Read 'em and Weep

Okay, I think I can finally admit that I like page turners. My husband has been reading Light in August by William Faulkner. I am impressed by this attempt (I say attempt because he's been reading it for 2 months). He is relentless, and I know I would have given up if I were him. I however, have been drifting towards quick reads. Not as impressive. Not as challenging intellectually. But darn good fun! And, Oprah would be proud of me. I see that I tend toward the heart-wrenching novel.

I know This Much is True, by Wally Lamb: 916 pages of high drama. I really liked this book. It deals with the complexities of being a twin. The main character is so invested in looking after his schizophrenic (yes, I spell checked that!) twin brother, so much so that he neglected taking care of his own emotional well-being. Wally Lamb's books are not light, and they deal with serious issues, and they usually take you on a long, well-worth-it journey.

Yiyun Li is an Oakland author (woot!woot!). Her first full-length novel, The Vagrants, deals with a group of interrelated characters in post cultural revolution China.  Some of these characters were very compelling, but I don't think the plot came together as well as I wanted it to in the end. I did like getting to know China during this era.

See a good review of this at a blog I like, The Best Little Bookshelf, here.

This book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was a good fun read (oh yeah, and a little sadistic too!). I am a big sucker for mysteries. PD James and Tara French are two of my favorite mystery writers. This book was unputdownable (yes, that's a word I made up).  Larsson's writing is smart, and the plot moves quickly from the onset of the book. You must read this. I am at my wits end trying to get the second book in the series into my hot little hands. Okay, so I've been thinking... why do mysteries not only deal with murder, but always have some weird sexual subplot? Even with 80-year-old kick a** James you get these twisted characters with odd sexual habits. Just saying...