Literature, travel and language, oh my!

Well, at the end of the day today I said that I would have my list of ten books that I would read.  I went to the local Hastings, and checked out the Classics section.  I talked to a few different people, and one rather enthusiastic employee.  I explained the project, my educational and career background, and asked for recommendations in different genres.  I fully realize that there are tens of thousands of books that I have yet to read.  For a person that spent years with her nose in a book, I will be the first to admit that there are tons of books I missed.  Perhaps because I was making snow angels and paper snowflakes as well? 

I could have spent all day in this tiny section--I couldn't make up my mind! I know I will not stop reading once this project is over, so I tried not to make this decision too difficult.  I decided to pick 5 of the books today, and return once I have read a book or two.  I will also entertain the idea of further research and suggestions from friends, colleagues, and random people.  Sometimes this is the best way to get a good read. :-)

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne

2. The Time Machine, by HG Wells

3. On the Road, by Jack Kerouac

4. The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin

5. The Hobbit, by J.R. R. Tolkien

 Let it be known that I talk to only men in this discussion (as can be noticed in the above list). Since I am noticeably female, I thought this would be a refreshing change from the norm. :-)

 I have located my passport in the sea of paperwork... It expired last year.  So, I shall send it off in the next few weeks to get it renewed.  I have no idea where I will go yet, but I know I will need a passport to do it.  I am not terribly keen on Mexico, but I don't really know where else I can go on a single mom teacher's salary.  I do have a teacher's schedule though (June and July are off!).

I have located a site that teaches basic Italian conversational phrases (and more than twenty of them!).  I figure I will start there and see if I have any success.  From what I remember in my years of language classes, practice makes perfect.  So, I will do my best to throw Italian into my daily conversation... and scare the people in the small town where I live... this should be fun! ;-)