Reading Suggestions

So. I sold out, betrayed my English-major-'only-paper-books-are-real-books'-self and bought a Kindle. I caved in to the convenience of purchasing from the comfort of my home, particularly as there are no longer any bookstores near where I work or live. However, I've briefly jumped back on the (infinitely superior) actual book train. I've been making my farewell purchases at Border's and here are some of the winners.

One Day: I read this book without knowing about the movie. I finished it and THEN started to see the millions of Anne Hathaway + Jim Sturgess commercials punctuating my regular SATC rerun viewings. The basic premise is that every chapter takes place on July 15, following two characters for that single day through a period of twenty years. It starts on July 15, 1988, the morning after Dex and Emma have a one-night stand that morphs into a years-long friendship. The book can be annoying because the characters are not always particularly likable. However, the structure of the book is great. Realistically, the most significant moments of your life don't all happen on the same day every year - so you have to spend each chapter trying to figure out - did Emma get the job? What happened between Dex and his girlfriend? Did Emma and Dex get together last November or not? Also, the ending is phenomenal. Read it.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: This book is bizarre. The main premise centers around a girl who discovers, at the age of nine, that she can taste the emotions of people in the food that they make. No big events happen throughout the book - Rose never gets thrown into a national pie-eating contest, or saves someone from suicide based on taste of their mashed potatoes. Instead, it focuses on small things, like the heavy burden of Rose knowing that her mother is depressed, merely from a bite of her lemon cake. Worth reading, but prepare for the fact that Rose isn't the only one in her family with a unique ability.

Confessions of an Economic Hitman: Ever wondered what (actually) happens to all the foreign aid money allocated to third world countries? Or never even thought about it? This book is an interesting crash course in US relations with a number of developing countries, like Indonesia, Panama, Iraq, Iran and Ecuador. The story makes you question the US government and the intergovernmental agencies rather a bit, reminds you how good we have it in the first world and how important little steps - like recycling your used water bottles - can be.

About to start Cutting for Stone - updates on that to come!