These days it seems that I only get to read on vacation.  It’s a good thing that I have been able to vacation often!   Within the last couple of months I have read 2 memoirs and 1 fiction book, 3 great books to read now.

Paris To The Moon by Adam Gopnik

A woman that I met in Paris recommended this book to me.  Since I am fascinated with all things Parisian, I read it.  While I found the author’s account of moving to Paris with his family interesting, at times this was a tough read for me; I felt my eyes glazing over during the (very detailed) parts about Parisian politics.  Admittedly, this is my own quirk because I do not enjoy reading about politics in my own country, let alone a foreign one.   But the writing is solid and it’s a very detailed account of Parisian life from an American so overall I really enjoyed the book.

How To Eat A Small Country by Amy Finley

I saw a friend discuss this book on her Facebook page.  She was reading it because she loves to read about food.  I wanted to read it because it takes place in France.  While the book was indeed about the author’s move to France, it was more about the break up and restoration of her marriage.  And food -the author recounts her family’s French meals in great detail.   A fascinating read for sure, but now I know that I could not exist on an authentic French diet; there is so much meat and game!  Equally fascinating was reading about the author’s marriage, what happened to cause the break-up and the extraordinary measures they took to restore their marriage.  I really enjoyed this book for both the journey to France and the author’s personal story of love lost and found.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I was intrigued by the premise of this fictional book: what if you hit your head and forgot 10 years of your life?   I put this book on my iPad for a light-hearted read over the Christmas break and found that I couldn’t put it down, reading late into the night.  It was so much more than I thought it would be.   At first it’s sort of comical when Alice thinks that she is 29 years old and reverts to her 29 year-old personality.   But then it’s not so funny when she learns that she is in the middle of a divorce and leads a life that can’t possibly be hers.   Ten years doesn’t seem like a long time, but as we learn, it can be an entire lifetime.  Although it’s a fictional book, there are interesting themes about marriage, family life and identity that I could relate to in my real world.    Throughout What Alice Forgot, as Alice forgets and then remembers her life, I reminisced over the last 10 years of my own life.  Several life-changing events occurred; would I erase them if I could?   If so, would I still be the person that I am today?

If you have read these books, I am interested to know your thoughts as well.  Have you read any good books lately?