"Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you? You leave the previous book with ideas and themes–characters even–caught in the fibers of your clothes, and when you open the new book, they are still with you?" 

~Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale

I often start a new book still thinking about the last one I read, hoping that this one will soon engage me anew with it's story. Oftentimes, the new book will cause me to reflect on or compare a previous read. In Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, I found a highly pleasurable Gothic familiarity, but with enough twists and turns to make it distinctive.

Margaret Lea works in her father's antiquarian bookstore and sometimes writes biographies about rather obscure writers. One day, a letter arrives from world famous author Vida Winter asking Margaret to be her biographer, although Margaret has never read any of her novels. But on a sleepless night, Margaret reads a rare copy of Winter's Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation, and finds herself not only enchanted by  the book, but also perplexed that there are only twelve stories. Drawn by a mysterious connection, Margaret pursues Vida's strange and astonishing life story- only is it truth or fiction? This vivid and complex mystery was just a delight to read.

I spent a lot of money on comic books as a teenager. Anyone who knew me between ages 12-16 can confirm this. But the comics I read strayed away from the typical funnies, tending more toward adult characters and serious dialog that developed an engaging and sometimes emotional story.

Recently I picked up a graphic novel that reminded me of how well the use of pictures and writing can work together. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi first interested me because Marjane and I grew up at the same time, both of us being 10 in 1980. However, while I was safe in Buffalo, she was growing up in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. Forced to wear a black veil at school, her life becomes filled with true stories of torture and the horrors of war. With her parents, she protests for freedom and equality, but there are constant threats and danger is everywhere. Nikes and Iron Maiden posters provide a bit of teenage normality, but her world in Iran remains bleak. Featuring stark black and white illustration, Persepolis is harsh, strong, distinct, and connective.

Marjane's story continues in Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, and there is also a highly lauded film version.

This Sunday night is it - Acadmey Awards night! I like to start the evening at 7pm with The Barbara Walters Special, this year featuring Sandra Bullock and Mo'nique (and apparently this is the last year she will be hosting her Oscar special- boo!). Then I hope they can actually wrap the awards up before midnight since I work the next day. For more information, check out The Oscars online.

Over the past month, I've noticed that Turner Classic Movies has played the Oscar winning film Forrest Gump quite a few times. It is a thoroughly enjoyable film, but did you know it's based on a book? Originally published in 1986, Forrest Gump by Winston Groom presents a likable but somewhat uncouth Forrest. Like in the movie, he always seems to end up in the middle of the action or as the star of a great adventure. However, Groom's Gump is quite muscular and rather risque; he goes into space, lives on an island with cannibals, and works on a science fiction film, along with other triumphs and catastrophes. But don't worry - there's plenty of stories that did end up helping create the movie we all know and love. Go ahead, reach into the box of chocolates and see what you get!