Book Talk
I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book. -J.K. Rowling You know how sometimes you can’t find anything good to read? Well, I’m having the opposite problem- I feel like I’m practically being buried under an avalanche of books I can’t wait to read. But I can’t start any of them until I finish Troubled Blood, the fifth book in Robert Galbraith’s (J.K. Rowling pseudonym) Cormoran Strike mystery series. I’m loving this book SO MUCH. My only complaint is that it’s extremely … heavy. I was leaving a comment on The Birchwood Pie blog post (more about her in a minute) and I accidentally referred to it as a “900 pound book,” ha ha… I meant 900 page. But a 900 page hardcover library book is seriously uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. I’ve developed a system where I prop it up on two pillows while I sit on the couch so I don’t tire out my hands. Meanwhile, three library holds have come in. I actually don’t remember anything about these books, but I read about them on other blogs and apparently they sounded so good I put a library hold on them. I’m torn between never wanting Troubled Blood to end, and wanting to finish it quickly so I can start these! Furthermore… the aforementioned Birchwood Pie shared this list of “best” thriller books… and they all sound so good! The only one on this list that I’ve read is The Push and I’m excited to check out some of the others. I’m not allowing myself to request any more library holds until I finish my 900 pound book and start the other three I already have, though. And then… as if that’s not enough, I found this list of the 20+ books J.K. Rowling recommends reading. J.K. Rowling is possibly my favorite author of all time, so I found this list fascinating. I’ve read five of them: Emma, Little Women, Catcher in the Rye, Ballet Shoes (yes, there are some kids’ books on her list) and The Casual Vacancy- interesting choice there, as she wrote that one. Some of the others I don’t really have any desire to read, like The Odyssey and Tale of Two Cities (I’m not a Dickens fan.) But I think I have to check out The Woman Who Walked Into Doors because Rowling says Roddy Doyle is her favorite living writer. And Rowling says of The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, “Perhaps more than any other book, it has a direct influence on the Harry Potter books.” Whoa! Intriguing. You guys, I just want to sit down and inhale all these books at once. I wish I didn’t have to go to work so I could just read all day! At this point in the post I would normally ask what everyone is reading now, but I don’t want to risk that- I can’t add any more books to my list! If you had to pick a favorite author of all time, who would it be? Are you in a reading glut now, or a reading drought? Or somewhere in between?