Pastime

Reading and watching Arrested Development are a close tie when choosing my favorite pastime. However, this summer I made a goal to read a book a week. After I finished Hunger Games and Catching Fire, I remembered how much time I have in the summer to read and so I bought and borrowed a handful of books to keep me busy.

These are the five that I have read in the past month.



Me Talk Pretty One Day is a compilation of short stories that I found while wandering the discounted section of borders. The intentional use of bad grammar, along with the cover depicting a chalkboard, caught my attention. I picked it up and read the first short story about a boy and his relationship with the speech pathologist at his school. I laughed out loud every other sentence as the author told of his encounter with the pathologist, friends and parents. It was some of the wittiest writing I had ever read and as I've continued in the book, reading two or three stories a day, I haven't stopped laughing. It's rare to find a book this funny about real life personal experiences.

The Road was recommended to me by my friend Sadie. She is an English major, so it's safe to assume that she is a reliable source for recommendations. I knew that it had previously been made into a movie starring Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, but knew nothing else. Basically I started it with no expectations and read the entire book in just a few hours. It follows a father and son on a road through an apocalyptic world where they are searching for warmth and other survivors. There are no huge climatic scenes, but numerous small events that bring the father and son closer together on their journey. Sad and depressing. However, it makes you think about the relationships you have and what you want most for the ones you love.

Under the Banner of Heaven is written by Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild, which just happens to be one of my favorite books. Naturally, I looked into other books he had written and I stumbled upon this particular one. Rather than talking about an extreme soul-searching tour into the wilderness, Krakauer writes of extremes within religion, specifically Mormon Fundamentalists (you know the ones that are polygamists and are always compared to the 'real' Mormons on the news?) It is an eye-opening account of some of their members who commit various sins, including murder, because they believe that God has commanded them to. Sound intense? Well it is. It will take you inside their religion and leave you wondering how they could have ever broken off from the true church. Be grateful you are LDS.

Sarah's Key is not your typical holocaust book. Trust me. I've read a lot of them. (Night, Anne Frank's Diary, Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Number the Stars, The Hiding Place, etc.) Rather than depict the holocaust from the view of a survivor, it modernizes the story from the viewpoint of an American journalist who searches out a family member who escaped from a concentration camp. What I liked most is the way the book was written; from two viewpoints that rotate every other chapter. Like all books about World War II, it is depressing. But the depression you get from reading will bring insight on issues that aren't usually talked about in the Holocaust (i.e. Escapes, France, Round-ups, Marriage).

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is probably the most hyped book of the summer. If you haven't heard about it then it's probably because you haven't even stepped foot into a bookstore. Entertainment Weekly called it a global phenomenon and co-workers at both my internship and my job have been raving about this book. I decided to buy it with the gift card that I received for my birthday and just barely started reading it . . . last night actually. It lives up to its hype and already reminds me of a Dan Brown and John Grisham murder chase. And we all know how great those authors are. They can't hold a flame to Stephanie Meyer, even if she did graduate from the same school as me. If you buy it and get hooked, which you will be, buy the sequels and join my book club. Angelique, Ben, Catherine, Chris, Liese, Carrie, Barbara, Kenny and I are all meeting in August to discuss them.

What are you reading stalkers?

I am open to recommendations for the coming weeks.