by Marissa Creamer Rowan Public Library
I have been a
voracious reader from an early age, devouring picture books, the Nancy Drew
series, horse stories, “Ranger Rick” magazine—pretty much anything I could get
my hands on. I’m not sure why I developed this passion for reading, as my
parents weren’t really readers. But they did read to my sister and me, and my
father told the most wonderful bedtime stories. Unfortunately, since he made
them up as he went along, he couldn’t remember them later, so, disappointingly,
we never did get a repeat performance of the hilarious tale of “The Warts on
the Warthog. “
Even before I could
read, I loved books, and I couldn’t wait to start school so that I could
finally learn to read them on my own. I was expecting that I would learn this amazing
secret on the very first day, and was very disappointed to discover that it
would take more time.
I can’t imagine how
many books I have read over the years; it never occurred to me to keep a list
of them anymore than I would keep a tally of breaths. But fifteen years ago I decided
to start a reading log. I find it useful in helping me remember titles and authors
that I have especially enjoyed, and where I am in a particular series. It’s
also encouraging to see that each year I read more and more books, and reviewing
the titles in the log is like visiting with old friends. I only wish that I had
started it earlier in life.
One of my favorite
recent entries is The Extraordinary
Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe by Romain
Puertolas. This farcical tale follows
the adventures of a professional con artist from India who travels to Paris in
order to buy the latest top-of-the-line bed of nails from Ikea. Things go very
wrong, however, when Ajatashatru is accidently trapped in a wardrobe and
shipped to Britain. On the bright side, this should keep him out of the
clutches of the Parisian taxi driver who has pledged to kill him. (Or will it?)
This begins a madcap adventure across Europe and North Africa. As Ajatashatru
begins to move in a world of refugees and illegal immigrants, the shallow fakir
learns from the lives of others, and his own life is changed by the experience.
Written by a former French border guard,
this comedic novel has become an international best-seller.
Another recent entry
in my reading log is the story of a detective with an unusual sidekick: a baby elephant. The first in the Baby Ganesh Agency
Investigation series by Vaseem Khan is The
Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra. This book introduces Ashwin Chopra, who, on the eve of his
retirement from the Mumbai police, finds that his late uncle has bequeathed to
him a dispirited baby elephant. In
addition, his final case, a suspicious death no one seems to want solved,
continues to trouble him. Concerned that the case will not be adequately
investigated in his absence, he decides to take on the case as a civilian.
Chopra is an honorable detective, his wife Poppy is delightfully strong-willed,
and once he perks up, baby Ganesh turns out to be a very useful partner. Readers of Alexander McCall Smith should enjoy
this series, which continues with The
Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown, followed by the recent release,
The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood
Star.
Come to Rowan Public
Library for these books and other titles to add to your own reading log.
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