The Week in Review # 1

Reading is an escape for me. Looking back the trigger for me becoming a "reader" was my parent's divorce when I was in the fourth grade. I remember checking out Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes from my school library and reading it over and over again.  I think reading how Sadako was able to face the harsh reality of her leukemia and eventual death by creating a new goal for herself, made my own struggle seem so small.  Reading that book gave me a healthier perspective on how to face challenges, setbacks, and suffering with grace.  Of course I do not think I was that deep at in the forth grade, but I do remember thinking about Sadako every time I was really down in elementary school.  

You would think that someone who reads to escape reality would love science fiction and fantasy. I am all for Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Dune etc., but my true love is literary fiction that depicts the sometimes harsh reality of human existence.

I am also an insomniac so several nights a week I wake up and read until I am able to go back to sleep. I usually read a non-fiction and fiction book at the same time. The non-fiction book usually puts me to sleep in 20-30 minutes, while I can read the fiction book all day if I am in the mood. There have been several nights I have not slept much at all because I just want to finish the next chapter of the novel. Currently, I am reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and it is hard to pull myself away.

I do not have favorite books, but I do have a few favorite authors. I have a soft spot for John Steinbeck. I love both East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath. My two favorite authors that are currently alive are Neil Gaiman and Barbara Kingsolver. I love the magical realism, hint of darkness, and purity in Gaiman's writing. Kingsolver is a feminist, master gardener, poet/author, and has a background in biology. What is not to love about her?

My independent reading choice will depend on my mood and if I finish Little Fires Everywhere before we officially start. I have both The Killers of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI and Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis on my list of books to read.