Reading Line-Up

Image by Brettman

Now that Fall is in full swing and my windows are forever adorned with sparkling droplets of depression, all that I want to do is curl up in bed (or on the couch) with a good book and my favorite cup of tea.  I wanted to share some of the books I have been reading and loving lately as well as books that I will be reading next.


1. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

A tale of two families that mesh together within the span of fifty years. Set on a North Dakota reservation and told in a multitude of point of views from different characters. Love Medicine  grips you right from the first page. I was expecting a boring (read: generic) narrative that documented the Native American culture within the American dominating and discriminating cultural influence,  but it is far from that. There is an abundance of shocking scandals fit for the juiciest soap operas and scenes that would most likely appear in thrillers starring Paul Walker or which you could find on the pages of classic children's stories by the Brothers Grimm. Sex passages also make an appearance but don't worry, they did not run away from the grey saga. This is a tasteful and captivating piece of very important American literature. 

Warning: If you find it difficult to follow along with a considerable amount of characters - this might not be a book for you (although, I would still give it a shot). 

2.  Stumbling On Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

This is a book that tells you a little bit about the way humans think and make decisions. It is a social psychology book which will hopefully help you understand a little bit more of yourself. This is for those evenings/days when you don't feel like concentrating on a narrative but rather would like to read about some hard core facts written in a way that is hilariously un-scientific (aka: it doesn't use the hard to understand lingo and complicated sentence structure) and sprinkled with popular culture references. 

Note: If you are a fan of Malcom Gladwell, this is a book for you (keep in mind that Daniel Gilbert is a hundred times more entertaining than the aforementioned author).

3. Ariel The Restored Edition by Sylvia Plath

This is for the poetry loving feminists who like to venture into the dark side once in a while. Honestly, the poems are quite depressing at times (which is quite fitting for the season if you ask me) and at times outright brutal (when it comes to our opposite sex comrades) but if you are in a mood to delve down into that place where you keep a few thinking tears for those super special occasions, you will love this. 

Note: The first version of Ariel that was published was assembled by Plath's husband Ted Hughes. The manuscripts were found on Plath's desk after her suicide assembled in a particular order in which she intended to publish them. He reassembled the poems into an order which he thought would be more fitting. This version of Ariel is in the intended order, the original, and includes her handwritten drafts of certain poems. 

What I'm reading next:

1. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 

2. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Love, D