Okay so I'm not entirely sure why I didn't like this book. Maybe it's because psychological thrillers aren't my thing. Maybe because I found it to be a little slower than I thought. Maybe the gimicky aspects of the book (the entire premise, unreliable narrator, hateable characters) just weren't pulled off well enough. Whatever it was, I didn't care for this book. But others might! If psychological thrillers are your thing, go ahead.

This book was utterly fascinating, or to borrow Malcom Gladwell's word, dazzling. It tackled so much conventional wisdom in an almost irreverent way, making facts paramount. One of my favorite chapters was the KKK one, not because of the real estate agents but because of how Stetson Kennedy and Superman took them down a notch. The last line of the book was perfect. It left me wanting more! Thank goodness Levitt/Dubner run a podcast and blog too!

Picked up this hilarious book for 50 cents at a thrift shop. Its full of collages featuring 1950s housewives overlaid with snarky, deliciously witty text.

My Valentine's read! It was a fun book with such an unique premise– the main characters make love potions based on smells. Makes for a lot of cool descriptions!

What better place to begin reading a Shakespearean adaption than the dressing room before a show? So excited to see Margaret Atwood's take on the magical The Tempest! #shakespeare #theatre

For today's #riotgram is the character who shares my name, the queen of side eye, Kate the shrew. Fun fact: my full name was taken from a book my mom read while pregnant. She's since forgotten what it was, but it's nice to know my literary love began early!

Joining in #Riotgrams to talk about this book for the black history challenge. Alice Walker's masterpiece was one of the best books I read last year, and the musical is equally wonderful. It is heartbreakingly beautiful, and illustrates the truth about black hardship in the South in the early 20th century. It's one of the only books that has made me cry from happiness. It will make your heart sing.

This is a quote from Arnett's original article proposing his theory of emerging adulthood, published in 2000 (not his later book). Although it's nearly 20 years old, much of the information in the article seemed to perfectly describe me and my peers. Definitely an interesting read for any millennial or anyone fascinated by psychology! Read the article online at http://jeffreyarnett.com/articles/ARNETT_Emerging_Adulthood_theory.pdf

Starting the #litsyAtoZ challenge with James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small. Love this opening line! Sums up the experience of growing up. "They didn't say anything about this in the books...."

This play was interesting and somewhat difficult to get through– I think I'd rather watch it than read it. I like the allegory and the theme of continuity/timelessness/repetition that echoes one of my favorite plays, Wilder's the Skin of Our Teeth. I feel like one of Estragon's lines really sums up the play: "Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes."

Found in a library book– I always love to see where other people have highlighted. My favorite part of this passage is a stage direction: "/distinctly/ We got rid of them." Reminds me of the boiling frog metaphor... or of the recent election.

After being an avid fan of the Freakonomics podcast, I jumped at the opportunity to pick up the book! Time to explore "the hidden side of everything."

This book reminded me of another one that's been getting some attention lately: The Magicians by Lev Grossman. If you liked the Magicians, you'd probably like Night Circus. They're similar in tone and they both drag– the plot unfolds very slowly. For that reason, I really didn't like the Magicians. But Night Circus was much more lyrical and well written with an intricate and magical concept.
"There are many kinds of Magic, after all."

One of my favorite times of the week is volunteering at the front desk at my town's historic center and getting a few hours to read (winter is the slow season so not many people come in). Currently I'm about halfway through the Night Circus and I can't decide if I like it or not! It's certainly beautifully written, but very slow. Amazing cover though!

I loved Frankie Presto! It was a wonderful expansive novel that got philosophical and was narrated by Music. As a guitarist myself (though not a classical one), I felt so connected to the story and learned about new artists and techniques. And soo quotable. Other great quotes:
"A song inside a cage is not a song. It is a plea."
"The secret is not to make your music louder, but to make the world quieter."

After a trip to my library's annual sale, my "to-read" stack has doubled in size! One that I'm super excited about is One Hundred Years of Solitude. I loved Love in the Time of Cholera and I'm excited to read another one of his novels!