Bookish

Because I know you’re interested, and you care, I will tell you that I’ve now read 11 books in total, and am therefore 22% of the way to reaching my goal of reading 50 books this year.  Not bad.  And because I know you’re interested and you care, here’s a bit about a few of the ones I’ve read so far:

 Next by James Hynes was a great read, and quick – not that it was fluff or anything, I just couldn’t stop reading it.  The story of one man on one day.  Sneaking off from Ann Arbor Michigan to fly to Austin Texas for a job interview.  And that’s all I’m going to tell you.  Really, really well done and the ending just about killed me.  Okay, and that’s all I’m going to say. 

The Imperfectionists by Tim Rachman.  This novel read almost like a series of interconnected short stories – or maybe it was a book of short stories that read a bit like a novel?  But whatever, I really enjoyed this format and the stories within.  Fantastic characters and just really wonderful to read.  Another one that seemed to take me no time to read, it was that captivating.  

The Crucible by Arthur Miller.  Not a novel this time, but a play.  In four acts.  I actually haven’t read a play in ages – probably since university, and it was interesting reading in that format again after so long.  Seems like an odd choice, doesn’t it?  I agree, and I can’t for the life of me remember why I decided to read it in the first place.  Maybe it was mentioned in something else I read?  Or was it an anniversary of Salem witch trials?  Or an anniversary of the House Un-American Activities Committee?  If you have not read The Crucible are you now intrigued?  You should be, and it’s worth reading.  The edition I had (for Kobo, natch) had a fantastic introduction with loads of information about both the time the play was set and the time it was written.  

Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires.  Shut up, it totally counts.  This is a book I originally mentioned to The Artist who is a big fan of the graphic novel and the comic book.  He also likes cats, and I saw Binky at the library conference I attended in February and thought it would be perfect for him.   I didn’t buy it there, but he did sign it out from his school’s library (we are library peeps all around, friends, can I get a witness?) and he loved it.  And so I read it too, and I loved it.  And then we found Binky to the Rescue, and we are both stoked for the third book, due out this fall, Binky Under Pressure.  Best space cat book series ever.  

Aaand just in case you think I’m stacking the deck in order to get to my 50 books, I would just like to share that I am currently reading Our Tragic Universe, the latest book by one of my favourite authors, Scarlett Thomas.  The book is fantastic, and it is one that I simultaneously want to finish and not ever finish it.  Finish it because of course I want to see what happens, and never ever finish it because it is just so damned good that I think I could probably read it forever and never get tired of it.  Thomas writes the way I wish I could write.  And she also makes me want to become her characters – never mind that they are sometimes destitute grad students or unhappy writers.  All I want to do now is to rent a cottage in Devon and work in my novel (which I don’t actually have) and go for walks with my dog (which I also don’t have).  Of course there is so much more to this book – as there is to everything she writes – but it’s all so real, so fascinating and so gorgeously, perfectly written.  I probably should stop gushing.  I’m not a stalker, really! 

Happy Friday afternoon, blogfriends.  Go read something fascinating to celebrate.