Currently Reading: The Goldfinch

I just finished reading Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch and it was astounding. My sister's boyfriend, Alex, bought me two great reads for my birthday in June and I finally found the time to sit down and devour this 700-plus pages.

The enormous novel was intimidating at first (the commitment seemed astronomical!) and I was slightly concerned that it would seem I was part of this global book club––it's the novel of the summer and kind of a chit-chat point like TV shows. However, I'm always game for a book about art featuring a Russian supporting character.

The Goldfinch is what you would call a bildungsroman (a story about growing up, usually through a "journey"), so Tartt writes in the voice of a boy spanning at least ten years and both American coasts (and continents!). His travels, battles & triumphs intersect and spiral into the lives of other diverse characters that creates a multidimensional life for Theo and the reader.

While it took me weeks––I'm a slow reader, I'll admit (you can see my progress on Instagram from beginning, middle, and end)––I was melancholic when I finished. I felt some serious pride and also sadness, because it has passages that are just so breathtakingly beautiful. I haven't read something this  popular & lovely in a while.

Donna Tartt only publishes a novel what seems like every decade, and I can see why. The Goldfinch is perfection. I highly recommend carving out a chunk of time to read this stunning novel.

P.S. I heard it's going to be a movie?!?!; here's the actual Fabritius Goldfinch

{Summer Reads}...The Round House

I just finished reading The Round House by Louise Erdrich this morning; I've been going through it in stages for an online book discussion for by campus job training, but I had to read ahead late into last night. I even woke up early to finish the last couple pages that became a haze in my heavy-lidded late night read.

I first encountered Louise Erdrich in my American Indian literature class at the university, and was stunned by her beautiful story weaving in Tracks. (This is also an incredible book that I advise you to seek out.) Erdrich is a Minnesota native, and member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, part of Anishinaabe. She owns an independent book store, Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, which I'm dying to visit, and has an incredible written legacy. She has written over twelve novels, several books of poetry, and children's literature.

The Round House is a heart-breaking, thrilling, and delicate story of Joe, a young boy living on a reservation in North Dakota. The novel begins with a shattering family tragedy, shrouded in mystery; the search for truth and justice carry the rest of the novel, as readers see true family, real emotion, and the rapid maturation of a young boy burdened by sorrow and frustration.

Seriously, this is a must read! It's haunting, nail-bitting, and humorous.

Photo via

{Summer Reads}...Essays

Over the years, my taste in reading has been refined into a seasonal rotation. During the school year, I read many novels and plays; my interest is heavily invested in these stories for lengthy periods of time. Characters seem to manifest themselves in my head, and at times, I have picked up speech patterns after spending so much time with remarkable characters. (I found myself speaking like Zooey after pouring over Salinger's Franny and Zooey not long ago.)

So during the summer I give myself a sort of mental vacation. I admit to watching hours of television and movies, reading trashy magazines, and distancing myself from critical news. Instead of marathon novels, I love to read collections of essays. They are concise, engaging, and thought-provoking. I usually read one or two a day, and they always leave you with something to talk about with others.

I'm currently reading Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays by Zadie Smith (genius!) and I'm already hooked. Next on my list will be her breakout novel White Teeth. I'd highly recommend any book by her!

P.S. This looks like a great list for they 25 best essay collections "of all time".