New Year, New Reads

Written by Lindsay Thomson

2013 has begun, and what better way to start off the New Year by compiling a fresh new reading list? One of my resolutions is to make more time for reading, and if you have the same goal in mind, then take a gander at this short list I compiled of my recent and perpetual favorite books.

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn

Set on an island dubbed Nollop, where the community centers all their laws around the alphabet, the lives of the citizens begin to crumble as letters fall from the statue in their town’s square, which displays the notorious pangram, “The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog.” As the government forbids the fallen letters from being used, communication between the characters suffers, which is showcased through the letters they send back and forth to one another. If you’d like to start off the New Year with a short but impossibly clever read, then this book is for you.

Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami has fast become one of my favorite authors, Dance Dance Dance being perhaps slightly less unknown in comparison to his national bestsellers like Kafka On the Shore. In the simplest terms, Dance Dance Dance’s protagonist delves into a chapter of his life that leads him through inexplicable dreams, parallel universes and fated relationships that all bring him closer to rediscovering his past. Beautifully written and relatable on a multitude of levels, I would recommend this book to anyone regardless of their tastes.

The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa

This book, which Pessoa himself has called a “factless autobiography” is less of a novel and more of a collection of stories and prose, which makes it a wonderful read to come back to time and time again. It provides insight into Pessoa’s fantastical mind, where he often ponders the boundaries of consciousness, dreams, and the banalities of everyday life. I can assure you that you will have to keep a running stock of post-its or highlighters to mark all your favorite excerpts!

Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Everything Is Illuminated remains one of my favorite books of all time, alongside Foer’s other well-known novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which received a lot of recognition with the release of its motion picture in 2011. However, If I absolutely had to choose between the two, I would most likely call Everything Is Illuminated my favorite. It possesses a certain charm that has stuck with me through the years, especially due to the character Brod’s story in the novel. Not to mention Foer’s incomparably stunning writing style; it makes this book. Give it a read and I’m sure you’ll agree.

Best,

Lindsay

Written by Lindsay Thomson

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