence.  this happened last summer when samm and i read invisible monsters and honestly all i could think was #GameChanger and then i "wrote" about it.  now it's one year later and i devoured the book the fault in our stars and it's all i can think about, tweet about, write about, and cry about it.  it's a rare occurrence when a book makes you feel like the biggest piece of ungrateful shit about your entire life but you have no qualms about opening said book right from the beginning and starting it all over again.  THAT, kids, is a great book.  and that is exactly this book.  i have never ugly cried more inside at 3PM on a beautiful summer day with the shades drawn than when i read this book.  it's everything you don't want to be confronted with but it will throat punch you into awareness nonetheless.  


talk about reading just one declaration of love and bursting into an embarrassing amount of tears and thanking the heavens that shitler isn't around to judge the shit out of you.


and it's terrible because it's about cancer and i'm pretty sure that each and every one of us has had to endure the grief that is watching someone you love suffer from that but this book is still one of the most beautiful books i have ever read.


so do yourself a favor and order it, read it, love it.  just do it right fucking now so we can all talk about it together.

p.s. i'm too remedial to even write a review of any type of book so don't think this was my attempt at doing a book review.  but just know that i will forcefully cram this book down everyone's throat until they read it and love it as much as i do.
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27 comments

  1. Shanny. Sit down for this. I don't read. I just reallllly don't have the attention span to read. AND I fall asleep when I read too much. So I just watch trashy television with my friends. Can that be our thing instead of reading?

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  2. heyyy you should sign up for netgalley.com - you can request to read books for FREEEEE! I have gotten like 10 books from them so far. :) It's fantastic. But they are all digital so you either have to have a Kindle or something like that...or download straight to your comp.

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  3. Two things.
    1. I FUCKING LOVE YOU. I'm not even joking at this point, I love you. You are my book-loving soul sister because I have a post about books ready for tomorrow and this just validated your awesomeness.
    2. That got MY blood boiling reading what that skank did! I was one of those little girls always reading books and I remember cheaters in school. Friggin assholes.

    P.S.(so I don't have to lie about 2 things) I'm currently getting impatient waiting for the books I ordered LAST TUESDAY every time I see FedEx or UPS pass my house!

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  4. i think i'd be a little pissed at that girl, too.

    now read the language of flowers. i swear you'll love it.

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  5. ok.. you've convinced me. i'll read it. i don't want to be like sarah.

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  6. Ew, I'm angry at Sarah, unreasonably angry. Rude.
    I loved reading as a kid, I was the same - go ahead, send me to my room suckas! But then, my English major happened so I was all "ehhh books, whatever, I guess". And then law school happened and now it's been "fuck no I am never reading again for as long as I live and books can kiss my ass" ever since. Dammit law school.

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  7. Lol at the use of the word remedial. But ALSO you made me tear up so now I need to read this again.

    Also, you need to harrass me to read more. Because the pile of books on my nightstand ain't gonna read itself. Also, let's not buy books until we are certain neither of us owns it. I will mail shit to you. And thank you for reading real books and not having an e-reader bullshit.

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  8. i had a gaggy crying incident on the subway with that book last summer. thanks for reminding me...

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  9. dude..i'd be wicked pissed at that sarah girl too. dirty rotten little cheater pants.

    this book is next on my "drop everything and read this right now" list (yes, i do seriously have one of those), so i will be done with it by next week, if all goes according to plan.

    i'll keep you posted.

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  10. I am so with you. I've always got a book with me. I've been wanting to read The Fault in Our Stars...i hear it's really good!

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  11. I would never forgiven that bitch either. Scholastic was the shit. I even hate her now for doing that to you.

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  12. I have been wanting to read that. I'm pretty sure it's going to be my next book. You just convinced me.

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  13. I was the kid whose mom had to force outside and even then I'd sit on the stoop and read. I loved this book and can't wait for the movie to come out!

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  14. The quotes in this novel were epic. Really and truly.

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  15. Sarah, I hope you're reading this and I hope you know you're a lying hobag.
    Over and out.

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  16. I will add this book to my reading list. Also, that Sarah girl from your childhood is a bitch and I have memories that still spike my blood pressure or make me feel all shitty inside. Yeah.

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  17. 1) I really miss those scholastic book flyers.
    2) My parents use to tell me that the only thing they would never limit me on was books. Whenever we went to the store, I got a book. Need new clothes? Ehhh... New book? DONE.
    3) Alright. I kind of have to read this now.

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  18. I read the title of this post and I thought you were talking about when people do not actually read your blog posts that you take so much time writing and only comment on the pictures! Books have a way of transforming the world, right now my audiobook ratio is way up but that still counts, right?

    xx
    Kelly
    Sparkles and Shoes

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  19. Well I'm glad we can still be friends, because I read Invisible Monsters last year and loved it. Also, when I was little and my parents wanted me to actually listen to them, they told me the book fairy would come if I was good... and she always came and left a book under my pillow. I wish she still knew where I lived.

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  20. I love, love, love TFiOS! That book changed my whole outlook on life. Also, my parents would punish me from books too. I used to disappear to my room to read every night after dinner when I was younger.

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    1. i am literally force-feeding it to everyone i know.

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  21. I was exactly like you when I was younger. Whenever I went to restaurants or out somewhere, I'd always have a pile of books with me. In fact, the bulk of my high school yearbook has sentiments like "Keep reading" from my various acquaintances. Have you read "Gone Girl" or "The Happiness Project?" Both amazing reads!

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    1. YES GONE GIRL and anything by flynn. i'm obsessed with her.

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  22. I was exactly like you when I was younger. Whenever I went to restaurants or out somewhere, I'd always have a pile of books with me. In fact, the bulk of my high school yearbook has sentiments like "Keep reading" from my various acquaintances. Have you read "Gone Girl" or "The Happiness Project?" Both amazing reads!

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  23. I PROMISE, I read. Really, I do. And when I don't, I wish I had. I used to read ANYTHING with words on it, until late high school/early college. If it was assigned reading, I lost interest. I've recently picked it back up and looking for a follow-on series semi-soon. You've definitely filled the void of a new series with "The Fault in Our Stars." I'M TOTALLY SOLD.

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  24. Newbie here, but I am adding both books to my amazon wislist and concurring with Heather's suggestion of Gone Girl. Fracking nutso book! Amazing. Also loved Silver Linings Playbook. And if you do YA/dystopian stuff, Divergent and Insurgent are fantastic. :) Adding you to my reader tonight!

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