Do you love the new layout? I love the new layout! I made the header myself which was a huge accomplishment for me, as I am not awesome with all of this photo editing business. It frustrates me. But maybe I’m changing…maybe I’m learning some patience.

I finished Water for Elephants a couple of weeks ago and it slipped my mind to blog about it until I was updating my to read list. I am more into self-help, informational, research-based literature. I rarely finish anything that’s fiction. (Rarely, not never!) This historical novel was absolutely fantastic, though. I hate to give a synopsis. I feel like it takes a lot of the fun out of reading the book. In (very) short, this novel is the reminiscences of a 90-something year old man who spent much of his youth working in a circus. It has everything that anyone could ever want in a story, love, lust, conflict, excitement; it makes you laugh and it makes you cry. But the real appeal to me was Gruen’s writing style. It’s warm and inviting. I didn’t want to read this book in a busy breezeway while I was waiting to go into class. I wanted to read it on my couch with dim lighting and a cup of coffee.

Gruen’s latest book, Ape House, just debuted this month and if it’s written in the same inviting tone as Water for Elephants, it will surely be added to the long list of books I intend to read in the near future.

I say…read it!