At UCLA you will do a lot of reading.  Whether you are an English Major or an Engineer taking your General Education Writing 2 Class, you can expect to read at UCLA.  To some this may sound like a dream come true, to others this may be a nightmare!  No matter your response, at UCLA you will be exposed to a wide variety of genres and authors.  We have classes on Detective Literature, Dystopian books (did you know “Fahrenheit 451″ was written in the basement of Powell?), and all of the classics!  You can even take a class about Harry Potter (in Latin)!  If reading really isn’t your thing, there are always tutors and TAs just waiting to help you and walk you through the process.

LA is an incredible city of books!  This past weekend was the LA Times Festival of Books at USC, the library in downtown is incredible, Ray Bradbury wrote his dystopian masterpiece in Powell, and….my new favorite…”The Last Bookstore” in downtown LA.

I know what you are thinking: “How can that be the last bookstore? What about Barnes and Noble?”  You’re on the right track.  While this may not actually be the last bookstore, it is an fantastic place!  Mondays they have an open mic night, upstairs they have thousands and thousands of books for only $1, and there are some really artistic book displays (including a tunnel of books).  I went with a group of friends (both North and South Campus majors) and we spent hours wandering around!  I ended up getting four books for under $10 and (if given the time/money) I would have gotten more.

The diversity of LA is one of it’s strongest attributes.  UCLA is on the Westside where we have Santa Monica and Brentwood, but just down the freeway is downtown and an entirely different culture!  I fully intend on going back to The Last Bookstore followed by an excursion to some of the cafes in downtown.  On my last visit we went to Syrup Desserts and got some great waffles!

Read on, fellow bookworms!

Hannah