13 Books to Read this Spring

Finally finished my fall reading list (I know, I know, it's February), so I figured it's high time to start a new list! This one is just as random as before... a nice mix of classical literature and fantasy and fairy tales and even a memoir thrown in there just for kicks and giggles.

This list is a bit deceiving, since lots of the "books" are actually series, and therefore have more than one book. I think the total amount of books I'm planning to read here is actually 38. Not to scare you off, or anything.

In no particular order:

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
This is a re-read for me, but I found a few at a used book store a few weeks ago, in pretty great condition. So of course I couldn't resist buying them, and then I started reading them again and now I can't stop. If you like the world of wizards and magic... this is where it's at.

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Also a re-read. Ever since stumbling upon the Lizzie Bennett diaries and watching the BBC Pride & Prejudice with Sara (speaking of which, Sara, it's time to watch that again....), I've been meaning to re-read the book. There's something about the language of the novel that I love. Almost makes me wish I had been born in another time, another place.

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon
Found this book on a list that I stumbled across on Pinterest. Don't remember which list or what the theme was or anything, but I remember thinking that it looked interesting. I'm always up for a good murder mystery. Serial killers are a fascinating psychological study.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
This one was on a list of "books for young women to read in their 20s" and since that applies to me, I thought I'd check it out. It certainly seemed one of the more interesting ones. The first thing Amazon says about it: "Isabelle, Mary and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married." Sooo, yup.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
First of all, the author has a really cool name. So obviously it must be worth reading. Secondly, this is one of those series that everyone I know read in like 5th grade, but for some reason I always thought I wouldn't be allowed to read them. Not sure why, because I look at them now, and think, "There's no way they can be that bad." So I'm going to find out.

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
Mary Poppins has always been one of my favorite movies, but I've never read the books. With all the hype about Mary Poppins (the Fulton just did the musical, and 'Saving Mr. Banks' might still be in theaters, I'm not really sure), I figured it was definitely time to sit down and read the books, to see how they differed from the movie and the musical. I still haven't seen 'Saving Mr. Banks.' I need to get on that.

The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by Martin Sixsmith
This is the book that 'Philomena' is based on, and it's a NY Times best-seller, so I'm going to give it a shot. Non-fiction isn't necessarily my thing, but I can enjoy and appreciate a memoir. Maybe because it tells more like a story. This one is about a woman's 50-year search for her son.

Little Women by Louise May Alcott
I think I first read the Great Illustrated Classics version of this book when I was in elementary school, but I'm not sure I ever read the unabridged version. But I love the story of the March sisters. In some ways, they remind me of my sisters and me. They had so many fun adventures, I somehow wish I could have been a part of them.

Maze Runner by James Dashner
I heard this is being made into a movie. I think I found it in a list somewhere before it was supposed to be made into a movie. Which means I'm not really jumping on the bandwagon, right? In all seriousness, though, it seems right up my alley: a dystopian society, the main character dropped in with no memory of his former life, a giant maze with creatures that are trying to kill all the kids.... sounds awesome.

Princess Bride by William Goldman
I muddled through this book once a long time ago, but don't really remember what I thought about it. Since it's my favorite movie, I'm determined to love the book. And really, there is something in this for everyone: pirates, sword fighting, true love, adventure, and comedy.

Once Upon a Curse 
This is a collection of short stories that I found in one of those websites that let's you put in an author/title and find similar books that might interest you. Although, I'm not entirely certain this particular book is what the results were referring to, but when I looked it up, it piqued my interest, so here it is. I'm always up for a good fairy-tale-with-a-darker-twist.

Faraway Tree Stories by Enid Blyton
HERE'S THE THING. I have been looking for this book since I was about eight years old. I have this memory of reading this book at my neighbor's house, and thinking it was the best book ever. Then they moved away, and I guess the book got lost somehow, because they never seemed to know what book I was talking about when I'd ask them. But I always remembered being absolutely in love with the book because it was about an enchanted forest and exciting adventures in a tree house type thing. I can't believe I stumbled across this. I'm so excited.

Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton
I think it was Star who first introduced me to HONY on Facebook, and I quickly fell in love with his photographs. They're so real and he manages to connect so beautifully to the people and their stories. I want to move to NYC just so I can be a part of it.

11 Reasons why Mary Poppins is one of the greatest movies of all time

1. Julie Andrews. Practically perfect in every way. She could be all eleven reasons why, and this list would still be completely valid. Andrews accepted the role of Mary Poppins after she was passed over for the movie role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (in favor of Audrey Hepburn). She went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mary Poppins AND beat Hepburn out for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Let's be real. This movie would not truly be Mary Poppins if it wasn't for Julie Andrews.

2. Nannies go flying. Like witches, except not. I always thought this scene was hilarious, because they just all go flying up in the air. Some of them are even grasping at the fence posts, trying to stay on the ground. And then the maid opens the door to tell them all to go home, and the street is just completely empty.

3. Mary Poppins blows in on the wind. I can't tell you how badly I want to be able to fly on the wind with an umbrella. Every time there's a big wind storm at Cherry Crest, I'm tempted to jump off the bridge with one of the big Pepsi umbrellas, because I'm pretty sure I'll go flying through the air like a proper British nanny. So if you ever see someone doing that, it's probably me.

4. That infamous tea party scene. I've always been fascinated by it. As a kid, I KNEW it was movie magic, but I could never figure out exactly how they did it. I think that was part of the charm, that I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I won't spoil anything for anyone, but I did some research, so if you're curious, here's a great video that explains some of the magic.

5. "I Love to Laugh." While I'm on that scene.... I just can't deal. Bert does all those different laughs, and they're so accurate, it's hysterical! Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are both amazing on their own terms, but the two of them together are almost too much brilliance to handle. Their back-and-forth banter is wonderful.

6. 13 Oscar nominations, 5 wins at the 37th Annual Academy Awards. Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Original Song ("Chim Chim Cher-ee"), Best Substantially Original Score, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. That's the most of any Disney movie, ever. Boom, y'all.

7. Nursery clean-up was never so much fun. Even though I can't actually clean up a room by magic, I just pretend that I can. It makes it go much faster.

8. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Does anything else need to be said about this awesome word and accompanying song? Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, if you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious. It even sounds awesome backwards (around 1:52).

9. Dick Van Dyke. Not only does he lead the way as the delightful chimney sweep and jack-of-all-trades, Bert, but he also stars as the elderly bank owner, Mr. Dawes, Sr. He is so utterly convincing that I genuinely forget that he's the one who plays the old man, every single time. Also, his tap dancing is superb. I mean, I don't know that much about dancing, but it looks pretty awesome to me.

10. The chalk drawings. When they melt, it's sad and beautiful and haunting, all at the same time.

11. The family dynamics and lessons learned. It may be cliche, but the story as a whole is quite touching, with the change that George Banks goes through. At the beginning, he's a strict and regimented workaholic father, who doesn't pay any mind to his children. By the end, Mary Poppins has taught him that "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is the word to say when you don't know what to say and that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and he goes off to fly a kite with his kids and his wife. I love a happy ending. *tears*

And a bonus reason: 
I'm sitting here watching the movie, and listening to Julie Andrews "Stay awake" is having the same effect on me as it is having on Jane and Michael.... I'm falling asleep just lying here.

One of the timeless movie classics from the end of the Golden Age of movie musicals, Mary Poppins is worth watching at any time, by anyone. And for those of you who now have a strong desire to watch the movie right away, you can stream it here. You're welcome.