I read stacks and stacks of books!

OK, well not stacks. But three is pretty good for me at this point. And I just realized they were all Christmas presents! Thanks Bud's Mom, Brother Eric, and Nicole!

Book #4 - Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote

I read this a few months ago, and it was short and delicious, but I don't remember much about it. I'm sure you've all seen the movie.

Book #5, The Nasty Bits, by Anthony Bourdain

Sandy wrote about this last year, so I won't go into too much detail. It's a fun and easy read, like all of his books. This one is less cohesive, by virtue of the fact that it's really just a random assortment of his writing. Some magazine articles, some little essays, even a short fiction piece. I particularly liked the travel pieces, again, although the one with his wife made me sad because of their eventual divorce. So, anyone know if he and his new model girlfriend had their baby yet?

Book #6, The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss

Amazon.com constantly recommends this book to me, so I was very pleased when Nicole gave it to me for Christmas. I read it in just a few hours, and was totally absorbed. It's the story of an old man who escaped Poland during the Holocaust, and lives alone in New York with no family. It's also the story of a young girl who was named after a character in a book her parents read when they were falling in love, and the author of that book. It reads like a flower opening, and I know that is cheesy, but that's the way it feels. Every chapter opens up a little more of the story. If I say too much more, this will really devolve into some major Book Club babble; "theme" this and "motif" that. Anyway, it's a smart, funny and engaging read.