Well, it would be nice if I could read along a theme, but I think I’ll just have to give up on that. Instead we have, as usual, a random assortment of books.

East by Edith Pattou East is based on one of my favorite fairy tales, “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.” Growing up in rural Norway, Rose was told that she was born facing the east, which meant that her nature was to stay at home. When she discovers that she was actually born facing north, the direction of adventurers, she is both outraged and excited. Then, an enormous white bear offers to save her sister’s life and her family’s fortune if she will come with him. Feeling that she is finally giving in to her true nature, she does. And of course this is only the beginning of the adventure. I loved this book for the strong characters, the narration, switching in first person between characters, the great sense of place and time – and of course, the romance and adventure.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon The book starts off as the narrator, 15-year-old Christopher, discovers his neighbor’s dog dead in her back yard. I’m not particularly interested in dead dogs, so it took a lot of many-starred reviews for me to actually pick up the book. I really enjoyed it. It’s a quirky and insightful look into the life of an autistic boy trying to understand the world around him. I loved his explanations of the world around him – things he likes, things he doesn’t quite get. For example (not a direct quote, as I don’t have the book here) “Chatting is where you talk with another person, but it is not questions and answers. I cannot do chatting.” Or … no, you’ll just have to read the book.