Reading books

I haven't done it in a while. Magazines, sure. But I haven't had the time or attention span for books lately. Probably because I can't stand to read a book over the course of a month ... or a week, even. When I read, I don't fuck around. I like to blaze through books in a day or two.

I've always been a really fast reader. But and if I let a book sit for two long in between reads, it's hard for me to go back to it. It's one of my quirks. Whatever.

So it was cool, during my week-long vacation, to devour some books as I listened to ocean waves crash up on shore. Relaxing!

Here's what I read:

"The Unauthorized Biography of Tom Cruise" by Andrew Morton: Wow. A super interesting read about a famous, controlling guy with a raging case of little man's syndrome. But the stuff about Cruise was overshadowed by all the inside information about Scientology, based on tons of research and interviews with high-up people who eventually left the cult. To each their own, I guess. But I can't believe people really believe in this stuff.

"Secrets of a Shoe Addict" by Beth Harbison: This book came to me in a press release at work. It was OK. A bunch of PTA moms who barely know each other go on a school trip to Las Vegas and get into some financial trouble. So they come home and earn money as phone sex operators and become friends. It had its charming moments and it was an easy read, but overall is was ... meh.

"Shopaholic and Baby" by Sophie Kinsella: My friend Pam sent me this book months ago, and as much as I love SK, I never got around to reading it. (I blame the dogs and the television for this.) In the book, shopaholic Becky Bloomwood is back, and this time she's having a baby. It's a really cute read, and when you read it, this phrase will forever crack you up: "She's a red-headed bitch and I hate her."

"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult: An incredible work of fiction that is beautifully written and charming and touching and thought-provoking. A young girl who has spent her entire 13 years donating blood, bone marrow and other things to her sister, who has cancer, sues her parents for medical emancipation when they ask her to donate a kidney. It's a brilliant piece of work, and not as much of a tearjerker as it sounds like. The author's breezy writing propels you through.

So, any more suggestions?