Springtime in Oregon. The timid sun starts to peep through the clouds, but the trails are too muddy to hike or bike. But spring break is a great time to curl up with a good book, rain or shine.
So whether you wish to escape the grim realities of today, or just want to read better prose than mine, here are a few books I heartily recommend.
All of these books have been out for a while, so you can find them in paperback. And in Eugene, you can find most titles at a good used bookstore such as Smith Family, J. Michael’s, or Black Sun.
Not every book will please every reader. I can’t guarantee that. But I can assure you that I have read and enjoyed every book mentioned here.
“History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters,” by Julian Barnes. As the title suggests, this novel is sweeping in scope and full of wit. The 11 stories are very different from each other, yet they cohere into a whole, and wholly satisfying, reading experience. Recommended for those who enjoy a treat for the mind, or the subtler side of Monty Python.
“The Path to the Spiders’ Nests,” by Italo Calvino. Calvino is beloved by millions of readers around the world, including this one. His first novel tells the story of Pin, a poor Italian boy who joins a ragtag band of partisans (resistance fighters). Recommended for fans of neo-realist films and coming-of-age stories.

“Woman Hollering Creek,” by Sandra Cisneros. This lyrical collection of short stories is disarmingly simple, yet filled with moments of wisdom. Cisneros lets the women in these stories speak in their own unique voices. Recommended for young women, and the men who want to know more about them.
“Breath, Eyes, Memory,” by Edwidge Danticat. Don’t let the Oprah’s Book Club
sticker fool you. This is a remarkable, compelling tale of a young Haitian-American woman. Its evocations of Haiti, the open-air markets, extended families and social classes alone are worth reading. Recommended for readers who live in, and between, two worlds.
“The Last Samurai,” by Helen DeWitt. This book has nothing to do with Tom Cruise’s new movie. It’s about a precocious young boy and his single mom. It’s about Akira Kurosawa’s most famous film. It’s about the search for a father. It’s about the limits of genius in a world made for average people. And it’s very funny. Just read it.
“The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” by Milan Kundera. I was 19 and hardly literate when I read this novel. Now I’m writing book reviews. Life-changing experience, anyone? Not only did I get the lowdown on Czech life under Soviet rule, the romantic entanglements in the story also helped me understand how love works. That’s why Kundera should get next year’s Nobel Prize for literature. And why you should pick up his most famous work.
“Red Sorghum,” by Mo Yan. This beautiful and brutal story of three generations of Chinese who turn sorghum into wine, love madly and fight the Japanese. Imagine if the American Revolution occurred 90 years ago, and World War II was fought among our amber waves of grain. If that image moves you, please read this powerful novel.
“The God of Small Things,” by Arundhati Roy. “They broke all the rules. They crossed into forbidden territory. They tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved and how. And how much.” That sums up this utterly original story, which is full of gems like these, as well as larger insights into caste, family and love in a part of India that is both East and West. If you make it past the first 50 pages, I guarantee that you will enjoy it.
Oops, did I say that?