After a very long wait, I finally got my hands on a copy of The Night Circus this past Saturday.

I read it in 24 hours.

I couldn’t help myself. The story was that enchanting, the writing like cotton candy being spun around me in a web of sweetness and sugary intoxication.

The book begins with a small snapshot of the circus, as if you were taking it. The circus arrives without warning. It opens at dusk and closes at dawn, and what you find inside is like no other circus in the world. From there, the story unfolds: a bet between two men traps two young children in a game as adults, a game set in The Circus of Dreams. But the players unexpectedly fall in love, and that changes everything.  Can they survive the game and can the circus ever survive without them?

This is a must-read, must-own, must-reread book. You’ll discover yourself falling into it and almost hoping you don’t find your way out.

Have you read any good books lately? I do love suggestions.

While working on my new Friday blog column (this is not it), I discovered it requires some skills that I do not yet possess, like holding a camera steady. I had hoped to premiere it today, but it will simply have to wait another week.

In the meantime, I thought I’d suggest a book for those of you who will inevitably find yourself in Hurricane Irene’s path this weekend. I will openly admit to being a sci-fi geek, loving fantasy stories like Harry Potter, having read the entire Twilight series, and still picking up “teen” fiction when I have the chance. Books like those, for me, are a release. A good story draws me in and chains me up until it’s over.

I recently picked up David Liss’ The Twelfth Enchantment, which I can only describe as a bit Harry Potter-meets-Jane Eyre. It would be perfect for a dark, stormy weekend. I don’t want to say much more, besides encouraging you to pick it up and try it (and let me know what you think when you do).

Now, I need to head to the library and stock pile some books so when the storm takes the electricity out, I can indulge.

For those of you who aren’t on the East Coast of the US, have a wonderful weekend — I’m living vicariously through you. For those of you who are, stay safe and dry!

Where was this book when I was a girl? It’s got all of the basics in there, everything from pressing flowers to taking adventures in Africa to making friendship bracelets. But what got me where the cartwheels. I could have saved my grandmother a broken foot if I had read this book first. But instead, I asked my then-75-year-old grandmother to teach me how to do a cartwheel in the living room of her home.

I think every girl I know will be getting this book. And for those made of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails, there’s The Dangerous Book for Boys.

I don’t think I’ll ever travel more than an hour with an audio book in the car again. The only problem is that I’m suddenly willing and ready to drive wildly long distances just to finish the story. It’s addictive. I had no idea.  So far, A Discovery of Witches has been my driving companion. I described it to a friend as a sort-of adult Twilight. The story has certainly been intriguing and unpredictable enough to keep me entertained for 9-12 hours at a time. As I was driving yesterday, there was one chapter that might as well have been from one of those drug-store romance novel, the kind with a bare-chested muscular man on the cover and a woman looking all faint and weak in his arms. I rolled my eyes a bit there.  I’m not done quite yet, but if you’re a Harry Potter/sci fi/guilty pleasure reader, you’ll like this book. And it looks like it’s going to be a trilogy.

On the ferry from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC, I started an Orson Scott Card book, Enchantment, that I had picked up at a thrift store in San Diego for $2 (not a bad deal for a perfect copy). It drew me in and kept me reading all weekend. The story is a Sleeping Beauty tale, though very modern in its twists and turns. (And what wild dreams it gave me.)

There’s really nothing as indulgent as a good story.

Are there any lying next to you right now?

Since I finished my schoolwork, I’ve been devouring books. I’ve read five so far. Since Thursday.

I have a soft spot for teen fiction, those sci-fi series that remind me a bit of Harry Potter. I went to the library on Thursday morning to finish work on my last paper. While I was taking a break, I wandered around the stacks for a bit, just breathing in the smell of books. I eventually found myself in the new book section, pulled out some with titles that interested me, chose a few to take home. One was a book called The Lost Gate, written by Orson Scott Card. I hadn’t read any of his other books, but the name sounded familiar and I was intrigued by the story. I finished it in less than 24 hours. It was fantastic.

I’m currently working on something a bit less fantastical: A Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebowitz. It’s lovely. It makes me want to travel to Paris and eat. Not too surprising.

Do you have any must-read books for the summer? Any suggestions for me?

{the library you see belongs to Diane Keaton — love her taste; found here}

Being the fiscally savvy woman I am (you could also call me a graduate student on a budget), I’ve been picking up books at the library rather than buying them lately. When I spotted the new Penguin classics cover for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Flappers and Philosophers, I decided to find out if the book was truly worth adding to my library. The title alone intrigued me, given that I study philosophy. So this book needed an audition. After a few days with Fitzgerald’s intriguing short stories, I discovered his plots shine as brilliantly as its gold and black hardcover (that only sweetens the deal).

Do you buy books for their cover, or do you like to check them out first too?

{image from Penguin Books UK}

Thank you all for your wonderful advice yesterday. It’s a bit reassuring to know I’m not the only one out there who is wildly awkward when trying to flirt. I’ll keep working on it in the meantime. Right now though, there’s a lot I’m working on and a bunch of things I’m rethinking. I’ll tell you more next week. Promise.

In between classes, I’ve been grabbing a lot of inspiration from quotes. My three favorites so far:

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.” – Maya Angelou

Where have you found inspiration this week?

{image here}