This Week in Books

This Week in Books is a weekly round-up hosted by Lipsyy Lost and Found. In this post I look back on a book I've finished, highlight one I am currently reading, and one I will read in the near future. What are you reading these days?

THEN: I finished Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig and thought it was definitely a worthwhile read. It's a short book, but it took me a while to finish, because it's the kind of book that makes you think and I didn't want to leap from one topic to another. I have read a few books by this author, but I'd say this was my favorite.

NOW: I am reading Mohsin Hamid's How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia at the moment. I have about a quarter of the book left and quite like it so far. If you've read anything by this author before, this one fits into the theme that runs throughout his work, a search for belonging, facing moral dilemmas to do with identity and geography and socio-economic circumstances. It's well written, but like his other books, doesn't touch me as deeply as it maybe should. I'd be curious if others have felt the same. The stories are very intimate and yet I feel distanced from the characters, which is oddly contrarian.

NEXT: I've been reading a lot of nonfiction lately, and it might just be time to throw a solid mystery back into the mix. I've been saving the newest book by Elly Griffiths, The Stone Circle, for a few months, wanting to savor this addition to one of my favorite series when the mood struck me. I think I might be ready to give it a go! Excellent series, if you're looking for good mysteries that are heavy on character development.