On the Pile

Books! Books! Books!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
This is one is already off the pile; I read it in a single Saturday. Reminiscent of Judy Bloom, but the author pulls a few too many of her punches and makes giant leaps in plot. But I did get caught up in it and cried at the end---two major requirements for a young adult novel.

The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
I keep hearing how great Sarah Vowell is, but I don't listen to NPR (I know, I know. I'll flog myself later.) so I haven't really been exposed to her. But this one was on the paperback book table at the front of the store and the back cover (I know, I know. More flogging for me.) promises Canadian Mounties, Tom Cruise, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Like Life by Lorrie Moore
If you aren't reading Lorrie Moore, then go flog yourself.

Also catching up on past issues of Vanity Fair, Mental Floss, Harper's, and The Atlantic. I was told today that The Atlantic's fiction issue is not included in my subscription (what?!), so I'll be making a stop at the bookstore after work. And I'll try to resist the urge to pick up this.