4 books that I'm currently obsessed with

The actual number of books I'm obsessed with at the moment is much, much higher than what I'm sharing here.  I read at least one book a day.  On my days off, I can (and do) read around ten.  I hop between genres to make sure they don't all blend together.  Too many whodunnits in a row makes me lose track of which character killed who for what, and after a day of nonstop romance books, I just want to bury my head beneath the covers and swear off relationships forever.

That said, there are those rare few books that stand out of the crowd so dramatically, it's impossible to get them out of my head even after reading another dozen or so in the same genre.  My current favorites, after the jump!



Cairo Modern by Naguib Mahfouz

Mahfouz wrote this stunning book in 1945, and it was only translated into English for print in the U.S. in 2008 by William H. Hutchins.  Upon reading it, two things struck me: first that this book was worth the 63 year wait, and second that I couldn't believe it hadn't been translated sooner.  Cairo Modern weaves an intricate, captivating tale of just how far desperation can push people.  The principal characters -- an amoral and penniless young man and his beautiful and equally destitute partner in crime -- and the tangled web they weave remind me strongly of the great Russian tragedies.  My hat is off to Mr. Hutchins for his beautiful translation of the text.  When the opening of a novel begins with "The sun had begun a slow descent from its heavenly apogee, and over the university's magnificent dome its disc appeared to be bursting into the sky or returning from its rounds," you know you have something very special in your hands.

Lost Worlds by John Howe


 John Howe, the acclaimed concept artist for The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, has published a collection of stunning illustration of "lost worlds": cities both fantastical and historical, lost to legend and to the annals of time.  From his first illustration of the biblical Garden of Eden to the science fiction goldmine of the Hollow Earth theory, his immense talent draws you in and keeps you spellbound.  Every picture has something eye catching about it.  On the Faerie page, it's the otherworldly knotted branches of the tree.  On the Pompeii page, it's the bold wash of scarlet erupting from the mouth of the volcano.  And if that weren't enough, most of the cities depicted in the book are followed by one or two pages of information on the legend, the history, and the significance of the site, referencing Plato's tale of Atlantis and Heinrich Schliemann's archaeological dig at Hisarlick (the modern day site of Troy).  If I were forced to sum up this book in one word, it would be "beautiful."

The Wind in the Willows: An Annotated Edition by Kenneth Grahame (edited by Seth Lerer)

It is safe to say that few would contest that The Wind in the Willows is one of the most beloved works of children's literature ever written.  Children today love it, we loved it, our parents and even our grandparents loved it.  The stories captured the hearts of parents and children alike back in 1908, and over 100 years later the same still holds true.  Turns of phrase and names of items that were commonplace at the turn of the 20th century are now charming and antiquated -- and very often confusing for the average modern day reader.  Seth Lerer steps in to educate and entertain in this delightful new edition of a timeless classic.  In the generously spaced margins running along the outer side of each page Lerer provides the etymological origins of words, the references and influences that Grahame drew upon to create his stories, and a description of the flora and fauna of Great Britain.  In Chapter 1, he goes into detail about the Victorian trend of picnicking; later in Chapter 7 he notes the influence that Romantic poets, Keats in particular, had on Grahame's choice of words.  And in the middle of the book there's a 16 page spread of glossy, full color images of the covers and illustrations of past editions.

Style and Substance: The Best of Elle Decor by Margaret Russell

My partner in crime and I both agree that the most accurate description of this book is "interior design pornography," and since coming up with that accurate, if unfortunate, moniker, it's been the way we've referred to it.  Someday we'd like the cash to blow on a kitchen like the one on page 112 of the interior design porn book.  I want a dining room like the one on the bottom left corner of page 98, but then again, who doesn't want to eat surrounded by floor to ceiling bookcases?  The title of the book is in no way misleading.  This is truly the best of Elle Decor, and it features hundreds of gorgeously shot photographs of the homes of designers, architects, antiques buyers, celebrities, and fashion executives.  The contents is divided into public spaces and personal spaces, and further divided down by rooms.  It is luxurious and makes no apologies for it.  Here there are dressing rooms with chandeliers and antique furniture, double height living rooms with enormous windows, libraries with candelabras and sterling silver tea urns, bedrooms with fireplaces and stainless steel four poster beds, and bathrooms with 19th century nickel and brass tubs.  This book is a marvel and a wonder, and if you're anything like me it will make you swoon like the hopelessly obsessed Apartment Therapy devotee you are.