January 2012 Reads

via

1  Another Bullshit Night In Suck City by Nick Flynn
2  Shelter Me by Juliette Fay
3  Blue Monday by Nicci French
4  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
5  The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman
6  Our Man In The Dark by Rashad Harrison
7  The Cove by Ron Rash

A slow month for reading, but I loved several of these books.  Another Bullshit Night In Suck City, was a great memoir.  Imagine having a dad who's a homeless addict.  Nick Flynn is a great writer and poet, I highly recommend you dive into his memoir.

I love John Green!  There, I've said it.  He's considered a YA author, because his characters are teens; but his writing is for everyone.   The Fault in Our Stars deals with young people living their lives to the fullest, even though they have be diagnosed with terminal diseases  Sounds grim, but it's a great read.

The Street Sweeper is the first time I've read Elliot Perlman.  He's a fabulous storyteller.  This novel deals with both the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement.  The subjects are not "uppers", for sure, but I love this book.  Most of my Tai Chi students are readers, so I'm going to pass this one around the class.  The bottom line, according to Perlman, and I agree, is we're all the same, and we're all connected.

Our Man In The Dark, also deals with the Civil Rights Movement.  It's historical fiction and a great debut novel.

After reading two fairly "heavy" novels, I was ready for something lighter.  I tried The Cove, and while I loved the story, it didn't qualify as light.  Set in Appalachia during WWI, it deals with small minds and a tragic love story.  Ron Rash is a wonderful writer, and I highly recommend this read.

What are you reading?