Chapter 24 - The Weekenders

I know this might come as a surprise but I love books I can read in a weekend. Actually I really love it if I can read two or more in a weekend as that is when I usually have time to read. It is funny really, people walk into the store and often say how great it must be to own a bookstore as you get to read all the time. That is typically not what we do. If we are not being kept busy with customers, then we are shelving books, cleaning, researching books and new products, putting books into inventory or scrapping books which are no longer in a condition we'd like to sell. Then of course, there is all the accounting work that goes into owning a store. While Norma is the Queen of most of that, there are a few pieces she entrusts to me.

So, if I can get two books read in a weekend I am a happy girl. Here are some good but fast and easy books you can read in a weekend.

Afternoon of A Faun by James Lasdun - This is a very timely story of a journalist, Marco Rosedale, who has been accused of sexual harassment by a colleague. He sees his career going up in smoke and confides in the anonymous narrator of the story. Besides being a quick read at only 192 pages, the book brings up many themes and questions for discussion. This would be a good book club book.

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg - Arthur's days are the same, he tends to his garden, his cat Gordon, and has lunch everyday with his wife, in the cemetery. One day he meets 18 year old Maddy Harris who carries her own sadness. The friendship between them grows until they aren't certain who is helping whom. This is a short (272 pages) read and wonderful story by Berg.

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani - The first of a series, Big Stone Gap is the story of Ave Maria Mulligan, the pharmacist in the small town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Big Stone Gap is known for its quirky people, it's visit from Elizabeth Taylor, and its 35 year old spinster, Ave Maria. After you read this you'll want to read the rest of the series. This comes in at a mere 302 pages.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon - Christopher Boone is an observant young man and when he finds the neighbor's dog dead on their front lawn, he is determined to get the bottom of the mystery. The only thing about Christopher is that he is on the autism spectrum. The story is an excellent telling from Christopher's perspective and it is only 240 pages.

The Reader by Bernard Schlink - Before World War II, a young German student, Michael, has a brief affair with an older woman, Hanna. After the war, when he is a law student, he watches as she is put on trial as a war criminal. Michael has information which might save Hanna but will he use it? This is another good book club book and a quick read at 224 pages.

Of course you can probably go through any of James Patterson's or Lisa Gardner's books in a weekend as the chapters are short and the stories fast.

Do you have any favorite short reads to recommend?