Books I've Been reading

Because I hate the hot weather so much, I tend to spend more time reading so I can forget just how miserable I am. Consequently I finished five books these past few weeks:
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel
Kafka on the Shore
After Dark All of which are by Haruki Murakami. I am ashamed to say that I had not heard of this author until http://twitter.com/donttrythis (Adam Savage) mentioned him. I was looking for something unusual to read and these books fit that criteria. They are captivating, surreal, and interestiing. At the same time, I would not recommend them to anyone with a closed mind. They require thinking and imagination. If you are looking for a light read, keep looking. Incidentally, I enjoyed them enough to buy two more of his books.

Because I have difficulty sleeping, I chose a lighter book for those seemingly endless nights. Blue Shoes and Happiness is the seventh book in Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Series. It is light, fun escapism at its best.

I also read David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris. It is a wonderful little book that describes his experiences living in one of the world's more delightful and complicated cities. Funny book with great recipes.

My next books will be: The Last Days of the Romanovs Tragedy at Ekaterinburg by Helen Rappaport,
Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, South of the Border, West of the Sun, both by Haruki Murakami,
The Gift of Fear by Gavin Becker,
Ratio The Simple Codes to Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman,
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith,
and finally The Meaning of the Night by Michael Cox