Because I was asked to recommend some books to read...

In response to a request for book recommendations from a student who used East of Eden as an example of books she liked...

A novel exploring Ernest Hemingway's first marriage through the viewpoint of Hadley Hemingway,

The Paris Wife. A fast read, but emotionally difficult at times. I was not familiar with their story and wasn't sure how it would end. This is definitely worth reading, and from the notes at the end, is a faithful exploration of a well-documented relationship.

The Book Thief. Five stars.

What was it like to be German during the Fuhrer's reign? Not a member of the elite, but one of the powerless? How many times have people outside Germany pondered whether or not they would have gone along with the crowd, whether they would have drunk the Kool-Aid? The Book Thief explores that idea in unexpected and deep ways. This is a gorgeously written book. The prose sometimes stopped me cold just long enough to savor it before moving forward. Not so often that it got in the way of the story, just often enough to make this book of difficult subject matter lush and beautiful. Death's point of view is fascinating. It gives just enough distance and subjective thought to keep the story from getting too intense. Yes, I love intense emotion in books, and this had its moments. But the use of Death as a character was a profound and appropriate choice, for he brought vision and distance in moments when it was needed. Again, five stars.

Middlesex. This tale of a transgendered teenager in a Greek immigrant family in Detroit is brilliant. It's compelling. It's fascinating. It follows the Stephanides family from war-torn Greece to an America that is changing faster than even their own lives. Come for the emotionally gripping story of the transgendered girl and stay for the dramatic saga of family and risk and love. And I thought all that before it won the Pulitzer Prize.

And for something completely different...

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, by Barry Lyga. Fanboy is a high school sophomore with more than his share of burdens to bear. A geek who loves comics and is the smartest nerd in school, he only has one friend, and that friend doesn't acknowledge him if others are around. I can tell you more, but it makes him sound pretty pathetic. And honestly, he's so wicked smart and wicked funny (with an emphasis on wicked, if you consider that he had Planned Parenthood send his mother abortion brochures when he found out she was pregnant with the "step-fascist's" baby), this is book sucked me in from the first words. Oh, and he meets Goth Girl, which gives him another friend. (Not spoiling anything there. Read the title.)

What books would you recommend? Surely you have some!