Home-Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (this song is the opener and closer of “Stuck in Love,” one of my all-time favorite feel-good movies)

Higher-Lea Salonga from “Allegiance” (wonderful show on Broadway starring Salonga, George Takei, and Telly Leung. I believe it’s closing in February, so go and see it soon if you can!)

Butterfly Fly Away-Miley Cyrus from “The Hannah Montana Movie”

Run the World (Girls)-Beyonce

I Love Paris-Frank Sinatra (obviously)

Turbulence-Steve Aoki and Laidback Luke ft. Lil Jon (they play this at every UMD basketball game!)

Feels Good at First-Train (an oldie but a goodie)

Two Lanes of Freedom-Tim McGraw

oh john green, how i love you.

http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/stop-patronising-young-people-and-start-listening

thank you to everyone who made my birthday and these past 21 years an amazing journey and experience. nothing could be better than going to the MVA on the morning of your 21st birthday to get your horizontal license (typically this would be sarcastic, but the lady helping me was really so sweet!), seeing an incredible movie that still has you reeling as you attempt to wrap your brain around it, catching up on gossip with some great people as you make your first trip to the liquor store, having a delicious dinner with the family that ended up being 50% off because it was your birthday, finding out that you were highlighted as one of DC Metro Theater Arts’ top performances of 2015 in your role as Skyler in Good Kids at Maryland, receiving an email from your English professor encouraging you to submit your NPO grant proposal for a writing contest, and, quite simply, being surrounded and supported by the best people anyone could ever ask for–if not in person on the actual day, then in spirit, via every lovely text, email, and Facebook wall post; and on every single other day. So grateful for everything that’s happened so far, and so excited for the years to come.

This blog is almost entirely dedicated to books, with a few other posts thrown in here and there (edit: I realize now that it’s only been that way recently. But I digress). Since I posted my 2015 year in review/recommended reading list last week, I thought it would be interesting to go over what’s currently on my reading list for the next year–there will, undoubtedly, be books added to the list that I’ll discover over the next 365 days too. But for now, here are some books that I’ve had in my possession that I’ve been meaning to read:

Madam Secretary (2003) by Madeleine Albright: former Secretary of State Albright’s story fascinates me, and I had the honor of hearing her speak at West Point back in November at the Student Conference on U.S. Affairs. She is truly a force of nature, and when I saw her memoir on Better World Books for cheap, I couldn’t resist adding it to my cart. It is a hefty book though (aka not very portable to bring around in my bag for some light reading here and there), so at some point I’ll need some time to sit down and really focus my attention on her writing.

A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity (2014) by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn: more or less a sequel to Half the Sky, one of my top books that I read in 2015. My Gemstone team Secret Santa gave this to me (thanks, Elf!), and I’m very excited to read it.

Lunch in Paris (2010) by Elizabeth Bard: I mean, the title says it all.

The Woman at the Washington Zoo (2005) by Marjorie Williams: a collection of essays and profiles written by one of the most famous DC writers for The Washington Post, Slate, and Vanity Fair. Excerpt from the inside flap: “Her accounts…open a window on a seldom-glimpsed human reality behind Washington’s determinedly blank façade.” I picked this book up at the Strand Bookstore last August for only $2, so naturally I couldn’t leave it behind.

The Most Good You Can Do (2015) by Peter Singer: I attended his talk at GWU in November, and was really impressed at his arguments for why we should donate to charity, and how to maximize the good our money can do. This book came free with a VIP ticket to the event (which only cost $20 anyways).

Ruffian: Burning from the Start (1991) by Jane Schwartz: a story about a great racehorse whose life ended far too soon. This has been in my “to read” pile for years now; unfortunately I just haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. Pretty sure I bought this at the Potomac Library monthly book sale a few years ago for just $2.

The Roberts Court: The Struggle for the Constitution (2013) by Marcia Coyle: one of two books I bought because I thought they were required for my Supreme Court class; turns out they were just recommended. However, I am interested in reading a more in-depth analysis of the Roberts Court and seeing what Coyle thinks of the current Court.

The Book Thief (2005) by Markus Zusak: I’m a terrible person, because one of my best friends Emma gave this to me a couple years ago (it’s her favorite book) and I still haven’t read it yet! I think I got to maybe page 5 several months ago, and then never picked it back up again. But it’ll be read soon. I promise.

Some other books that are on my Amazon wishlist that I may be purchasing and reading in the near future, as well:

Girls Who Travel (2015) by Nicole Trilivas

Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song (2015) by Sara Bareilles

Good Morning, Mr. Mandela (2014) by Zelda la Grange (note: I went to this book event at Politics & Prose in Summer 2014, and I checked it out from the UMD library and got about 20-30 pages in, but wasn’t able to finish it before I had to return it)

milk and honey (2014) by rupi kaur

Ever Yours: The Essential Letters (2014) by Vincent van Gogh

Every year I like to have a manifesto of sorts, inspired by Cupcakes and Cashmere’s post back in 2013–no, my manifesto is not of the communist variety. It’s more about words to live by. Mindsets to go through the year with. 2016 will be my fourth manifesto, and though over the past years my manifestos haven’t changed drastically, there are still important changes that I want to note. Below are my 2013 and 2016 manifestos, which I’m going to compare and share what I changed.

2013 manifesto:

2016 manifesto:

Same:

-stay true to yourself

-spend time with those who make you a better person

-cherish each moment

-don’t forget to dream

Changed:

Take chances and grab opportunities: I combined take chances, live bolder and take full advantage of life’s opportunities for this one, just because I thought they were too similar to be kept separate. This is one of my biggest “things,” I guess you could call them. I am such a huge advocate for taking chances and opportunities, because this world has so much to offer you if only you reach out and grab it. Life has a funny way of surprising you, so try stepping out of your comfort zone a little: you may find it extremely rewarding (my study abroad experiences in Ethiopia, my time at SCUSA at West Point, and my current relationship–yes, yes, cue the cheesiness–spring to mind). If I hadn’t just gone with my gut and said, “why the hell not?” to a lot of the opportunities I’ve had this past year, I would have missed out on so much.

It’s okay to feel sad sometimes: Because I took on so many opportunities, I tended to be in new, unfamiliar territory, away from family and friends, relatively often. I was desperately homesick for the first couple days in Ethiopia, and I felt a little pang of it in the middle of my time at West Point as well. It’s also a little terrifying to think that I’ll be away from Maryland for an entire semester in the spring–I’m scared about all the things I’m going to miss, how much I’m going to grow and my friends and family are going to grow while we’re apart, and how I’m going to adjust to a whole new school, country, and lifestyle. But so many people have done these sorts of things before me, so I’m really not alone. And Ethiopia and SCUSA were so, so worth it. I know that whatever path life takes me down, it’ll all be fine in the end. So yes, it’s scary, but it’s worthwhile–the light at the end of the tunnel is there.

There is no single path to happiness: this is something that I picked up during my time in college–I think I originally found it on Pinterest or Tumblr or something. I feel like there are so many social and academic pressures in college, from other students, from professors, from your friends and family, from working professionals, etc., especially in careers where the path seems very clear-cut, like pre-med, pre-law, pre-anything. Sometimes I’d hear others talk about all of their past accomplishments and future plans and I’d panic a bit–why didn’t I do that in high school? Why aren’t I planning to go to a prestigious graduate school right after undergrad? Why don’t my plans seem as glamorous or as life-changing as others’?

And then I remember that one person’s concept of happiness doesn’t necessarily reflect another’s–that is, just because someone else is passionate about medicine and wants to become a neurosurgeon and save hundreds of lives, doesn’t mean that that is the path I should follow too. It’s okay that I seem to have smaller plans and goals. It’s okay if I don’t make a six-figure salary right out of the gate, or even five years after graduation. It’s okay if my job doesn’t allow me to jet-set all around the world, staying in the fanciest hotels and meeting the most important people. As long as I’m doing something that I’m passionate about, that I excel at, and that is fulfilling and worthwhile, then I think I’ll be doing alright. You are the judge of your own happiness. 

Also–and this goes back to “life may surprise you”–sometimes your Plan A doesn’t work out. So you have to switch to your backup plan, or your backup-backup plan, or maybe you throw all your plans out with the bathwater and start new–it’s fine. It’s not the end of the world. Steve Jobs dropped out of college and was broke for who knows how long before he became hugely successful. There are so many ways to reach that end-goal of happiness. And sometimes it’s not always the most clear-cut path. Embrace the unknown, even if it scares you.

Never stop learning, from anyone and anywhere: anyone can teach you a lesson. Even if you’re not in a classroom, you can still learn. Always be open to new ideas and opinions. Engage in civil, thoughtful debates with people whose views differ from yours–usually, you learn more from these discussions than you do with people whose views so closely align with yours, you might as well be speaking in an echo chamber.

Perspective.: (taken from be thankful, stay strong) often enough, your current problems aren’t really as bad as you think they are. Sometimes when I’m agonizing over a research paper or a presentation, I remind myself that if I look back on this moment in a few months, I’ll probably think it wasn’t that bad after all. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that I am so lucky to be going to college and living in one of the richest areas in the country, in one of the most developed countries in the world (even though, yes, the U.S. is certainly not without its problems. Far from it). We get so caught up with the daily grind that we forget that we are so very lucky to have all that we have. And sometimes it’s good to remember that.

Removed:

I took out acknowledge your faults and grow beyond them just because it didn’t really seem to be a guiding mindset for me–yes, I have my flaws, and I am aware of them, and I am working on them. And that’s about all I have to say about this one. Which is why I took it out.

I also took out “you can never be overdressed or overeducated,” a quote by Oscar Wilde, just because I used to dress a lot fancier than I do now, so the quote doesn’t really apply to me anymore. I’ve grown to prioritize comfort over style, though of course I always try to combine both when I can. But man, are my sneakers comfortable.

I hope you all have a happy New Year’s, and a wonderful 2016.

As 2015 draws to a close and I frantically attempt to finish several books before I have to return them to the library, I want to take a moment to reflect on what I’ve read this past year and which books I would recommend to others. In no particular order (well actually, they’re in reverse chronological order from when I read them), here are my top nine. I’ve also included a quote from each book to give you a taste of what each is about, since my brief blurb/review will probably not suffice.

1. Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family (2015) by Anne-Marie Slaughter: a fantastic book following her explosively popular article for The Atlantic, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” (spoiler: it’s true, and men can’t have it all either), discussing and providing evidence to support her thesis that it’s impossible to have a totally fulfilled work life as well a totally fulfilled home life, but there are steps to maximizing both (hint: it suggests changing the system, instead of working within America’s flawed, pre-existing system). Though some might say that this book contradicts Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In (published in 2013), I would argue that this book elaborates on what Sandberg began to discuss in her book. 

Quote from the book: “If we value human capital as a society, we should value the array of jobs involved in caring for and educating young children–from birth to age eight–every bit as much as we value money managers or computer scientists. We should be looking for people of intelligence, creativity, education, and experience who see their jobs as cultivating the neural development, discipline, character, independence, curiosity, and creativity in children that will determine their life chances. They are, quite literally, growing the next generation of citizens…” (106). 

2. Notorious RBG (2015) by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik: a brilliant book about my favorite SCOTUS justice. Shines a light on Justice Ginsburg’s early life, career path, and some of her important cases along the way. Also, after reading this book I have such a profound appreciation for Marty Ginsburg, her husband. He was really admirable.

Justice Ginsburg, quote from the book: “Generally, change in our society is incremental, I think. Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time” (60).

3. Half the Sky (2008) by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn: a good read on international development (this one, specifically, about gender inequality and the different ways in which the issue manifests around the world) by the only couple to have ever won the Pulitzer Prize together (side note: Kristof writes a regular column for The New York Times and I love it. Check out some of his articles if you have the chance). I love these kinds of books because they provide snapshots of a lot of big, serious problems happening around the world, and at the end they offer ways for you to help. This was the University of Maryland’s First Year Book a few years ago.

Quotes from the book (sorry, this book was just so good that I couldn’t limit myself to just one quote): “It appears that more girls have been killed in the last 50 years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the battles of the twentieth century” (xvii).

“Conservatives battle forced abortions in China, and liberals fight passionately for abortion rights in foreign lands. But meeting the challenge of women dying in childbirth has never had much of a constituency…. The equivalent of five jumbo jets’ worth of women die in labor each day” (98).

“Young people often ask us how they can help address issues like sex trafficking or international poverty. Our first recommendation to them is to get out and see the world. If you can’t do that, it’s great to raise money or attention at home. But to tackle an issue effectively, you need to understand it–and it’s impossible to understand an issue by simply reading about it. You need to see it firsthand, even live in its midst. One of the great failings of the American education system…is that young people can graduate from university without any understanding of poverty at home or abroad…. We believe that universities should make it a requirement that all graduates spend at least some time in the developing world, either by taking a ‘gap year’ or by studying abroad” (88).

4. The Barefoot Lawyer (2015) by Chen Guangcheng: a memoir written by a blind Chinese human rights activist that exposes the appalling, blatant human rights violations occurring in China. 

Quote from the book (I didn’t save any quotes from the book, so I’m just going to put an excerpt I found on Goodreads): It was like a scene out of a thriller: one morning in April 2012, China’s most famous political activist—a blind, self-taught lawyer—climbed over the wall of his heavily guarded home and escaped. Days later, he turned up at the American embassy in Beijing, and only a furious round of high-level negotiations made it possible for him to leave China and begin a new life in the United States.

5. The Opposite of Loneliness (2014) by Marina Keegan: a beautifully-written collection of short stories by a 2012 Yale graduate, who tragically died in a car accident shortly after her college graduation. This is the kind of book that I keep close to my bed, nestled among all the other books I consider the equivalent of security blankets, so I can grab it and read a passage from it just before I fall asleep.  

Quote from the book: “The notion that it’s too late to do anything is comical. It’s hilarious. We’re graduating from college. We’re so young. We can’t, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.”

6. Mere Christianity (1952) by C.S. Lewis: yep, most of my recommended books have been from the 21st century…until now. This was recommended to me by a few people, and I finally got around to picking it up from the library and giving it a try. It’s a good read on Lewis’s take on Christianity–there are some parts I disagree with, but some parts I really like. I don’t know what it would be like to read this as a religious person, seeing as I am not one, but it’s actually a very good book for someone who’s not religious.

Quote from the book: “God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go either wrong or right…. If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, although it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having” (53).

7. Chosen by a Horse (2006) by Susan Richards: a lovely memoir about the healing power of horses, with a heart-wrenching twist at the end. It sounds cheesy, but it’s so well-written!

Quote from the book (it was hard to find one that didn’t spoil the book): “The more time I spent with her, the sadder I sometimes felt, but I didn’t pull back. I just felt sad. Animals live in the moment, and that’s what I tried to do that summer…. In a way I felt more alive, filled with the smells of summer: the sweet new hay in the hayloft, the woodsy smell of cedar chips, the heady perfume of the wild roses growing along the stone wall near the barn, and Lay Me Down’s peppermint breath” (148).

8. Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography (2011) by Rob Lowe: because I am a huge West Wing fan and Sam Seaborn was one of my favorites, and if you listen to the audiobook version of this, you will fall in love with Rob Lowe even if some people say he’s a jerk in real life (oh well). He writes beautifully about theatre. He also throws in a bunch of movie/pop culture/famous people references which some people call name-dropping, I call really awesome. 

Quote from the book: “I was still flush with excitement, giddy as we walked through the lobby afterward… They had no way of knowing how deeply affected I’d been, how electrified I was I’d been by the age-old connection of actors, material, and audience. The control, the power the actors seemed to possess while illuminated in their spotlights. And when they reached out to the people in the seats, they were heard, they were understood. And the alchemy of the theatre experience transported all bystanders out of the various pressures of their daily lives. Next time I would be up there. That was a club I wanted to belong to” (Chapter 3). 

9. Bossypants (2011) by Tina Fey: Tina Fey is hilarious. Enough said. Please listen to the audiobook version of this, because it will cause you to fall out of your seat laughing hysterically. Multiple times. I don’t take any responsibility for any injuries incurred while listening to the audiobook. Or reading the book. 

Quote from the book: “To say I am an overrated troll, when you have never seen me guard a bridge, is patently unfair. I’ll leave it for others to say if I’m the best, but I am certainly one of the most dedicated trolls guarding bridges today. I always ask three questions, and at least two of them are riddles.”