Books on My Nightstand

The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks

Probably the most hyped book of the summer, Twelve Hawks, if such a man/woman exists, lives "off the grid." No interviews, no appearances, nada. He/she has even created a cyber-world to complement The Traveler. (I've heard most of the pages are static, but hey, that still takes work.)

I started this once and wasn't convinced, but a colleague read it and loved it, and it is getting a lot of press. I'll give it a second try.


Wild Roses by Deb Caletti

I read Caletti's previous novel, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, and loved it. Ironically, as much as I enjoyed it, I never could sell it to customers.

The premise of this novel, due out in October, sounds pretty interesting. I hope it lives up to Sweetheart.



Sign of the Raven by Julie Hearn

A young adult novel by the woman who wrote The Minister's Daughter, which is receiving great reviews.

From the jacket copy: Something odd is going on in the basement of an old house in London. An inexplicable gap has formed, a gap in time that links the present to the past. And twelve-year old Tom, who is visiting his grandmother is torn between both worlds...

Sounds pretty good so far.



Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?

A friend at work recommended this title. She comes from an evangelical background and read this book in college. Having grown up around the conservative arguments against homosexuality, she recommends this book for those of us who refuse to marginalize anyone no matter their sexuality.

This is a cultural topic I don't know much about, so I'm enjoying the book so far. The authors present numerous biblical quotations and contexts to support acceptance and understanding of homosexuals. I'll be glad to be able to intelligently converse with people who have a different opinion on this topic.

Everyone should read this book whether they are liberals or conservatives or none of the above.



Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage

Seemed pretty timely to be reading this now. It's a bit of a tome weighing in at 450 pages, but it's well-written so far. It covers a lot of ground without being overly detailed and tedious. I might get it read by the time I get married in September.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

This one has been put on hold for the time being...

Last summer I vowed to read one classic a season. I began this endeavor with Oprah's book club pick of Anna Karenina. I felt a bit, well, popish, participating in the most popular book club in the world, but I felt it was a good idea to do at least once so I could talk to customers about it. Oprah actually did a good job. She broke down a tome into managable pieces. She also posted great resources on her website.

I didn't really tackle a classic over Christmas with everything that was going on. Over the last six months I've seen Bleak House show up on several must-read lists. I'd bought it from the store more than a year ago, but it sat on the shelf until now. I'm not very far into it yet, only a few chapters, but I really like it to this point.

I think classic literature appeals to me because of the formal language and grammar. It's not often now that authors put much effort into sentence structure and word choice. Long, complicated sentences can be refreshing.

The Ripley trilogy by Patricia Highsmith

I bought this in Everyman's Library form. I've seen The Talented Mr. Ripley, but I figure such a good movie plot must originate from an even better book. I'm not sure when I'll get around to reading it, but you can't go wrong with psychological mystery.

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