Good books

Have you ever read a book that you enjoy so much that you want to share it with everyone you know? I have read one book lately that I just couldn't put down. I had read reviews of Free Food For Millionaires and I heard an interview with the author, Min Jin Lee but I was still unsure if it would work for me. I needn't have worried. I loved this book!

The story follows Casey Han, a recent Princeton grad, as she tries to find direction in her life. She gets thrown out of her parents house after a physical altercation and flees to her boyfriend's home where she finds him "entertaining" two sorority sisters. This all happens withing the first 50 pages of the book. The next 500 pages follow Casey's efforts to figure out what she really wants in life and love. Casey is Korean as are many of the characters in this book and they all struggle with reconciling their Korean heritage and traditions with their American aspirations.

This book sucks you in with great characters and tight storytelling. Although it focuses on Casey, there are many other figures in this book and we get to know each of them to some extent. They are Americans and Koreans, rich and poor, and none is immune to the kinds of questions that plague Casey.

Free Food for Millionaires was really absorbing and such a nice change of pace from the mysteries that I usually read. I recently enjoyed Purgatory Ridge, by William Kent Krueger and Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. I'm sure that I'll snack on another mystery before diving into another novel.

Tomorrow I think I'll have another finished object to share.