having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card.

one of my best friends asked me yesterday for some book recommendations and it got me thinking about some of what i've read over the last year. reading for pleasure is a past-time i hadn't been able to indulge in since middle school really, so when i graduated college last year, it took me a little while to jump back on the train.

"summer reading" used to mean going to the library every other day, entering contests to win bookstore gift certificates by reading more pages than all the other sixth graders in town. then it meant enforced literary exploration - thick novels piled on my desk until sometime in mid-august when i thought i should probably get going because i had essays to write. nowadays, it means comfort on my commute and less boring train rides to and from upstate.

in celebration of that, here are some of the best books i've read for pleasure post-graduation.

•  i was told there'd be cake and how did you get this number (sloane crosley)
• look at the birdie and while mortals sleep (kurt vonnegut)
• the amazing adventures of kavalier & clay (michael chabon)
• bossypants (tina fey)
• the girl with the dragon tattoo, et al. (stieg larsson)
• water for elephants (sara gruen)
• an object of beauty (steve martin)
• the brief, wonderous life of oscar wao (junot diaz)
• extremely loud and incredibly close (johnathan safran foer)

it is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it. - oscar wilde