My favorite author

I have a new favorite author. Jonathan Tropper. I've just finished a second book of his (the first being Plan B)and have put his entire collection on hold at the library. I find myself reading sentences over and over again because they are just so beautiful. This is not normal for me. I am not one to analyze books, look for the deeper meaning, or even appreciate the use of a good thesaurus. I just love to read, to be entertained, to make some new, if imaginary, friends. There is something about his books, his characters, and his use of the English language that speaks to me.

My favorite sentence, from The Book of Joe:

"Memories that should have long since crumbled to dust from seventeen years of attrition turn out to have been hermetically sealed and perfectly preserved, now summoned up as if by hypnotic suggestion."

I don't know why I love this particular sentence so much. I read it dozens of times before moving on to the next one. I read it to my husband (who humored me with a smile and a nod). I even marked the page with a post-it note so I could go back and revisit it. I would have highlighted it, but I think that is frowned upon in library books.

Did I really just say “my favorite sentence”?

Maybe I need to get out of the house more, have actual conversations with real adults. Perhaps it’s all those toddler books I am reading over and over again to my daughter. “Some are fuzzy. Some are not. But we can all pajammy in whatever we’ve got.”

Whatever the reason, I just got an email from the library and there is another one waiting for me to pick up. Even though I have 4 books already checked out, waiting to be read (books I really do want to read), I think it’s time to put the toddler in the stroller and head to the library to pick up This is Where I Leave You. I’ll let you know how I like it.