Trying to be an Italian Scholar

Not the language, but the country.

Since i am going to italy this summer, i might as well do some research on it. and since my publishing house is starting a literary competition (which i encourage you to participate, ask me for info), i think i might as well participate and if i were to have any chance in it, i need to write something good. this is pretty much the reason why my coffee table is covered in library books on italy.

Here is the list of books i will read before my trip:

A Year in Provence (Provence is in France btw)
Toujours Provence
Romeo and Juliet (some part of it is related to Verona)
A Thousand Days in Venice
Hotel Pastis
A Good Year
That Fine Italian Hand
Italian Neighbors
Eat, Pray, Love
Italian Wine for Dummies

So instead of schoolwork, this is what i will be doing for the remaining days at school. I think one of the dilemma of a writer is to decide how to balance the time between reading and writing. For me, i like to do both, and i never have enough time for either. my philosophy is that the more books you read, the better your next writing is going to be, so you will never regret wasting your time if you spend it on either. But when you suddenly come to some atypical enlightenment, you MUST abandon whatever you are doing, say nail-polishing or candle-light dinner with your boyfriend, and write. it is because of these occasional moments of brilliance that i missed many fun parties. but i will never regret.

btw, join this group called Experimental Literature on facebook by James Mak. this kid has a creative mind, for good or bad, you can be the judge.


But other than this, spring has finally decided to arrive. The pink trees (cherry blossoms?) outside the library is blooming and makes me just about as happy as i can possibly get. When the weather is nice in Ithaca, the whole world is completely different. everything is perfect, maybe except for your grades because people tend to skip class. i have not been to my tues and thurs classes ever since golf season started. and as you can probably tell, i am lazy in terms of updating this blog too. so the good weather does have its downside...

For the nerds:



I have a soft spot for interesting titles and cover designs; that is pretty much the only criteria i use to judge a book.

i am usually not a big fan of essays, but this one is good because all these stories are good by themselves and each of them tells you a little bit about David Sedaris, a very interesting man, such that you eventually acquire a somewhat complete understanding of his from various angles.

my favorite thing about this book is that every essay ends beautifully--it always have some sort of revelation or some witty references that will make you laugh and, at the same time, inspire genuine respect for Sedaris as a writer and human being.