What I'm Reading

For as long as I can remember, I've loved getting lost in a good book, but I usually do this one book at a time. As a reader, I'm a binger, not a snacker. I love nothing more than spending an entire day finishing a great book. Today, however, I find myself in the middle of a few books:

1. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell:  I'm only a few pages into this one, and it is delightful. It's kind of a cross between Jane Austen and J.K. Rowling. I don't think it's the sort of book I can binge read; it's much too long for that, and more importantly, it's so well-written, I want to savor every word.

2. Heart of Darkness: We're reading this in the world lit class I'm teaching this semester, and what I love best about it is that it's a novella. Novellas are perfect for binge reading because they only take a couple of hours. Also, Heart of Darkness is one of those books you "should" read, you know? Since I'm teaching this one, I'll probably also watch Apocalypse Now for the first time, since it's based on this book.

3. Orange is the New Black: This is the memoir on which the Netflix series is based. I'm listening to it on audiobook when I commute. I don't really like to listen to fiction while driving, but I love listening to creative non-fiction. Before Orange is the New Black I listened to Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and Tina Fey's Bossypants. 

4. Atonement: This one is definitely a binge read, but I had to stop myself half-way through yesterday because I knew if I kept going I wouldn't get anything else done that day. This is the rare book that was so suspenseful that I actually skipped over parts just so I could find out what happens. And the thing is, the writing is spectacularly beautiful and engaging -- I didn't want to skip over any of it, but the story was just so darn compelling that I had to. (Note to readers: please, no spoilers. I haven't finished!)

What about you? Read any good books lately?