Local Blogger Quadruples Readership Week One

It’s hard to believe I have four followers in less than a week.  Especially since both my Granddad and my Mom don’t know how to “follow.”  I don’t know what those hacks at Random House do all day, but they are virtually the only ones not eating up The Paperback Bookworm.

As I take the writing world by storm, I just finished The Imperfectionists by Tom Rathman this week.  In his novel, Rathman introduces you to the staff of an English language newspaper in Rome.  The book got rave reviews (which loyal readers of this blog know I don’t read or take much stock in anyway).  It reads like a bunch of short stories strung together, each chapter told by a different staff member.  If I were to rate this book, I would declare it “average, but certainly not the worst.”  If Rathman were to rate this blog, well… he’d probably laugh and say “yeah, right” while finishing the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle in ink.

In general, I don’t really tend to like collections of short stories, which is why I gave this book the equivalent of a half-hearted shrug.  I hate having to get to know new characters every 10 pages.  I’m sure that makes me lazy.  (Jhumpa Lahiri is a major exception.  Jhumpa – as I am sure we would be on a first name basis – if you are reading this, I think you are great.  Also, what do you think of my blog?)  In general, I prefer a big, thick heavy book with lots of deep character development.

Hey!  That’s the exact opposite of this blog!  So, dear readerS, please enjoy these short musings with zero character development.  And if you want the real deal, my close personal friend Jhumpa is just $12.95 US / $14.95 CAN away.