A List is Born

I've just experienced a minor crisis. I have used the last of my Bounce dryer sheets and will be forced to use a generic substitute for the remainder of the day. In an effort to further my blog, I am resisting the urge to make an immediate trip to Target in search of a synthetic summer scent, which will give my clothes the perfect mix of freshness and softness.

I suppose I'll begin my first true entry with spring 2010, television Finale season, the time in which the "Summer Reading List" was composed. Now, during network television season, I am an avid follower of:

1. LOST
2. FlashForward
3. House
4. Law and Order: SVU
5. Grey's Anatomy
6. Private Practice
7. American Idol
8. Dancing with the Stars
9. Many, many syndicated programs on cable.

I have to admit, it was difficult for me to fess up to "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars"- specifically because this is the first season I've watched either of them and until now, had taken pride in my aversion to reality-TV. But, in the spirit of blog honesty, I came clean. (Applause!) Hello, my name is Amy, and I watch bad TV.

In brief recap: LOST has come to a close and "FlashForward" has been canceled. Though, I have it on good authority that the folks over at the Facebook "SAVE FLASHFORWARD" page have arranged to send 20,000 friendship bracelets to the head of programming at ABC, in an act of willful defiance...
*"House" was somewhat subdued this season and ended on a very subdued note.
*"Law and Order: SVU" is hard to really look at from a season-to-season standpoint, because every episode opens and closes an entire mystery- that being said, it was decent season, filled with an apt amount of surprise and horror.
*"Grey's Anatomy" was rather dull this season, but the finale... Wow! Unrealistic, but fantastic! Bravo!
*I'm not speaking to "Private Practice" right now. They killed off Dell. I have nothing to say to them.
*Someone won both "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars" one was more surprising that the other. Neither too surprising at all.

So, there I was. The season had ended. My all-time favorite show, LOST, had ended. I felt oddly, alone. Given that I had just completed a multi-state move and had to start my life over from scratch (and the unpacking... oh, the unpacking!)... reading hadn't been high on my priority list. After much deliberation, I decided that, in the interest of filling hours- I'd simply look into catching up on a few shows and books that had been recommended to me.

At first, I started with Netflix, where I quickly came up with a handful of TV shows and movies. Then I moved on to amazon.com, where I tracked down a few interesting books. And that was that.

It wasn't until a few days later, when my son requested more "Magic Tree House" books, that I found myself inside a large Borders store in Omaha. It was at this Borders bookstore that I stumbled into a True Crime section, which peaked my curiosity (and prompted the purchase of a few frivolous books) and passed by a "Staff Recommends!" shelf. On that shelf were copies of "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and "The Stand" by Stephen King. Both of which, I am intimately familiar with. You see, "The Kite Runner" has the distinct honor of being named my number-1 favorite book of all time. And "The Stand", well, it's a guilty pleasure I suppose. I've never been a huge fan of Stephen King, but every once in a while his style just sort of "clicks" with me. I made a mental note to reread "The Kite runner, threw "The Stand" in my basket and left the store with $42 worth of new literature and a "Magic Tree House" book for my son.

Later that evening, as I poured over the new books I'd bought I began thinking about other books that I'd read and loved or had started and never finished. By midnight, my thoughts had overwhelmed me, and the list was born. At this point, it's grown to such epic proportions, it's almost comical.

But, comical or not, I am excited about reading again. I am excited about the amazing television and film that surrounds me. I am excited about learning... And so I begin...