I am really new to Jhumpa Lahiri, having just read Interpreter of Maladies, her first published work and a Pulitzer-Prize winning collection of short stories, earlier this month. But I feel no hesitation in endorsing her anyway, because she was always an author I was going to get around to reading. She has served in a Joan Didion-like role in my life, as a critically-acclaimed author with a fairly robust body of work that I just always had on my list of things to read, but never found the motivation to get to it.
Read moreBookhive Afield: Washington D.C. (part 2)
KramerBooks is smaller than Politics and Prose, and has its own unique celebrity endorsement: the Obamas have visited for their personal book-shopping. This was the ultimate browsing trip, because I had a nice long break in my conference schedule on a beautiful, sunny day; plus I had a new album (FKA Twigs) to dive into on my iPod, so it was the perfect opportunity to take a leisurely stroll to Dupont Circle and wander around a bookstore with a good soundtrack. I love bookstores that are organized into overwhelming piles of books on display, and they are so conducive to discovering a treasure you didn't know you wanted. The perfect bookstore provides that kind of discovery while simultaneously employing lots of intelligent people who will help you find what you need.
Read more