Last week I finished reading four books in five days. I seem to go through these phases of reading very intensely for a week or so and then barely reading at all for the next week. At the moment I am reading The Submission by Amy Waldman for my book club and I like it, but it is a bit plodding and not the type of book you devour in a day or two. I’ve only read about 5 pages a day this entire week and have spent more of my leisure time watching TV shows and browsing the Internet. I’d better get a move on with The Submission, though, so that I can finish it before the book club meeting.
I recently decided to only read one book at a time, which hasn’t been my reading style for many years now. I usually have several books in progress at the same time and am comfortable with this, but I realized that if I focus on one book at a time I will finish more books and read a lot faster. I’m hoping my switch to the one book at a time style will mean less half-finished books and more time to read all of the books I have stockpiled on my nightstand and Nook. So far this new strategy is paying off.
One of the books I finished in the past few weeks was Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. This young adult romance has been very highly reviewed and has reaped a passionate response from teens and adults alike. I thought it was a really sweet and realistic portrayal of first love with main characters who did not fit the usual teen romance profile. At times it was perhaps too sappy for my taste, but Rowell keeps it just awkward and stumbling enough to save it from veering into cliche. There is also a lot of humor and geekiness that is appealing and swept me right back into my own early adolescence (it is set in 1986). In all, it is a superior young adult novel.
It is Labor Day weekend here in the States, but not really for me. I am working both Saturday and Sunday so no long weekend for reading, but I have a vacation coming up soon so I don’t mind. I do still get Monday off so that is a treat. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
*Have you heard about the new Library Reads program? It is a joint venture between librarians and publishers to promote new books recommended by library workers each month in libraries around America. Their very first LibraryReads list has recently been released. Check out their website to discover the books librarians love!*
A Certain Fondness 
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