SheReads looks at the reading lists of cool chicks. If you want to be featured, send an email to uptown.literati@gmail.com.Christina's favorites...
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
“Give me anything in this whole fu*king world that is exactly what it looks like. Flash.” Chuck Palahniuk is one of my all time favorite authors; I am strangely attracted to dark comedies where nothing is as it seems at first glance and nothing is as it should be. Invisible Monsters definitely fits this description. This freak show features a horribly disfigured fashion model, a transsexual who is one operation away from becoming a “real woman” and a two-faced pedophile police officer. Together, they embark on a road trip through the U.S. …let the fun begin!"
- Delaying the Real World: A Twentysomething’s Guide to Seeking Adventure by Colleen Kinder
"I have to hide this book on my bookshelf because otherwise I end up flipping through the pages and daydreaming of adventures in faraway places, rather than doing anything I am actually supposed to be doing. Consisting of practical advice, organization and program resources and inspirational stories from others, it’s the perfect book to read if you just graduated from college, are not going straight on to a professional job or grad school and everybody in your life is asking 'So, what are you doing now?'"
Less than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
"'I want to see the worst.' If you thought Catcher in the Rye was depressing, then you must have never read Less Than Zero. The novel follows Clay, the young protagonist, as he returns home from college to L.A. for the winter holidays. All his rich and spoiled friends and former classmates are on drugs, having lots of risky sex and generally up to no good. As the days drag on, Clay is faced with several decisions about getting back together with his girlfriend, rekindling old friendships and continuing his education. Even though I am not as wealthy as Clay and his friends, I experienced many similar thoughts, feelings and situations upon returning home from school."
..and her current reads:
- Secrets of the Model Dorm by Amanda Kerlin and Phil Oh
"Drama, drama, drama! Basically, this book is America’s Next Top Model in literary form. I am more than slightly embarrassed to be listing this book as one of my current reads, but it is a welcome escape from the monotony that has become my life as of late."
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac
"Okay, so I admit it… I lost this book in the midst of cleaning my room. I started reading it when I began planning my escape to London. I loved the endless adventure that the group of friends experienced and it made me long for simpler times (before I was born) when our country (and the world, for that matter) seemed like a less dangerous place."
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
"Being a huge Vonnegut fan, it may seem odd that I have not read this particular book yet, but I was too lazy to request it at the library (their copy was always checked out) and too broke to pay more than a few dollars for it. Finally, I had a bit of luck finding it at Half Price Books."
Christina is a twenty-something grad school hopeful (she wants to study public health and psychology) who obsesses over her growing hair, daydreaming about far-off places, rediscovering her sewing machine and pomegranates. She can be found at Last.fm.
Who: African-American novelist Colson Whitehead
