mizChartreuse || redefiningSuccess

It’s been said, “Never loan someone money unless you’re prepared to never see it again.”

The same goes for books.

French author Anatole France (The Seven Wives of Bluebeard; Mother of Pearl) said, “Never lend books, for no one ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are books that other folks have lent to me.”

It’s true.

But being one who loves sharing great literary treats with my friends, I still do it anyway. And I still borrow, and try with due diligence to return in a timely fashion.

The other day I saw a preview for the feature film The Time Traveler’s Wife, based off Audrey Niffenegger’s best-selling novel of the same title. Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana star as Clare and Henry, and I don’t think the casting directors could have picked two better actors for the roles. So excited for that film!

I LOVE that book.

Megan and I each have a list/stack of books that we NEED the other to read.

As the preview played, I asked my roommate, a fellow bookworm, “Did you read that book? You HAVE to read that book. I have it in my room.”

She told me she hadn’t, but would like to read TTTW.

I ran to my room, perusing through the hundreds of titles I own, only to remember that I had lent the book to a friend of mine in the summer of 2007.

Only to remember that the only reason why I even had the book was because I borrowed it from a coworker of mine in the summer of 2005, and hadn’t gotten around to reading it until TWO YEARS LATER.

Yikes. I’ll probably never see that book again, and I can think of many others that I have loaned (and borrowed) over the years.

But the story of Henry, who’s been time traveling since childhood, and Clare, whose life progresses normally, is so complex and well-written (AND based in Chicago!) and captivating–it takes readers to the stretches of their imaginations, making them truly form an emotional connection to the characters.

***

One nice thing about communal living (and there aren’t too many) is the fact that my roommates and I have a massive collection of books scattered throughout the house on bookshelves and stands, and I easily have 100 in my bedroom alone. This makes for endless reading opportunities–and a pretty good guarantee you’ll be able to relocate your titles when necessary.

I’m currently halfway through The Raw Shark Texts, one of Megan’s books, which is a TOTAL mind trip.

In it, the main character, Eric Sanderson, wakes up not knowing who he is. He finds a letter addressed to him, telling him to go to a specific psychiatrist. The doctor tells Eric that he has a severe dissociative disorder and has blocked out significant chunks of his memory over the last three years after the tragic death of his great love, Clio Aames…and he’s done it ELEVEN times, with absolutely no recollection of his life story.

Through letters the first Eric Sanderson sent to the next ones to come, the new Eric starts piecing together his life.

He then finds out that he doesn’t have a dissociative disorder. Rather, something called a “conceptual creature,” a life form that exists within and feeds upon ideas, in his case a Ludovician Shark, is eating his memories and hunting him down until he ceases to exist.

What?

Yeah. It’s weird. This is a spread from the book:

What.

I can’t even explain more because I don’t fully understand what’s going on…But I can’t put it down. Maybe I’ll write a review upon its completion.

**

Regardless of the odds of never receiving back loaned books, the prospect of sharing great stories with others is worth it. Besides, I’ve never been one to read and re-read books with fervor. It happens, but not always, so why not share the wealth?

That said, back to The Raw Shark Texts!

What books have you been reading this summer? Do you have an all-time favorite novel or author? What’s your preferred genre?

And if you’re reading this and I happen to still have one of your books, please remind me!