A Reading Vacation

Spent four days in North Carolina walking the beach and reading. Which for me, is perfection. A little non-fiction, a little historical fiction, a little fluff.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett is an engaging read about book thief John Gilkey and the book seller, Ken Sanders, who tracked him down. It is fascinating to read Gilkey's story - despite stealing over one hundred thousand dollars worth of rare books and being jailed on numerous occasions, he doesn't think he did anything wrong. Sanders is the good guy in this story, someone you'd like to have a cup of coffee with but it's Gilkey who engages the reader.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay came highly recommended. It is a fictional account of the round-ups that took place in Paris in 1942. Jewish families living in France were routinely taken from their homes and brought to Vélodrome d'Hiver outside the city, then transported to Auschwitz. It is a part of WW II that is rarely spoken about and de Rosnay weaves a heart breaking story of strong willed ten year old Sarah. Told in alternating voices, it gets a little heavy handed at the end but is worth the time if for no other reason than to learn about a part of history not often included in our textbooks.

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani. NYC private schools, highly paid tutors, spoiled kids. Enough said.