<h3>wily wiley reads.</h3>

      it's been awhile since i've done a 'wily wiley reads' and i've been getting some questions about what i've been reading of late.  i have read a few really wonderful books.  most of the books i've read lately are huge bestsellers, but i hope to inspire a few of you to pick up a new read.

belong to me by maria de los santos - after reading love walked in, i called my sister to tell her how much i loved the book and how i was heartbroken that i couldn't know more about what happened to cornelia and her family.  i was beyond excited when i found out that there was indeed a sequel.  belong to me had the same beautiful way of storytelling through multiple characters.  with the addition of new characters and a change of scenery, belong to me was even more than i had hoped.  i highly recommend picking up both of these books...or move on to the second one if you've already devoured the first.

sarah's key by tatiana de rosnay - this was another book passed along to me by my mom and younger sister.  sarah's key juxtaposes the stories of a journalist in paris, today, and a ten year old child during the paris roundups in 1942.  'haunting' is the best way to describe this book.  i learned a lot about the events that occurred in paris that year and i haven't stopped thinking about the story since i turned the last page.  while points of the story were very difficult to read because of the subject matter, i found it a very fulfilling read and it only took about two days to finish because i could not put it down.

water for elephants by sarah gruen -  do i even need to write anything about this one?  i think, once again, i may be the last person on earth to have read this book.  it was perfect.  i loved learning more about the traveling circus culture of the early 1930s and the characters are just so damn likeable.  jacob and marlena might be my favorite fictional couple in a long while.  i really enjoy reading books that give you a full story, from beginning to end, and water for elephants does not disappoint.  jump on this bandwagon people!

white teeth by zadie smith - how do i even begin to sum this book up?  it's nearly impossible, given the vast scale of topics that smith covers in one novel.  i'm a big zadie smith fan and have read the autograph man and on beauty and loved both books.  i have yet to decide where this book falls in my list of zadie smith favorites, but the scope is so great it's hard to compare this to anything.  in white teeth smith discusses issues of race, age, gender...the list goes on.  i will admit that i found this to be slower reading, but it has a peaceful quiet story that makes for relaxing reading.

now it's your turn.  please tell me what i need to add to my pile of books to be read.  right now i'm looking forward to reading the help, the hunger games series and her last death.  what do i need to read?  what book could you not put down?