since graduating from regent I have had much more time to read for leisure. i must say...it's been fantastic. here are a few that i would recommend:
the mysterious benedict society by trenton lee stewart. this series is a bit harry-potter-isque, in the sense that it follows a group of friends on adventures to save the world. it is well written and a lot of fun to read.
the mysterious benedict society and the perilous journey by trenton lee stewart. if you enjoyed the first book, the second one is equally fun. at times i would startle mike by laughing outloud :).
the guernsey literary and potato peel society by mary ann shaffer and annie barrows. the story is told through a collection of letters. the book is set in post World War II on one of the channel islands, Guernsey. it's based on true events of the German occupation of this island. the first few pages are a bit difficult to follow but if you stick with it, i guarantee you will like it.
unaccustomed earth by jhumpa lahiri.
i enjoyed reading both the the interpreter of maladies and the namesake, so i thought i would pick up her latest book, which like the interpreter of maladies is a collection of short stories. i have to admit i enjoyed interpreter of maladies better, but this one is definitely worth reading. note: if you like happy endings, and everything to tie neatly together in the end (like i do) this might not be for you.
the bluest eye by toni morrison.
toni morrison is one of my all time favorite authors. she has a way with words that blows my mind. i have read most of her books, including her latest, a mercy (which isn't her best), but never read this one (her first). in true morrison style, she weaves various narratives to explore a life of a young black girl living in a world that idealizes white beauty. it's incredibly written, but definitely not a light read.
so, people who know me know that i, for the most part, eat to live. food is sustenance and eating is more about survival than it is about pleasure or community or any of the other things people enjoy food for.
in the last few years, i have been slowly wooed into the realm of flavors and cravings. it doesn't hurt that my bride of nearly one year now is a self-professing "foodie". well, in the midst of learning how to cook and appreciate food and going to great restaurants, i have taken the greatest leap of all: we canceled our sports package on cable and now watch the food network together! for people who already watch, big deal - but honestly, i can watch any program on this show!
what was that donald miller said about jazz music?
"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside Bagdad Theatre in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for 15 minutes, and he never opened his eyes. After that I liked jazz music. Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way. I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened."
