R&R People+Culture: Books In My Queue-Interesting Reads For Snow Days

I really miss reading fiction. Lately I've been bogging myself down with so many business and how-to books that I've been starving for a good novel or even a good collection of essays. These three seem promising,so now comes the hard part...making the time to dive into them!

English born writer Helen Simonson's debut novel seems like it's the makings of the perfect little clumsy romance. Major Ernest Pettigrew, a traditional Englishman who believes in upholding all of the gentlemanliness that the English are known for, finds himself in a deepening friendship with Jasmina Ali, a Pakistani woman that the village is determined to assign the role of perpetual outsider. I love stories that explore what happens when cultural boundaries are crossed, so this sounds like it should be a winner.

Based on the theme of the Greek myth which tells the story of a man that fits visitors into his bed by any means necessary (even if it means cutting limbs), The Bed of Procrustes explores our society's tendency to mold reality to be what we want or need it to be. Taleb tackles conventional thinking on religion, education, and ethics.

It's refreshing to see a memoir that aims to show us the awkwardness and other imperfections that those of us who aren't urban glamazon goddesses experience. Durham, NC journalist and Salon.com writer Heather Havrilesky exposes some of her disappointments (parent's divorce, father's sudden death) and coming-of-age moments (loss of her virginity). This sounds like it might be a snarkier, dark version of works by Sarah Dessen, who's always been one of my favorites.

I'll post an update review on each book as I read them. Have you read any of these books? Tell me what you think in the comments!