A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

A few days ago I finished a book called A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.  I definitely wouldn't describe it as an exciting read, but I am so glad that I read it.  It's one of those books that seems to take on the crazy, ambiguous subject of "life" and somehow manages to nail it.  The characters also strike me as real people more than fictional ones from another era.  

It can be a slow read, but A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of those simply written, but incredibly thought provoking books that you won't forget once you've finished.  

The Gendarme

Anyone looking for a good book to read?  I wholeheartedly recommend The Gendarme by Mark Mustian.  I finished this book in tears, but then again, I finish most books in tears.  I don't want to say too much about it because I think half of the fun is the mystery of what is actually happening.  But in the most brief ways this story follows a man during early 1900 Turkey.  It's a page turner and addresses a period of history you don't often see in fiction.  

The other day the wind caught my book where we keep it above the door.  The pages were rapidly turning and flapping about as if an invisible hand were thumbing through at maximum speed.  I managed to take a picture before the wind died down.