Broken For You

I discovered this book at my annual invitation to a friend's book club. It's a book exchange and Broken For You is what I walked away with. The book started off interesting and became totally engrossing. About halfway through a new theme is introduced which propels the book toward it's ending so wonderfully that it was hard to put down. One of the things I liked about reading this book was that it is set in Seattle. Having spent one year of college in a suburb of Seattle, I enjoyed recognizing some city highlights.

Big Stone Gap

Through this novel Adriana Trigiani became my favorite modern author. She drew me in easily with her portrayal of the main character, Ave Maria Mulligan. Ave Maria is the town spinster of her small Virginia town and has just lost her mother when the novel opens up. She soon learns a secret her mother kept, which changes the way she looks at her past. I stumbled across this book a couple of years ago while browsing the shelves at a local Value Village. What a find!

Falling Angels

Set in turn-of-the-century England, I enjoyed this novel for the historical content as much as the plot. Each "chapter" is narrated by a different character. Themes of tradition and women's rights were threaded throughout. I enjoyed this novel, although not as much as Girl With A Pearl Earring.

The Historian

This is truly one of my favorite books. It took Elizabeth Kostova ten years to complete, and it was worth it. This novel is smart, intriguing, and mesmerizing. I keep telling my friends, "It is SO smart! I don't know where to begin telling you about it." It is a long book, but a page-turner that kept me up late many nights. The format is beautiful. The different voices and jumps in time are seamless. The descriptions of the food in Istanbul and Eastern Europe gave me cravings I didn't know I had. The book feels like the kind of mystery that Angels and Demons tried to be but couldn't make (a non-recommendation, by the way). The amounts of creepiness and gore were just enough to confirm I was reading a book about the historical view of Dracula, but not enough to qualify it as a horror novel.

I'm a Little Shocked!

My latest-favorite used book store will be out of business for a while. Apparently someone ran into it with a car and drove away. The poor owners not only have damage to their store but to hundreds of books. I'm sure they are disheartened, as am I.

Portuguese Irregular Verbs

I recently finished the book Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith. I have been reading him a lot lately. I really enjoy his style, whether I'm reading about Precious Ramotswe, Dr. von Iglefeld, or the residents of 44 Scotland Street. He seems to understand human nature and our struggles very well. Dr. von Iglefeld, the main character of Portuguese Irregular Verbs is very intelligent and clueless at the same time. He is obnoxious and selfish, yet somehow I found myself feeling compassion for him. This is a short book, so if you find that you cannot take too much of von Iglefeld, then you can finish the book and not feel that you've spent too much of your precious time on him.