Confessions of a Literature Teacher

I start a lot of books I don't finish. In fact, it's rare that I actually read a book all the way through. Either I'm very hard to please or I have a very short attention span...or both. I need a page turner. Is that bad? I won't list the titles of all the books I have started and not finished because that would be rude and besides, there isn't enough room here.

The last book I read all the way through was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Stockett is an Atlanta author and I like to keep up with local writers. The Help is set in Mississippi during the 1960s and the story is told from several Characters' points of view. Some of her characters are wise and wry and others are just plain ignorant. Among other things, the book is a social commentary on racism in the South during that time.

I read all the time. I read news article, professional articles and do plenty of research to prepare for classes I teach. I sometimes feel a bit recalcitrant because I don't read more fiction. But then when I stop and think about it, my life is more interesting than most books. Still, it's great to find a good book that you can't put down. Feel free to send me your recommendations.