What am I reading now?

This and subsequent Saturday blog posts will be dedicated to letting you know what I'm reading now and, where applicable, why.

Just this afternoon, I finished reading Anna Godbersen's Bright Young Things. Anna Godbersen is the author of the bestselling Luxe series, which was exceeding popular among the bright young things at my office so when her newest book came out, it quickly made its way to the top of my must-read list. This new series is set in 1929 New York and takes full advantage of the fact that the era itself was incredibly visual. It is hard ignore the movie that runs in your mind when you read Godbersen's decsriptions of the flapper dresses, the speakeasies and Central Park. Young adults who read these books will learn about the jazz age in spite of themselves.

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach is also on my night stand and I'm enjoying every moment of it. After reading Rebecca Skloot's brilliant The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks earlier this year, I determined to read more science-based books. I'm pretty sure I've hit upon another winner. I'm expecting a revelation about human beings in this one. Will keep you posted.

I am also reading The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. I am reading this one because my 14 year old daughter asked me to. She is reading it for English class and has been captivated. Needless to say, I am a big proponent of the use of trade books in the classroom and I jump for joy when my kids are excited about the books their teachers select; I also do my best to oblige when my kids are excited about a book they're reading and ask me to read it too (when it's a series, I usually ask them to select their favorite just in case I'm not as sold on any particular series as they are). My 14 year old is an exceptionally tough book reviewer so I expect this one will not feel like a chore.