So far this year...The Things They Carried, Heart of Darkness, Devil in the White City, Water for Elephants

This year has so far been a happy, more consistent venture into the many worlds of the written word. For too long I have let things get in the way of reading and I always miss it. It helps when I found and started with a few gems that have inspired, and have caused many sleepless nights as their covers practically grew into my hands....I simply haven't been able to put them down.

The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien
This book was written in such a way as to make the Vietnam war almost palpable. I love how Mr. O'Brien writes - his gift of storytelling is extremely refreshing. The stories were often gripping, sometimes heartbreaking, and yet almost oddly matter-of-fact. His viewpoint on storytelling was also very unique - in that it is more important to get the idea and feeling of the story across than be 100% accurate in every fact and detail. This book made it very easy to relate to the young men that served in that awful war, and how they themselves viewed what they were doing, and where they were. I highly recommend it, and would like to thank Darren for doing so to me.

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
I joined a book club that reads Classics, and this was what I thought the assignment was. I bought it ages ago and just never read it. I liked it, though it wasn't what I thought it would be. I expected something much more....more visceral, I guess. Especially given that it was the basis for Apocalypse Now. But his writing and viewpoints were very interesting. The horrors of the darkness of Africa at that time, and varied meaning and application of the word was what interested me the most. Though I left with mixed feelings about the book, I am glad to have read it.

The Devil In The White City - Erik Larsen
Now this book - this book I loved more than anything I have read in recent months. I cannot stop raving about it. It is written about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair from the perspectives of two very interesting men - the main architect of the fair (David Burnham), and a serial killer that capitalized on the fair (H.H. Holmes). Not only was the story of the Fair and the people involved fascinating, but the amount of historical crossings that occurred over the timeframe and life of the fair was absolutely astounding. Hundreds of amazing little historical tidbits, people, and events crossed the path or were affected by this event. I won't give anything away, so if history interests you even a little bit, this is a book you will love. I would also like to note that his detailing of the killer Holmes was just as interesting, but very mild and handled without any kind of descriptive gore - so don't let that scare you off. Thank you Lindsey for recommending it!

Water for Elephants - Sara GruenThis was a fun, read - very entertaining. Based on the life of circus-folk in Depression-era America, the author wove various true stories and facts together into an absorbing and captivating work of fiction. You come to love the very unique characters, and most especially, the elephant. I loved that elephant, and many of the shenanigans she got up to. I found out in reading the author's note that many of those very shenanigans were pulled off by real elephants, which was as shocking as it was delightful.