So THIS is why I read......

My Amazon.com shipment came in on Tuesday, and I have also been without a car for much of this week (courtesy of my husband who backed into a trailer at Home Depot, but that's another story, and it's all fixed now). The result of my week as a shut in? My pantry is clean and organized, my house is dusted and vacuumed, I baked a cake, and I read THE BEST novel I have read in a long time. It's 514 pages and worth every second that it takes to read it.

If you read one book this summer, read this. For all you English majors, Special Topics in Calamity Physics is structured around chapters with titles that read like a syllabus outlining the canon - from the chapter titled Moby Dick (where we witness an unfortunate situation in a swimming pool) to Wuthering Heights (where the main character details her over-romanticized love interest) to Pygmailion (where she receives a makeover of sorts). It is the story of Blue Van Meer, a lovable heroine, whose father is a respected Political Science professor who schools his daughter in all things academic and raises her to be the most intellectually curious and well-read teenager imaginable. Blue has never lived a full year in the same place because her father chooses to keep moving from university to university, but he has decided to give her the gift of her senior year in one place this time - a small town in western North Carolina. Ironically, this experience leads to a greater adventure than her many previous travels because Blue befriends some interesting peers and an intriguing teacher who seems to have trouble drawing a line of privacy and separation between herself and her students.

The story is definitely a coming-of-age tale, but it develops a bit of a murder mystery twist, and there are unexpected moments in every chapter. I couldn't put it down! In the end it solidifies why we read. (Blue is definitely guided by her cultural lexicon.) But it also reminds us that there are aspects of our lives that are so far from intellect and also far more confusing than what the brain can sort out. Aside from this, it really is one of the most innovative and creatively written novels I have read in a long time (often including academic citations in Blue's rambling thoughts). Visit the website for more info. http://www.calamityphysics.com/ I cannot say enough positive things about this book.

Now I have to decide what to fill my beach bag with.....always so hard to follow up such a great book.