What to Read This Week: All Those Books I Keep Putting off and Need to Start

Here’s a list of what I’ve added to my “to-read” list this week, and I think you should too!

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova:  I have to admit I have a love-hate relationship with this book.  I bought a copy when it first came out in 2005 (at the local Borders that is no longer in existence) and I wanted desperately to love it.  I’ve always been a fan of vampire lore, even written a few papers on Vlad Tepes and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  Yet, when I originally picked up this book to read it for myself I made it about 100 pages in before I gave up.  It was a little on the slow side and (as a mere middle schooler) I wasn’t sure how to push through the slog to get to the story.  But, now that I’ve gone through another 2 levels of English education and am preparing to start my own graduate work I thought it time to give this novel a second chance instead of letting it mock me on my bookshelf.  So, if you’re a vampire fan (the Dracula sort) and can put up with a little heavy reading maybe we can tackle this one together.

The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht: Following pediatrician Natalia Stefanovic

who is trying to solve the mystery of her grandfather’s death, this novel takes you through a war torn country with the backdrop of Natalia’s grandfather’s stories as her guide.  This is Obreht’s debut novel and she’s already been marked as one of the greats.  I’m interested to see how this novel unfolds and I’m trying to add more books to my reading list that take place outside of the U.S. and Western Europe (or fantasy novels without a country) just to try and keep in touch with the literature outside of my comfort zone.  Hopefully this novel will deliver.
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III: This is a novel that has been recommended to me for years and years but I haven’t gotten around to reading yet, so maybe it’s time to stop dragging my feet and do something about it.  In this novel two different people are fighting over ownership of the same house and the mistrust that has been built between them.  Of course, if what I’ve heard is correct there’s a lot more going on in this book than just that.  So, yet again, maybe it’s time to get this book read so I can see what all the talk is about for myself.

What are you reading this week?  Any books you’d like to recommend?