Every year I make the decision to take December slow. Realllllllllllly slow. I intentionally leave blank days on my calendar and feel my soul replenishing itself. Much of my time has been occupied by reading and I've come across some amazing books. On my favorite evenings, you'll find me laying on the sofa–just after dinner–with Polo curled on my belly and JD at the opposite end of the sofa, almost like our feet our kissing. I become wrapped up in each book and the characters shape my view of the world…I love it.

Here are a few books I recently finished, some of which you may also enjoy…
* Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Okay, so where do I begin with this book? Firstly, WHERE HAS IT BEEN ALL MY LIFE?! Yes, I'm dramatic. In all honesty, when I saw this book (in the teen book section, no less!) I immediately second guessed my purchase. I mean, it was a sci-fi teen thriller of a courageous girl thrusted into leadership. Sci-fi isn't really my thing, ya know? I waited a few days before diving in…then remained submerged until I was losing sleep and sneaking the book when we went out to dinner. I was obsessed. Hunger Games is the first in Collins' trilogy, so by the time I was ready to read Catching Fire and Mocking Jay, I was shopping at Barnes&Noble at 10:30pm challenging a teenager to step in my way of buy them. Do yourself a favor and become obsessed too. I give the series *****/*****

* Then We Came to an End by Joshua Ferris – I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although at times it was a little thick to get through. Ferris sure loves building his story. The beauty of the book is that it's written entirely in first-person plural, which is so compelling and immediately draws you in, like you're a co-worker in the office in which the book was written. It's layered, well-written and humorous…best of all, Ferris accomplishes a true feat using a unique narrative and I appreciated it. I give it ****/*****

* The Great House by Nicole Krauss – I've been a huge, huge fan of Kruass' ever since stumbling across The History of Love a few years back, and it still remains one of my favorites to this day. She's an impeccable writer and uses words like a paintbrush. Krauss is truly a master. I had high expectations for Great House and it lived up to them for the most part. The book documents the history of a desk and the stories of each owner and how the desk impacted their lives. Some stories are richer than others, but each section is beautiful and ripe. I give it a ****/*****

* The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman – I ordered this book, it arrived, but I never opened the box (cut me some slack…it was during the busy season for me!). A couple weeks ago I cleaned out a desk drawer and discovered it. Much like a nugget of gold, this book was a true surprise. It's a series of connected short stories about the lives of people who work for an international newspaper in Rome. It's extraordinarily well written and Rachman is brilliant at character development via action, instead of words. He's so good! The story ended a little flat for me, but–then again–I like a let's-win-the-lottery-and-ride-off-into-the-sunset kind of reader, so take what I say lightly. I give it a ****/*****

Happy Tuesday!