My Spring Bookshelf

Although I’m deep into a research project, I still find myself reading during my leisure time. I just can’t keep away from printed matter. As the weather improves and the days grow longer, I hope to spend many hours with a book in hand. Preferably outside.

(Courtesy of the New York Public Library)

During the past few weeks, several books have captured my imagination:

Max Page, Why Preservation Matters. Anyone caring about architecture, buildings, communities, and history should read this small volume. Page argues for a sense of social and economic justice to be injected into preservation debates.

Sinclair Lewis, It Can’t Happen Here. Written during the Great Depression, this novel depicts a fascist takeover of the United States. By making the protagonist an aging small-town newspaper publisher, Sinclair demonstrates the danger posed to the powerful by words and ideas. A good friend lent me this book. He and I first bonded over our shared love for literature, including a taste for the writings of Sinclair Lewis.

Anna Burns, Milkman. The folks staffing the table during this year’s Irish Book Day suggested this novel to me. I’m never one to refuse a free book, especially a Man Booker Prize winner. The story is told from the point of view of a young women coming of age in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Through her eyes, one experiences the paranoia and threat of violence coursing through every aspect of Northern Irish society at that time.

My reading list continues to grow, but I’m always excited to receive recommendations. What was your favorite book this spring?