Books, books, glorious books. Can you smell 'em? Best smell in the world. This list includes books that are not quite "of the moment" but worth including anyway, since I haven't done a book post in a while. Just thought I'd be honest.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette is one of those books that's not quite of the moment. I read it over the summer. I finished it so fast that if you blinked, you would have missed it in my hands. It was that good. The author wrote for some TV shows, including "Arrested Development" so her writing style is quite unique and refreshing. The narrative is a mixed medium type and includes emails, memos, found receipts, etc. It's a lot of fun putting the story together. Such a great read. I would suggest it to anyone and everyone, but especially mothers and/or daughters. The narrative features a strong mother/daughter bond that's quite moving. If I were in a book group that consisted of mother and/or daughter I would refuse to bake my trademark chocolate chip cookies for the meetings until this book was on the book list.
Jane Eyre has already been included in a previous "Books of the Moment" post, but I needed to include it again because it was that important to me. This book is amazing. If you read and you are a person you need to read Jane Eyre. A beautiful, significant, moving, and historically important read, put it on your list. I loved it so much I wrote my senior thesis for my English major on this novel. Wide Sargasso Sea relates to this. Inspired by Jane Eyre, and almost an accompaniment to it, Wide Sargasso Sea tells the same story, but from the perspective of Bertha Mason, the madwoman. After reading both, I cannot think of one without the other. It expands the story in an unforgettable way. Rather short, it's a quick read, but in my opinion it must be read after Jane Eyre. No exceptions.
I started Shadow of the Wind and got a good deal through it. I didn't want to bring it with me while traveling though, and so it remains unfinished. The story of a bookseller's son in Barcelona, tasked with protecting a rare book, this is a book lover's book. The novel is a love letter to books and those who love them. The story, so far, features the themes of love, growing up, and has a dark undercurrent of suspense. Since I haven't finished yet, I'm still in suspense, so that's the major theme for me at the moment--elongated suspense.
Since I didn't want to bring Shadow of the Wind with me, I was forced to start a new book on my travels, which turned out to be The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I'm almost done with this one and so far I love it. It's a murder mystery set in rural England and narrated by a young girl who has a passion for chemistry and an age-old rivalry with both her sisters. The writing in this novel is both witty, dry, and intriguingly beautiful at points.
I just received The Paris Wife as a birthday present and am very excited to get started. I've heard good things.
I just got back from my local bookstore (support your local bookstore plug: they're cozy and small and smell nice) with this haul.
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