Read!

Everything you absorb that affects you in some way becomes an influence in your life, creative and otherwise. Reading is a great way to absorb things, to experience aspects of humanity, science, art, nature, emotions—it's endless.

Austin Kleon, the author of Steal Like An Artist (which I'm currently reading), suggests that we should always be reading. I agree with him, but I'm afraid I fall short of this; I love to read, but I go in and out of reading phases. I have read many different kinds of books, and I get in moods to read both fiction and nonfiction; sometimes I don't feel like reading anything at all. My time is so very limited while I'm in school that I don't know when I would read for pleasure!

I do have some favorite authors and topics, but I also enjoy finding a book I've never heard of that just looks interesting, so I'll buy it or check it out from the library. Sometimes I really get lucky! I've found some of my favorite books this way. One such book is Wesley the Owl. I saw it in a book store, read the back, thumbed through it a little, and decided I had to have it. It is one of the most amazing books I've ever read. I've read it several times now. I've even finished a book only to turn right around and reread it! I did that with the book Alive, the true story of the Chilean soccer team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains—a true survival story. I got a bit obsessed with it, actually.

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So today I went to the Champaign Public Library and found a slew of books that interest me. Each one interests me for a different reason. This is the stack of books I checked out. I've also listed my reasons for selecting each of these books.

A Thousand Morons, by Quim Monzó (Book of short stories, and I'm very interested in short stories)

Girl in Translation, by Jean Kwok (Great reviews, and the topic interests me)

Pet Sematary, by Stephen King (A book that was recommended to me by a friend, plus I like S.K.)

Choke, by Chuck Palahnuik (by the author of Fight Club, which I haven't read but love the movie)

Making Rounds With Oscar, by David Dosa, M.D. (Extremely intriguing subject to me)

Sad Stories of the Death of Kings, by Barry Gifford (I'm a Barry Gifford fan)

Other Voices, Other Rooms, by Truman Capote (A classic I've always wanted to read)

The Parrot Who Thought She Was a Dog, by Nancy Ellis-Bell (Looks hilarious and educational)

The Daily Coyote, by Shreve Stockton (Animal lover that I am, the cover drew me in)

When I Grow Up: A Memoir, by Juliana Hatfield (I love Hatfield's music and want to learn about her)

Paul McCartney: A Life, by Peter Ames (Never read a McCartney biography and it's about time)

I'll do my best to read at least one or two, hopefully more, of these (renewing them if need be). The first book I think I want to read is Making Rounds with Oscar.

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Kleon has a list of recommended reading (p. 45), and I looked most of the books up on Amazon to "look inside" when possible and also read some reviews. I decided to obtain a copy of Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott. Amazon had a super-cheap used copy, so it should be on its way. I think it looks like an excellent book that will help me with my creativity in graphic design and also writing, which is the book's focus. I wrote my first short story a couple of years ago, and I really enjoyed the process. I'm also pretty happy with how it turned out; the final version is about 180 degrees from where I started, and I had a lot of mentors along the way. 

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John Waters is quoted as saying, "Nothing is more important than an unread library. There are many books I want to read and haven't yet. Here are ten books from my unread library (I have a couple of these, but I haven't read any of them yet):