Whilst reading various novels from various different authors, I also fell in love with used bookstores and frequented bookstores in general. What I found growing was a stack of over thirty books haunting my nightstand. With a new year, I decided many of those books had waited long enough. Inside each of the six books I swept the dust off of were unique stories, perspectives, and a fair amount of waiting the people who lived inside the world of the book endured as well. But instead of going into grave detail about each one, a snapshot view and a small blurb are what is called upon this time.
My favorite by far was The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho. Brilliantly written, it contained a wealth of truth about humanity, how we operate in society and whether we are inherently good or evil. "The Devil" goes into a small town and offers a simple conundrum. He has gold and if the townspeople decide by the end of the week to offer a victim to be murdered, they will have that gold. Based on the outcome, the man will know whether people are good or evil. I dare not ruin the conclusion. All I will say is it really is an exquisite book.
The Illusion by Frank Peretti was also at the top of my list this month. Growing up, I loved his novels and this one continues that love. The difference between the back flap of the book and what's actually contained within the story is what made the story so good. I love the fact Peretti works more sci-fi/fantasy elements into the story but still keeps it grounded in our world and with our elements. It's a really good read.
Another treasure I found almost a year and a half ago was A Good Indian Wife by Anne Cherian. Think Bride and Prejudice, East meets Western ideals. I feel it's a rare gift for an author to make me strongly dislike every single one of her main characters at some point. I was never quite sure who I was to be rooting for at various times. But she's a good writer and it's an interesting look into the culture of India, the United States and arranged marriages.
Four people come up to a rooftop to commit suicide on New Years Eve. Somehow the solidarity of a common purpose draws the four of them into an unbreakable bond to which none of them actually go through with the intended suicide that night. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby truly was an imaginatorium I wasn't expecting. With a premise like that, it's hard not to assume the depressing but instead it becomes a novel filled with humor, with real human emotion, and also a look as to how important community is and how it's the simple things which keep each of us wanting to live. A bit of language but it's an interestingly quirky and good book.
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt and Pompeii by Robert Harris were the last two books I read to finish out the month. Angela's Ashes takes a look at the early childhood of Frank McCourt beginning in the United States and then as his family moves to Ireland. He has a great writing style, no punctuation for quotes which is interesting. Not my favorite book ever but definitely worth a read. Pompeii, on the other hand, not so much. Having been there, I was hoping for so much more. It was definitely event driven with not enough character development for me. Much too scientific. I also felt like he didn't know the society well enough in writing the book. We know what happened to Pompeii as far as the science and history are concerned, now let's imagine the people who lived there and their stories but I did not feel he did a good job with that and was a bit disappointed.
To keep some books waiting is a crime, some other books deserve a world of waiting. So my encouragement this month is to pick up that book you've been meaning to read forever. Give it a go and see what you've been missing. If nothing else, read one of the books I read this month, at least the good ones and see what sort of treasure you can find hidden.
Next month: Young adult fiction. There are some really good authors who are writing young adult fiction and I'm not talking about Stephenie Meyer either. So I'm excited to see what I'm going to discover and read for this month.
The Devil and Miss Prym – Paulo Coelho
Illusion- Frank Peretti
A Good Indian Wife – Anne Cherian
A Long Way Down- Nick Hornby
Angela’s Ashes – Frank McCourt
Pompeii – Robert Harris
