Mmmmm, books

As a lifelong lover of books, I've gone through phases where I'll read ravenously, slurping through as many volumes as I can get my hands on. Other times, I just read casually, taking in magazines and the occasional novel.

I've been on a real tear the last few months, pouring through books one after another after another. Tonight, I'm riveted by Tethered, a novel by Amy Mackinnon. I have actually found myself so involved in the pages on the subway that I get irked because the ride seems so short.

To me, there are two general types of novels. They either seem to be terribly obvious, where I can guess what's about to happen, or I figure out how the story will unfold too early in the book... candy novels like the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris or even the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyers. Fun, but a little sleazy.

On the other hand, I've also been privileged to discover the type of books that wow. These stories surprise me. They're so well-written that I instantly fall into the pages with abandon, and whether or not I admire the characters, I care about them. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski swept me away like that... I laughed and cried and actually felt like shit when it was over. That's powerful writing. So too is Rick Bragg's work, whether it's All Over but the Shoutin or my more recent read, Ava's Man.

I'm glad I've fallen back into a cycle of prolific reading, and I'd like to grow my list of books to read... What do you recommend?

You can check out my virtual bookshelf by clicking here.