(October) Read-a-Thon Reads

I’m starting to think that maybe I just wasn’t meant to participate as a reader in Dewey’s Read-a-Thon. Last year, I had prom on the same day at the read-a-thon; this year I have the Worcester Novice Invitational Regatta until late morning, an alumni dinner from early afternoon to the wee hours of the night, and in between all of this I’ll be helping my friend, Katie, move from one dorm to another. But I thought I would share some of the books I would be reading if I was participating just as I did last year. So if you haven’t finalized that list year or are making one more trip to the library, here’s what I would be reading.

• Baghdad Diaries (Nuha Al-Radi) — One woman’s account of the life in Baghdad during the first war on Iraq.
• The Cage Keeper (Andrew Dubus III) — By the author of House of Sand and Fog, this one is a collection of stories about those who stand on the fringe of society — ex-cons.
• Digging to America (Anne Tyler) — I bought this one at my library’s book sale because I really, really liked the cover.
• The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) — This is a reread for me (my review), but, alas, it’s for a class and I need a little refresher before I start writing my paper on it.
• The Lexus and the Olive Tree (Thomas L. Friedman) — I’ve been having a difficult timing getting into Friedman’s From Beirut to Jerusalem, so I’m hoping I’ll have better luck with this one.
• Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood) — I told my adviser and professor I was under-stimulated by my classes, so she promptly threw this book at me and we have an appointment to discuss it in November.