moving right along

i just finished reading middlesex by jeffrey eugenides.
middlesex is a pulitzer prize winning book (2003). and in 2007, oprah chose it for her book club. i had the book in my possession for a few years, probably since 2007 when oprah named it for her book club. i finally read it. and i'm glad i did.

according to wikipedia, "middlesex is the story of narrator and protagonist Cal Stephanides (initially called "Callie") as an intersexed man of greek descent with a condition known as 5-alpha-reductase deficiency, which causes him to have certain feminine traits. the first half of the novel is about Cal's family, and depicts Cal's grandparents migrating from Smyrna, a city in
Asia Minor, to the United States in 1922. It then follows their assimilation into the American society. The latter half of the novel, which is set in the late 20th century, focuses on Cal's experiences in his hometown Detroit, Michigan, and his escape to San Francisco where he comes to terms with his modified gender identity."

it took me a little while to immerse myself in middlesex. but once i did, i was hooked. i found eugenides writing exceptional and extremely articulate. his descriptions of callie's angst-filled pre-teen and teen years were phenomenal. i struggled through the section where callie escaped to san fran. mostly because i wanted a different scenario at that juncture. that aside, i really loved the book.

so, now i'm on to the next. water for elephants by sara gruen.
this is our first book in our book club. did i tell you i'm in a book club?! yes, my neighbor and i started one. i've always wanted to be in one. when i told steve that we were starting a book club, he asked if we were meeting once a week. seriously. steve's in the fast reader's club. i'm not. it's annoying when we read in bed at night and my reading is distracted by how fast he's turning pages.

and perfect timing for reading water for elephants. the movie version comes out in april, so i hear. and look who's in it. that's right. twilight boy.

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