Jhumpa Lahiri is my favorite modern writer, so I could go on and on about how wonderful her most recent book was.  However, to limit my ramblings, I’ve narrowed down my praise to a top ten list.  So, in no particular order, here are the reasons why all of you should read this excellent book:

• Jhumpa Lahiri writes about places in Boston that remind me of my time there.  Sometimes, I feel as if she saw the city the way I did.   
• The stories in her newest book are so heartfelt that it seems as if a description of a person’s shrug can tell everything about that individual’s entire lifetime of joys and sorrows. 
• Each tale invites the reader to think of personal moments of anguish, even though I never felt completely depressed when reading.
• Even though some of the settings are completely familiar to me (Boston Common, Harvard Square), other descriptions take me across the globe to places I’ve never encountered (Calcutta, Thailand). 
• I was completely surprised by the ending.  It seemed like the only way the book could end, and still it completely shocked me. 
• The book felt both modern with its depictions of relationships yet had a classic tone as well. 
• I could relate to the characters regardless of their ages.  One woman who was a mother had such a compelling story that I felt like I knew her somehow.
• Every time I read a section or a story, I wanted to share everything I had just learned. 
• The stories are about love, but not in a sappy way.   
• Ms. Lahiri’s writing always makes me examine my own heart and evaluate the things that are most important to me.   

I went to the library today to find some books offering advice about how to get out of credit card debt.  Sadly, I join the thousands of Americans who put way too much on a credit card during my young and foolish days.  I’m fighting like mad now to try to pay all of that off as soon as possible.

While at the library (which, by the way, is one of my favorite spots on a snowy day like today), I meandered into the section on wedding books.  I never thought I would enjoy being a bride so much, and since the pre-wedding wonderland feeling has an expiration date (since I probably really shouldn’t look in the bridal section after our wedding), I feel the need to delight in all the possible wedding planning joys.

Happily, I found a lovely little book entitled Wedding Words Vows, and plan to use it for some needed advice on the ceremony.  However, I was a little concerned to see this book on the shelf right by all the wedding planners:

I’m not sure if I should take it as adorable that all the folk and fairy tales are situated right next to the wedding books, or if that reality should serve as a warning not to get too swept away in bridal silliness….

I love the feeling of curling up with a book that is so artfully written that the moment its last page is turned, you crave another chance to ponder the words inside.  That urge to close a book and let the words sit with you in silence— while also wanting to flip forward to the beginning to better understand those first few lines—is such a bittersweet delight for me.  I had yearned for a new book that would make me linger on every page, and I finally filled that desire with Toni Morrison’s A Mercy.  Her story about the disasters slavery causes was beautifully composed.  So many people have written more eloquently than I can about how powerful this book is.  And, like many people, I was mesmerized by the poetry of Morrison’s work.

However, the element of the book that most inspired me was the way Morrison suggested that any time you allow yourself to be owned completely by something or someone, you become a type of slave.  I viewed this book not just as a look at the historical implications of slavery, but also as a critique of a person not knowing his or her own self-worth.  It seemed as if Morrison warned that we all are at risk of becoming lost if we don’t own our individual power and sense of justice.  To look at the present through the lens of past atrocities reminds me that we all have to be vigilant to protect ourselves and others from becoming lost in the will of another.

Sometimes it only takes a word.  Or, in this case, six.  I’ve begun reading I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets, a book complied of poignant six word sentences written by various teenagers.  Each page holds various sentences that demand careful attention.  One sentence can reveal someone’s world.

For me, the concept of the micro-sentence was first introduced by Holly Zachariah of The Columbus Dispatch.  This summer the journalist visited our Urban Writing Retreat group and explained how pivotal individual word choices have been in her career.  She challenged our group to share our life story in just six words.  Each word holds so much value when working with such limited space.  It’s more overwhelming than it seems.

Still, the teens who wrote for I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets contributed an impressive array of short, short, SHORT stories.  Below are a few of my personal favorites from the book:

• Holden caught me in the rye.  (Brittany F.)
• A never-ending series of marvelous misadventures.  (Kirby S.)
• Prefer Indiana Jones to Mr. Darcy. (Laura H.)

You can submit your own six-word tale at www.smithteens.com!  Go for it!