<h3>wily wiley reads.</h3>

     while fashion may be one of my greatest passions, the written word tops the list.  i have a master's degree in english literature and was born and raised a bookworm.  while i am not sure that this will be a continuing feature on my blog, i thought i would give some feedback on a few of my most recent literary endeavors.

1. the history of love by nicole krauss - this book, about the intertwined lives of a young girl and an elderly man, travels through the lives and memories of multiple characters while maintaining a centered reality around the specific longings of each character.  i especially loved alma's attempts at remembering a father she never knew.  beautifully written, i would recommend this love story to anyone and everyone.

2. the blind assassin by margaret atwood - another novel that travels through memories and even combines one book within another, the blind assassin was moving and extremely touching.  the relationship between two sisters, both strikingly different, is a beautiful representation of the connection between sisters; wanted or not.  i have just passed this along to my own sisters and look forward to hearing their reviews.

3. the girl with the dragon tattoo by stieg larsson - if you have not heard of this one you may possibly been living under a rock.  after hearing multiple friends rave about it and seeing people reading it on the subway on a daily basis, i knew i had to be a part of the hype.  well my friends, this hype is well-deserved. i read this book in three days and could not put it down.  this meant a few nights with little sleep, but so well worth it.   i recently compared it to an extended episode of csi/law and order svu.  with drama, violence and a bit of humor i found myself pining for more.  luckily for me, i received the sequel in the mail last night and am already 100 pages through.  not a great book to read alone at night...gets a bit creepy, but seriously, go get this book!

4. the god of small things by arundhati roy - while i typically adore every recommendation i get from my close friends on what to read next, i have to admit this was a tough one for me.  the story revolves around the childhood of fraternal twins and the drama that changes their lives in a single day.  the writing was incredible and roy creates a language that becomes easy to understand early on, but oh the sadness.  i found myself crying at nearly every other chapter.  beyond the sadness the book often read like poetry.  for those a bit more thick-skinned this would be a fabulous read.

   so far my summer reading list consists of the final two books of stieg larssons' series, eat, pray, love (round two), the dud avocado, watership down and the thornbirds.  read anything lately that you loved?  i would love to get some suggestions and hear what others are reading.