I’m procrastinating. I have papers to grade.
Immediately, I have dinner to cook.
But, when I woke up this morning there was snow on the ground which put me into hybernation mode. All I could think about was putting on a thick pair of woolly socks, grabbing a furry blanket, and curling up in a comfy chair with a good book. There’s nothing I like more in the winter than a hot tea and a story that I can’t put down. So, I’m putting off everything that needs my attention (eventhough I’ll be sorry for this tomorrow AND eventhough the snow, in just a few hours, has all but melted) and I’m looking for a book.
It’s a tough search because the last four books I read were perfect page-turners of beautifully crafted prose.
I loved A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick for the complicated characters and equally complicated love story. Publishers Weekly called Goolrick’s novel “a darkly nuanced psychological tale that builds to a strong and satisfying close.” I don’t want to give anything away on this one. Just buy it and read it. You won’t be able to put it down. Little Bee by Chris Cleave was beautiful and suspenseful and hopeful, all in one story. A refugee from Nigeria and a recent widow in London have a connection they both hoped to forget, but of course, circumstances bring them together. Evening by Susan Minot is one of those that takes you into the head of a character and refuses to let out. In this case, that character is Ann Lord and she’s on her deathbed, thinking back to an incident that occurred 40 years ago. It’s the kind of story that months later, I found myself thinking about “that night” described in the book. Mesmerizing. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates may have been ruined by the big screen adaptation where the end short changes the complexity of the story that spins around April and Frank Wheeler. However, it must be hard for modern day filmmakers, who love “happily ever after,” to portray the American Dream in discontent and despair. It might sound depressing, but the writing (as oppossed to the film) is deep and fulfilling. April and Frank, although broken in many ways, reminded me of the vulnerabilities we all have when searching for a life that fits us.
So, today I’ll search for a novel that somehow works the magic of capturing my imagination.
