04 February 2011

Book Blogger Hop: What Are You Reading Now?

Book Blogger Hop

This week's question at the Book Blogger Hop, sponsored each week by Crazy For Books, what book(s) are you currently reading and why?  

I'm in various stages of a few different books right now.  I'm about halfway through an ARC of The Borrower, by Rebecca Makkai, which I'm reading for fun.  It's the story of a librarian who rescues/liberates/kidnaps (depending on your point of view) a child whose parents are trying to pray the gayness right out of him and who only let him read books that have "the breath of God."  It's a fun book that my Penguin sales rep, Karl Krueger, sent to me a few weeks ago that I'm just now getting around to.  This book will be published in June.  

And as I mentioned in a previous post this week, I'm still working on the ARC of The Tiger's Wife, which I'm mostly reading for work.  Our store is interested in booking her for an author reading once her book debuts in March. 

I also just started reading the new/forthcoming memoir from Andre Dubus III called Townie.  I wasn't such a big fan of The Garden of Last Days, but I think his book The House of Sand and Fog comes about as close to Greek tragedy as modern literature can get.  His new book proves him to be a wordsmith of the highest order, and just in the first chapter he's left me suckerpunched.  The book doesn't come out for another month, so I'm reading the ARC from David Goldberg, my Norton sales rep.  Dubus will be reading at my store next month, and I have to say, if you've never had the pleasure of hearing him speak, do yourself a favor and attend one of his readings while he's on tour.  He's handsome and engaging, yes, but he is also so erudite that he peppers his talks with so many literary quotations that he's a walking-talking Bartlett's.  And what's more, he's got that intense charisma so that when he's signing your book and speaking just to you, he absolutely makes you believe that in all the universe there's nothing he would rather be doing at that moment.  

13 comments:

  1. Hi there, I'm stopping by from the hop. I'm reading Lost on Planet China right now, more or less a travel book too, where the author is trying to comprehend that "thing" that China is today.
    Have a nice weekend.

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  2. Hey you, just stopping by on the hop and follow. I'm a new follower. Come by and visit.
    I'm currently reading Master of Smoke by Angela Knight.
    Happy Reading!!!
    See ya!
    Dana
    Readaholics Anonymous

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  3. Interesting blog. I'm going to check out Andre Dubus II as an author and see what my library has by him. Every once in a while you meet a person with intense charisma that makes you feel like the only person in the world. Wish I could attend the book signing. :)

    Currently, I'm reading a wonderful memoir/self help book called "Major Dream: From Immigrant Housemaid to Harvard Ph.D." by author Jin Kyu Robertson Ph.D. The title pretty much says it all! I'm simple amazed at what she has accomplished with determination. Definitely inspirational!

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  4. I loved THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG. Good to see another book by that author.

    Hopping by.

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  5. I thoroughly agree with your estimation of The House of Sand and Fog, and look forward to what you make of Townie. I hope Dubus gets way up to our corner of the Pacific Northwest on his tour...
    And those engravings of Welty: wow!
    Thanks for visiting my blog today, and let's absolutely keep in touch about books.
    Huzzah for independent bookstores!

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  6. Good answer! The answer on my book blog is a little embarassing; it’s a book that’s been sitting on my TBR pile for a year.

    To my shame, I only opened the book because I remember it contained an Amazon gift card.

    All the sordid details on my book blog – http://www.howardsherman.net

    Hop on over!

    Howard Sherman
    http://www.howardsherman.net

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  7. Thanks for hopping by my blog!

    New follower :)

    Lu
    http://quickquotesquills.blogspot.com/

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  8. Hopping through. The Borrower sounds really interesting!.
    My Hop

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  9. Good moring,

    You so TICKLE ME. The top photo in my garden shed is so simple, but if you think that it looks like a book cover, well, what could be better?

    Sending love across the cold miles,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  10. The Borrower sounds especially fun. My local independent bookstore folks are organizing their advanced copies and then will allow me to peruse, which I'm very excited about. At your store do you pick your favorites or ever post little reviews under books in the store?

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  11. Hey hello hi! I am just hopping on by. ;)
    p.s. new follower alert
    come say hello to me as well :)

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  12. Love the sounds of The Borrower!

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  13. What happens to your ARCs when your done? Do you give them to friends? I've been dying to read The Borrower -- I love Rebecca's short stories -- and I don't want to wait until June! (How was it?) I wish my favorite indie store here in DC was easy to get to, then the staff would know me better by face and I could beg someone there.

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Please, sir, may I have some more? (Comments, that is!)