I’ve been reading more than I’ve been writing about it, but here are a few short takes.

Actually, in an unusual turn of events, I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower twice, but I’ll save that discussion for a subsequent post when talking about the film.

Night Circus is an imaginative novel of love and magic, though maybe not in that order.  Midway through the book, I wrote the friend who sent it to me:

The story is getting quite romantic.  Do we have books like this because writers are trying to create something magical that doesn’t exist in real life, or do we have books like this because writers are trying to capture the magic that sometimes does exist in real life? These questions don’t pertain to literal magic.

I wish I knew the answer to that question.

Last month I read Michael Parker’s unusual novel The Watery Part of the World then had an opportunity to hear him read from it and from a new work.  I knew he would be smart because the novel is so unusual, featuring people unlike any I’ve ever met but bitingly authentic in the rendering.  What I didn’t know before the reading is how charming, funny, and humble he is.  Parker is a faculty member at UNCG.  Support this local writer; you won’t regret it.

Last week I read Anne Panning’s tough but tender coming of age story Butter and look forward to hearing her read from it Wednesday evening.  It is poignant but understated, and the pop culture references resonate with me because of the time period.