Two for one
The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
A collection of short stories. The first is my favorite. In 30 pages (or less) she establishes characters with backgrounds that we appreciate and feel as complex. I was just amazed that she could build a link between the reader and the characters so quickly. Obvioulsy I don't read short stories that often. They amaze me. All of the stories are about people who are Indian or of Indian decent, but the time periods flow over decades in the 20th century in no order. Just read the first story if nothing else and tell me what you think.
Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
I got an advanced copy from a girl that hasn't even read Wicked (shame on her). In the beginning it truly felt like he created a sequel where there was no place to make a sequel. I wish to read the original Oz series to see if he was making any ties to what occured in the following books (which reminds me I also need to rent Return to Oz). Maguire sets up the option to do a third book because it feels slightly loose ended. Read it if you absolutely loved Wicked. If not then you can safely avoid it. Warning: Even if you loved Wicked, if you didn't read it in the last month you will probably feel slightly lost at times.
A collection of short stories. The first is my favorite. In 30 pages (or less) she establishes characters with backgrounds that we appreciate and feel as complex. I was just amazed that she could build a link between the reader and the characters so quickly. Obvioulsy I don't read short stories that often. They amaze me. All of the stories are about people who are Indian or of Indian decent, but the time periods flow over decades in the 20th century in no order. Just read the first story if nothing else and tell me what you think.
Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
I got an advanced copy from a girl that hasn't even read Wicked (shame on her). In the beginning it truly felt like he created a sequel where there was no place to make a sequel. I wish to read the original Oz series to see if he was making any ties to what occured in the following books (which reminds me I also need to rent Return to Oz). Maguire sets up the option to do a third book because it feels slightly loose ended. Read it if you absolutely loved Wicked. If not then you can safely avoid it. Warning: Even if you loved Wicked, if you didn't read it in the last month you will probably feel slightly lost at times.