The Reading Life

Categories: In the News , Award Winners , Staff Picks

In an ideal world, I would have a stack of Booker prize winners on one side of me, a stack of Pulitzer prize winners on the other side of me, and an infinite amount of time to read these wonderful books. (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has a page with links to award-winning books in a variety of categories).

But like most people, my reading habits are shaped by the various pushes and pulls of the real world. Instead of reaching for long, engrossing epic novels (such as previous favorites Middlesex and The Poisonwood Bible), I find myself doing more and more of my reading online in shorter segments, whether it's an article from The New York Times or a book review on one of the many literary websites across the internet.

In addition to Turning the Page, there are many other book-themed sites worth visiting. The Elegant Variation is a site dedicated to providing book reviews and information about author visits around the country, as well as connecting writers with one another. The book blog of the New York Times, Paper Cuts, has frequent author interviews and discussions about the world of books and publishing. In a fascinating entry from October 17, 2008, a writer discusses the dangers of writing truthfully in some regions of the world.

There is so much wonderful writing out there: much of it is contained in the pages of novels such as The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga, and exquisite short story collections like Unaccustomed Earth, by Jhumpa Lahiri. But even if you don't have time to check out these books and read them cover to cover, keep in touch with the lively book world online. Like me, you might discover twenty new books to put in your "to read" stack!