I don’t discuss it very much here, but I read. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. I really like non-fiction, especially the Malcolm Gladwell-type non-fiction that illuminates some aspect of life I’ve never considered before, or at least that I have considered recently. Interestingly, I don’t have much interest in personal finance-related books. I’ve tried to read several and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten through one, cover-to-cover. Frankly, as far as I’m concerned, most of them are boring and offer no new information. My bloggy people give me advice that’s just as good – and deliver it in a much more entertaining format – than any of the “experts” out there.
But I have a passion for fiction. I love getting caught up in a really great story and being swept up into a world that is not my own and never will be. Someday, I hope to write fiction, maybe even get something published. It’s my secret dream.
Recently, I’ve been reading some really great books and I thought I’d share them here:
The Paris Wife by Paual McClain
This is a novel about Ernest Hemigway’s first wife, Hadley Richardson. Most of the novel is about their time in Paris, surrounded by other leading intellectuals and literary geniuses of the 1920s – including Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. I really love historical fiction, and this one kind of reminds me of Loving Frank by Nancy Horan and American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, books that imagine the lives of the wives of “big” men. Very captivating, somewhat heartbreaking. Just wonderful.
Reproduction is the Flaw of Love by Lauren Grodstein
I actually read Lauren Grodstein’s second novel, A Friend of the Family, before this one and both were phenomenal. This one is about a guy and his girlfriend awaiting the results of a pregnancy test. This book is also significant for me because it’s the first book since Catcher in the Rye which features a male main character that I actually find relatable. Grodstein’s writing style is decidedly unpretentious and totally engrossing. I recommend both novels – highly.
Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield
This book is actually non-fiction – a memoir, although Sheffield doesn’t label it as such. Sheffield, of Rolling Stone fame, looks back on his life through a series of mixed tapes. Most of the book focuses on his marriage to his first wife, Renee, who died suddenly. Again, a heartbreaking work of genius, especially for those of us who remember the significance of a mixed tape.
In case you need a break from the PF world, check one of these books out. You won’t be disappointed.
