I have a lot of books on suspended hold at the library, but a couple I received lately were, again, brand-spanking new. What I like about having books on hold at the library is that I don’t really have to think about what I’m going to read next. If it becomes available, that’s what I’m reading!

However, the first book in this line-up was one I got from PaperBackSwap.com:

PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives
by Frank Warren (non-fiction) – great coffee table book

This is a truly a work of art. Warren scattered blank postcards with his address on them across various locations with the instructions to write a secret that has never been told. This book is a collection of the postcards he received. Some are shocking, {“He’s in prison for something I’ve done.”}, others are great expressions of feelings, while still others are humorous. It’s a quick book to thumb through. People didn’t just write their secrets, some submissions were more artistic, including hand drawn pictures or photographs. It’s been said that for some people, just sending these secrets on a post card to a stranger was an incredible release of something bottled up for so long.

~

The Last Days of Night
by Graham Moore (fiction) – worth a read, but only if you like historical fiction and inventions

I picked this one up from the library – brand new. It’s kind of cool getting to be the first reader of a new library book. I wish there was a good way in Good Reads that I can note why I put a book on my must-read list or from where I got the recommendation. This is not a book I would normally pick off the shelf. It’s a work of historical fiction based on true events. Moore took the accounts of days of Edison’s light bulb invention and filled in the pieces with much imagination. Not knowing that much more about this period in time than that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, there is no way for me to tell what parts are fact and what parts are fiction. But who cares? I think it’s a cool concept to take historical facts and tie them together with a nice dramatic plot.

~

I’ll See You in Paris
by Michelle Gable (fiction) – worth a read

I have to admit, I was 100% drawn to this book by the cover. Little cafes in Paris are just about one of my favorite things. Blue is my favorite color, too. It makes me feel relaxed and happy. This is what the cover makes me feel. However, the majority of this book is not set in Paris! Yet, it’s still wonderful. Really, it’s a story within a story within a story. It started out a bit slow for me, but it all comes together in the end. I’m glad I was drawn to the cover instead of a descriptions because I might not have ever read it otherwise.

~

Roman Fever
by Edith Wharton (fiction) – must read

This is a short story recommended by another blogger that I follow. In fact, her exact words were “my favorite short story ever.” I found it funny that I couldn’t locate this particular work of such a classic novelist at my library. It is, however, available for download for just 99 cents. I don’t have an e-reader and hate reading books on my phone. However, this one is just the right length that it is a manageable read in this manner, especially if you find yourself in an unexpected line or waiting room.

What’s the best short story you’ve ever read?

{I’m looking for suggestions!}

Cheers~
Carrie