Soon the dawn....

As a bit of a tangental rant, I have to comment that I went to get my driver's license today, and couldn't get into my appointment because my car's insurance card was two months expired and apparently the insurance company didn't mail us a new one yet. That infuriated me. However, due to the Law of Unintended Consequences, I ended up going to Book Passage instead, which is right next to the DMV. I picked up quite a few great used books to read on the trip, including:

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens - Most of my class read it sophomore year, but I missed out so I'll read it now. Perhaps I'll get more enjoyment out of it because it's not school required.

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen - Considered by the general public to be a girly book, I know. I tried reading it in 7th grade and completely lost interest, though I was able to muscle through it to the end. I'm giving it another shot, hoping that I have a more highly developed sense of literary appreciation. (As if.)

Heart of Darkness and the Secret Sharer, by Joseph Conrad - As the Heart of Darkness is about a man going into Africa to learn about himself, it's rather fitting. Except I hope I don't end up finding out I'm inherently evil while I'm on the trip.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison - Slightly fitting, as it deals with racial differences, except it is the racial differences in America. This one, however, is school required, and thus my potential to appreciate it has dropped dramatically. I may hold this one off until after I get back, since I need to do some work with it for AP Literature class next year. (God, am I already thinking about next year's school work? It's only a day into summer!)

The Art of War, by Sun-Tzu - I've wanted to read this for awhile, actually. I've started, and it's actually pretty interesting. I wish I picked up the annotated version, though, because while it's insightful, I think commentary would give it a lot more context.

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller - Another classic. I'm actually probably going to end up reading this for school, but it looks really interesting so I bought it and plan to read it.

The Three Muskateers, by Alexandre Dumas - I've read this already, but it was a long time ago and I feel like reading it again.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare - I couldn't resist grabbing this, as it's a steal at $8. On the downside, the glossary is in the back and not next to the reading, and the copy is about half a century old. There's no way I'm carrying this on the trip, but I may either donate it to CTE or keep it at my house to taste like a really, really good chocolate bar: a little tantalizing taste at time, so it will last a long time.

Another cool thing is that once I read this, I may be able to give them away as gifts. Also, I received my visa and passport a few days ago, thankfully. All will be well.