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| Cartwheels in the Sand photo by me |
For the last month, I have been reading purely for entertainment. I haven't blogged about the books I've been reading, I suppose, because I thought they lacked the proper gravitas for reflection. But as I consider this idea, I think maybe I have been wrong. Sometimes, life is so stressful and overwhelming, and it seems like every day is full of decisions that are full of portent and promise or disappointment that we need to escape. We need to see ourselves in another place, another time, another world, even. Being a lover of books, to me, doesn't just mean loving the books that "matter." Sometimes it means loving the books that matter right then, the books that save you, every day, from the stress and ennui and overwhelming reality of life. The first "just for fun" book I read was Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I loved the mystery of this book at first. The plot wore a little thin for me as the book went on, but it was entertaining and well-written for a YA fantasy novel. I bought the second book and started it, but I'm not sure I'll stick with it. Daughter of Smoke and Bone would be a great beach read.
After a YA fantasy, I switched to a YA (maybe a littel too much) reality in Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. Eleanor and Park is also well-written, and I guess true to life for some people. I don't know how realistic either character really is, but I enjoyed reading the book, even though the ending was very abrupt. It's not a pick-me-up kind of book.
After these two, I entered the land of "WTH am I going to read now?" and started several books without finishing anything yet. I started Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and The Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin, but now I've found The Round House by Louise Erdrich on my library's 14 Day Shelf and started it. And I am still limping along on Les Miserable; I think it's going to take me all year. I need a beach trip...a very long beach trip. Happy Summer Reading!
