The Need to Read

In the last 6 months I have reacquired my need to read. When I was a kid my mom used to sneak into my room to catch me reading late which she always said was a hard thing to punish. My dad would complain about the Waldenbooks purchases and my mom would tell him she couldn't get me books fast enough. He said to take me to the library. This is a great idea, but I had read almost all the books in my age range at the neighborhood library. I would search the shelves for a new young adult fiction book. Sometime between junior high and high school this need to read evaporated. Well, it is back with a vengeance. The problem is I have a difficulty putting a book down once I am hooked.

My current recommendations:

On Beauty by Zadie Smith
If you liked Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections you will enjoy this novel looks at academia through the feuding Kipps and Belsey family. Full of flawed characters you will love to hate.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
For years I have said I don't like science fiction. When this was selected for my book club I was a little hesitant, but wow is it amazing. A story of an expedition led by a Jesuit priest to an alien land is full of suspense. The details in the alien culture are amazing. The narrative is difficult for some readers because it jumps from present day to the past, but hang tight because it will start to make sense. Russell asked questions about religion without preaching. Her characters wonder how can one can live in a world where God cannot be trusted to end pain. Along with the religious themes the book explored the concept of first contact with another land.

A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl
The story of kidnapping and killing of journalist Daniel Pearl was very difficult for me to read. The intense pain and lack of control Mariane captures in her writing is palpable. It is so unreal to me that in a country so filled with people they came so close to finding him. Her strength was and is still amazing to me.

Of course I cannot end this post without a shout out to Harry Potter. I have so enjoyed the story and will miss the anticipation of another. If you are one of few that hasn't read the books. Do it...