WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Follow the link to read more about it, and be prepared to expand your to-be-read list! A special shout-out to Coffee and Cats for introducing me to WWW Wednesday.
What are you currently reading?
I’m getting over a terrible cold that knocked me flat on my back for the better part of a week. It also side-tracked me from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. She is a brilliant social observer/critic and prose stylist. But her novels are not exactly comfort reading while guzzling hot soup and DayQuil. As I’m on the mend, I picked it up again yesterday and … wow. It’s suspenseful and tense and thought provoking.
What did you recently finish reading?
Since my last WWW Wednesday, I’ve done more reading than I did the entire month of September! What’s missing here is even one asterisk indicating #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks title. This is because I have yet to read one of my own books in October! Good thing we’re only halfway through, eh?
During a stroll through Barnes and Nobel, this title stopped me in my tracks: Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France by Craig Carlson. I have a personal connection to pancakes (which is a story for another time). As for the book, it’s a warm-hearted, immensely readable memoir about opening a diner in Paris. It’s also Carlson’s story of overcoming a difficult childhood and finding family and love in the City of Light. Uplifting and engaging, it’s the perfect pick-me-up for a dreary day.
I also listened to Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal, which I borrowed from my library. When I started it, I didn’t know anything about the story. I’m grateful for that. It’s not a traditional narrative. It tells the story of Eva Thorvald as seen through the eyes of seven different people whose lives intersect with hers. Words I think of in relation to this novel: fresh, inventive, kind. I loved it!
My convalescence was also a nice time to read J. K. Rowling’s Pottermore stories: Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide, Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists, Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
. These won’t be new for readers who frequent Pottermore. I happen not to, so I enjoyed these peeks into the lives of McGonagall, Slughorn, and more.
The weekend before last, my request for Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson came through, and I read it in one sitting. It’s prose that feels like poetry. From the first page, I felt submerged into a dream-like world of fragmented images, allusions, and purposeful gaps. It’s a novel that makes you think and marvel.
What do you think you’ll read next?
I started Pym by Mat Johnson before my epic cold. I’m excited to get back to it once I’ve finished The House of Mirth.
What lovely books are on your read, reading, and t0-read lists this week?
Related
WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Follow the link to read more about it, and be prepared to expand your to-be-read list! A special shout-out to Coffee and Cats for introducing me to WWW Wednesday.
I’m glad you’re feeling better – and that you were in the company of such good books while you were sick! I didn’t know about “Pancakes in Paris,” but am intrigued -is this the guy who founded the Breakfast in America” diner chain here? Regardless, this book is now on my list! And as intrigued as I am by it, I’m also intrigued by your connection to pancakes! I hope you’ll share that one day!
Happy reading and hope you feel fully better soon!
Thank you, Alysa! Yes, Pancakes in Paris is the memoir of the Breakfast in America diner chain founder! Have you ever been?
Oh how cool! I used to pass by one of the restaurant locations on my way home from work, and although it was tempting, I never got around to eating there. But it’s been on my “to do” list for years. Maybe if I read the book, I’ll tie it in with a meal there! I will keep you updated! 🙂
Oh yes, it’d be fun to eat there after reading his book especially (though I’m always up for pancakes)! The best I could do at this point is look up the website. 🙂 Please do keep me updated!