Walking through the bookshelves, I try to comprehend how it's possible that I can take ANY book and read it. For free. No doubt I was exposed to the concept as a small child - but after becoming a grown up and having a mortgage payment and buy food, etc. - rediscovering something that is truly free makes me giddy.
This past trip to the library was a lot like when I fill my plate at Thanksgiving. I get excited and take way too much. Although finishing three novels in three weeks is impossible (for me), I always find a way to finish a heaping plate of food. Out of the three I took home, I finished one: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. Yes - the author of the Harry Potter series.
The Casual Vacancy, at first, seems like only a simple story of a small town. An upstanding citizen on the town's council dies, and the events surrounding the filling of his seat are contained in Rowling's tale. The pages include the expected small-town gossip and petty rivalries, but it also explores profound themes of family, socio-economic divides and misunderstandings.
The Casual Vacancy, at first, seems like only a simple story of a small town. An upstanding citizen on the town's council dies, and the events surrounding the filling of his seat are contained in Rowling's tale. The pages include the expected small-town gossip and petty rivalries, but it also explores profound themes of family, socio-economic divides and misunderstandings.
After I began the book, I was unsure whether I would be entertained by the story line. My brain needed to shift gears from the ever-changing stories of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Game of Thrones to something slightly slower. Although the pace is slower, Rowling keeps you reading as she presents the imperfect, interesting inhabitants of Pagford. Whether one identifies with or dislikes them - one thing is true - Rowling definitely knows how to create full, complex characters.
The brief synopsis of The Casual Vacancy may or may not pull a reader in, but once engulfed in the lives of J.K. Rowling's characters - it's impossible to not see them through until the end.
My next read is A Discovery of Witches, by Debora Harkness. This book is the beginning to another trilogy released over two years ago...and is now being turned into a movie. So far, I'm loving it.
Have a great Labor Day Weekend!
My next read is A Discovery of Witches, by Debora Harkness. This book is the beginning to another trilogy released over two years ago...and is now being turned into a movie. So far, I'm loving it.
Have a great Labor Day Weekend!
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