March 4, 2008

Recent Reads

1. The Commoner
Do you love days when you can simply lay about and read? I sure do, and had one such day recently. I started and finished this book is about 24 hours - wonderful to simply get immersed in a book for extended periods of time. Time takes on a different quality and even the light seems different.

This book has gotten rave reviews, and I'm not sure I understand why. It is an interesting read, in that one gets an glimpse into the life of the Japanese court - but it lacked the depth of character or story-telling that many Asian writers infuse into their stories. I found it a pleasant enough read, but did not love it.

2. People of the Book
Loved reading this book. It is not the best work I've read by the author, but very interesting. I love the idea of following the life of a book - getting to see all the times and places the book settles for a while, in the midst of the Inquisition and book burning bouts of history. The story is told in vignettes that span time and countries, and the only thing in common is the book. Delicious.

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