what i’m reading: past, present, and future

My daily life involves a lot of writing, whether it’s for this blog or for magazine freelancing, but I recently realized that I’ve never talked about the root of my writing, which is actually reading. Writing takes practice, sure, but reading is what makes me better, hones my skills, and quite honestly, teaches me new words.

No snobbery here: I think magazines can be just as inspiring as books. (Though I do think of all that’s out there, it doesn’t get more smart and inventive than New York Magazine.) But for today’s post, I wanted to share the scoop on my recent book reads. The following are new in the grand scheme of things, but I actually read these after all the buzz. Life gets in the way, I fall asleep within minutes of picking up my Kindle before bed, and sometimes I really just want to watch Real Housewives. For all those other times, here’s what’s on my virtual bookshelf:

Where’d You Go Bernadette? The only hook I needed was that a former Arrested Development writer is the brains behind this light, quirky, kind of deranged tail about a mom gone missing. I liked how the main character reminded me of Lucille Bluth and the book’s epistolary structure but fawn over WYGB? as much as other people did. Perhaps the hype did me in.

Gone Girl I didn’t just read this one after the buzz—I read it after news and casting of the movie. It was unfortunate to already know what the main characters look like, but I made sure not to IMDB any supporting characters to give my imagination at least a bit of a workout. That said, it didn’t matter…and I actually think the casting is pretty spot-on. Penned by Gillian Flynn, a former Entertainment Weekly staffer (where I used to write), Gone Girl is a unique blend of mass and artistic. Someone said I wouldn’t be able to put it down once I started, and for the first time, that was actually true for me. Plus, I once Fed Ex’ed a DVD to Flynn as an EW intern and now I feel like I know her. (I do not know her.)

The Circle Need help easing off Facebook, Instagram, and all the other apps that are making you A.D.D. and a little more than neurotic? This book should do the trick. It follows the story of a young woman who takes a job at a Facebook- and Google-type company. As she navigates her way through the organization, you realize just how sick and twisted all this information-sharing and transparency can be. What’s scarier is that their world isn’t all that exaggerated. Our society is already headed down that path! I guarantee it will make you think twice about Instagram filters and 140 characters.

The Goldfinch I’m halfway through this book, and though the 784 pages were initially daunting and the start was slow for me, I’m in it to win it now. The story revolves around a boy’s tragic, tumultuous life after his mother dies, a  setup that reminded me a little of Great Expectations. Now that I’ve made progress on my page count, I’m fully invested in seeing what happens to this boy, but it’s the writing that’s keeping me going. It’s spectacular.

What’s next on my list? Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. Anything else you’d recommend for a fiction lover?

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