The Reads

I confess I haven't been reading too much lately because I'm swimming in things I want to knit, and unfortunately, the more complicated the pattern, the less able I am to read while I knit. Reading is also a solitary activity, and while I love it, I also enjoy spending time with Wes, so I prefer to knit and spend time talking with him than sitting with a book. That said, I LOVE READING and I'm so excited to have finished two books on my "want to read" list.


The first is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I admit that the first time I picked this book up it was on the recommendation of friends and I just couldn't get into it. Indeed the first section is told in somewhat of a dialect and I really had to forge through the first 40 pages. However, after I did that, I was hooked. The first half of this book is told in chronological order, and the second half in reverse chronological order. The stories are seemingly unconnected and yet in some small way the characters in each briefly touch each other. Although certain sections were harder reading than others, overall I'd say the construction of the book was really masterfully done and I enjoyed reading this one quite a bit.


The second book is Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I stole this one from my mother's shelf when I was home, and in the course of an 8 hour day of plane rides and layovers I tore right through it. The story narrated by an old man, recalling his days spent literally running away with the circus. It's an interesting read and the author notes that she spent quite a bit of time researching the history of the circus - many of the seemingly unbelievable tales are loosely based on actual events! This was quite an entertaining way to spend a day!