Invisible - Paul Auster

Looking for a quick and interesting read complete with murder, incest, and Paris?  Look no further than Invisible. 

This is a good, if not great, book.  Told by three different narrators, and spanning three countries and four decades, you'll be hooked right away.  Basically, we have the life of Adam Walker, apparently super cute, smart and interesting.  He's a student at Columbia when he meets a visiting professor, Rudolf, and his French hottie GF, Margot.  They hang out, get to know each a bit.  One night something super shocking and super crazy goes down, and the course of Adam's life is altered forever.  

Definitely shocking, thought-provoking, and page-turning.  There's sex, there's violence, there's jealousy, there's anger, there's death.  What more could you want in a light 300 page read?

The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters

I just finished reading The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, and I'm not quite sure what to think.  This is going to sound ridiculous, but it was recommended by Stephen King (yes, that Stephen King), and I tend to like the books he suggests (see:  Ravens).  

The Little Stranger is part social commentary and part ghost story.  Frankly, I expected a litte heavier emphasis on the ghost story, and was disappointed to find the "scary parts" were few and far between.  There is a definitely a suspense aspect to the book, but the ending didn't quite deliver.  I kept forcing myself to pick it up and read, thinking that the next page might hold something shocking or surprising or revealing.  Alas, no. 

The commentary on social classes and the changing times was interesting, sure, but not the reason I picked up the book in the first place.  I mean, c'mon!  Stephen King likes scary things, right?!

Am I missing something?  Is there a deeper meaning I'm not quite grasping?  Did something shocking happen while I was skimming the pages?  Has anyone else read this book?  Insights, comments, questions are welcome here.

The Benefits of Book Club

Had Book Club last night. Very, very fun, I must say. Now what you’ve got to realize is that Book Club is really just a reason for the girls to get together, hang out, and drink wine. For some reason, we need a reason for that to happen. I mean, Book Club is great because it challenges us to read stuff we might not otherwise. And all of the ladies are well-educated, intelligent, big voices and opinions, lots to offer. That makes for good conversation. But really, truly, the reason we’re all there is the girl time. It’s weird, you know, as we get older, we don’t spend the same kind of time with our friends. We’re all busy with our lives, work, families. Friends just don’t take priority like they did when we were younger. We actually have to set aside that time, that book club or knitting group (well, for some of us) or happy hour, and schedule an hour or two for friends. I am trying to get better about it though. It’s been harder since I moved to Seattle since I don’t have the same super close, tight knit group of girls that I have in MI. It’s not quite that way out here. But I’m working on it. And I can’t wait for the next Book Club.