Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender

I love working in publishing because all your coworkers (most of the time) love reading just as much as you do and recommend great books. They also tell you about books that you wouldn't have otherwise thought to pick up. I finished reading this book last week and although it was a little bizarre I would highly recommend it.
Grade: B+

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

 http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2011/06/28/stopped_reading_fiction/index.html

 What's do you think?

Time is a goon...

I finally finished A Visit From the Goon Squad and I really can't tell if I liked it or not. I was supposed to finish it for my bookclub on Saturday, but of course I started it too late, because I was really into Dracula (which was surprisingly good considering it could have turned out to be like many dry classics I have forced myself to pick up along the years - I couldn't put it down!)
Anyway, I couldn't really get into everything with my fellow bookclub members since I was only halfway through it, but now that I've finished it, I think the word for what I'm feeling is: ambivalence. I enjoyed the book. It was not hard to get through. I loved some characters, I loathed some characters. But what was the point of it?  It is the perfect book for a book club though, because there is definitely a lot to talk about.


Grade: B-

It's That Time Again...

After much harassment from my friends and inspiration from a fellow book lover's blog I think I will come out of my dormant phase and share the books I've read since I fell off the face of the planet. I enjoyed most of the books, but I'll place a star beside the ones that I highly recommend. If you have any specific questions about a book, please leave a comment:

Belong to Me by Maria De Los Santos*

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris*

The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer*

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Bookclub)*

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Brava Valentina by Adriana Trigiani

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff*

The Romantics by Galt Niederhoffer

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel (Bookclub)

Me Times Three by Alex Witchel

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy (Bookclub)

 Bossypants by Tina Fey*

 The Ask by Tom Lipsyte

 Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

The Shiksa Syndrome by Laurie Graff

 Room by Emma Donoghue*

 This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper*

 Dracula by Bram Stoker*

Books I started but have not finished (yet!):
Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Decision Points by George W. Bush

Hope to share more with you soon!

TGI - F minor Concerto

 

 

I look forward to Friday mornings, not only because they lead up to the weekend. The pushing and shoving and general lack of consideration that comes with commuting is forgotten when I get off the 7 train at Grand Central and start making the climb up the steep escalator. There is a tall, thin man, in all black, with ashy blond hair playing his violin. He has a little radio that plays an accompaniment as he sways back and forth in tune with the music. Dancing a little duet with his bow as he lets the emotions swell with every movement and note. I love hearing the soft strings grow louder as we ascend. I don't know why, but it kind of lulls us all into a state of happiness and calm before we bustle off the stairs and snap back into commuter mode. 

 

Here's to a happy and calm-inducing Friday!