The thing I love most about Frankenstein is how different it is from anything you might have pictured before reading it. It was such a surprise to me.

Continuing the exploration of my favorite books, inspired by National Book Lovers Day on August 9, I simply must highlight A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It’s in my top 3 books of all time (as is Peace Like a River, from last post), and one of the few that I actually re-read. Because the experience of reading this book is nothing short of sublime.

There's always a bit of shame for a bookish, English-degree-holding writer in books she probably should have read but hasn't. For me, most of this gets wrapped up in the classics...books I should have read in high school or college but didn't. Not out of neglect, just out of necessity really.