Chapter Sixty-Six: A Wrinkle in Time (and its sequels)

So I had been thinking about re-reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle and its sequels for a while now, and finally I could resist no longer.  This may even start off a whole slew of re-reading fantastic classics!  For those of you who don't know, the books now labeled as the Time Quintet are: A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time.  A Wrinkle in Time is probably the best known of these books, although I find them all really enjoyable. Some are stranger than others as L'Engle explores the very strange nature of time, with the present or even the future often affecting the past.  These novels focus on the Murry family, a delightful crew of people who are practical and grounded while retaining an openness to the unexplained and downright strange.  The Murrys are delightful characters, and at least to me, they seem very real; I can easily imagine knowing them outside the bounds of fiction.  I also love the traditional New England setting of these books; as a New Englander, they just seem so homey and comfortable.  I'm really not sure how to describe the books themselves, except to say that the stories they tell remind me of all of the beautiful aspects of life and of the importance of love.  These are fantasy and children's classics, and if you haven't read them or haven't read them recently and are open to fantastical tales, I highly recommend them.

Chapter Sixty-Five: The Fastest Hound Dog in the State of Maine

This is a very short, rather odd little book by John Gould, an author I'd never heard of before, who spent most of his life as a journalist and author in Maine.  I encountered this slim tome while reshelving books as a volunteer at a local public library, and I started to read it--and almost before I knew what had happened, I'd finished the whole story!  According to the foreword by Gould, this story is merely his attempt to write down a traditional Maine story he'd heard told many times.  It definitely has a very folk-tale feel to it, although I can't quite say what makes it feel so folksy.  Anyway, if you want a little slice of a Maine tradition, you could take a look at The Fastest Hound Dog in the State of Maine.

Chapter Sixty-Four: Mockingbird

So while I was reshelving books in the middle school library, I chanced across Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine.  The cover intrigued me, so I read the back of the book... then the first few pages... the first few chapters... and the whole book!  The narrator-protagonist is Caitlin, a ten-year-old girl with Asperger's Syndrome who is grieving the death of her older brother and is also trying just to deal with day to day life at school.  She is a really fascinating narrator; it was mostly because of her narration that I couldn't put this book down as I read about her attempts to find closure and to make new friends.  For those of you who are interested, this book is a National Book Award winner.  This is a very quick read,  and it is a really heartwarming story.  It was all I could do to keep myself from sobbing (from happiness) while I read the end at the gym.

Chapter Sixty-Three: Gone Girl

So I asked on Facebook for book recommendations, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was one of them.  I devoured this long crime novel/mystery/thriller in a few days because I was really drawn in by the plot, and the writing was good, even though I found both main characters highly dislikable.  The plot definitely kept me guessing right until the end of the book, although I was pretty infuriated by the end.  Not to give too much away to those who haven't read it, but I wanted revenge and I didn't get it....  Alas.  If you like realistic crime drama type novels, this is probably a good one to read, although I can't say for sure since I read so little of this genre.

Chapter Sixty-Two: Nursery Crimes Series

So after reading the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde, I decided to try his Nursery Crimes series, which currently consists of two books: The Big Over Easy and The Fourth Bear.  They feature Jack Spratt and Mary Mary, who are minor characters in the third Thursday Next book, The Well of Lost Plots.  Overall, these books aren't quite as fun or well-written as Thursday Next, but I still enjoyed them.  They're a bit more obviously parodies, the first playing off of "Humpty-Dumpty" and the second off of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."  They are also parodies of mystery/crime novels in general, which I might appreciate more if I read more of those types of books.  Still, the characters and plots are interesting, so these books are worth reading if you're looking for more books by Fforde or if you're looking for clever, light-hearted mysteries.